Hacking The Definitive vWii Hacking Guide!

misterdarvus

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Hey, I followed this guide until the formating the HDD one, apparently if you format it to fat32, you can't have a file more than 4GB, and I have a Wii ISO like that. How to solve this?
 

frillyseal_69

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after installing the cios stuff, the loaders (I use wiiflow and cfg because I use an sd card not a usb drive) still don't load wii games wiiflow just boots back to the wiiflow menu and cfg crashes. what am I doing wrong?
 

CJB100

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@VinLark: Thanks so much. It did take a while, but it's worth it if it helps out people. I actually managed / moderated the Guitar Zero 2 forums, wiki and helped design for the website when that project turned into Frontman, on top of contributing ideas, graphics and songs. I understand how great it is to have a definitive place to go for all things one subject.

@zeldaism: I will definitely look into Bootice, that very well could be something to include here since it's kind of an all in one tool. Feel free to IM me with details on performing basic functions and / or a download link if it is free software.

@misterdarvus: You have two options: rip from disc, or convert the .iso to .wbfs and transfer to the hdd using a tool such as Wii Backup Manager, so that these .wbfs files can be split into files of less than 4GB in size. Cyan has made me aware this is an issue with the guide, so I will be adding a small section on Wii Backup Manager before long. It's pretty intuitive though, so for now, I will leave you to it.

@major_mew: First off, I love your picture. Undertale is one of my most favorite recent games. Anyways, secondly, I would make sure you are using the most recent version of the homebrew, and ensure your settings are correct. I can't offer too much help as I have dabbled in those loaders for only minute bits of time, and they are honestly kind of dead in terms of vWii. You can find some info on Cfg USB Loader in this guide: https://gbatemp.net/threads/full-vwii-softmod.339899/ Please be careful with this information, it is old! I would really reconsider getting a small USB Drive or maybe even just a thumbstick.
 
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olku

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after installing the cios stuff, the loaders (I use wiiflow and cfg because I use an sd card not a usb drive) still don't load wii games wiiflow just boots back to the wiiflow menu and cfg crashes. what am I doing wrong?

I have the same problem with my sdcard and wiiflow. Configurable USB Loader works fine.
 
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CJB100

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@alirezay: In what way does it not read the HDD? Sometimes things can look one way to an end user but look different to someone who knows under the hood.

Go through the troubleshooting below. Let me know what fixes the issue.
  • When you launch USB Loader, does it time out when searching for a USB device?
    • If so, does your HDD require an external power hookup?
      • If yes, move on to the next open bullet.
      • If no, are you using a USB Y Split Cable?
        • If yes, move on to the next open bullet.
        • If no, see the bottom of Req 1 in the Section Requirements & Set Up.
    • Is your HDD plugged in with terminating USB plug in the slot farther from the outside of the Wii U?
      • If so, plug it into the slot closest to the outside of the Wii U.
      • If not, you may try plugging it into the opposite USB slot, but most likely, you should move on to the next closed bullet.
  • Does the HDD sound as though it is booting up and then cutting off in a fairly regular pattern?
    • If yes, the USB HDD is not receiving proper power or is not supported.
      • Get a Y Cable if the drive is internally powered.
      • Otherwise see Nintendo's supported HDD list; typically any hard drive works, but play it safe when buying a new one, as yours is not supported. Leave your brand and model number here if you can so that we can fore-warn other users.
    • If no, move on to the next closed bullet.
  • Do certain things show up in USB Loader, such as channels or Virtual Console titles, but other things don't show?
  • After completing all the above troubleshooting, you may want to make sure the drive is set for MBR Partitioning and both the drive, and USB Loader GX are set up correctly. See the sections Requirements & Set Up, Installing USB Loader GX, and Installing Games to USB Loader GX in their entirety.
There should be no situation the above does not cover.
 
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frillyseal_69

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i fi
I have the same problem with my sdcard and wiiflow. Configurable USB Loader works fine.
xed it you need to set each game to run on ios 249 NOT auto

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

[QUOTE="CJB100, post: 6449114, member: 390323"

@major_mew: First off, I love your picture. Undertale is one of my most favorite recent games.[/QUOTE]
Thanks!
 

Cyan

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It's possible, but flash drives (or USB adapter to flash/sdCard/etc.) are not always compatible.
Sometime it can work in read mode, but not write mode (you can launch a game, but you can't dump a disc to the flash drive).

You can test and see if it works, but don't get too much hope.
 
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CJB100

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@StarTrekVoyager: yes, but only to run it from. I think I've read up on a way too boot games from SD using USB Loader GX in the past, but I don't believe that is a feature it really supports, and so I wouldn't try it. It will prolly just lead to a lot of problems if its even possible anymore.

Once you hack the vWii, you can theoretically use any SDHC card to store and boot homebrew from. I'm not sure about SDXC but I don't see why they wouldn't work.
 
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@CJB100 Thank you very much, so once I hack it, I think I'll use a USB stick :) I will order the SD 2 GB card on the Internet since you can't even find it in stores (the minimum was 8GB in the store I went to)
 

CJB100

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@misterdarvus: Sorry, I did not see your post for some reason until just now. You can't uninstall the original Homebrew Channel, as it is still required to run the 16:9 forwarder. The 16:9 Forwarder Channel is just that -- a forwarder. It still requires the original Homebrew Channel to be installed. Alternatively, however, you can use the homebrew launcher in USB Loader GX once you have USB Loader GX and its Channel Forwarder installed, and just delete the Homebrew Channel and its 16:9 Forwarder altogether, although I don't recommend that. I personally prefer to just move the original Homebrew Channel way over to the last channel screen, and keep the 16:9 Forwarder on the first channel screen.

@StarTrekVoyager: Yes, ordering a 2GB card is probably the best way to go about it, no one uses them anymore except in special situations like this. USB sticks are generally supported. I've yet to personally find one that didn't work. But my friend has tried it out and his two thumbsticks didn't work for some reason. So keep that in mind, if yours doesn't work. You may need an actual USB Hard Drive
 

CJB100

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Got some more work done on the guide:
  • Added Bootice to the Setup section, as it simplifies the HDD Setup.
  • Added a section on Wii Backup Manager for users installing Wii Games of larger than 4GB or wanting to compress their Wii iso's.
  • Added an FAQ section.

Still to do:
  • Sections on installing and using Gecko Components
  • Videos for each section
Unfortunately, despite some demand, I just don't think I'm going to be doing any sections on neek or emuNAND. I just don't remember much about them, didn't find them all that useful, and don't currently have the free time to learn about them with everything else I want to do and being a full time employee, college student, and trying to get my life on course to be married within the next year or so.

After the Gecko stuff and making the videos, I'm going to be moving on to fixing up some of the vWii emulators to use Gamecube and Wii U Pro Controllers, probably making a nicer front end for the Turbo-Grafx emulator, and then I'm shifting all my focus to the Wii U side of things, comprised mostly of GBA Temp Wiki Editing for Wii U and vWii until such a time when Wii U homebrew programming gets a lot less cumbersome. But you'll still be seeing me contributing, don't worry. :)
 
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CJB100

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Do I have to use a USB hard drive, or can I use my SD card or a USB flash drive for loading Wii ISO's?
See the FAQ or the last couple of posts. ;P Short version: best to use an actual USB HDD because they have best compatibility, but thumb drives usually work, and SD can boot GameCube games, but not Wii games. Get a USB HDD.
 
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7Robins

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Relative to someone with zero Wii hacking experience, how easy is this guide to follow? What are the risks of messing up?

I've read through several forums trying to understand it all but I always catch a snag when I come across terms like NAND and IOS and the slots they're installed or whatever. Several guides I've read also highlight the fact that you should know what you're doing before attempting any hacking, but I can't find anything to give me the information I need.

So far your guide has been the best and it's the guide I plan to use. However, I'm the type of person that likes to know exactly what they're doing, even for the sake of just learning.

Is it possible for anyone here to link me to some resources that I can read to better inform myself?

A few questions:

Is it possible to use my 32GB flashdrive, which is formatted to work with my system and holds a bit of save data for one of my WiiU games, to run Wii ISOs?

All emulators, ROMs, and save data for those ROMs, as well as homebrew apps, are stored on the SD card, right?

Is it possible to enable DVD and CD playback on the Wii U using vWii? I read that it was possible back in the Wii hacking days using MPlayer, but compatibility was broken. I also read that there was a rumor that it slowly damaged the laser. If it's possible, would that be true?

Sorry for the length, I like to be descriptive. :D
 
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Cyan

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Don't worry about EmuNAND. If really needed and requested, I could write something myself.

Anyway, thank you for your future help in the wiiU part of the wiki !
I started it but it's missing so much information right now, all homebrew individual pages are missing. I have an idea for another page too, but don't know how to write it and which layout to use yet. I might talk about it with you.


I've read through several forums trying to understand it all but I always catch a snag when I come across terms like NAND and IOS and the slots they're installed or whatever. Several guides I've read also highlight the fact that you should know what you're doing before attempting any hacking, but I can't find anything to give me the information I need.
That's what I don't like about tutorials. They don't explain anything and only tell users which button to press blindly.
when I write guides and tuto, I prefer explaining things and why users have to do that, how things work, etc.

Not everyone has the will (or even the knowledge) to do that. most guides are written by "noobs" who succesfully hacked their console following a youtube guide and create yet another fail youtube guide, without taking in account new hacks, user's differences, etc. and it could be dangerous to follow them.


This guide has a looot of details, even though it might not explain all the terms and how the console's internal work.
the console doesn't have a firmware, but a set of different "drivers".
Everything that runs on the console (being system menu, game, or even homebrew) uses a specific "set of functions" called IOS (Input/Output System, the drivers if you want to compare them to computers) responsible for the hardware communication between the program and the console.

Instead of updating a single firmware, nintendo decided to keep different version of these IOS for old games, and release new IOS for newer games. for example, a game which require USB2 access will use IOS 58, while Zelda twilight princess will always use IOS 9 which is very old, but it's working like that to ensure compatibility and bug free updates.

So, the Wii (and vWii), have these different "IOS" version stored in different sub-folders of the internal memory.
The Wii can select up to 257 different folders, that what people are calling a "slot".
Slot 9 = folder named "000000009" which contains a pack of functions a game or any application can use to communicate with the hardware (wiimote, disc, internal memory drive, usb, etc.)

Nintendo released a lot of IOS version, some for the games, some for the different system menu versions. Up to "slot 80" are used officially by nintendo.
Hacker are editing these existing files and installing the result in another empty folder, by convention it was decided to install them on folders numbered 200 and higher.
The USBLoaders are, for example, usually loading the IOS installed in the folder (slot) number 249.


You should often see something like this :
IOS249 [56]
which means that the IOS installed in slot 249 contains patched IOS files based on the official IOS files of nintendo located in slot 56.
the "drivers" in slot 56 are patched to add hacking features (redirect disc access to USB, patch the signature check, etc.) and the result is installed in slot 249, keeping the original slot 56 untouched and available for official softwares from nintendo.



The internal memory of the Wii is not a hard drive, but a flash-memory chipset type called "NAND". Since the Wii, a lot of people are calling other console's internal memory a NAND while it's not necessarily the same type of chipset (NOR, NAND, eMMC, etc.)

You might often see the term "emuNAND" too, which is a deformation of language, it's not emulating a NAND chipset, but redirecting access of the NAND to a copy of it.
Users are making copy of the internal chipset memory (the console's data) to SD card or USB, and the console is reading the data located there instead of the one located on the real chipset.
It's redirecting the access to a copy of the memory, allowing users to mess with the copy, install games and do dangerous things on it (like changing the system menu theme, picture, sounds, etc.), if anything goes wrong, the real memory is still good and unaffected ! You might also encounter the term "redNAND" which stands for Redirected-NAND.


Sorry, I like to be descriptive too ! haha

A few questions

Is it possible to use my 32GB flashdrive, which is formatted to work with my system and holds a bit of save data for one of my WiiU games, to run Wii ISOs?
No. You can't use a WiiU formated drive for anything else. The WiiU deletes all partition information and you can share the drive with another device or application.

All emulators, ROMs, and save data for those ROMs, as well as homebrew apps, are stored on the SD card, right?
Yes, you can store them on SD, or even USB ! as long as it's formated to FAT32 it can be accessed by the homebrew channel.
Some homebrew are even compatible with other formats, like NTFS, ext2/3/4 or exFAT.

Is it possible to enable DVD and CD playback on the Wii U using vWii?
No, the drive is physically limited and can't read CD or DVD. it can't be fixed or updated.

I read that it was possible back in the Wii hacking days using MPlayer, but compatibility was broken. I also read that there was a rumor that it slowly damaged the laser. If it's possible, would that be true?
It worked on older consoles. Nintendo updated the drives on newer console and you can't read CD/DVD/DVD-R on newer drives.
I don't think it damaged the lens or laser, the laser itself just emit light. if the lens is damaged it's probably due to natural electronic device wearness.
 
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