Hacking Dual partition on SDHC possbile?

[Sebastian25]

Can someone insightful please respond. Im under the impression that I have to create 2 partitions on my SDHC to read both Wii games for the LOADER
and use it for the homebrew channel? I created two partitions one FAT32 (4 GB) and the other WBFS (4GB) on my Panasonic 8 GB SDHC

(it took my DAYS to figure out how to do that) and alas to my bitter disappointment when I loaded the SD card on my wii, it wouldnt read the FAT32 partitions (with the apps and homebrew) and the wii also wouldnt read the WBFS partition with the Wii file.

I used WBFS manager 2.2 to format the partition on the 4 GB unallocated partition then used a Linux program to copy all the homebrew files onto the FAT32 partition. I don't see the point in releasing a SD loader when the filesystem for homebrew and games is totally different and cannot be read either or.


Has this been corrected? or is this an issue that the developers (greatly appreciated) are working on?

why not just allow FAT32 for SD cards and WBFS for USB drives? that way we dont have to swap SD cards.

 

[steve-p]

what you did sounded o.k.. not sure why that wouldnt work.
so the hbc cant find an apps folder then?


Posts merged

What does "bump" mean and why do you do it? Are you playing with a ball that bumps?

he's just impatient and forgets that most of us sleep.

 

[Sebastian25]

actually i waited 10 hours for a response. im astounded at how many people that "brick" their wiis that can't use the search feature plague this forum whereas something useful is overlooked. I hope that Wanniko (sp?) or someone creates a homebrew channel and file partition that supports WBFS because it seems pointless to have it exclusively for SD loader.

 

[gartlan]

Best to take this one step at a time. Put general Homebrew aside for a moment. First, can you get the USB loader to work on your SD card...it sounds like you can't? If you have created two partitions on your SD card (they should be primary partitions) and formatted them as FAT32 then installed your USB loader (ver 1.4...SD support in 1.5 is broken) in the first partition, in an 'apps' directory, then HBC will allow your to boot the USB loader and from there you create a WBFS format in your second partition using the loader. You should then be able to dump to and play games from your SD card. Can you do that?

There are a few other things in your post I wonder about. Ordinarily WBFS manager 2.2 (I'm assuming you are talking Windows) won't let you format the 2nd partition on an SD card (unless youve updated your SD card reader's device driver to appear to Windows as a fixed drive?) and why would you use Linux to copy homebrew apps to your FAT32 partition?

 

[Sebastian25]

good question. ok i originally had to run a linux program to divide the SDHC in half... so that there were two unallocated partitions. WINDOWS WILL NOT DO THIS, and if there is a way... I spent hours searching and could not run .cab files. anyways

I created those 2 partitions in Linux, and then used by SD card reader in Windows and booted WBFS manager 2.2 and hit refresh, it detected the card and asked me to format. by default it formatted the first partition. I removed the SD card... and loaded linux, it found both partitions and identified the first partition to be "unidentified" and the second to be unallocated ... from there I formatted the second partition to FAT32... and then I copied all my homebrew and virutal console games onto the FAT32 partition.

Theoretically it should work but it didnt. ill try what you suggested ... I think I did try with FAT32 on the first partition and WBFS on the second...
has anyone been successful in loading both their homebrew files and the SD LOADER with a Wii game? I want to avoid using my USB flash drive especially if I take my wii camping.

 

[penetr8or]

If you've got Partition Magic, try and use that to repartition the card..

I do remember being able to partition an SD card with XPs disc manager a while ago (before the dark times, before vista!) but those memories might be incorrect.

Try to get a hold of PMagic and see if that makes any difference.

---
I have kind of the same problem with my HDD.
USB Loader works fine, loads any game I put on it. The first partition is FAT (this was the second partition untill I figured out I had to switch them around. Took me 4 hours to redump all my games) but I can't get WAD manager to read from it.. When I tried the other day it came with an error right away, now since partitioning has been redone, it does get as far as to recognise the partition before failing.
Could it be a matter of size? I made a 50GB FAT partition
Maybe I should post my issue in another thread and leave this one for your issue?

 

[WiiCrazy]

I'll try the same thing with my 2GB sd card, I'll update how it goes...

ps: planning to divide it into two partitions, 1GB Fat32, 1GB Wbfs... and will try to dump WiiSports and WiiFit to the wbfs partition and create channels for them later...

edit 1 : backing up sd contents...
edit 2 : disc management doesn't provide delete partition so... I don't have partition magic... so I should use linux... I have vmware installed so hopefully I can use Gparted bootable cd image..
edit 3 : downloading gparted iso... http://www.brunolinux.com/01-First_Things_..._-_Gparted.html
edit 4 : created two partitions.. one fat32, one ntfs... but disc management in windows just freezes with this setup... so removed the second partition... now disc management doesn't freeze but can't partition the unpartitioned space...
edit 5 : I'll try now without formatting the second partition
edit 6 : Since windows sees it as removable device it does fail assigning a drive letter complaining "volume not initialized" blah blah... Formatting the partition on usb loader works... currently dumping wii sports... dumping on linux will probably work too...
edit 7 : Game didn't boot with waninkoko's 1.5 loader... "An error has occured, remove the disc" blah blah...
edit 8 : Tried with 1.3 and it works...
edit 9 : Works with 1.4 too...

 

[smallguy]

Hi.

I have successfully done exactly what you have tried. I have 16GB Sandisk SDHC which
I partitioned into two parts by using Linux GParted. The first part is 2GB FAT32 and I
also formatted the second part into FAT32 (for starters).

Than I put some homebrew (like SDUSBLoader 1.5) into FAT32 partition and put the card into
Wii. It found nicely all my stuff on the card and I started HBC and then SDUSBLoader 1.5.
I selected SD/SDHC as a drive and it said "no wbfs, please format". I pressed A and
it showed me 2GB and 14GB partitions to select to format. I selected 14GB partition
and after very quick formatting I just started to rip discs

Worked like a charm for me.
I can also use the FAT32 part with WindowsXP normally.

However, at the beginning I tried this with smaller 4GB card and SDUSBLoader 1.5
did not recognize the card at all. Cards are not all suitable to use.

I'm going to give up this "one card method" though because it's not very convenient.
1. Windows does not understand at all the partitioning -> Cannot use WBFS Manager.
2. SDUSBLoader (Channel) always proposes first "USB drive" as a drive and I have the
change it to "SD/SDHC". Small issue but anyways.
3. All (currently available) Wii Menu shortcut game Channels can start games only from HDD.

I'm planning now to use my 16GB SDHC as a "HDD" i.e. use it via USB adapter for WBFS.
Then I'll use this another 4GB card for homebrew and covers etc.

Hope this has some help for you.

 

[Screemer]

you might want to try this: http://wiinewz.com/forums/backup-loaders/9...html#post592678 starting at post 8

 

[giantpune]

actually i waited 10 hours for a response. im astounded at how many people that "brick" their wiis that can't use the search feature plague this forum whereas something useful is overlooked. I hope that Wanniko (sp?) or someone creates a homebrew channel and file partition that supports WBFS because it seems pointless to have it exclusively for SD loader.

Apparently if you're dumb enough to brick a wii, your're too dumb to use the search button.
I like how every looking to fix a brick has some story about how it's either not their fault, or it's a "friend" looking for help.

 

[Mark McDonut]

Or "someone else" updated their Wii, but they know exactly what happened every step of the way in detail of the update.

I make it a point to help people with legit problems, not people who did something just to see what happens and are now in a panic.

Sorry I can't help with this though, I leave the SD card to homebrew and my usb for dual partition ntfs for geexbox media/wbfs for wii.

 

[WiiCrazy]

Final notes, I was able to correct the bug in the 1.5 version by waninkoko, SDHC_Unmount just spoils the whole business causing Disc read errors... commented unmount code (possibly will bork somewhere else) and now it works with 1.5 too...

Now creating a channel for wiisports with the loader just fixed...see how it goes.. (success!)

 

[Sebastian25]

thanks guys! it worked great, yeah i should've just let USDLOADER 1.4 format the second primary partition for me. all works great.

Im using a Panasonic 16 GB SDHC and bought a 32 GB USB flash drive for 70$ at a local comp shop.

wish there were some way to backup gamecube games and load,