Hacking Backup GameCube Saves from Official Nintendo Memory Cards?

[W hat]

It seems every Wii application designed for GameCube Memory Card-related purposes doesn't work with Nintendo memory cards, doesn't extract from them, works extremely sporadically, or some combination of those. I've tried NuGaSa and GCMM and I've looked at this post. To make things worse, I'm looking to backup a copy-protected save. It seems that the protection on GameCube saves was higher than it is on Wii copy protected saves. (More info.) I'm not going to pretend I have the ability to break Nintendo's protection of the saves, but the GCMM page makes it sound like I can backup + restore copy protected saves to the same memory card as long as I don't reformat it.

Protected savegames are encrypted with the "unique" random serial number that is given to a memory card each time it is formatted. Due to this fact the savegame will only work on the original memory card it was backuped from if that card hasn't been formatted.

To be confirmed if some protected savegames also rely on the block number the savefile starts (or how many blocks where occupied before the savegame was created).

Restoring a raw image to a different card has still to be tested to see if that will permit using a protected gamesave on another memory card.

* Known protected savegames: Medal of Honor: Frontline, F-Zero GX, Pokemon Coloseum, Fire Emblem.

When restoring a savegame with GCMM, its permissions will be set to xxP (move, copy, public), meaning the file can be moved or copied by the WII/GC native memory card utility. Being able to move or copy the file doesn't mean it will work for the reasons explained above.

This might be what I'm looking for, but before burning (and potentially wasting) a DVD I'd like to make sure it's the best tool to use. Does anybody have experience with any app capable of working for GC memory cards (especially official Nintendo ones)?

 

[Sicklyboy]

Have you tried Savegame Manager GX yet? I think that had GC support.

 

[W hat]

It's planned (maybe), but not implemented.