How to play GameCube games off a USB HDD.

Welcome to my guide! This will teach you to "backup" your games that you TOTALLY legally own. Right?
This guide is completely compatible with Windows, Mac (Wine), and Linux (Wine). I do not have access to an Apple machine, but theoretically, it should work. Please note that this guide requires you to format your HDD, however you can still use it for storage after we're done, so just back it up before we begin.


NOTE BY A MODERATOR :

There are different methods to play Gamecube games off a USB HDD, and this outdated guide will only tell you ONE method.
It will not explain to you how to run gamecube games from USB HDD, but instead will tell you to do things blindly and install specific outdated files and use a specific outdated USB Loader version.
It doesn't cover other USB HDD methods or other Gamecube loaders.
Don't follow this guide if you want updated informations, updated loaders or if you want to use a different gamecube loading method.

You can follow it only if you want DIOS MIOS 2.8 (outdated) and CFG Loader v70 r36 (outdated).
Thanks for reading,
Cyan

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You will need:
-An SD Card
-A USB HDD
-Wii Mote
-GameCube Controller
-A Wii with Homebrew Channel installed
-A GameCube iso

Download Links:

COMPUTER:


1.) Download WiiFlow from the Download List above. Put it in the apps folder of your SD Card.

2.) Download the DIOS MIOS v2.8 RAR. Go to 'DM', then move 'DIOSMIOS_2.8' to the root folder of your SD card, or for easier installation put it in a folder on the root titled 'wad'.

3.) Download MMM, and put it in your apps folder.

4.) In the DM folder in the RAR, there will be a file named DMToolbox.exe, run it, select your games iso file, and choose where you want the game's folder to go (Desktop will do.). Hit 'Install', and the folder will appear where you wanted it to, it will be named the game's ID, which will, to you, appear to be a bunch of random characters.

5.) Download and Install EaseUS Partition master, and open it. Find your HDD, and right click it, and select 'format'. Format it as FAT32 with 32KB Clusters. *DON'T IGNORE! Press OK, and then "Apply".

6.) Look at your empty HDD, and make a 'games' folder. Put the folder with the Game ID in there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WII:




1.) Plug in your HDD in USB Slot 0. Turn on your Wii. Launch Homebrew Channel. Then launch MMM.

2.) Choose WAD Manager on the menu and install DIOSMIOS_2.8.wad

3.) After you're done, exit MMM. Launch WiiFlow.

4.) Go to Settings, and change game partition to USB1

5.) Press 'B', and select the Gamecube icon

7.) Choose a game and press Start. Every time you add new games, you have to hit the home icon, and hit update cache, and your game list will refresh.

Congratulations! You can now play GC games from your USB HDD!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CFG USB LOADERv70 r36:

COMPUTER:
Follow steps 3-7 in the COMPUTER guide above.

WII:

1.) Follow step 3 in the guide above.
2.) Install DIOS MIOS using MMM.
3.) Launch CFG USB Loader.
4.) Click the icon with tools on it
5.) Set "DML Version" to DM.
6.) Launch your game!
 

Maxternal

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Any way to run GC games via NTFS filesystem? :/

Or is it only FAT32 (32 kb clusters)?
Sorry, no.
Only options are FAT32 or FAT16 with 32k or smaller cluster size for DM (off of USB) or 64k or smaller cluster size for DML (off of SD)
(and then there's Devolution where I don't think the cluster size matters ... but it still has to be FAT32 or FAT16.)
 

dwarf74

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I can run wii games off USB just fine, but I just cannot get this to work. My Hard drive is formatted and partitioned correctly.

Tried USB Loader GX. Rev 1202.
Whenever i click start on a gamecube game, it gives me this message
"ERROR: You need to install Devolution or DIOS MIOS (Lite) to launch Gamecube games from USB or SD Card"
I have, however, installed DM

Tried CFG USB loader as well. Using v70r50.
After i start a gamecube game using CFG, it gets to the DIOS MIOS loading screen. After that, I just get a black screen.


After reading through the thread, I'm not sure where to start
 

Maxternal

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I can run wii games off USB just fine, but I just cannot get this to work. My Hard drive is formatted and partitioned correctly.

Tried USB Loader GX. Rev 1202.
Whenever i click start on a gamecube game, it gives me this message
"ERROR: You need to install Devolution or DIOS MIOS (Lite) to launch Gamecube games from USB or SD Card"
I have, however, installed DM

Tried CFG USB loader as well. Using v70r50.
After i start a gamecube game using CFG, it gets to the DIOS MIOS loading screen. After that, I just get a black screen.


After reading through the thread, I'm not sure where to start
For a START, GX 1202 couldn't detect DM(L) if it didn't get AHBPROT patched when loading. You might try updating your forwarder
OR
update to a newer GX beta that can detect DM(L) even when AHBPROT gets in the way.

After that, we'll deal with the black screen.
 

dwarf74

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I'm sorry, but what is the current latest version of the beta? If you could provide a link, that'd be amazing too.
 

dwarf74

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Thanks Max.
I got 1205.
I no longer get the error message but get a black screen after the DIOS MIOS loading screen.
 

Maxternal

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Is there any way to use the wiimote or classic controller for gamecube games? I thought it was possible or was being worked on
STILL being worked on. It will be through Devolution, though, not DM(L). There are hardware limitations that make that part impossible the way DM(L) does it.
Thanks Max.
I got 1205.
I no longer get the error message but get a black screen after the DIOS MIOS loading screen.
Does it do that for ALL games?
I know you said you partitioned and formatted correctly but just to be sure.
32k clusters?
FAT32?
First/only Partition (USB1)?
 

dwarf74

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No, it only does that when booting gamecube games (although, the only one I've tried is melee)

I'll go ahead and reformat to make sure that it's all right. I'll get back to you later.
Thanks in advance, man.
 

Maxternal

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No, it only does that when booting gamecube games (although, the only one I've tried is melee)
Okay, I should have been more specific. I was actually asking if all GAMECUBE games did that. If it's just one game it could be a bad rip, bad file copy, bad conversion with DiscEX or GCReEx or just a specific game that's not compatible with one of those formats, or bad setting as well. That's the problem with black screens. They can mean so many things.
 

Maxternal

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just tried the zelda collectors addition and i get the black screen again
(these ideas are in no particular order.)
Okay, as far as your gamecube settings in GX, did you change any of them or are they all the same as the first time you installed?

Also, something that sometimes helps :
If you open up your /games folder on your hard drive you should have two folders in there, one for Zelda (something like PZLE01) and one for Smash Bros (GALE01). Inside those folders there's a file named game.iso and another folder. You can try replacing that game.iso file with your full sized disk image. (for example, rename zelda.iso to game.iso ... or zelda.gcm to game.iso, it's really the same format ... and just copy it into the folder, replacing the existing one.)

Another thing, make sure in your custom paths in settings where it says main gamecube path it starts with usb1.

and in your loader settings (forget what it's called) set the activity light to "on" and then when you start the game, does the drive light flash at all after the screen goes black? When it stops flashing, if you hit (A) does it keep flashing? If you turn the "pad hook" option on, does pressing R+Z+start on the black screen reset the console?
 

ascetic0990

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Ok I am having the hardest time getting this to work. I have followed the tutorial perfectly with different results (but none of them working).

I am using a Seagate 250 GB External (reported as compatible) formatted FAT32 with 32k clusters (triple checked). I have installed and uninstalled DIOS MIOS many times (even went back to older versions) trying to get this to work.

Everytime I try to boot one of the many gamecube games I have run through DiskEX i get these various results:

1) Dios Mios Screen then black screen (drive activity light stays on and solid)
2) Black Screen, no Dios Mios logo
3) Wii Turns Off
4) Boots disc in drive (windwaker)
5) Dios Mios Screen frozen (but Wii not frozen)

I have tried various versions of modded USB Loader GX, WiiFlow, CFG Loader, and DM Booter. I have tried various settings outlined in this thread in the loaders as well.

What am i missing here? I've gone through so many threads and tried everything I can think of.
 

LunarKnight

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Now that you're sure you have the a new enough beta version (like the one he linked) in that folder, try running it from the HBC directly and see if that helps. It's always possible you don't have a FORWARDER channel but just have a channel that has the DOL file built in. In that case, updating what's in the fold wouldn't do anything to help unless you run from HBC or change to a forwarder channel.
I don't use a forwarder channel for USB Loader GX, and I am positive I have the new beta version.
Like the guy above I've tried a ton of variations of settings/games/versions/programs and have followed instructions perfectly, I haven't had anything other than a DIOS MIOS screen with the 2 common errors or the Black Screen that does nothing(except for a force console reset sometimes).
 

KatieOoT

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Hi, can I still use these download links or are they outdated?
And if I did something wrong here would my Wii brick?
 

matthi321

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so i have downloaded dios mios. but when i try to play paper mario thousand year door, the intro is really slow. and the music seems to rewind it self all the time, the gameplay is hovever running smoothly. but how do i fix this problem?
 

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