What you need is HxD (a hex editor), and the homebrew app to test.

Now, a file might be a boot.dol in reality, but it could just be renamed to boot.elf. If you aren't sure if it's really a boot.dol or boot.elf, follow these steps.

1. Open HxD.
2. Press Ctrl+O.
3. Navigate and select the homebrew app's executable (dol/elf)

On the first line, if a boot.dol is present, it should show:

00 00 01

As the first few bits of code.

On a boot.elf, they are:

7F 45 4C 46 01 02 01

Hope this helps someone.

For the more technical people, these are the file signatures of any Wii .dol or .elf.

 

[SifJar]

Or you could just, you know, look at the file extension. I'm fairly certain apps are almost always named correctly (considering the file names are usually generated by the MAKEFILE, which will name them correctly unless the developer has messed up the MAKEFILE). And even if they aren't, HBC can probably still load them fine.

 

[Luigi2012SM64DS]

Or you could just see if its a boot.dol or boot.elf

 

[JoostinOnline]

I really don't see how this deserves a thread in the guides section.

 

[Anon10W1z]

Or you could just see if its a boot.dol or boot.elf

*ahem*. Dude, what if the user changes the file extension to an elf and forgets its really a dol, and then tries to use an elf loader on the ".elf"? He would need to make sure it's a real elf, which he can do by reading this guide.

This goes for @SifJar too.

@[member='JoostinOnline']: If a mod thinks this thread should be moved, they will move it.

 

[SifJar]

Or you could just see if its a boot.dol or boot.elf

*ahem*. Dude, what if the user changes the file extension to an elf and forgets its really a dol, and then tries to use an elf loader on the ".elf"? He would need to make sure it's a real elf, which he can do by reading this guide.

This goes for @SifJar too.

@[member='JoostinOnline']: If a mod thinks this thread should be moved, they will move it.

If the user is a moron who decides it's a good idea to change the extension of a dol to an elf, they will be too stupid to even find this thread. (Alternatively, if they had a valid reason for changing the extension [I cannot think of any, but maybe there is one], they'll not be idiotic enough to forget and need to check. If they did, they'd open it in a hex editor and see if it the first few bytes contain "ELF" in ASCII fairly easily)

 

[Luigi2012SM64DS]

Or you could just see if its a boot.dol or boot.elf

*ahem*. Dude, what if the user changes the file extension to an elf and forgets its really a dol, and then tries to use an elf loader on the ".elf"? He would need to make sure it's a real elf, which he can do by reading this guide.

This goes for @SifJar too.

@[member='JoostinOnline']: If a mod thinks this thread should be moved, they will move it.

What dude would do that?

 

[Anon10W1z]

Or you could just see if its a boot.dol or boot.elf

*ahem*. Dude, what if the user changes the file extension to an elf and forgets its really a dol, and then tries to use an elf loader on the ".elf"? He would need to make sure it's a real elf, which he can do by reading this guide.

This goes for @SifJar too.

@[member='JoostinOnline']: If a mod thinks this thread should be moved, they will move it.

What dude would do that?

A stupid user who thinks changing .dol to .elf will make a dol an elf.

 

[SifJar]

A stupid user wh thinks changing .dol to .elf will make a dol an elf.

And you think such an idiot will be able to find and follow this thread?

 

[Anon10W1z]

A stupid user wh thinks changing .dol to .elf will make a dol an elf.

And you think such an idiot will be able to find and follow this thread?

Maybe. Maybe.

Now can we stop flaming at each other?

 

[Slimmmmmm]

There is no harm in the information.

However, if you want suggestions then I would add more dol/elf information, an obvious one would be converting them but many other small guides like compressing them etc could all add up to a decent dol/elf basics guide.

You could add anything really like extracting dols from wads, replacing them etc etc....

Always look for the positive and try to help someone when they are trying to help others.