Catching up on latest Wii hack developments

[WuaZ]

Hi all,

I spent a few years away from the forum and did not follow the latest development on the Wii softmod scene. I would like to update the setup on my main Wii (untouched since 2016) and to softmod a new one, which seems to be unmodified. I read a lot a posts to try to catch up but I still have many questions, that I am gathering here in hope of help/answers

1. cIOS d2x-v11
   I saw the new recommendation following @blackb0x update of d2x and I was wondering why is there any difference between Wii and vWii? Why is a patched IOS38 preferred over a patched IOS58 for Wii? Is a patched IOS58 completly useless on a Wii?
2. cIOS d2x-v9/v10alt
   The alt branch was not updated in v11. If I want to keep one alt cIOS (in slot 246 or 247 for instance) to have plug-and-play USB devices (and two USB ports), which IOS base is the most compatible? IOS56 or IOS57?
3. EmuNAND and cIOS Waninkoko
   Back in 2016, some users recommanded to install Waninkoko rev17/rev19 cIOS for tricky EmuNAND cases (better compatibility than d2x). Is it still the needed?
4. Patch IOS60
   I saw on ModMii website that it was recommended to install a patch IOS60 on most system menu IOS to prevent a 003 brick, which seems to be a brick specific to Korean Wii. I have only PAL Wiis, so I guess I can skip this recommendation. But I am wondering why use IOS60 as base (and not IOS80 from SM 4.3) and how is it helping in recovering from a 003 brick?
5. Neek2o
   I remeber struggling setting up neek in the past. It seems to be simpler now since it is integrated within USB Loader GX (@Cyan was working on its implementation last time I checked if I remember correctly) but I read that the upcoming release of USB Loader GX might strongly improve the Emunand compatibility. Will it make neek2o not necessary anymore? If yes, I will skip updating my neek2o setup
6. BootMii as IOS + boot2
   If my Wii is able to have BootMii in boot2, it is useful to install it as IOS also?
7. HBC
   I saw the source code of HBC was release and there is now an Open HBC. I have always installed the HBC using HackMii installer (so the official 1.1.2 version). Which version is now recommended? Version 1.1.2 or another open source version? And how to migrate from 1.1.2 to the OHBC? I have only Wii, not Wii U/vWii.
8. Wilbrand or Letterbomb
   Is there any benefits of Wilbrand over Letterbomb for SM 4.3? I read that Wilbrand is also supporting lower SM but all my Wiis are in 4.3. And since I cannot launch ModMii (because I do not have the admin rights on my laptop and even the portable version is flagged as a trojan so I cannot download it) I will stick with Letterbomb is not benefit in switching.
9. Forwarder for USB Loader GX
   Back in 2015, Priiloader was in version 0.7, which was not able to desactivate AHBPROT for dol install within, so it was recommended to install a dol forwarder (forwarding to the boot.dol in sd:/app/usbloadergx) in Priiloader to boot USB Loader GX (and to install the channel forwarder in the NAND to be able to go back to USB Loader GX when exiting a game).
   When Priiloader 0.8 was released, with AHBPROT support, the dol forwarder method was still working but it needed to be install in Priiloader with a meta.xml file with the AHBPROT flag in it (whereas it was not needed with v0.7). I remember discussing the issue with @Cyan and @GreyWolf but never understood why the meta.xml file became needed in v0.8 if the AHBPROT desactivation was done by the dol forwarder anyway. Does someone know? Was AHBPROT really desactivated by the dol forwarder (v5.1) when used in Priiloader 0.7?
10. Recommanded forwarder for USB Loader GX
    I read that the recommended setup for USB Loader GX and Priiloader is now to install a dol forwarder to the channel forwarder (and not to the SD card boot.dol anymore), why? It seems to add a forwarding step but I guess there are good reasons behind it (maybe been able to change USB Loader boot settings by updating the channel without touching Priiloader).
11. RVLoader
    I discovered on another forum a launcher dedicated to portable Wii, RVLoader, which is able to boot without WiFi and Bluetooth card, whereas stock SM is not able to boot if the bluetooth or Wifi module is dead. I was wondering in a normal Wii if homebrew like USD Loader GX where able to boot even it the bluetooth card was dead? It would avoid to have to change the component if the Wii is mainly used for Gamecube games.
    RVLoader seems also to be able to launch WAD without installation. Is it a functionality investigated by other Wii launchers?
12. Updating IOS/System Menu
    When buying a Wii with a really back/old hack, I was using DOP-Mii to recover the SM and the IOS to their stock version. I read DOP-Mii is depreciated and dangerous (warning message on Wiibrew). What is the best alternative? NUS downloader and YAWM ModMii Edition ?
13. SDBoot
    I read about a specific boot2 utilitary called SDboot, signed with Nintendo private key (so compatible with any boot1 version) and able to boot a dol from SD Card, which was leak following the hack of BroadOn (IOS creators if I understood correctly). Is there any hope to use it as brick protection for recent Wii (boot1d)? Or is it a dead-end because it is copyrighted by Nintendo?
14. Image improvement
    I saw many image improvement hacks released in the past years: framebuffer, 480p bug fix, deflicker filter. Where should I activate these hacks? I am under the impression the one in Priiloader only apply to the SM and the one in USB Loader GX only to Wii iso, is it correct? About 480p bug fix, is the fix working for all Wii or only for the some CPU-01 revision Wii as I read on other forums
15. Update hack (finally)
    Do I need to do something else than update Priiloader (and activate image hacks), cIOS (v11), USB Loader GX (and activate image hacks) and Nintendon't (and activate image hacks) to upgrade my 2016 hack?

Sorry for all the questions, please let me know if it is better to split them in sub-topics or to post them somewhere else.

 

[XFlak]

1. cIOS d2x-v11
I saw the new recommendation following @blackb0x update of d2x and I was wondering why is there any difference between Wii and vWii? Why is a patched IOS38 preferred over a patched IOS58 for Wii? Is a patched IOS58 completly useless on a Wii?

It's not, recommended Wii cIOSs includes bases 38, 56, 57 & 58. The same would apply for vWii except currently there's no base 38 support for vWii. More info here

2. cIOS d2x-v9/v10alt
The alt branch was not updated in v11. If I want to keep one alt cIOS (in slot 246 or 247 for instance) to have plug-and-play USB devices (and two USB ports), which IOS base is the most compatible? IOS56 or IOS57?

Both base 56 & 57 can play 95% of games. You shouldn't need v10 beta53 alt at all; but if the need arises you can always install it later, even more than 1 if you really need to

3. EmuNAND and cIOS Waninkoko
Back in 2016, some users recommanded to install Waninkoko rev17/rev19 cIOS for tricky EmuNAND cases (better compatibility than d2x). Is it still the needed?

No

4. Patch IOS60
I saw on ModMii website that it was recommended to install a patch IOS60 on most system menu IOS to prevent a 003 brick, which seems to be a brick specific to Korean Wii. I have only PAL Wiis, so I guess I can skip this recommendation. But I am wondering why use IOS60 as base (and not IOS80 from SM 4.3) and how is it helping in recovering from a 003 brick?

if your wii was originally korean and poorly region changed (i.e. korean key is still present in the seeprom) then running 4.2 or 4.3 system menu with stock IOS70 (unstubbed) or IOS80 will lead to 003 brick. IOS60 is a one-size fits all system menu IOS that protects against this if installed to other system menu slots, it also protects LU64+ wii's from accidental downgrades. If you're sure you wii wasn't originally Korean then you can safely choose either direction, but ModMii's method is always safe no matter your circumstance making it a safer method to update consoles than even official nintendo updates

5. Neek2o
I remeber struggling setting up neek in the past. It seems to be simpler now since it is integrated within USB Loader GX (@Cyan was working on its implementation last time I checked if I remember correctly) but I read that the upcoming release of USB Loader GX might strongly improve the Emunand compatibility. Will it make neek2o not necessary anymore? If yes, I will skip updating my neek2o setup

I'd skip it, although you may still want an emulated nand, just without neek.

6. BootMii as IOS + boot2
If my Wii is able to have BootMii in boot2, it is useful to install it as IOS also?

There's no harm in also installing it as IOS. It will just allow you to access bootmii more easily than if it was only installed as boot2 (i.e. you'll be able to launch it via the HBC, priiloader and other tools). If you have bootmii boot2 installed bootmii ios doesn't improve or worsen your brick protection, but I'd still suggest installing bootmii IOS for convenience.

7. HBC
I saw the source code of HBC was release and there is now an Open HBC. I have always installed the HBC using HackMii installer (so the official 1.1.2 version). Which version is now recommended? Version 1.1.2 or another open source version? And how to migrate from 1.1.2 to the OHBC? I have only Wii, not Wii U/vWii.

Currently no need to update beyond HBC 1.1.2 if the console is a Wii. Improvements in HBC v1.1.3 and v1.1.4 are only relevant if installed on vWii. And the title ID of HBC v1.1.3 & v1.1.4 being OHBC instead of LULZ can lead to compatibility issues with some apps not being able to find the HBC, so actually I'd argue LULZ 1.1.2 (which is the same as LULZ 1.1.5) is actually preferred over OHBC 1.1.3 & 1.1.4 for the wii.

8. Wilbrand or Letterbomb
Is there any benefits of Wilbrand over Letterbomb for SM 4.3? I read that Wilbrand is also supporting lower SM but all my Wiis are in 4.3. And since I cannot launch ModMii (because I do not have the admin rights on my laptop and even the portable version is flagged as a trojan so I cannot download it) I will stick with Letterbomb is not benefit in switching.

No difference, you might also want to check out str2hax which works with wifi even if u don't have an SD card.

You don't need admin rights to run modmii, and whatever your AV is telling you is a false positive, if you white list you should be able to download it.

10. Recommanded forwarder for USB Loader GX
I read that the recommended setup for USB Loader GX and Priiloader is now to install a dol forwarder to the channel forwarder (and not to the SD card boot.dol anymore), why? It seems to add a forwarding step but I guess there are good reasons behind it (maybe been able to change USB Loader boot settings by updating the channel without touching Priiloader).

This is how you can get ahbprot access without needing to deal with meta.xml stuff in Priiloader. The official UNEO or ModMii's IDCL should both work fine, but there are more to choose from if you prefer something that looks different.

11. Not sure about RVLoader, sorry

12. Updating IOS/System Menu
When buying a Wii with a really back/old hack, I was using DOP-Mii to recover the SM and the IOS to their stock version. I read DOP-Mii is depreciated and dangerous (warning message on Wiibrew). What is the best alternative? NUS downloader and YAWM ModMii Edition ?

Definitely yawm modmii edition. I suggest you work around your AV or firewall issues so you can use ModMii though. NUS Downloader works too, but I think NUSGet is a better alternative (also supports vWii, not that you need it in your case)

13. SDBoot

13. I read about a specific boot2 utilitary called SDboot, signed with Nintendo private key (so compatible with any boot1 version) and able to boot a dol from SD Card, which was leak following the hack of BroadOn (IOS creators if I understood correctly). Is there any hope to use it as brick protection for recent Wii (boot1d)? Or is it a dead-end because it is copyrighted by Nintendo?

I actually think SD Boot in it's raw form can potentially cause more issues that it solves. If SD Boot is installed the Wii will refuse to boot unless it finds specific files on SD, period. So if you SD card reader dies, u can't even turn on the Wii anymore until it's repaired. Some work is being done here, but it's unlikely it will ever work without users sourcing SD Boot themselves

14. Image improvement
I saw many image improvement hacks released in the past years: framebuffer, 480p bug fix, deflicker filter. Where should I activate these hacks? I am under the impression the one in Priiloader only apply to the SM and the one in USB Loader GX only to Wii iso, is it correct? About 480p bug fix, is the fix working for all Wii or only for the some CPU-01 revision Wii as I read on other forums

Built within the loader's settings. Note that the deflicker filter doesn't work for games with multiple dols (e.g. Metroid Prime Trilogy), at least not without selecting an alternate dol to boot initially. However, my next ModMii update will be able to patch these game images for you.

15. Update hack (finally)
Do I need to do something else than update Priiloader (and activate image hacks), cIOS (v11), USB Loader GX (and activate image hacks) and Nintendon't (and activate image hacks) to upgrade my 2016 hack?

Please share a syscheck
https://gbatemp.net/threads/posting-a-system-check.300279/

Then you can drag and drop your syscheck.csv onto modmii.exe and it will tell you what to do (or we can eyeball it for you if you don't work out your AV\firewall issues preventing you from using modmii)

The answer really depends on your syscheck. For example if we see your HBC is installed to use a dif IOS other than 58, it should be updated to use IOS58 even if it's already v1.1.2. Or if you have darkcorp\cioscorp installed you'd want to overwrite it with clean IOSs, etc.

edit:
Holy cow, finally done answering all your questions, so many questions, I've exhausted! lol

 

[WuaZ]

Thanks a lot for your detailed answers to most of my questions!

It's not, recommended Wii cIOSs includes bases 38, 56, 57 & 58. The same would apply for vWii except currently there's no base 38 support for vWii. More info here

Thanks for the link. My question about IOS58 was coming from the official Github page, where base 58 IOS is not in the optimal setup for the Wii: https://github.com/wiidev/usbloadergx#cios-guide

Currently no need to update beyond HBC 1.1.2 if the console is a Wii. Improvements in HBC v1.1.3 and v1.1.4 are only relevant if installed on vWii. And the title ID of HBC v1.1.3 & v1.1.4 being OHBC instead of LULZ can lead to compatibility issues with some apps not being able to find the HBC, so actually I'd argue LULZ 1.1.2 (which is the same as LULZ 1.1.5) is actually preferred over OHBC 1.1.3 & 1.1.4 for the wii.

By curiosity how is it possible to replace the HBC 1.1.2 by the OHBC with LULZ ID? Just by installing its wad over the official HBC? (I will not do it, it is really pure curiosity).

You don't need admin rights to run modmii, and whatever your AV is telling you is a false positive, if you white list you should be able to download it.

Sadly my AV is locked by admin, so I cannot whitelist anything without admin rights Last time I used ModMii it was 6.4.1 (to setup neek2o) so I was curious to see how it improved, because you seem to have done a great job developing this tool!

NUS Downloader works too, but I think NUSGet is a better alternative (also supports vWii, not that you need it in your case)

NUS Downloader was the name I remembered from 2016. I will have a look at NUSGet, thanks!

I actually think SD Boot in it's raw form can potentially cause more issues that it solves. If SD Boot is installed the Wii will refuse to boot unless it finds specific files on SD, period. So if you SD card reader dies, u can't even turn on the Wii anymore until it's repaired. Some work is being done here, but it's unlikely it will ever work without users sourcing SD Boot themselves

Very clear about the risk, I did not think about them. And glad to see there is some research done in this direction.

Please share a syscheck
https://gbatemp.net/threads/posting-a-system-check.300279/

Here it is (I know I need to update my sysCheck to sysCheck ModMii Edition , it is in my to-update list of homebrews):

Spoiler: sysCheck

sysCheck v2.1.0b19 par Double_A et R2-D2199, Nano
...tourne sous l'IOS58 (rev 6176).

Region: PAL
Menu Systeme 4.3E (v514)
Priiloader installe
Date de disque: 2007.02.13

HomebrewFilter ist nicht installiert
Hollywood v0x11
Identifiant de la console: xxxxxxxxx
Boot2 v4
85 titres trouves.
55 IOS trouves sur cette console. 15 sont des stubs.

IOS3 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS4 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS9 (rev 1034): Pas de patches
IOS10 (rev 768): Stub
IOS11 (rev 256): Stub
IOS12 (rev 526): Pas de patches
IOS13 (rev 1032): Pas de patches
IOS14 (rev 1032): Pas de patches
IOS15 (rev 1032): Pas de patches
IOS16 (rev 512): Stub
IOS17 (rev 1032): Pas de patches
IOS20 (rev 256): Stub
IOS21 (rev 1039): Pas de patches
IOS22 (rev 1294): Pas de patches
IOS28 (rev 1807): Pas de patches
IOS30 (rev 2816): Stub
IOS31 (rev 3608): Pas de patches
IOS33 (rev 3608): Pas de patches
IOS34 (rev 3608): Pas de patches
IOS35 (rev 3608): Pas de patches
IOS36 (rev 3608): Pas de patches
IOS37 (rev 5663): Pas de patches
IOS38 (rev 4124): Pas de patches
IOS40 (rev 3072): Stub
IOS41 (rev 3607): Pas de patches
IOS43 (rev 3607): Pas de patches
IOS45 (rev 3607): Pas de patches
IOS46 (rev 3607): Pas de patches
IOS48 (rev 4124): Pas de patches
IOS50 (rev 5120): Stub
IOS51 (rev 4864): Stub
IOS52 (rev 5888): Stub
IOS53 (rev 5663): Pas de patches
IOS55 (rev 5663): Pas de patches
IOS56 (rev 5662): Pas de patches
IOS57 (rev 5919): Pas de patches
IOS58 (rev 6176): USB 2.0
IOS60 (rev 6400): Stub
IOS61 (rev 5662): Pas de patches
IOS62 (rev 6430): Pas de patches
IOS70 (rev 6912): Stub
IOS80 (rev 6944): Pas de patches
IOS217[38] (rev 17, Info: waninkoko-v17): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS219[38] (rev 19, Info: waninkoko-v19): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS222 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS223 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS236[36] (rev 65535, Info: rev 3351): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND
IOS245[37] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS246[38] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND
IOS247[53] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS248[55] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS249[56] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS250[57] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS251[58] (rev 21010, Info: d2x-v10beta53-alt): Trucha Bug, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS254 (rev 65281): BootMii
BC v6
MIOS v10

Rapport genere le 2015/05/09.

I plan to remove IOS217/IOS219/IOS236/IOS245-247 and install d2x-v11 on IOS248-251. By the way is AnyTitleDeleter still the way to go to remove wad (including IOS)?

Holy cow, finally done answering all your questions, so many questions, I've exhausted! lol

Thanks again, I was not expected such an extensive answer so quickly!

I put back the two remaining open questions if somebody else has as clue. They were for my understanding and will not prevent me to update my setup

9. Forwarder for USB Loader GX
Back in 2015, Priiloader was in version 0.7, which was not able to desactivate AHBPROT for dol install within, so it was recommended to install a dol forwarder (forwarding to the boot.dol in sd:/app/usbloadergx) in Priiloader to boot USB Loader GX (and to install the channel forwarder in the NAND to be able to go back to USB Loader GX when exiting a game).
When Priiloader 0.8 was released, with AHBPROT support, the dol forwarder method was still working but it needed to be install in Priiloader with a meta.xml file with the AHBPROT flag in it (whereas it was not needed with v0.7). I remember discussing the issue with @Cyan and @GreyWolf but never understood why the meta.xml file became needed in v0.8 if the AHBPROT desactivation was done by the dol forwarder anyway. Does someone know? Was AHBPROT really desactivated by the dol forwarder (v5.1) when used in Priiloader 0.7?

11. RVLoader
I discovered on another forum a launcher dedicated to portable Wii, RVLoader, which is able to boot without WiFi and Bluetooth card, whereas stock SM is not able to boot if the bluetooth or Wifi module is dead. I was wondering in a normal Wii if homebrew like USD Loader GX where able to boot even it the bluetooth card was dead? It would avoid to have to change the component if the Wii is mainly used for Gamecube games.
RVLoader seems also to be able to launch WAD without installation. Is it a functionality investigated by other Wii launchers?

 

[XFlak]

My question about IOS58 was coming from the official Github page, where base 58 IOS is not in the optimal setup for the Wii: https://github.com/wiidev/usbloadergx#cios-guide

This will eventually get updated

Cuz LULZ and ohbc have different title ID's they can't overwrite each other. You can remove either or from data management, or by uninstalling the appropriate wad, or carefully using any title delete. U can use any title deleter to remove IOSs but u have to be very careful not to remove the wrong thing. Modmii's syscheck updater wizard will have u overwrite or uninstall them using small stub ios wads, which accomplish the same thing but without playing with dangerous tools.

You might be able to use modmii if u are able to save it to usb or your phone or something and copy over the zip. Sometimes AVs are more anal about downloaded files than ones on USB.

I think my answer to 10 partially answered #9. Your #9 Q is a bit confusing to me btw

And about RVLoader, currently no other app has managed to play wads directly without first installing them to an emunand. I can tell u at least that much.

Also if u were to modify a wii to make it more like a wii mini or other portable gx should work fine so long as the loaded ios is compatible with the hardware installed (e.g. If u turn a wii into a wii mini like device then you'd need a wii mini cios)

 

[WuaZ]

Thanks!