Hacking How to Backup Wii Game Saves?

[fandango]

I have a Wii with USB Loader GX accessing my library of over 1000 wbfs games, and 500 GC games on a hard disk. I use a forwarder to access USB Loader GX and it uses Nintendont for the GC games. In addition I have a number of emulators (C64, Arcade, etc) that I access via the Homebrew channel. All the apps, emulators and ROMs are on a SDHC card, with the games on the HD. It is straightforward and works well.

I regularly remove the HD and SD Card and back them up, so if either die I could easily replace them. My only concern is that if the Wii dies then I have no backup of my Wii game saves and Wii Miis. My GC saves are on the HD so they are fine, and I can recreate Wii settings manually.

I've looked at using SaveGame Manager GX to backup my Miis. They never change, so a single backup is all I need. It's a possible solution for my Miis. I've also looked at using it to backup my game saves. But you can only restore the game saves to a replacement Wii if there are saves already there. It isn't practical for me to restart hundreds of games, to create empty game saves before the restore, so it isn't a workable solution.

Is there an Emunand solution that I could use instead to run the Wii game saves from my HD? If my Wii dies can I just install the Homebrew Channel and CIOS on the new Wii, and point USB Loader GX to my emulated game saves or emulated nand on my HD? Or are the emulated saves or nand 'per console', so not transferable to a new Wii?
Is a full neek2o solution a better backup and would that be transferable to a new Wii?

Many thanks!

 

[XFlak]

USB Loader GX has a settings for this, so you can direct your gamesaves to Emunand (iirc there is a 'partial' option that should be adequate, but also a 'full' option, I don't recall the differences, you'd have to research the documentation for that or wait for someone else to reply)

You probably want to re-dump your real nand so that your starting point for your emunand has all your current\latest game saves. This is not console specific or hardware specific, and regular backups of your HDD would also backup your emunand / gamesaves.

If you prefer to leave your game saves on real nand, you can back them up using savegame manager gx, or just make bootmii nand backups regularly.

 

[godreborn]

yeah, save manager gx requires a save, but I don't know if the normal private (data.bin) way does. I don't think so. that's the official way to backup games, but it doesn't work for all. some have copy protection, so the copy button will not be highlighted. for those, you have to use save manager gx.

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though, as @XFlak mentioned, making an emunand might be the fastest way to back all of them up.

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usb loader gx can make the emunand (think it's under features), then you can set a custom path to it, have partial emulation selected as the global setting, and all saves will be saved to the emunand instead of the real nand. unfortunately, not all games work with it. skyward sword is an example of one. the save will be backed up with the emunand, but it can't use nand emulation at all or black screen.

 

[fandango]

Thanks everyone for the info.

As far as I'm aware there is no way of batch copying using the normal gamesave copy process, so you have to click on every save and hit 'copy to usb'. Very time consuming, but I suppose it is a simple solution that doesnt need anything installing. I have Priiiloader installed so can set 'allow copying of protected game saves', so can do all of my games.

Or I could regularly do a Bootmii full nand backup. Also time consuming, but simpler to do.

Or I could use Partial Emunand from USB Loader GX. Partial just does the game saves, which is fine. Although it doesn't work for all games. Actually it may be better to use full Emunand anyway, as that way my Miis are copied as well. For games that don't work with Emunand I can disable them and live with no gamesave backup, or do a manual 'copy to usb' for them.

 

[godreborn]

I didn't even know there was a priiloader setting for that. I was using the virtual wii as frame of reference. emunand is probably your best option though. that's what I use, then games that can't use nand emulation, I turn it off. I did inject my wii saves to the virtual wii with save manager gx, but I only had like 20 game saves or so. that's the way I think I did it originally anyway. my skyward sword save was among them.

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

As far as I'm aware there is no way of batch copying using the normal gamesave copy process, so you have to click on every save and hit 'copy to usb'. Very time consuming, but I suppose it is a simple solution that doesnt need anything installing. I have Priiiloader installed so can set 'allow copying of protected game saves', so can do all of my games.

USB Loader GX lets me even copy games that you usually cannot transfer. Is that because I once had Priiloader (years ago)? It is currently not on my SD card. Just wondering.

 

[fandango]

USB Loader GX lets me even copy games that you usually cannot transfer. Is that because I once had Priiloader (years ago)? It is currently not on my SD card. Just wondering.

I'm not certain, but I would think that USB Loader GX doesn't need Priiloader installed to copy game saves, including protected ones.

 

[Alexander1970]

Hello.

I'm not certain, but I would think that USB Loader GX doesn't need Priiloader installed to copy game saves, including protected ones.

Yes,PRIILOADER includes the Hacksetting for making these Kind of Saves "backupable" (moveable).

 

[XFlak]

This is a system menu hack, so I think it should only impact the official system menu copy/save protection. Savegame manager gx and usbloader gx and really any homebrew shouldn't really be impacted by most if not all priiloader system menu hacks

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

Making backups with GX loader has created two folders on my SD card: nand - title - 0010000 and 0010004.
The former has many folders like "524d3350" while the other only has one.

Two questions:
a) Has anyone tried whether they work? I have not deleted any of the save files on Wii because I don´t even one which belongs to which game.

b) Will a different Wii or Dolphin Emulator (in case I need those one day) be able to handle those folders?