Hacking UStealth - Wii U 'Format Disk' Nag workaround :)

[TarkinMX]

I'd like to request a ustealth compile of the latest not64 and retroarch wii if at all possible.

I'm actually thinking of trying it on my own but not sure what all I need to download source wise from these two apps.

 

[Morom]

The following Bash/Linux command line has the same effect as UStealth:

echo -n $'\xab' | dd of=/dev/XXX bs=1 count=1 seek=511

Replace 'XXX' by the correct device name.
For me it works perfect: Wii U ignores the USB-Stick and CFG-Loader sees the WBFS partition. I have not tested other things.

Also to reverse this on Linux to a normal partition so you can read the disk again off of the Wii U:

echo -n $'\xaa' | dd of=/dev/XXX bs=1 count=1 seek=511

Of course replace /dev/XXX with the proper device.

 

[Troopage]

Why is it that the UStealth WiiXplorer mod is only detected in USBLGX and not THC?

 

[Cyan]

it's correctly named boot.dol ? (not main.dol or another name?)
USBGX lists all dol files regardless of their names, while HBC only lists "boot" elf or dol.

if it's boot.dol, then I don't know.
check your path.

 

[Troopage]

Yeah, everything was named correctly. I thought it was because I kept my other WiiXplorer files from before I changed to the mod, so I decided to just empty the folder and re-download it, yet it still doesn't work. What are all the files I need for it?
EDIT: The path is right too

 

[Troopage]

@Cyan?

 

[Cyan]

I don't know.

HBC lists all files under this format:
sd:/apps/folder name/boot.dol (or .elf)

the meta.xml and icon.png are not required to "list" the homebrew. only boot.xxx is needed for HBC.
But to launch it, you might need the meta.xml which contains data and arguments needed to boot the homebrew correctly.
icon.png is only to get an icon on HBC.

 

[Troopage]

I don't know.

HBC lists all files under this format:
sd:/apps/folder name/boot.dol (or .elf)

the meta.xml and icon.png is not required. only boot.xxx is needed for HBC.

Or .elf? I put both the .dol and .elf in the folder. I removed the .elf and it was finally detected! Can you explain the difference between .elf and .dol and why to only use one of them? Thank you so much Cyan!

 

[Cyan]

elf is the compiled program (the execution, like the ".exe" in windows), it's in a "raw" binary executable readable by PowerPC processors.
but it's very big sometime. for example, USBLoaderGX elf is 20MB.

You can compress the the elf to dol, which is another executable format readable by Dolphin (Gamecube, and Wii kept this format too).
Compressing it goes from 20Mb to 4Mb.

It's exactly the same program, just two different way to write it. The Wii can read both.
I think on mini (ARM without IOS loaded) it needs to be elf format (the HBC hackmii installer is in elf)

the elf format is also required to debug, as it contains information on the functions and the sources.
when the program crashes, you get a code dump with numbers, these numbers correspond to location inside the elf which give the location where the sources has a bug.
So, dol and elf are often provided at the same time, one dol for the user, one elf for the debugger in case the developer need to debug that version.
You can use the elf only, but it's bigger. just keep the boot.dol as a final user.

 

[Troopage]

elf is the compiled program (the execution, like the ".exe" in windows), it's in a "raw" binary executable readable by PowerPC processors.
but it's very big sometime. for example, USBLoaderGX elf is 20MB.

You can compress the the elf to dol, which is another executable format readable by Dolphin (Gamecube, and Wii kept this format too).
Compressing it goes from 20Mb to 4Mb.

It's exactly the same program, just two different way to write it. The Wii can read both.
I think on mini (ARM without IOS loaded) it needs to be elf format (the HBC hackmii installer is in elf)

the elf format is also required to debug, as it contains information on the functions and the sources.
when the program crashes, you get a code dump with numbers, these numbers correspond to location inside the elf which give the location where the sources has a bug.
So, dol and elf are often provided at the same time, one dol for the user, one elf for the debugger in case the developer need to debug that version.
You can use the elf only, but it's bigger. just keep the boot.dol as a final user.

Thank you for explaining. I love learning more about this stuff and it never stops!

 

[dankzegriefer]

I'm recompiling some emus with UStealth support. Please tell me if they work!
https://mega.nz/#F!88wQCbSK!mYxdXSpu64ZFPqj4fNG0YQ

 

[Cyan]

great
I'll add them to the first post's list if they work.
Waiting for users to test (I don't have stealth'd drives)

Note: is your link working fine? it loads to a white page.

 

[Troopage]

I'd test them, but I don't use those emulators yet.

 

[dankzegriefer]

great
I'll add them to the first post's list if they work.
Waiting for users to test (I don't have stealth'd drives)

Note: is your link working fine? it loads to a white page.

Works for me, and so do the emus.

The source code is exactly the same as the originals but with the new libfat.

EDIT: Mediafire mirror.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/vk8ddxdgc85dhbh/UStealth+Emus.zip

 

[Deleted User]

Work fine for me, at some point when I'm home I'll have to see about compiling Retroarch with the new libfat.

 

[jsecondi]

Is it possible to have a second USB drive (for use with the WiiU side of things) connected with the first uStealth enabled drive (for use with the vWii side) connected to the top rear USB port and the second USB drive (with no uStealth) connected to a powered USB hub plugged into the bottom rear USB port?

 

[Knocks]

Did anyone ever hear from the author of Wii Backup Manager? Has anyone gotten it to work with UStealth? Or maybe there is another similar program that works with hidden drives?

It defeats the purpose of having a hidden drive if you have to unhide it every time you add or remove a game.

 

[TarkinMX]

So reading through this thread and another, I tried to compile Extrems! version of not64 using the following tutorial at https://gbatemp.net/threads/help-compiling-wii64.159585/. I didn't get very far as when I tried to compile and only made it as far as step five. I'm getting an error that says "make: *** No rule to make target 'main/rom_gc.o', needed by 'wiig4-GX.elf'. Stop."

Obviously since I don't really know what I'm doing, I don't know how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated.

Edit: Upon looking in the main folder it was referring to, I saw a bunch of cpp and h files, it's been over a decade since I took programming classes in college so I don't remember much but I'm assuming the o extension is for an object file and the c++ and header files need to be compiled to get the object file and I don't see where to do that.

 

[pixelsblur]

where do I get emulators that will read the drive? such as NES SNES Genesis the ones I have now can read it? or how do I edit the dol file?

EDIT: I apologize, I just saw that medifire link above. Thanks.

 

[pixelsblur]

Does anyone else experience issue with games not loading with vbagx? the interface works and am able to scan through my external but when I click on a game there is an error then reload after 8 seconds? is there a work around? perhaps a different dol? thanks.