Hacking Wii U USB loading - install WiiU games to USB or internal memory

[DVDVDcz]

I tried my 32GB USB stick today just for fun ... installing was really slow and got error while starting the game even though it was formatted correctly by WiiU system. After that when I tried to start the game the second time it game me a different error and I had to restart again ... after that when I wanted to delete the game through the WiiU system, it game me another error. Everything was external storage related and error messages from Nintendo. Long story short ... do not even try to use a rather slow USB stick and install the games to internal HDD if you do not have a proper external HDD. Something similar to WiiU Error 160-4711 but I got 3 different ones.

 

[xtreemsurf]

Save data, dlcs and other extra data for games needs to be on the same device the game is stored on. So if you were to install your disc based games to a usb device, you would also have to copy save data and dlcs from the Wii U's internal storage to the usb device. I explained how it worked earlier in the thread, since you need to follow the steps in a certain order to get it to work, so let me just quote my post from back then:

How to copy save data and dlcs from disc based games to the USB device:

1. First of all, the game can't be installed to the USB HDD / flashdrive before moving or copying save data and dlc from the Wii U's system memory to USB. If it is installed already, you'd have to delete the game through the Wii U's data management and install it again using WUPInstaller after moving the savegame / dlc to USB.
2. To copy the savegame and the dlc if available, head into the Wii U settings and from there into the data management options
3. You should see an option to copy, move or delete data. Choose that and then head into the system memory.
4. Press X on the gamepad to enter data moving mode but do not be confused - this mode allows you not only to move but also to simply copy savegames, dlc and any other extra data for games to USB.
5. After pressing X, choose the games you wish to copy the data from and then press Y. Confirm your choice by hitting the copy button and savegames, dlc and other extra data from the games chosen before will be copied to the USB device.
6. At this point install the game to USB using WUPInstaller. Upon starting the game from USB next time, the savegame you used with the disc version before will be there and ready as well as any dlc you bought for the game.

Thanks for going over this, step-by-step. Should game updates be moved to the hard drive, too? I guess if they're not moved, they will be re-downloaded.

Also, once a game/DLC/save is installed and working properly on the internal memory, is it a simple process to move it to USB? Just choose to option to move/copy to USB? I get a little nervous having my saves on a USB drive. I might copy them form the USB drive to the internal memory from time to time as a backup. Hopefully, once we have a useful IOSU exploit, we can have some sort of save manager, similar to the 3DS. Thanks to all who are working on this!

 

[LinkFan16]

Thanks for going over this, step-by-step. Should game updates be moved to the hard drive, too? I guess if they're not moved, they will be re-downloaded.

Also, once a game/DLC/save is installed and working properly on the internal memory, is it a simple process to move it to USB? Just choose to option to move/copy to USB? I get a little nervous having my saves on a USB drive. I might copy them form the USB drive to the internal memory from time to time as a backup. Hopefully, once we have a useful IOSU exploit, we can have some sort of save manager, similar to the 3DS. Thanks to all who are working on this!

So here is an example:
I own the disc version of Mario Kart 8, which I also updated if updates were available and I also bought the dlc from the eshop. But I really hate the loud noise of the spinning disc. So since USB Loading became a thing, I did things exactly as described in my little step-by-step guide - that means I went ahead and formatted a usb device for the Wii U, and then headed into the console's data management to copy the data for Mario Kart 8 to the now formatted USB device. The copied data includes everything that belongs to the game - save data, dlc and also update data. After copying the data I installed Mario Kart 8 to the usb device using the WUPInstaller and ejected the disc from the Wii U. Then I went ahead and started my freshly installed copy of Mario Kart 8. All cups, characters, vehicle parts... everything I had unlocked so far was there. The dlc I bought from the eshop was also present and working. I hope this answers your question and clarifies your concern

 

[bootmonster]

So here is an example:
I own the disc version of Mario Kart 8, which I also updated if updates were available and I also bought the dlc from the eshop. But I really hate the loud noise of the spinning disc. So since USB Loading became a thing, I did things exactly as described in my little step-by-step guide - that means I went ahead and formatted a usb device for the Wii U, and then headed into the console's data management to copy the data for Mario Kart 8 to the now formatted USB device. The copied data includes everything that belongs to the game - save data, dlc and also update data. After copying the data I installed Mario Kart 8 to the usb device using the WUPInstaller and ejected the disc from the Wii U. Then I went ahead and started my freshly installed copy of Mario Kart 8. All cups, characters, vehicle parts... everything I had unlocked so far was there. The dlc I bought from the eshop was also present and working. I hope this answers your question and clarifies your concern

Just to clarify in case I'm being dumb. Are you installing the game directly from the disc to the internal memory/usb? Or is that functionality not supported? From what I have read it needs to be the eshop version, but I own about a dozen games and would love to be able to install them directly to my wiiu rather than having to download them.

 

[LinkFan16]

Just to clarify in case I'm being dumb. Are you installing the game directly from the disc to the internal memory/usb? Or is that functionality not supported? From what I have read it needs to be the eshop version, but I own about a dozen games and would love to be able to install them directly to my wiiu rather than having to download them.

Installing games directly from disc is not possible. People are downloading the games directly from nintendos servers using a tool called "nusgrabber" which exists in various forms (with and without a gui using just the command line). For more info and insight you should read the first post of this topic.

 

[xtreemsurf]

So here is an example:
I own the disc version of Mario Kart 8, which I also updated if updates were available and I also bought the dlc from the eshop. But I really hate the loud noise of the spinning disc. So since USB Loading became a thing, I did things exactly as described in my little step-by-step guide - that means I went ahead and formatted a usb device for the Wii U, and then headed into the console's data management to copy the data for Mario Kart 8 to the now formatted USB device. The copied data includes everything that belongs to the game - save data, dlc and also update data. After copying the data I installed Mario Kart 8 to the usb device using the WUPInstaller and ejected the disc from the Wii U. Then I went ahead and started my freshly installed copy of Mario Kart 8. All cups, characters, vehicle parts... everything I had unlocked so far was there. The dlc I bought from the eshop was also present and working. I hope this answers your question and clarifies your concern

Thanks for taking the time to explain that! My last question is... I've already used the modified ticket/WUP installer to install MK8 onto the internal memory of the WiiU. It successfully installed, and it worked flawlessly with my Disc save, DLC, and updates. Since it's already installed/working from the internal memory, do I just use the Nintendo data management program to move it to the USB drive?

 

[bootmonster]

Installing games directly from disc is not possible. People are downloading the games directly from nintendos servers using a tool called "nusgrabber" which exists in various forms (with and without a gui using just the command line). For more info and insight you should read the first post of this topic.

No worries! That's what I thought, was just the wording of your post made me think you had installed from the disc which I hadn't seen mentioned anywhere else! Thanks for clarifying

 

[OfficialBrony]

"You cannot install games you didn't buy"
Pfft! I installed Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, and Smash Wii U. I don't own physical or digital copies of the game.
Yet, they work perfectly, and I am still able to download the official updates.

 

[ShadowOne333]

"You cannot install games you didn't buy"
Pfft! I installed Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, and Smash Wii U. I don't own physical or digital copies of the game.
Yet, they work perfectly, and I am still able to download the official updates.

Don't use that stupid WUP Installer.
Use the WUP y mod, that's the way to go

 

[xtheman]

1. Edit the ticket
   - with this tool : https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-wii-u-ticket-modifier.445553/
   - or manually : here (not an exact method, trial and error!).
   - or uTikDownloadHelper (drag/drop a tik on the exe and it will modify the ticket AND download the game). Easier program!

@Cyan if you dump the ticket with IOSU it is already patched. you should add that

 

[OfficialBrony]

The way I did it was using UTikDownloadHelper, drag the .tik to open it with the .exe and let the command prompt do it's magic. Then I just put the files in the install folder on my card's root, and boom. Online even works obviously, since Mii Maker is not masking the games like it did with Loadiine.

 

[Frana]

Hi.

I tried to install some backups and always had an 0xFFFBF442 error at 5-10%.

This was my tests:

• 8GB white wii u with 3491MB free.
• Hard drive changed for a pendrive as external usb storage. Both wii u format and 100% free.
  
• I tried system memory installation.
• Three different sd cards. Sandisk, Kingston and Samsung.
• Games were downloaded using uTikDownloadHelper-v1.1.1 and JNUSTool-mod-v0.5.
• To install games I used WupInstaller-Mod and later WupInstaller-y-Mod-v1.1.1.

I checked every step several times and 0 positive results.

What could be the problem? Sincerally I don't have a clue after playing more than 50 times with all this variable combinations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Audino]

Hi.

I tried to install some backups and always had an 0xFFFBF442 error at 5-10%.

This was my tests:

• 8GB white wii u with 3491MB free.
• Hard drive changed for a pendrive as external usb storage. Both wii u format and 100% free.
  
• I tried system memory installation.
• Three different sd cards. Sandisk, Kingston and Samsung.
• Games were downloaded using uTikDownloadHelper-v1.1.1 and JNUSTool-mod-v0.5.
• To install games I used WupInstaller-Mod and later WupInstaller-y-Mod-v1.1.1.

I checked every step several times and 0 positive results.

What could be the problem? Sincerally I don't have a clue after playing more than 50 times with all this variable combinations.

Thanks in advance.

What game are you trying to install?

 

[Gonchan]

Is it safe to install them on the wii u internal memory?

 

[Audino]

Is it safe to install them on the wii u internal memory?

Yes it is.

 

[Frana]

Several. I tried more but this was the most times downloaded for their tiny weight. Super Mario Maker was downloaded like 10 times trying to be 100% sure.

 

[OfficialBrony]

Hi.

I tried to install some backups and always had an 0xFFFBF442 error at 5-10%.

This was my tests:

• 8GB white wii u with 3491MB free.
• Hard drive changed for a pendrive as external usb storage. Both wii u format and 100% free.
  
• I tried system memory installation.
• Three different sd cards. Sandisk, Kingston and Samsung.
• Games were downloaded using uTikDownloadHelper-v1.1.1 and JNUSTool-mod-v0.5.
• To install games I used WupInstaller-Mod and later WupInstaller-y-Mod-v1.1.1.

I checked every step several times and 0 positive results.

What could be the problem? Sincerally I don't have a clue after playing more than 50 times with all this variable combinations.

Thanks in advance.

Hey, I got this WUPInstaller from a Flare Games vid that works for me.
First attempt failed for me then the second attempt with this WUPInstaller worked for me. (I even checked the Homebrew store homebrew app and online, no updates for the first WUPInstaller I had)
How I got it done was:
1. Drag and drop the title.tik of your game onto UTikDownloadHelper and open it
2. Just mark the download folder on your desktop and name it the name of the game so you remember what it is
3. Once done, drag the files to your Install folder on your SD Cards root
4. Follow the instructions on WUPInstaller by pressing X for external storage or A for System Memory.
It worked for Super Mario Maker, Splatoon, Pokken Tournament and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. I do not own physical or igital copies of the games I installed on my external hard drive and they work perfectly, even getting the notification on my Wii U Game Pad to install updates.

 

[Audino]

Several. I tried more but this was the most times downloaded for their tiny weight. Super Mario Maker was downloaded like 10 times trying to be 100% sure.

Can you check if any of the NUS files have zero bytes? That's the only thing i can think of.

 

[Damian666]

so... does anybody know if I install a usb version of a game I have on disc, will it use the saves etc I already have?

 

[Audino]

so... does anybody know if I install a usb version of a game I have on disc, will it use the saves etc I already have?

Yes, move the save file to your HDD before installing the game and it will load your save. If you install the game to system memory you do not have to move anything.