Hacking Finally moving from Wii to Wii U

[Knocks]

My new Wii U just arrived, and I have a few questions before I make it my main console and move all the homebrew from Wii to Wii U.

1) Can I use the same hard drive for vWii/GameCube backups and for official Wii U "digital downloads" like Wind Waker? If yes, should there be separate partitions and which file systems should be used?

2) During initial setup, Wii U asked me if I want to enable automatic demo downloads and system updates. Is this safe or should I disable it? Does Nintendo snoop around for evidence of hacking during these updates? Have any Wii U system updates so far bricked systems or removed homebrew without permission?

3) One of the Wii U hacking FAQs says that you shouldn't install custom IOS on vWii. But how will you run apps that require cIOS, such as Nintendont?

4) Can I install wads on vWii or should all homebrew be launched via Homebrew channel?

5) What is the success rate of people using only one USB port for the hard drive instead of a Y-splitter? What about SSD?

6) I can't find a GameCube adapter in stock anywhere. Will the Pro Controller work in Nintendont with GameCube games?

7) I don't have any official Wii Shop purchases on the old Wii. Should I still use the official way to transfer information from Wii to Wii U or just move all the game saves manually via an SD card?

8) Will online multiplayer for old Wii games work on Wii U if you launch them from backups?

This is all for now, but I'm sure I'll have other questions later.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

1) Can I use the same hard drive for vWii/GameCube backups and for official Wii U "digital downloads" like Wind Waker? If yes, should there be separate partitions and which file systems should be used? No, you cannot. The Wii U HDD format wipes the entire drive, not just the partition, and due to it being encrypted cannot be changed once formatted

2) During initial setup, Wii U asked me if I want to enable automatic demo downloads and system updates. Is this safe or should I disable it? Does Nintendo snoop around for evidence of hacking during these updates? Have any Wii U system updates so far bricked systems or removed homebrew without permission? Nintendo has yet to do ANYTHING to change the vWii partition aside from updating a few vIOSs to help compatibility with the last few Wii games that came out. Nintendo can see nothing of what goes on in vWii, and nothing relevant has yet come of Wii U hacking, but if you want to prevent future updates, then you should turn off "Automatic Software Downloads" and "Quick Start Menu"

3) One of the Wii U hacking FAQs says that you shouldn't install custom IOS on vWii. But how will you run apps that require cIOS, such as Nintendont? Nintendont does not require any cIOSs, only Wii USB loaders do. cIOS 249 base 56, 250 base 57, and 251 base 58 are all safe to install with d2x AS LONG AS YOU USE vWII VERSIONS. Make sure you thoroughly read guides on anything softmod-related when it comes to vWii due to absolutely no brick protection

4) Can I install wads on vWii or should all homebrew be launched via Homebrew channel? Ditto to the above, it's safe as long as it has been confirmed working for vWii (do not let google fool you, it will sometimes give you results for "wii" mixed in, READ CAREFULLY)

5) What is the success rate of people using only one USB port for the hard drive instead of a Y-splitter? What about SSD? Thumb drives are fine, but typically 1 TB and up you'll want to think about getting either a Y-Cable or investing in an external powered HDD, due to the USB ports on the Wii U being underpowered compared to the Wii's (honestly not sure about solid state drives)

6) I can't find a GameCube adapter in stock anywhere. Will the Pro Controller work in Nintendont with GameCube games? Yes, if it is first party. The Mayflash GameCube controller adapter for PC/Wii U also works incredibly well

7) I don't have any official Wii Shop purchases on the old Wii. Should I still use the official way to transfer information from Wii to Wii U or just move all the game saves manually via an SD card? Your choice, but if you're alluding to the fact that you have "unofficial" copies of WiiWare/VirtualConsole content, those should transfer as well. (Pro tip, if you make a NAND backup of your Wii before the transfer and then flash it back post-transfer, you will keep the content on both consoles!)

8) Will online multiplayer for old Wii games work on Wii U if you launch them from backups? Only with the power of Wiimmfi (due to Nintendo servers shutting down March of last year)

 

[Knocks]

Thank you for the detailed response! A couple of things to clarify.

1) The Wii U HDD format wipes the entire drive, not just the partition, and due to it being encrypted cannot be changed once formatted

So if I were to download some DLC, say Super Luigi U, I can just store it on Wii U's internal flash memory and that would be no problem? Or would the Wii U still try to format my external hard drive with Wii/GameCube backups even if I didn't try to store Wii U content on it?

The Mayflash GameCube controller adapter for PC/Wii U also works incredibly well

Good to know, although I couldn't get reliable proof that it works with WaveBird (the Wii U will be mounted behind the TV, so can't use wired controllers). But I'm OK with using the Pro controller.

Your choice, but if you're alluding to the fact that you have "unofficial" copies of WiiWare/VirtualConsole content, those should transfer as well. (Pro tip, if you make a NAND backup of your Wii before the transfer and then flash it back post-transfer, you will keep the content on both consoles!

No, I wasn't alluding to that. I wasn't sure if the official transfer also copied any metadata over, like your ownership information, purchase date, etc. Plus the save files, of course.

Only with the power of Wiimmfi (due to Nintendo servers shutting down March of last year)

Lol I had no idea. I guess the question is moot then.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

1. It is entirely possible to store anything you want to on the internal storage (provided you don't run out of space), but upon entering the HOME Menu, you will always be presented with a format nag for any HDDs plugged into the console. The best workaround is UStealth. Just remember that no matter what, if you want to store both Wii U and Wii/GameCube content externally, you will need one HDD to be Wii U formatted and one HDD to be formatted to Fat32, and preferably UStealth-ed


2. AFAIK it works just fine with WaveBirds

3. I forgot to mention that it will also transfer stuff like Miis, friend codes, channels, and yes, Wii Shop channel purchase data, all of which will be wiped from your console (hence my suggestion of reflashing a NAND backup to your Wii, unless you want it all but formatted to sell or something). So yes, the official transfer is actually useful over transferring saves via SD card
Minor edit: Realized that I misread "purchase date" as "purchase data", in which case no, that doesn't transfer

 

[tbb043]

2) During initial setup, Wii U asked me if I want to enable automatic demo downloads and system updates. Is this safe or should I disable it? Does Nintendo snoop around for evidence of hacking during these updates? Have any Wii U system updates so far bricked systems or removed homebrew without permission?

For Wii mode, it hasn't mattered (so far). If you hope to get in on eventual Wii U mode hacks, don't enable it, and don't update (if you already updated, welp, too late, never mind)

 

[Knocks]

Thanks guys. Is it possible to a) skip the safety warning, b) silence the background music and c) move the disc channel in vWii? Or are these the types of hacks that can't be used in vWii?

 

[TotalInsanity4]

Thanks guys. Is it possible to silence the background music in vWii and move the disc channel? Or are these the types of hacks that can't be used in vWii?

They will not work in vWii. For that matter, if you find something that affects the system menu in ANY way, DO NOT mess with it on vWii! The structure of the system menu is different from the Wii's, and it WILL brick your vWii if you attempt it. (This warning applys to apps like Priiloader and MyMenuify)

 

[Knocks]

I have a few forwarder channels that were installed on the old Wii: Mighty Channels, vBAX, snes9x, Nintendont and USB loader. How do I check if they are safe to install on vWii?

 

[TotalInsanity4]

I have a few forwarder channels that were installed on the old Wii: Mighty Channels, vBAX, snes9x, Nintendont and USB loader. How do I check if they are safe to install on vWii?

Fetch them from this thread

 

[Knocks]

Fetch them from this thread

The first post in that thread is about some new nand loader. Are the channels posted there for nand emulation or for installing on the actual Wii U in vWii mode? A little confused about what that has to do with nand loaders.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

Sorry, they're all in the second post, not in the OP. I'm not entirely sure what Fix meant by "NAND loader", but I do know it had something to do with how channels function in vWii mode. Regardless, I've been following the thread for a little while, and the second post is a compiled repository for forwarders made exclusively for vWii