Requirements

- BootMii (either installed as boot2 or as IOS)
- SD(HC) card (at least 1GB, 2GB recommended)
- USB keyboard

Preparing the SD card

You have to create 2 partitions. One little FAT16/32 for BootMii, HBC and the kernel and one big ext3 for the filesystem ("userland"). You can do this for example with gParted in Ubuntu. If you don`t have Ubuntu installed, use the latest LiveCD. For this tutorial it is important to set the descriptions of the partitions.

- Backup your current BootMii folder
- 1. partition: At least 32 MB, FAT16/32, "kernel" as description
- 2. partition: Remaining free space, EXT3, "filesystem" as description
- Copy your BootMii folder to the first partition

Installing the kernel

The mike kernel must be booted via BootMii! If you boot it with the homebrew channel, wifi and other things won`t work.

There are two ways to boot the kernel:

1.)
The first one (and also the recommended one) is to copy the kernel to the first partition of your sd card, for example to the BootMii folder. To boot the kernel you can use the sd card explorer in BootMii and select the kernel. It could happen that it doesn`t work and return to the BootMii main menu. If this happens try to update to the newest BootMii version (beta4). If it also doesn`t work with beta4 then you have to use the second way.

2.)
With the second way you will have to replace the executable of the BootMii GUI with the kernel. This should always work, but the disadvantage is that the kernel will boot immediately after launching BootMii. So you won`t see the GUI of BootMii. If you need the BootMii GUI you may use a second sd card for Linux only.

- Rename the file "ppcboot.elf" in the BootMii folder to "ppcboot.elf.backup"
- Download the latest mike kernel (mikep5) with your appropriate TV mode:

- 480i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...480i(PAL60).elf
- 576i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.576i(PAL).elf
- 480p PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.480p(PAL).elf
- 480i NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480i(NTSC).elf
- 480p NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480p(NTSC).elf

- Rename the kernel to ppcboot.elf and copy it to your BootMii folder
- If you have BootMii beta1 or beta2 you need to download the latest armboot.bin to prevent an error with the mike kernel: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/mikep1-armboot.bin. Rename it to "armboot.bin" and replace it with the one in your new BootMii folder. If you are running BootMii beta3 or later you might skip this step, because it should already include a newer version of armboot.bin

Installing the filesystem

- Download XWhiite 0.2 to your Desktop: http://hbcapps.com/debian-etch-4.0+whiite-...ite-0.2.tar.bz2
- Open a terminal and login as root (sudo su)
- Change the directory to your Desktop:

cd /home/yourusername/Desktop

- Extract the filesystem to your sd card:

tar -C /media/filesystem/ -xjvf debian-etch-4.0+whiite-0.1+xwhiite-0.2.tar.bz2

- Backup your xorg.conf:

cd /media/filesystem/etc/X11/
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup

- Open your xorg.conf and set your TV mode (pal or ntsc):

gedit /media/filesystem/etc/X11/xorg.conf

- Find the Subsection "Display" in the section "Screen"
- Replace "pal_50" with "ntsc_60" if you have a NTSC TV
- If you have the problem with the "small line" try to remove the lines with "HorizSync", "VertRefresh", "Modeline "pal_50"" and "Modeline "ntsc_60"" in the section "Monitor" and the whole subsection "Display"

- Now you can try to boot your Wii with Linux.

Getting WiFi to work

- Download the necessary debian packages and put them to /media/filesystem/home/wii/:

- nano: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wpasupplicant: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...5-2_powerpc.deb
- wireless-tools: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- udev: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- libiw28: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- libvolume: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wifi firmware: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gc-linux/f...tar.gz/download

- Boot your Wii Linux
- Open a terminal and login as root (pwd is "whiite")
- Install the packages:

cd /home/wii/
dpkg -i *.deb

- Extract the wifi firmware:

cd /
tar -xzvf /home/wii/openfwwf-5.2-bin.tar.gz

- Edit the wifi settings:

nano /etc/network/interfaces

- For WPA 1/2 add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ssid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-psk YOUR_SECRET_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-pairwise TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-group TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-proto WPA RSN
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ap-scan 1
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-scan-ssid 1

- For WEP (ASCII string key) add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key YOUR_ASCII_SECRET_GOES_HERE

- For WEP (binary key) add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key s:0123-4567-89

- Test your wifi connection:

ifup wlan0
ping www.google.com

- If you get responses: CONGRATULATIONS! Now your Wii will automatically connect your wifi on every boot

And what now?

- Now you can update your system (as root!):

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

- You can also install a "normal" desktop environment like XFCE4. It`s more comfortable to use, but will use more RAM and will run slower. But it`s quite usable.

apt-get install xfce4

- Install whatever you want! Have fun!

Problems and their solutions

Problem: No sound
Solution: CODEusermod -G audio


by elmurato
revision 5


PS: If something isn`t clear feel free to ask so that I can improve this tutorial. Thanks!

Sources

http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:whiite-linux
http://www.tehskeen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9777
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/MINI:KernelPreviewThree
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:Wifi_Configuration

 

[m00k]

Silverbullet09

rars to extract under windows probably wont help you, as far as im aware windows has issues properly making certain system files. Your best off extracting the .deb file in linux to your ext3 partition.
if its any consolation, i probably had to retry installing this 20 times before i could get it to work.

 

[m00k]

texasrick

yet again no expert but....

if your booting to desktop then its probably installed properly.
Ive read quite a few posts concerning wireless keyboards and mice, keyboards seem more likly to work than mice however its not a definate, wired is best.

Deos your wiimote work as a mouse? it shoud, if so there is an on screen keyboard (although its shocking) that you could use.

if the wiimote and on screen keyboard work bring up yer console and do "sudo apt-get update" then "sudo apt-get upgrade" you never know one of the updates myight help your keyboard and mouse. but who knows

 

[cooldudechand]

cooldudechand

Im definatly no linux expert so i probably cant help however...

did it boot to the desktop before installing xfce4?
what does it say on your screen if you type "dmesg" (if im correct this shows you the last thing written on the console & might give you a clue)
If you managed to install xfce4 i assume the internet is working, have you tried "apt-get update" "apt-get upgrade" might upgrade or update something broken, you never know.

if you mean the dos/terminal as desktop then yes...if you mean the GUI one then no..i did everything as the guide said ... i dint miss any step.... when i typed apt-get install xfce4 it download installed i think 16 mb.. after it finished i was able to type commands so i restarted.. its still same i log in as root then it shows me the terminal and thats it ..... so should i type any command or should the desktop enviroment open automatically...

 

[Takoru]

Is XWhiiteLinux v0.2 working fast enough to use it correctly, like linux installed on a computer?
Would try it, if it's worth it. - Is it maybe possible to play games via emulator, too?

 

[El Snorro]

I am trying to protect my vncserver with a password. So i go into terminal and give the command vncpasswd.
I enter my password twice, and reboot my wii. But i can stil acces my vnc server without a password??

Anybody has tips??

Thanks!

 

[ozguy]

maybe there is a switch you have to use to require authentication.
I have only used vnc for windows, so I am not sure.

 

[cooldudechand]

hey i got it to run now but whenever i open firefox it says

Failed to execute default web browser
Input / Output Error

plus it doent show my 1tb hdd

 

[shadoxXx]

try open iceweasel, which comes with the package (i guess)

 

[m00k]

cooldudechand
nice one for getting to the desktop
Im not sureabout your i/o error although it does sound familiar, are you sure you internet is working completly?

as for your hard drive, you need to find out what its called, mines sda1 for eg. you can do this by installing Gparted (thats what i did) it will tell you what hard drives are on your machine. there are other ways but im not familiar whith the terminal comands for that.
anyways when you know what its called you need to mount it.....
first make the directory you wish it to apear in with

"mkdir /mnt/sda1"

this will place a folder in the /mnt/ directory called sda1. then you must

"mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1"

this then mounts the hard drive to said folder.

after that it should show up, however if you want it to mount the drive everytime you start up linux you must......
To have your hard drive mount each time your server is restarted, you must edit your /etc/fstab file. Simply add (as root user) at the bottom of your /etc/fstab file:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 vfat defaults 0 0

The first argument (/dev/sda1) tells the system what device to mount, and the second argument (/mnt/usbdrive) tells the system where to mount it. The third argument is the filesystem type (vfat). The fourth argument (defaults) tells the system what options to apply to the device, so in this case we’ll just use the defaults. The fifth and sixth arguments (both zeros) tell the system if the filesystem should be backed up using the dump utility, and the second zero tells the system whether to process the device when fsck is run. We can leave them both to zero for now.

 

[cooldudechand]

Thanx a ton man...... last thing how do install the latest flash player......and my internet is working i can acces the other browser but i need latest flash player..

 

[Blue-K]

2) The top and bottom of the screen are missing no matter what I do with xorg.conf

Can anyone shed some light on these problems?
Thank you

I also have this problem...I had the problem with the "small line", and so I commented all the things out as described in the first post. It worked afterwards with the 480i.elf, but like fishears said, I can't acess the bottom and the top of the screen. It's cutted out. The same with the 480p.elf. With the 576i.elf, I saw the whole screen, like it should be, but I have black bars on the bottom and the top...can anyone help us? Please?

Btw: Nice tut, everything (except the Display) works now...great

.

Edit: Lol..around 4000 B/s...how fast

.

 

[Fakie!]

Do PS/2 to USB adapters work with Wii Linux?

 

[Justin121994]

Can one of you guys help me? I used Ubuntu to make both a fat and ext3 partition on my sd card.For some reason I can't write to my ext3 partition??? Any ideas.. I can write to the fat16 partition, so what's the problem?

 

[cooldudechand]

you cant write anything directly to ext3...u need to open termianl and login as root and do it from there...

 

[Justin121994]

I tried that???

 

[Ferrie]

Can one of you guys help me? I used Ubuntu to make both a fat and ext3 partition on my sd card.For some reason I can't write to my ext3 partition??? Any ideas.. I can write to the fat16 partition, so what's the problem?

You can try to use the whiite installer for the Wii, lets you partition your SD and install xwhiite 0.2. Then open your SD card in Ubuntu and login as root and copy the extra packages as in the tut found on page 1. Than back to the Wii and do the rest of your stuff.

 

[texasrick]

Im still stuck
Is there any configuration file I can edit in XWhiite 0.2 so that it will boot into terminal mode and not the GUI?
Since I know it recognizes my keyboard, I need to get to terminal mode before I can do anything else
Right now all I can do is boot to a nice pretty blue desktop with an unmovable mouse pointer in the middle of it.

 

[fishears]

-deleted-

 

[Justin121994]

Thanks Ferrie, it worked installing on the wii, but it is still not working with Ubuntu. I tried changing the xorg setting. Using the tutorial on the first page and it says acess denied. Also, I am logged in as root.So right now it works just can't get the packages on it for wifi.

 

[El Snorro]

Thanks Ferrie, it worked installing on the wii, but it is still not working with Ubuntu. I tried changing the xorg setting. Using the tutorial on the first page and it says acess denied. Also, I am logged in as root.So right now it works just can't get the packages on it for wifi.

Weird?
Is your lock switch on the SD card on the correct setting?
I have absolutely no problems writing to the ext-3 partition using ubuntu 9.04