Hacking How to get EVERY HD to work with the USBLoader

[zidane_genome]

Ok, for everyone wondering if a certain drive will work with the Wii, here's the solution...

eBay auction

Either go to that auction, and buy it, or find one that has that SAME adapter.

I've gotten over 40 drives to work with it, and 10 of those were on the "not compatible" list!

It works for IDE and SATA drives! I hope this ends the "will this drive work" discussions!!

 

[Sharpz]

Oh wow thanks for letting us know.Less than $11 too! Now I just need to buy a HDD first...

 

[roswellian]

THe picture only shows the adapter to SATA drive, and I didnt see any IDE adapter over there as they claim in the aution title.."USB 2.0 to IDE SATA 2.5 3.5 Hard Drive Converter Cable". I wonder if it can really work on my laptop IDE drive..

 

[ThaDraGun]

... but then there is an exposed hard drive sitting next to your Wii. Not only will it look like crap, it's not very good for the hard drive to be just sitting out like that.

A tool like that is good if you need to use a hard drive fast and is only temporary. (like to fix a pc or transfer files quickly or somethin)

 

[elmachin]

i was looking at the same one but over at amazon.com . now if i get it and it dont work can i hold you responsible for wasting my money????

 

[teq]

... but then there is an exposed hard drive sitting next to your Wii. Not only will it look like crap, it's not very good for the hard drive to be just sitting out like that.

Which is why you get creative and build a case for it to match your Wii. Granted, a standard enclosure costs as much as these do, however, they're only designed for one type of interface. With this, you can connect any device.


In response to the thread starter, I have a Kingwin EZ-Connect that works beautifully. My only complaint with these adapters is that there's no power management on the AC adapter, leaving the drive constantly awake.

 

[neos_83]

I originally tried this method before i bought a wd usb hdd, and it gave me too much interference on my screen everytime i plugged in the usb. My ide/sata to usb cables and power adaptor look exactly the same as the one in the photos too.

 

[teq]

I originally tried this method before i bought a wd usb hdd, and it gave me too much interference on my screen everytime i plugged in the usb. My ide/sata to usb cables and power adaptor look exactly the same as the one in the photos too.

This is true. All devices with magnets emit RFI; hard drives and speakers more than others.


The easiest way to solve this is to keep the drive at a distance from the Wii and shield it. A powered USB hub might also act to reduce line noise.

 

[pepwii]

I originally tried this method before i bought a wd usb hdd, and it gave me too much interference on my screen everytime i plugged in the usb. My ide/sata to usb cables and power adaptor look exactly the same as the one in the photos too.

I am also having the same problem with the interference as soon as the usb adapter is plugged into the wii. I dont know what is causing it and I havent had time to troubleshoot it yet. Right now I am using the 3.5" ide part of the adapter, but plan on trying with a 2.5 IDE drive and a 3.5 SATA to see if the interfernce persists.

Have you noticed any interference zidane?

(I am also using component cables.)

 

[teq]

I originally tried this method before i bought a wd usb hdd, and it gave me too much interference on my screen everytime i plugged in the usb. My ide/sata to usb cables and power adaptor look exactly the same as the one in the photos too.

I am also having the same problem with the interference as soon as the usb adapter is plugged into the wii. I dont know what is causing it and I havent had time to troubleshoot it yet. Right now I am using the 3.5" ide part of the adapter, but plan on trying with a 2.5 IDE drive and a 3.5 SATA to see if the interfernce persists.

Have you noticed any interference zidane?

(I am also using component cables.)

See above.

Also, changing interfaces won't affect this; the interference is from the USB cable being connected to the Wii. A shielded cable helps, but will only reduce RFI -- not line noise caused by the power supply and/or hard drive magnet.

 

[buby78]

Ok, for everyone wondering if a certain drive will work with the Wii, here's the solution...

hes right i got that and every hdd i tried works

 

[ajd4096]

This is true. All devices with magnets emit RFI; hard drives and speakers more than others.

Speakers emit very little Radio Frequency Interference.

 

[glitchbit]

The compatibility issues could likely be a simple issue that a lot of yall are over looking.

Some smaller laptop size external usb drives can be powered completely by usb while others require external sources of power. It is usually pretty straight forward on which will and will not work because faster RPM drives such as 7200RPMs require an external power supply while 5400rpm and 4200rpm drives can run purely on usb. I also would not be surprised if some computers can provide better power over its usb ports than the wii.

 

[teq]

This is true. All devices with magnets emit RFI; hard drives and speakers more than others.

Speakers emit very little Radio Frequency Interference.

My speakers are relatively large. The 12" subs create some visible crosstalk during heavy portions of audio. So, I speak from experience.

 

[pepwii]

I originally tried this method before i bought a wd usb hdd, and it gave me too much interference on my screen everytime i plugged in the usb. My ide/sata to usb cables and power adaptor look exactly the same as the one in the photos too.

This is true. All devices with magnets emit RFI; hard drives and speakers more than others.


The easiest way to solve this is to keep the drive at a distance from the Wii and shield it. A powered USB hub might also act to reduce line noise.

Thanks for the tips teq. I moved the hard drive beneath my receiver and satellite receiver and that seems to have eliminated most of the interference. I tried to use a powered usb hub, but am back to the "could not initialize" error message. I tried to use the modified usbloader that waits 40 seconds for the drive to initialize, but it still didnt work (when using the hub). I will try and move the drive around a bit more and see if I can get all the interference gone, its just too bad this adapter doesnt have a longer usb cord. I have a very short (maybe 6-8 inches) usb cord extension that I hooked up and it seems to work fine with that. If I need to, I can just pick up a longer one of those and create the distance I need to have a perfect picture.

Thanks again!

 

[MizuhoChan]

In response to it's not good for a HDD to be sitting out, unprotected, that's a load of crap. My case is full, so I have had a few on the floor before and I have one at the moment. They've all lasted for as long as I wanted them, they don't break unless you drop something on them (Which I have done before once

)

Also, you could just get a SATA docking station. Costs a bit more, but since it's a docking station, it looks a bit better. It also has a button to turn it on and off.

 

[jpref]

i have one of these and it seems to be working. its nice as it spins the hard drive before the wii powers up, and likely initializes faster. very nice product under 15$. con : it is open and could easily fall off the wii. con/pro - it looks 'hacky'

 

[ThaDraGun]

In response to it's not good for a HDD to be sitting out, unprotected, that's a load of crap. My case is full, so I have had a few on the floor before and I have one at the moment. They've all lasted for as long as I wanted them, they don't break unless you drop something on them (Which I have done before once

)

Also, you could just get a SATA docking station. Costs a bit more, but since it's a docking station, it looks a bit better. It also has a button to turn it on and off.

I still don't think I'd want the hard drive sitting out. I have a kid tho so more prone to getting damaged.

This one looks pretty nice tho.

 

[goku1980]

has any one found a real ipod fix for the loader?

 

[siggy2guitar]

good thing i bought a usb2ide back when modchips 1st came out and you needed an lg dvd drive to dump wii games. good thing i nvr got around to buyin the drive to haha