Hardware Clone a usb drive with WiiU save files

[528491]

Is it possible?
I've been trying for almost a month now, and it seems whichever method I use, the WiiU just won't read/recognise the cloned drive.
For testing purposes I put my perfectly working Crunchyroll save files (around 150MB) on a 8GB usb flash stick. When I use this flash stick, the WiiU recognises it perfectly.
However, when I clone this drive to another equal 8GB usb stick, this clone drive is not recognised by the WiiU.
I tried ImageUSB and HDClone, with numerous different settings, and it never succeeded.

Does anyone know the theoretical part behind this and why it does not work?
Did anyone ever succesfully clone a WiiU drive, without hacking?
I always thought each WiiU console has specific 'signature address' and therefore makes impossible to use one usb stick with save files on different WiiU consoles. But why is it that it won't let cloning work too? Is it because it is done in Windows/PC environment?

The closest thread I found on this here is https://gbatemp.net/threads/can-you-make-a-wii-u-partition.337805/ but it does not answer quite the issue.

One additional question:
if I have a corrupted WiiU usb drive, are there any methods in recovering these save files? My WiiU brings up error code 150-3032 every time I try to enter Data settings on the console while this Usb drive is plugged in. (photos: https://goo.gl/photos/LJadHVzcdsNPGxuR7). The drive corrupted itself the moment I started copying some of the save files from usb stick to the WiiU's internal storage.

 

[Captain_N]

try acronis true image home. that worked for me and do a sector by sector clone

 

[Ryccardo]

The encryption key comes in part from the console (changed on factory reset), in part from the USB serial number (so the usb/sata converter), in part from the ATA serial number (so the hard drive electronics themselves) - you must consider disk, usb box, console, and operating system as a single object!

if I have a corrupted WiiU usb drive, are there any methods in recovering these save files?

Try with CFW and ftpiiu-everywhere, but no guarantees...

 

[528491]

try acronis true image home. that worked for me and do a sector by sector clone

Hello, I installed Acronis True Image Home 2010. Again, I have problem with software recognizing the WiiU formatted drives. As soon as click on 'Clone Disk', the Pop up appears telling me he recognizes only my main HDD. (Image: https://i.imgur.com/CBqLafS.png)

Do you by any chance remember the exact version of the Acronis software that worked for you?

I am guessing it has to be a version prior to 2010, since 2010, 2015 and 2016 all do not recognise the WiiU formatted usb drives.
It is same if I try to make a backup. It doesn't see my WiiU formatted usb drives.
The earliest release I can find is 2009, I am downloading it as I write this, if 2009 won't see the drives then I am out of ideas.

Edit:
Update on progress, I installed Acronis 2009 and it behaves the same: it does not recognise connected usb drive which has WiiU save files. Image: http://i.imgur.com/yKI5ZtK.png

 

[528491]

New question: do I have to do it via bootable Acronis CD? Perhaps I am going the wrong way by doing it via Windows? Please let me know.

Edit:
Tried with Acronis 2016 bootable CD, same story. It does not show WiiU usb drives as option for source, but it does show them as destination.
Also I tried Clonezilla bootable, and it wouldn't support these usb drives, please see image: https://i.imgur.com/XMdXHdj.jpg

 

[coolfuze]

Try this https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/ This is what we use on the 3DS, don't think this software cares what filesystem you have and it's free.

 

[528491]

Try this https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/ This is what we use on the 3DS, don't think this software cares what filesystem you have and it's free.

Thank you for this suggestion. I tried it right now, but it does not give me any options nor to make image or write image to it. Please see screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/H2Pejr7.png

 

[coolfuze]

Thank you for this suggestion. I tried it right now, but it does not give me any options nor to make image or write image to it. Please see screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/H2Pejr7.png

You have to select where you want to save your image file on your pc first before it will show it so let's say you select documents you'll call the image saves.img then it will show you read or write, you then select read and it will save to your pc, when you want to put it on another usb you say write.