Hacking USB Loader GX

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NecroNova

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Hello other people in this thread, i need help with this program on the Wii, its mainly about USB Ports.
I recently bought a USB Flash Drive for my Wii Homebrew and games, but when i plug it in and load USBLoader GX it just hangs on "Mounting to USB 1" and nothing more.
I did try other homebrew programs, like Wii MC, and no issues came up. Im confused as to why this issue is happening, and im worried that i wont be able to play my Wii games anymore
If anyone in this thread could help, that would be great.
 

Nintendo Maniac

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I recently bought a USB Flash Drive for my Wii Homebrew and games, but when i plug it in and load USBLoader GX it just hangs on "Mounting to USB 1" and nothing more.
In my experience, USB flash drives are much more picky with regards to compatibility with USB loaders than general homebrew - it was to the point that, after going through like 5 flash drives with extremely poor compatibility, I said "screw it" and used a known-working inexpensive USB-SATA adapter with a spare 2.5" SATA drive I had laying around.
 

Kirby6417

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Anyone able to help me get apps to return to USBLGX instead of the HBC? I'm pretty savvy with USBLGX stuff by now, but I have had a hell of a time getting answers on this one.

Basically, I have various apps in my apps folder on my SD card, and I like to boot them with various installed forwarder wads within USBLGX. I have WiiXplorer, WiiMC, VBA-GX, Not64, Wii64, WiiSX-RX...

VBA-GX and WiiMC go back to USBLGX, but I think that's only because I have them set to return to Wii Menu in their own settings, and I have my Priiloader set so that "Return to Wii Menu" = Autoboot USBLGX. So that's awesome.

Is there anyway way to get apps that don't have their own "Return to" setting to do that? Is there any way to control where they send you?

I'm running USBLGX rev 1271.
The "Return to" setting in the USBLGX options menu seems to have no effect.
Whether the forwarder wads are installed to NAND or emuNAND has no effect.
The apps return to HBC whether I use forwarders or just boot them within HBC.
My main goal is to have a bunch of single-ROM loaders so that each N64 & PS1 game shows up in the USBLGX games list and autoboots and finally returns to USBLGX when the player exits.

I have heard ModMii can make forwarders that read meta.xmls, but I don't know if that's relevant. I feel like I could puzzle this all out myself if I just understood how the "Return to" flag is set; for instance, how is that data it able to be retained while playing a Wii game and called upon exiting? Does using a forwarder into a boot.dol overwrite that setting so that USBLGX's "Return to" is useless for forwarders?

OK thanks for the help folks! Cheers!

EDIT: I just tried the latest USBLGX (rev 1272) and I don't think that's the solution. I have a really fragile setup of settings with rev1271 across my Wii and some friends' Wiis; I'm afraid to mess it up by updating. Especially because rev1272 has caused new errors both times I tried it. (First it was throwing an exception on booting, I think when I had a classic controller plugged in. This time, my forwarders weren't working.)
Anyway, all I really need is apps that (1) Return to Wii Menu, and (2) Don't override Priiloader. Is there some way I can edit that feature into Wii64/Not64/WiiSXRX, since they seem to only do HBC exits?

EDIT 2: Booting Not64 directly (no forwarder) within USBLGX’s app menu made it return to USBLGX when I exited. Which is cool, but I really don’t want my games to be in there — I want them to be on the games list. This suggests to me that the forwarder is interfering with the system’s ability to “remember” that I came from USBLGX. Hm.

Think I’ll try making Not64’s boot.dol into a wad and see if that works. I’ll report back in a day or two to tell how that went. Low expectations.
 
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blackb0x

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So laptops are nowhere near my specialty outside of the ever-popular framework laptop due to having almost desktop levels of hardware flexibility, but I'm guessing a 4c/8t CPU with no discrete graphics isn't exactly something on your radar.
I need a high end PC to do everything that I normally do and it'd be easier for me to resell a laptop than a few low to mid range parts.

Especially because rev1272 has caused new errors both times I tried it. (First it was throwing an exception on booting, I think when I had a classic controller plugged in. This time, my forwarders weren't working.)
I don't know if you mean the old SourceForge version or the new version. But my last release does have an issue with channel forwarders, so you'll need to use 1271 until I release my next update.

When you launch an application from the loaders built in homebrew browser then it'll return you back to the loader, but if you use a forwarder then it won't since the loaders patching the forwarder and the forwarder doesn't typically patch the DOL to return you back to the loader.

You could try using something like CustomizeMii, but I don't know if it'd work.
 

Kirby6417

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I don't know if you mean the old SourceForge version or the new version. But my last release does have an issue with channel forwarders, so you'll need to use 1271 until I release my next update.

When you launch an application from the loaders built in homebrew browser then it'll return you back to the loader, but if you use a forwarder then it won't since the loaders patching the forwarder and the forwarder doesn't typically patch the DOL to return you back to the loader.

You could try using something like CustomizeMii, but I don't know if it'd work.

I see. Thanks for the info! I look forward to using your version in a little while. Just for now I'm so entrenched in some other Wii modding goals that I'll check it out later. (Definitely looking forward to using the Gamecube BBA support and any other improvements!)

Anyway I think I found a goofy solution to my problem. I tell the forwarder to boot with NEEK. And that does the trick... It black-screened exiting WiiSXRX once, but overall seems solid.

I think it works because the emulator is trying to return to HBC, which is not installed on the EmuNAND (which is where it's checking in this case) so it returns to the Wii Menu which causes NEEK to do whatever I told it to do a couple years ago (I think it's rebooting the Wii in non-NEEK mode) and then Priiloader is booting to USBLGX. Not perfect but it achieves the goal I want.

I'm trying to make some private builds of these emulators that just tell them to return to Wii Menu on exit. This seems like a simple goal but I'm in way over my head with it. Guess I'll consider it a long-term self-education project.
 

Nintendo Maniac

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it'd be easier for me to resell a laptop than a few low to mid range parts

Makes sense.

...though technically the framework laptop has the ability for you to sell basically every single part individually (with a single exception of the CPU as its soldered to the motherboard as are all laptop-specific CPUs made in the last 8 years) and/or only sell the parts you want to sell and upgrade the others, and framework as a company are even interested in making a user marketplace in the future for selling used framework laptop hardware and/or components.

But again, I fully understand that 4c/8t with no dGPU can be a non-starter for many regardless of however good the rest of a given laptop may or may not be. My only comment on that though is that I do know that a good chunk of people don't realize that today's integrated graphics are actually faster than many dGPUs from 5 to 10 years ago (especially mobile dGPUs).
 
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Nintendo Maniac

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Apologies for the double-post but this is completely unrelated to your PC woes and, if anything, is actually more on-topic.

I just had the realization that, is it not correct that no USB loader supports Riivolution patches for ISO/WBFS disc images?

Because if so, then that means the Dolphin emulator is literally the first Wii ISO "loader" (if you can call it that) to support Riivolution patches for ISO/WBFS disc images.

...unless of course, Riivolution patch support for ISO/WBFS disc images was the "big new feature" for the elusive upcoming version of USB Loader GX. :P
 

XFlak

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Riivolution requires the original disk in the disk channel, I think dolphin emulates this, so as far as riivolution is concerned the disk is in the disk drive (I don't use dolphin so anyone plz feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm not sure, but riivolution may work under uneek+di as it too makes the system menu think an official disk is inserted in the disk drive. I haven't tried this, just speculation
 
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NecroNova

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Alright, so ive been tinkering again with my USB Issues and i have gotten it to work now and load into the menus of USBLoader GX, but for some reason my games arent loading at all. Any time i try to play a game (GC, Wii, or even Emunand somewhat) they all just lead into a black screen and i have to reset my console.
Now i dont believe my drive is corrupted since i have gotten it a few weeks ago, and i do know that Flash Drives are NOT recommended for USB Loaders on the Wii but its my only option for now, and i do want to know if theres a solution to my issue.

Also id like to point out that GC Games do infact work with the drive i have via the Nintendont app itself, im just confused as to why the USB Loaders arent working with games.
 

Nomado

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I jus got Wii U GameCube adapter with a controller.
Is it possible to use GameCube controller to navigate menu? Once USB loader GX loads GameCube games it works in game but the loader can't be navigated it seems.
 

ca032769

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Alright, so ive been tinkering again with my USB Issues and i have gotten it to work now and load into the menus of USBLoader GX, but for some reason my games arent loading at all. Any time i try to play a game (GC, Wii, or even Emunand somewhat) they all just lead into a black screen and i have to reset my console.
Now i dont believe my drive is corrupted since i have gotten it a few weeks ago, and i do know that Flash Drives are NOT recommended for USB Loaders on the Wii but its my only option for now, and i do want to know if theres a solution to my issue.

Also id like to point out that GC Games do infact work with the drive i have via the Nintendont app itself, im just confused as to why the USB Loaders arent working with games.
It's probably the flash drive.

Have you tried using one of the other loaders with games on your SD card to make sure they load. In case it's your mod you might want to see if it's working.

You could also try the other loaders with your Flash Drive to see if they are working with it. If games play off your SD card but not the flash drive in the other loaders as well, then it is definitely the flash drive. I've never had any problems with SanDisk or PNY flash drives. Never tried any of the cheap flash drives, well, because they are cheap.

How about the format of the flash drive. Reformatted to FAT23 using 32k sectors sizes? Also go in and check with drive management or EaseUS Partition manager to make sure there are no unallocated sections on the drive or partitions with an ASTRIX. if there are merge them into the main partition so there is only the one partition showing. See step #1 in my link below and look at Disk 1 in the attached picture, that it has what I'm talking about. As an example everything there, the G partition and ASTERIX, would be merged into the main C partition to make it just one single C partition.
 
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NecroNova

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It's probably the flash drive.

Have you tried using one of the other loaders with games on your SD card to make sure they load. In case it's your mod you might want to see if it's working.

You could also try the other loaders with your Flash Drive to see if they are working with it. If games play off your SD card but not the flash drive in the other loaders as well, then it is definitely the flash drive. I've never had any problems with SanDisk or PNY flash drives. Never tried any of the cheap flash drives, well, because they are cheap.

How about the format of the flash drive. Reformatted to FAT23 using 32k sectors sizes? Also go in and check with drive management or EaseUS Partition manager to make sure there are no unallocated sections on the drive or partitions with an ASTRIX. if there are merge them into the main partition so there is only the one partition showing. See step #1 in my link below and look at Disk 1 in the attached picture, that it has what I'm talking about. As an example everything there, the G partition and ASTERIX, would be merged into the main C partition to make it just one single C partition.
Well i have tried it with WiiFlow and the same results happened, black screen, no games worked.
Although i did get a different error when trying to play GC games via WiiFlow (A "Couldnt load ISO" error from Nintendont) and i have Formatted my drive to FAT32 before, although i havent thought of that idea yet so ill be sure to try that out. The Flash drive is a Sandisk USB 3.0 128 GB Drive if that gives off more detail.
 

ca032769

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Well i have tried it with WiiFlow and the same results happened, black screen, no games worked.
Although i did get a different error when trying to play GC games via WiiFlow (A "Couldnt load ISO" error from Nintendont) and i have Formatted my drive to FAT32 before, although i havent thought of that idea yet so ill be sure to try that out. The Flash drive is a Sandisk USB 3.0 128 GB Drive if that gives off more detail.
Ya I use to test my units just using a flash drive but haven't done that in a while, but it's still a crapshoot because random errors are always being reported using them. At least you are using a quality flash drive.

Seeing you are not planning on getting a hard drive, do you have a smaller 4GB, 8GB or 16GB flash drive (anything really) you could also try out to see if it works? Testing a few small flash drives, even if they can only fit a game or two, might help determine if it is a compatibility problem with your 128GB.
 

sharkticonnz

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Hey everyone sorry if this has been posted before. I cant get usb loader gx to load newer super mario bros I just get returned to the home menu. Does anyoe know a fix to this? It does work using wiiflow but I would rather have it working through this if possible
 

NecroNova

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Ya I use to test my units just using a flash drive but haven't done that in a while, but it's still a crapshoot because random errors are always being reported using them. At least you are using a quality flash drive.

Seeing you are not planning on getting a hard drive, do you have a smaller 4GB, 8GB or 16GB flash drive (anything really) you could also try out to see if it works? Testing a few small flash drives, even if they can only fit a game or two, might help determine if it is a compatibility problem with your 128GB.
Sadly i do not have any other Flash Drives as i mainly stuck with SD Cards before. (And i still do now for Wii/WiiWare Games)
But i will test that theory once i have access to other Flash Drives (Then again i might just go with the Hard Drive route)
 

MikaDubbz

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Is there any plans to ever allow for Wii games to be booted from an SD card instead of the USB hard drive? Wiiflow has allowed so for years at this point. But USBloader is definitely better overall especially for emunand stuff.

USB certainly suffices, but SD functionality here could really make for an optimum setup on my Wii U.
 

XFlak

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Is there any plans to ever allow for Wii games to be booted from an SD card instead of the USB hard drive? Wiiflow has allowed so for years at this point. But USBloader is definitely better overall especially for emunand stuff.

USB certainly suffices, but SD functionality here could really make for an optimum setup on my Wii U.
It's a not so secret secret that it may be in the next release
 

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