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There are different methods to play Gamecube games off a USB HDD, and this outdated guide will only tell you ONE method.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to you how to run gamecube games from USB HDD, but instead will tell you to do things blindly and install specific outdated files and use a specific outdated USB Loader version.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You can follow it only if you want DIOS MIOS 2.8 (outdated) and CFG Loader v70 r36 (outdated).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!
 

Sliter

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
3,264
Trophies
0
Location
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
XP
1,771
Country
Brazil
hey I'm not sure what happened here but I tries to play but I still get the message that apploader size is zero, I wonder if its because my HDD is partioned, the first one I was trying to play the GC games and the second one are in WBFS (that I play wii games via usb loader GX and work very well). well on wiiflow I can see the GC games there but when I try to play I get this message.

and now I got a bigger problem >A< I'm not sure what happened but I had an GC disc on the console and tries to play one GC from HDD again, wiiflow just loaded the disc game instead... ok, but then I turned off the console
, and now I tuned on again and for some reason everything turned black and white xAx I have no idea what happened here D: someone know what I should do?
(btw I tried to devolution too but I'm not sure if it got the problem by the Devo or wiiflow, also don't remember the order I tried them :B )
 

TechMage299

Member
Newcomer
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
7
Trophies
0
Age
25
XP
92
Country
United States
I could swear i have everything right like the tutorial. I load from a 2gb usb with 4kb cluster size and it loads the game, works perfectly with the only problem being loading times.
Then i took a 16gb usb, partitioned it to 2gb(just enough for one game) formatted to FAT32 with 32kb clusters and it wont even load the game, any ideas? The 16gb usb works fine with my computer and other things so it cant be busted.
 

Maxternal

Peanut Gallery Spokesman
Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2011
Messages
5,210
Trophies
0
Age
40
Location
Deep in GBAtemp addiction
Website
gbadev.googlecode.com
XP
1,709
Country
I could swear i have everything right like the tutorial. I load from a 2gb usb with 4kb cluster size and it loads the game, works perfectly with the only problem being loading times.
Then i took a 16gb usb, partitioned it to 2gb(just enough for one game) formatted to FAT32 with 32kb clusters and it wont even load the game, any ideas? The 16gb usb works fine with my computer and other things so it cant be busted.
Interesting, 32k clusters should have fixed the loading times. I was also under the impression, though, that a 2gb partition wouldn't allow 32k clusters for some reason. Maybe try formatting it to FAT16 with 32k clusters instead.
If that's not it, I can also see the possibility that your 2gb partition is not the first partition on the MBR (even if it is the first partition physically on the drive.)
http://gbatemp.net/threads/changing-the-partition-order-in-a-faster-way.329862/
OR
that you just got unlucky and that 16gb drive is just one of those that's not compatible with DM.
in which, case I'd recommend reporting it in the link in my sig.
 

Orben

Active Member
Newcomer
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
36
Trophies
0
Age
31
Location
Virginia, USA
XP
41
Country
United States
Okay. i have been working on this for literally days now, with many hours of trial and error and it still will not work right!
I have a black wii that is gamecube compatible and i am running os ver. 4.3u.
I hacked my wii using letterbomb and have both the homebrew and bootmii software.
when i pess the home menu in the homebrew channel it says 1.1.2- ios58 v24.32 in the upper right
I followed the original guide at the beginning of the thread to the exact letter multiple times, and im using only the software in the given links.
My iso is a clean rip that i have confirmed as working on my computer with dolphin emulator. it is ntsc to match my system and region.
WiiFlow Recognizes my device and when i click play in the menu, it shows me the big DM block, followed by a flash of green. shortly after my game begins to play crisp clear audio... but no video. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
At this point i am willing to pay someone for tech support that will work!
**edit**
I downloaded Dios-Mios 2.10 after reading the thread, same results though.
I have tried all kinds of trial and error things here, scrubbing the iso. using compressed and non compressed, gmc and iso, etc etc...
 

AdamMcKenna

Member
Newcomer
Joined
Feb 4, 2012
Messages
5
Trophies
0
XP
49
No matter what I can't see any games with the use of DM booter, USB Loader or WiiFlow (that one won't even let me change partition from SD) on the list . They are all in the games folder on FAT32 USB with the 32k clusters.

Tried different versions of DM and USB Loader to no avail, anyone has any experience with this?
 

tbgtbg

Shaking the ring ropes up in the sky
Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
1,997
Trophies
1
XP
1,013
Country
United States
No matter what I can't see any games with the use of DM booter, USB Loader or WiiFlow (that one won't even let me change partition from SD) on the list . They are all in the games folder on FAT32 USB with the 32k clusters.

Tried different versions of DM and USB Loader to no avail, anyone has any experience with this?

Have you tried a different usb drive? Sometimes DM just doesn't like certain drives even if formatted right.
 

AdamMcKenna

Member
Newcomer
Joined
Feb 4, 2012
Messages
5
Trophies
0
XP
49
So I finally got to see the game on my USB but after launching them it restarts system and gets me back to menu.:sad::sad::sad:

EDIT: Progressed further just to ontain "fatal error apploader size is zero"
 

Sliter

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
3,264
Trophies
0
Location
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
XP
1,771
Country
Brazil
with some help of another tuto I finally made it work! Yay XD
I just ahve a question: Is secure to just turrn off the wii on the console while playing via USB? the HDD makes a strangenoise and I'm a bit afraid XD
The same goes for usb wiigames...


So I finally got to see the game on my USB but after launching them it restarts system and gets me back to menu.:sad::sad::sad:

EDIT: Progressed further just to ontain "fatal error apploader size is zero"

try this:
http://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-solve-dios-mios-errors-apploader-size-is-zero-ans-others.360692/
 
  • Like
Reactions: AdamMcKenna

Sliter

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
3,264
Trophies
0
Location
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
XP
1,771
Country
Brazil
Is it possible to have a drive work with both Wii and GameCube isos at the same time?

yep, my HDD are partitioned 200GB for WBFS and 50GB for the GC in the drive with USB LOADER GX, this is the way I did lol
Maybe you can do it f you use a loader that read the wii iso instead of wbfs drive, but I never tried lol

(sorry double post, was an accident :x )
 

ca032769

INFOCOM Collector
Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2012
Messages
636
Trophies
1
Location
Riverside, CA
XP
1,888
Country
United States
@ TheJinKazama - yes they both work.

I just got around this weekend to setting up Dios Mios v2.10 and getting my GameCube ISO's converted over.

I used GameCube ISO Tool and extracted my ISO's to the DiskEx format. To load them I'm using Cfg USB Loader v70r65MOD and yes, both Mario Kart Double Dash and Luigi's Mansion worked.
 

todrick

Member
Newcomer
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
10
Trophies
0
Age
36
XP
42
Country
United States
Thanks for this guide! It's still good in 2014. I had tried for hours to get Gamecube working on my black Wii, and this was the first version that worked, and on the first try. I'm looking forward to making a sick setup.
 

AdamMcKenna

Member
Newcomer
Joined
Feb 4, 2012
Messages
5
Trophies
0
XP
49
Everything except Mario Kart seems to work now. MK stops after the Choose 50/60hz screen for some reason, anyone had this issue?
Using USB Loader GX.
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    Sonic Angel Knight @ Sonic Angel Knight: :ninja: