Hacking USB Loader GX

[RandomNameAndNumber]

recent homebrew won't use IOS236 anymore, but it's fine to keep it if you want to launch old homebrew.

I don't know what the purpose is, but I have been fiddling with this off and on for the last 5 years. There are hundreds of tutorials out there referencing just as many versions of softwares. I do think I finally got the lastest USBloader because it has the GC options in the menu.

Is there a reccommended nintendont version?
Is there a good tutorial that outlines using one USB Flash for both Wii & gamecube titles?

I have a few versions, including the nintendont master zip. I started on this over a year ago to backup failing GC games. Disc rot is pretty bad. I downloaded everything to my pc, and got sidetracked. I look forward to cleaning out the backup files because I got duplicates and versions like crazy.

This has me thinking about getting a slim PC I have running just as an emulation related interface. I got files of files everywhere. SD card reader built in etc. Sounds like something I could really use.

 

[Willsito_GG]

Thank you very much Cyan!

Which is the exact link we need to refer to get this new version?
Is it still considered 3.0 r1268 version?
Do we need to reinstall de vWii and the Wii U forwarder?

Thanks in advance,

Best regards

I didn't do anything. All the work is done by Badablek.
if you want the "tab mod" version of 1268 then ... well, look on first post for "tab mod" ?

There's nothing to change expect the dol on your SD. no need to reinstall the forwarder.
it's a modified version of the latest official release. it's not official, and I didn't make it.

if you want the latest "official", then it's 1268.
if you want a non official modified version of the latest official, with added tabs to switch faster between Wii/GC/emuNAND, then use the tabmod version linked in the first post of this thread. the GUI is different, some themes will not work.
if you want a non official modified version of an old official, with added pluggin support, then use the "plugin mod" version linked in the first post of this thread. but it's based on an older version of the loader, not on 1268. So you'll miss recently added fixes/features.

Thank you Cyan, you are wonderful

One lasts questions:

1.The second "non official modified version", with added pluggin support, what is it for?
2.I have this following version, within the 3 you mentioned which is it?
Meta.xml:
<name> USB Loader GX</name>
<coder>USB Loader GX Team</coder>
<version>3.0 r1262</version>
<release_date>20161019124305</release_date>

3.Do these urguments under the meta.xml file do something? when the forwarder launching or the direct launching from Homebrew one?
<arguments>
<arg>--ios=58</arg>
<arg>--usbport=0</arg>
<arg>--mountusb=1</arg>
</arguments>


PS: you made my life better

Thanks a lot

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

This has me thinking about getting a slim PC I have running just as an emulation related interface. I got files of files everywhere. SD card reader built in etc. Sounds like something I could really use.

I aslo thinked about this...but I would wait for a nice laptop in 1 or 2 years that allow us to play Wii U games with CEMU with little effort

 

[RandomNameAndNumber]

Thank you Cyan, you are wonderful


I aslo thinked about this...but I would wait for a nice laptop in 1 or 2 years that allow us to play Wii U games with CEMU with little effort

The smallest windows pc with an accessible SD card reader, a few USB ports & a standard HDD would be all that is necessary. I am pondering buying a laptop because of a broken screen now.

 

[Willsito_GG]

The smallest windows pc with an accessible SD card reader, a few USB ports & a standard HDD would be all that is necessary. I am pondering buying a laptop because of a broken screen now.

That will be the best, only if it is enough powerful to run CEMU effortlessly

 

[GreyWolf]

That will be the best, only if it is enough powerful to run CEMU effortlessly

What on earth is CEMU needed for with USB Loader GX? If you want to play Wii U games a used console is MUCH cheaper than a PC that might be able to run the games on an emulator.

 

[Willsito_GG]

What on earth is CEMU needed for with USB Loader GX? If you want to play Wii U games a used console is MUCH cheaper than a PC that might be able to run the games on an emulator.

Just saying about unifying everything in a portable device...

 

[RandomNameAndNumber]

Just saying about unifying everything in a portable device...

I find myself using Flash cards and USBs quite frequently, and needing the powerhouse PC less. I am in the same boat. A "digital" storage locker and work place could come in handy.

 

[CoconutCake]

Hello USBLoader GX devs,

I found a small bug in r1268. It is present on both the official and tab mod builds.

It happens during the following conditions:

1) Listing Gamecube games ONLY (not Wii, nand, or emunand) in list mode (not channels or covers)
2) Launch a Gamecube game then exit back to the loader

When you return, the game list will not correctly load the titles of the games, but will instead show the ISO filenames (I think), and things may be out of order due to the naming. Changing to covers or channels displays then back to the list will not fix it.

Thanks for the great loader, and hope this small bug can be squashed.

UPDATE: Basically, USBLoaderGX is not reading the proper titles when returning from a GC game. Instead, it's using the internal ISO names.
UPDATE 2: OK, so now it seems to be working correctly... I have no idea. I did switch between tab mod and official a couple of times. No idea... sorry.

 

[Cyan]

Is there a reccommended nintendont version?
Is there a good tutorial that outlines using one USB Flash for both Wii & gamecube titles?

use latest version of nintendont. (read the first post of the official nintendont thread to get a link to latest release)
If a tutorial would tell you to use USB Flash, then it wouldn't be a "good tutorial".
a good tutorial would tell you to use an external hard drive, unless you love messing with freezes and detection problems.


What I understand you want to know how to put both wii games and gamecube games on the same device?
why would you need a guide to copy files?
for wii, use WiiBackupManager to put the games on your drive, they will be renamed/placed correctly automatically.
for gamecube, it's easier and you can do it manually with your file explorer from your preferred operating system (windows, mac, linux, android, whatever)
gamecube games need to be in :
/games/<game name>/game.iso
but, you know what, just read nintendont guide ! everything is explained in details, I spend months to write that guide, at least people should read it instead of me rewriting the same things over and over on every thread.

with added pluggin support, what is it for?

I'd say "if you don't know, then it's not for you".
but if you want to know : it adds support for launching other homebrew (emulators, mediaplayers, etc.) and listing ROMs and Videos directly in the loader. it's beta, and I don't provide support (it's not my work).

2.I have this following version, within the 3 you mentioned which is it?

just read ? you gave your own answer !
it's "version 1262"
it's not "version 1268"
it's not "version 1268 mod tab"
it's not "plugin version"

and if you are not sure it's the version you want, just download it again and overwrite your files. you'll know which one you have now.

3.Do these urguments under the meta.xml file do something? when the forwarder launching or the direct launching from Homebrew one?

of course they do something, or else they wouldn't exist or be used.
the arguments are used for both homebrew launching, and forwarder launching methods.

guess what they do :
IOS : select a IOS to use at launch !
usb port : Set the usb port to use at launch ! (you wouldn't have thought, right?)
mount usb : whether you want to ......wait for it..... mount the USB at launch or not !


sometime questions and answers are just obvious.
it's rare (in any program) when a setting uses an unrelated name to its purpose. a setting does what it's name imply.

 

[MrKatanaObiWan]

.

 

[Willsito_GG]

use latest version of nintendont. (read the first post of the official nintendont thread to get a link to latest release)
If a tutorial would tell you to use USB Flash, then it wouldn't be a "good tutorial".
a good tutorial would tell you to use an external hard drive, unless you love messing with freezes and detection problems.


What I understand you want to know how to put both wii games and gamecube games on the same device?
why would you need a guide to copy files?
for wii, use WiiBackupManager to put the games on your drive, they will be renamed/placed correctly automatically.
for gamecube, it's easier and you can do it manually with your file explorer from your preferred operating system (windows, mac, linux, android, whatever)
gamecube games need to be in :
/games/<game name>/game.iso
but, you know what, just read nintendont guide ! everything is explained in details, I spend months to write that guide, at least people should read it instead of me rewriting the same things over and over on every thread.


I'd say "if you don't know, then it's not for you".
but if you want to know : it adds support for launching other homebrew (emulators, mediaplayers, etc.) and listing ROMs and Videos directly in the loader. it's beta, and I don't provide support (it's not my work).

just read ? you gave your own answer !
it's "version 1262"
it's not "version 1268"
it's not "version 1268 mod tab"
it's not "plugin version"

and if you are not sure it's the version you want, just download it again and overwrite your files. you'll know which one you have now.

of course they do something, or else they wouldn't exist or be used.
the arguments are used for both homebrew launching, and forwarder launching methods.

guess what they do :
IOS : select a IOS to use at launch !
usb port : Set the usb port to use at launch ! (you wouldn't have thought, right?)
mount usb : whether you want to ......wait for it..... mount the USB at launch or not !


sometime questions and answers are just obvious.
it's rare (in any program) when a setting uses an unrelated name to its purpose. a setting does what it's name imply.

Regarding the version stuff, I obviosuly asked that question becasue you were telling about the plugin and the other mod version without the id of them...And in the case of mine 1262 I recently downloaded from the official site, so yeah, there were some probabilities that could be one of those modified


And about the arguments, I was really surprised that a file like the meta.xml where we always find loads of commented shit within the description, there would be such an important parameters as the IOS, and the USB instructions to load the USB Loader.... Its an evidence of a not a good idea to put it in a meta.xml instead of put it in a dedicated cfg file.


But still, thanks for the information!

 

[GreyWolf]

There is no chance you got the plugin or tab mods from the official Sourceforge repository. They're not there.

The extra arguments are unimportant because the loader works 99.9% of the time with the default options. They are in meta.xml because the HBC sends them to the loader when it's launched. If the HBC can read the meta.xml then it's impossible for the loader to not get those arguments even if it can't read the device the dol was on.

 

[RandomNameAndNumber]

for wii, use WiiBackupManager to put the games on your drive, they will be renamed/placed correctly automatically.
for gamecube, it's easier and you can do it manually with your file explorer from your preferred operating system (windows, mac, linux, android, whatever)
gamecube games need to be in

I accidentally figured this out yesterday as I was fiddling with things. I don't know what proper gc structure is, as they are loading on as needed. Fat32 drive formatted to 32kb sectors I think is the thing that works. I created a folder called "games" for the GC isos, and the rest of the space is taken up by Wii titles. I was somewhat surprised that it worked & am very thrilled to have this functionality added.

I found that an 80gb hdd external is all I need, so I sized accordingly and have a 256gb Usb flash coming in the mail. I still have plenty of fiddling to do, namely getting this software to be the primary boot instead of having to go into homebrew menu and launching from there. I haven't even looked into it yet, but I bet its simple.

 

[Willsito_GG]

There is no chance you got the plugin or tab mods from the official Sourceforge repository. They're not there.

The extra arguments are unimportant because the loader works 99.9% of the time with the default options. They are in meta.xml because the HBC sends them to the loader when it's launched. If the HBC can read the meta.xml then it's impossible for the loader to not get those arguments even if it can't read the device the dol was on.

Regarding the arguments stuff, I dont see your point...Mine: I am just saying that loading arguments, or configuration arguments, should be in a separated .cfg file not in a XML with open masive text node (and others)

 

[GreyWolf]

Regarding the arguments stuff, I dont see your point...Mine: I am just saying that loading arguments, or configuration arguments, should be in a separated .cfg file not in a XML with open masive text node (and others)

The cfg files cannot be loaded until the SDIO and USB interfaces are initialized and working. If the HBC was able to read your SD or USB enough to load the dol from it then the meta arguments are sent to it. Otherwise it's possible the loader could be unable to load said cfg file because it can't access the storage it's on.

 

[Willsito_GG]

The cfg files cannot be loaded until the SDIO and USB interfaces are initialized and working. If the HBC was able to read your SD or USB enough to load the dol from it then the meta arguments are sent to it. Otherwise it's possible the loader could be unable to load said cfg file because it can't access the storage it's on.

Ok, not call it .cfg, call it arguments.xml -> a file with only loading important paraneters in it. So have both: meta.xml and arguments.xml to not confuse important stuff with just text and description stuff

 

[ca032769]

I accidentally figured this out yesterday as I was fiddling with things. I don't know what proper gc structure is, as they are loading on as needed. Fat32 drive formatted to 32kb sectors I think is the thing that works. I created a folder called "games" for the GC isos, and the rest of the space is taken up by Wii titles. I was somewhat surprised that it worked & am very thrilled to have this functionality added.

I found that an 80gb hdd external is all I need, so I sized accordingly and have a 256gb Usb flash coming in the mail. I still have plenty of fiddling to do, namely getting this software to be the primary boot instead of having to go into homebrew menu and launching from there. I haven't even looked into it yet, but I bet its simple.

Be careful of the flash drives. Not the best compatibility out there. Lot's of people have problem and the FD is usually the issue.

Seems to be a bit of hit or miss. If it doesn't work it's the flash drive, but you might get lucky. I've had success with PNY & SanDisk flash drives ranging from 16gb to 256gb, but didn't stick with them because they were just for testing when my 8TB External HDD wasn't hooked up.

 

[GreyWolf]

Ok, not call it .cfg, call it arguments.xml -> a file with only loading important paraneters in it. So have both: meta.xml and arguments.xml to not confuse important stuff with just text and description stuff

That wouldn't make a difference. The HBC is what reads meta.xml, not the loader. If the HBC can read the dol it can read the xml. Thus, the loader is sent the requested IOS in memory. That way the loader may be able to read additional files from USB that it might not normally be able to if it's started with a different IOS.

If all config was only stored on SD then what you're suggesting would be absolutely fine. The console should always be able to read from SD unless the card is dead or improperly formatted. (IMO, requiring an SD card is a better solution than passing arguments.)

 

[Willsito_GG]

That wouldn't make a difference. The HBC is what reads meta.xml, not the loader. If the HBC can read the dol it can read the xml. Thus, the loader is sent the requested IOS in memory. That way the loader may be able to read additional files from USB that it might not normally be able to if it's started with a different IOS.

If all config was only stored on SD then what you're suggesting would be absolutely fine. The console should always be able to read from SD unless the card is dead or improperly formatted. (IMO, requiring an SD card is a better solution than passing arguments.)

The difference is for a configurator user, to have important xml separated from the nom important one to avoid misunderstandings...

I asume that technically its the same because the HBC is the one to tell to the loader how to load... but that is a different point...

 

[GreyWolf]

The difference is for a configurator user, to have important xml separated from the nom important one to avoid misunderstandings...

I asume that technically its the same because the HBC is the one to tell to the loader how to load... but that is a different point...

Once again, it is not possible to read user-defined config files from a device if the app cannot initialize the device. Putting gxglobal.cfg on a USB drive is pointless unless the dol can properly initialize the drive with IOS 249 in order to read the file. You do not need those arguments in meta.xml, that's why they're commented out by default.

Aside from storing setings in NAND the HBC args are the best way to ensure arguments are always passed to the dol because if meta.xml cannot be read then neither can boot.dol.

WiiFlow uses the NAND save method. USB Loader GX does not. It didn't even do that when there was a full channel version. That required an SD or USB device to save the settings on.