I installed a broken Wii Menu version, and I need help to fix it if possible

[Custard3000]

So a few months ago in 2022 I bought a Wii with a few games off of Facebook Marketplace. I completely factory reset it, homebrew it using an SD card, installed wiiflow and started playing some games. I even changed the wii menu theme with a Homebrew app (It worked and it looks great) but i wake up and i want to find some custom wii channels, since I'm feeling like customizing my wii some more. I find a .wad file and install it using Wii Mod Lite using the "Install WAD" option. I exit it, get to the homebrew channel menu, exit to wii menu, and wait. And wait.... until i hard reset it. And still, a black screen on my old, big TV. That leads me into researching and finding out it's a "Banner Brick", If i could somehow get to the BootMii menu, I could use the backup i have on my old SD card. Is there any way I can do this? Side note: I have BootMii as an IOS. Will it still work?

 

[r1vver]

I have BootMii installed as an ISO

as an IOS
btw, was Priiloader installed too?

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Is today the "Software Brick Your Console Day"?

• What WAD file(s) did you install?
• Can you open Priiloader by holding (Reset) on power on?

BootMii as IOS only is useless by itself (no way to start it without a loader).

 

[Custard3000]

as an IOS
btw, was Priiloader installed too?

Yes, But holding Reset as it's turning on isn't working at all.

 

[r1vver]

Is today the "Software Brick Your Console Day"?

Spoiler: Off-topic

Feb 05, 2023 - Full Moon phase

 

[Custard3000]

• What WAD file(s) did you install?
• Can you open Priiloader by holding (Reset) on power on?

1 - I installed a very early version of the Wii Menu. I was stupid and thought it was a Custom Wii channel
2 - As I said above, Nope. Doesen't work.

 

[r1vver]

I installed a very early version of the Wii Menu

Start warming up the soldering iron and look for equipment for NAND flashing.

 

[djawfi]

Start warming up the soldering iron and look for equipment for NAND flashing.

nando programmer can do it,i have done the same for my wii

 

[Dakangel]

Maybe....maybe, maybe(?) you can use an original wii game and let the disc auto install the menu, i dont know , there are korean wiis solved by mario galaxy 2.

PD. Always reinstall priiloader if you wake up with an intense urge to install questionable wads.
PD2. As a recommendation first test all wads on an emunand before installing it on the real nand to avoid tears.

 

[SaulFabre]

Pinging @XFlak, if he could help you (because currently he's in recuperation of his illnesses), he will answer here.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Another option could be trying to hunt down the leaked wii repair disc. It should virginize your wii iirc.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Another option could be trying to hunt down the leaked wii repair disc. It should virginize your wii iirc.

Never heard of this (and didn't look for the leaked data).

What are the requirements for this? Wouldn't it require the System Menu and/or the corresponding IOS being somewhat working (SaveMiiFrii method) to boot into some disc? Some program must start the disc.

Then there is the problem that we can't produce valid Wii discs. The drive itself won't even acknowledge the presence of a DVD±R. The photo in the first post shows a black Wii, most likely D3-2 drive – which can't be easily modded for burned DVD to my knowledge.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Never heard of this (and didn't look for the leaked data).

It happened last year, I remember it made front page. It what nintendo used to repair broken wii's with. It would if I recall correctly, replace any modded IOS with factory versions.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

It happened last year, I remember it made front page. It what nintendo used to repair broken wii's with. It would if I recall correctly, replace any modded IOS with factory versions.

The only thing I could find with a quick search was something about a "pre-repair disc" designed to reveal previous modding as well as the Wii Backup Disc.
Maybe I missed another service center disc.

Sadly I don't have the slightest idea how to boot a service disc on a fully software bricked Wii – and then there is still the problem that we don't have access to valid Wii service discs. Downloading some leaked ISO image isn't sufficient for producing one, since the disc authentication / copy protection gets in the way.

 

[haydennbc]

1 - I installed a very early version of the Wii Menu. I was stupid and thought it was a Custom Wii channel
2 - As I said above, Nope. Doesen't work.

i legit thought the same thing and did the same thing lmao

 

[WolfyBoy104]

Hello! I have the same problem at my thread.

Also the black wii was released later than the white one, and that is probably why the black screen appears on boot.

And a notice on the WiiBrew wiki says, "WARNING: Be advised that if your system is shipped with 4.0 preinstalled, you can not downgrade and will brick your console."

 

[Ryccardo]

The only thing I could find with a quick search was something about a "pre-repair disc" designed to reveal previous modding as well as the Wii Backup Disc.
Maybe I missed another service center disc.

Sadly I don't have the slightest idea how to boot a service disc on a fully software bricked Wii – and then there is still the problem that we don't have access to valid Wii service discs. Downloading some leaked ISO image isn't sufficient for producing one, since the disc authentication / copy protection gets in the way.

There's a secure wipe utility too (which has nothing to do with system software) and you can run a copy from disc with the right drive (which are interchangeable) + a chip or cioscorp

But of course, even if it could solve the problem, it wouldn't help here exactly because there's no (working) Wii Menu IOS...

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Hello! I have the same problem at my thread.

Also the black wii was released later than the white one, and that is probably why the black screen appears on boot.

And a notice on the wiki says, "WARNING: Be advised that if your system is shipped with 4.0 preinstalled, you can not downgrade and will brick your console."

Without knowing what exactly got installed it is hard to impossible to say what happened.
We had some cases of installing the pre-version of System Menu from a set of WAD files downloaded from an archival site dedicated to Nintendo stuff (since illegal I'll not mention it).
That is a death sentence since the corresponding IOS is stubbed on normal Wii consoles right now. This means the request to insert the update disc does not appear. Only BootMii in boot2 can help on the software side (not for black Wii -- those are too new).

There's a secure wipe utility too (which has nothing to do with system software) and you can run a copy from disc with the right drive (which are interchangeable) + a chip or cioscorp

But of course, even if it could solve the problem, it wouldn't help here exactly because there's no (working) Wii Menu IOS...

Right. Didn't think of installing an older (modded) drive.
Sadly the most of these cases are a dead end without any entry point left.

Is there anything known if there was some brick repair method Nintendo would have used (like ntrboot on 3DS)? Would they have been able to flash an empty NAND? Leaked (signed) SD boot goes into the right direction (and should theoretically allow flashing with hardware methods to start a BootMii loader).

 

[SylverReZ]

Is there anything known if there was some brick repair method Nintendo would have used (like ntrboot on 3DS)? Would they have been able to flash an empty NAND? Leaked (signed) SD boot goes into the right direction (and should theoretically allow flashing with hardware methods to start a BootMii loader).

There are ways to recover a fully bricked Wii console. The first one is by booting into BootMii or Priiloader by holding 'RESET' - ensuring that you installed BM as boot2 then you can easily restore your NAND backup. If you don't have any form of brick protection, either reflash the NAND with an Infectus or try this.

 

[Ryccardo]

Is there anything known if there was some brick repair method Nintendo would have used (like ntrboot on 3DS)? Would they have been able to flash an empty NAND? Leaked (signed) SD boot goes into the right direction (and should theoretically allow flashing with hardware methods to start a BootMii loader).

Not that I know of (in fact, while I don't remember the relevant part of the leaks well, I don't think ntrboot is officially used for recovery, just for manufacturing)

Even with an external nand programmer (which they might not even have, the whole factory process seems optimized for starting from a fixed image that may well be flashed by the chip manufacturer) they'd need to compile this special boot2 with the matching version number and sign it, probably not a big deal when there are 4 of them, but I think they consider their products more disposable than we do...