Hacking Official Haxchi Direct - A simple signature patcher

[Kohmei]

What it is:
A (very slight) modification of Haxchi/CBHC v1.3 that simply makes it apply signature (re)patches and then returns to system menu. No options, no coldboot, no wupserver, no configuration. That's it.

Background:
Recently I noticed that several of the improvements made to CBHC have not been applied to the older non-cold boot Haxchi, including the very fast built-in signature patching and reloading. I thought this would be a great feature for the old Haxchi, for those of us who do not want to modify system.xml for coldbooting. In addition to this, by removing waits for user input and sigpatcher2sysmenu ELF loading, transition is several seconds faster and much cleaner (no intermediary white screen between Wii U logos). System config reload support is also carried over from CBHC v1.3 which was not present in sigpatcher2sysmenu.

This should be used in conjunction with Dimok's HBL Channel v2.1 for when you need to run other homebrew.

Features:
- applies full signature patches and region patch when run, then returns to system menu
- lasts until the console is turned off (system config reload supported)
- supports FIX94's ftpiiu_everywhere

Credits:
This is entirely FIX94's work (and other contributors such as Dimok).
I have not added to their work, I have merely subtracted from it.

Download:
https://github.com/kohmeito/haxchi-direct/releases/tag/1.0

Installation notes:
Do NOT install over a COLDBOOT Haxchi installation, you WILL BRICK. Uninstall any coldboot first (make sure your original system.xml file is in place)

 

[proflayton123]

I say, it feels like the 3DS scene where everyone wanted things minimalistic as possible

 

[iAqua]

Do NOT install over a COLDBOOT Haxchi installation, you WILL BRICK. Uninstall any coldboot first (make sure your original system.xml file is in place)

You could add a trigger for the "A" button to load recovery.elf, just so you can save yourself if you install over a coldboot.

 

[simba115]

This looks like something perfect for me but I'm not quite sure I get it. I just installed haxchi 2 weeks ago to stop having to use the browser. So now I have haxchi loading loadiine by default and homebrew launcher with B. If I install this won't I lose access to loadiine since it goes back to the home menu? And I understand that the only way wup installer will install non legit tickets is if the patches are on but again if I install this version how do I get into the homebrew launcher? Sorry if I am missing something I just got into the new methods recently!

 

[MattKimura]

I'm currently on vacation and watching over my friend's kids playing Wii U. I can see this being useful for kids. Even though you can just configure haxchi to have no other options and just a default entry for cfw.
Still sparked my interest though for my friend's kids.

 

[Kohmei]

If I install this won't I lose access to loadiine since it goes back to the home menu?

If you're still using Loadiine, then this probably isn't for you. Regardless, you could still run Loadiine, Wupinstaller, and any other homebrew by installing the HBL Channel, which you would run after running haxchi first. It is installed separately and would have its own icon to run.

Basically my desire to make this was for these reasons:
1) Most games don't need signature patches at all, making persistent patches unnecessary at best, and down the line possibly even problem-causing at worst, especially when you factor in the system.xml editing. There are a dozen different reasons I can think of that even very competent users could inadvertently brick their Wii U with the current implementation, so the thinking is: if it's mostly unnecessary, why have it enabled 100% of the time?
2) The Wii U's library is basically a dead ecosystem at this point, so once you have the games installed that you want, you probably won't need to run wupinstaller too many more times
3) CBHC's patching is cleaner and faster than sigpatch2sysmenu, and has reloading, and system menu patching is not available in the vanilla Haxchi at all
4) The old .elf based HBL is obsolete next to the new channel-based HBL, so the HBL channel is something you probably want to install anyway

Following this rationale, I modified CBHC into what I wanted it to do.

 

[simba115]

Thanks for the reply! I run loadiine still for the games I could not insall using the brazil method. If I could get those loadiine games on the menu along side the brazil method games then yes loadiine wouldn't be necessary. I didn't even know the hbl channel could be installed on it's own! I thought it had to be run from the browser or through haxchi! True that I don't read every single thread but all I've been reading on haxchi is that it offers the offline solution to getting to the hbl So I'm confused! But I do think this will be useful to me... Just not sure the steps to take.

 

[CeeDee]

Haxchi is now...

 

[Cylent1]

So are we still capable of coldbooting with this if we install CB after this or will it brick also? I love minimalistic ideas.

 

[Kohmei]

So are we still capable of coldbooting with this if we install CB after this or will it brick also? I love minimalistic ideas.

No, I've removed the call to syshax.xml so this will not work with a coldboot setup. It will infinite loop. Though if you use CBHC's installer after using this, it will simply overwrite this completely, so there isn't a problem unless you edit your system.xml manually (which you should never do anyway)

Edit: technically with the syshax.xml call still in place, it would work with a coldboot, but various failsafes have been removed making that rather unsafe. If you want coldboot, it's really better for you to have a prompt to interrupt the boot process

 

[Cylent1]

So could you do a version that coldboots into cbch with sig patches, region free, vc delete protection and without user options menu?
I like simple and I don't need all the user options. Coldbooting with this would be simple and quick and more child friendly.

it's really better for you to have a prompt to interrupt the boot process

But it could be just a simple home menu button press, nothing visible .

 

[Kohmei]

So could you do a version that coldboots into cbch with sig patches, region free, vc delete protection and without user options menu?
I like simple and I don't need all the user options. Coldbooting with this would be simple and quick and more child friendly.

It's not something I would feel comfortable testing without a way to restore my NAND, and it's not something I would feel comfortable releasing without first testing
If that's something that still sounds good to you I guess I could make the same edits to CBHC v1.4 and simply omit the edits that remove syshax.xml redirects

But it could be just a simple home menu button press, nothing visible .

What you're asking for then sounds remarkably similar to CBHC just with autoboot. I guess you could remove the autoboot message but you'd still be stuck with a blackscreen during the bootup process. I don't think there's any way to remove it

 

[Cylent1]

What you're asking for then sounds remarkably similar to CBHC just with autoboot. I guess you could remove the autoboot message but you'd still be stuck with a blackscreen during the bootup process. I don't think there's any way to remove it

Yes just a simple coldboot into sysnand patched with all latest patches and no autoboot menu with coldboot elf recovery for protection.
and where the blackscreen would be, wouldn't it be possible to add white color?
or better yet maybe just add a splash where the autoboot menu would be...

 

[Risingdawn]

Thanks @Kohmei just what I was looking for.

One thing though, I've used haxchi direct to install HBC.2.1.
After I run haxchi direct and I run wupinstalerYmod from HBC.2.1 it fails.
When I run HBL.1.4 from web it runs+installs fine.

Not sure if that's a HBC.2.1 fault or a haxchi direct fault.

 

[Cyan]

what's the difference with Simple Signature Patcher? just read the first post correctly

I think Simple Signature patcher didn't have region free or sysreload, just the signature patched, right?

edit:
Oh, I forgot fix94 made a version of ftpiiu everywhere. I see it works with his version too.

I noticed that several of the improvements made to CBHC have not been applied to the older non-cold boot Haxchi,

The old haxchi wasn't a CFW, it didn't boot sysNAND. it was more a forwarder for elf or other fw.img, no? by itself it didn't patch anything, only reload fw.img
Or maybe it has a way to patch sysNAND I didn't remember?
I added your version here, it's still work in progress.

 

[Kohmei]

Thanks @Kohmei just what I was looking for.

One thing though, I've used haxchi direct to install HBC.2.1.
After I run haxchi direct and I run wupinstalerYmod from HBC.2.1 it fails.
When I run HBL.1.4 from web it runs+installs fine.

Not sure if that's a HBC.2.1 fault or a haxchi direct fault.

It sounds like you're not using wupinstaller y mod 1.3?
http://gbatemp.net/threads/wupinstaller-y-mod-with-mulitple-install-folders.445907/
1.3 added support for home menu HBL. I'm using that and it works fine

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

what's the difference with Simple Signature Patcher? just read the first post correctly

I think Simple Signature patcher didn't have region free or sysreload, just the signature patched, right?

edit:
Oh, I forgot fix94 made a version of ftpiiu everywhere. I see it works with his version too.


The old haxchi wasn't a CFW, it didn't boot sysNAND. it was more a forwarder for elf or other fw.img, no? by itself it didn't patch anything, only reload fw.img
Or maybe it has a way to patch sysNAND I didn't remember?
I added your version here, it's still work in progress.

I looked at dimok's simple signature patcher and it seems it has not been modified since Nov 28th when it first released, and that version did not support repatching. It did support region patching
The only way you could use old haxchi like this is by setting default=sigpatch.elf and it would not include repatching, plus it is a bit slower since it has to load the elf and there is an additional white screen

Also neither this nor simple signature include wupserver if you want to update your list

 

[snoofly]

Thanks @Kohmei this is just what I was looking for. Installed it and all looks good. I'm not too bothered with cold boot for now at least until the fallout from any Ninty update comes through. i know CBHC is straightforward and fairly safe now with the uninstall etc but it really doesn't bother me to click on the haxchi icon once per reboot and I've invested far too much effort in getting my machine setup for something unexpected to happen now.

 

[Risingdawn]

It sounds like you're not using wupinstaller y mod 1.3?

No I think I'm still using 1.1.1, thanks for the update I will grab 1.3 and re-install hbc.2.1.

 

[Kohmei]

No I think I'm still using 1.1.1, thanks for the update I will grab 1.3 and re-install hbc.2.1.

You shouldn't need to reinstall HBL 2.1 unless it flatout isn't working
Just update the wupinstaller directory on your SD card with the latest version

 

[Risingdawn]

You shouldn't need to reinstall HBL 2.1 unless it flatout isn't working
Just update the wupinstaller directory on your SD card with the latest version

Ah didn't know that, I will have to reinstall though because I deleted it lol, tbf I deleted everything and started again with cbhc and fix's original haxchi in the end but thanks for starting me down the sig-patch path. .