Installing GBI on a GameCube without a Wii

[Myria]

I can't find my Wii, since I haven't used my Wii in years (insert jokes here). Is there a way I can install GBI on my GameCube?

I have Wind Waker, Phantasy Star Online, and a broadband adapter. I don't have an SD-to-GameCube adapter or a drivechip. PSOLoad works great for loading Swiss, but PSO is overall too inconvenient for use as a permanent GBI loader. Instead, I'd like to use it to bootstrap hacking so I can install the Wind Waker saved game exploit.

The idea here would be to use PSOLoad to boot into something that would let me FTP or similar to the memory card the files needed for exploiting Wind Waker, but I don't know how to do this. All the instructions I see say to use a Wii, which isn't very helpful right now.

I'm technically inclined, so I would understand how to use FTP, but I don't know what goes where.

It's rather ironic that I'm asking this, since I'm who found the PSO code loading backdoor around 20 years ago.

Thanks! <3

 

[Ryccardo]

Can it run Swiss?
Don't remember if it has a FTP server but it should have a client (never seen a GC network adapter IRL so never cared ), from there you should be able to copy it to the memory card with its basic file manager operations

But it is worth to "invest" in a PicoBoot if you'll use it more than a couple of times!

 

[tech3475]

Can it run Swiss?
Don't remember if it has a FTP server but it should have a client (never seen a GC network adapter IRL so never cared ), from there you should be able to copy it to the memory card with its basic file manager operations

But it is worth to "invest" in a PicoBoot if you'll use it more than a couple of times!

It has an FTP client, so you'll need an FTP server, I use xlight myself:
https://www.xlightftpd.com/index.htm

It also supports SMB v1 and FSP.

That said, I can't find anything about swiss being usable for installing an exploit. I don't know if you can just FTP the files.

If you can't, then you might have to get a little.....creative.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

That said, I can't find anything about swiss being usable for installing an exploit. I don't know if you can just FTP the files.

Swiss can write files to memory card.

Getting an SD2SP2 and/or an SD Gecko adapter is a good idea in any case, but theoretically, if the drive is physically capable of reading DVD-R (possibly potentiometer adjustment), a DVD-R with data files should do as well. No drive chip required once Swiss is loaded.

 

[SylverReZ]

Getting an SD2SP2 and/or an SD Gecko adapter is a good idea in any case.

The SD2SP2 will require a GameCube with a SP2 port, this was used to attach other accessories such as the Game Boy Player and the modem adapter. Later revisions removed the port since it was rarely ever used, and although it is possible to retract the pads back to the unpopulated SP2 points on the motherboard, it is totally not worth it in my opinion, and I would suggest using an SD Gecko as an alternative.

If the drive is physically capable of reading DVD-R (possibly potentiometer adjustment), a DVD-R with data files should do as well.

Ensure that you have the multimeter against the potentiometer at all times when adjusting the power to the laser, you will otherwise screw up if you don't.

 

[Myria]

Swiss can write files to memory card.

Getting an SD2SP2 and/or an SD Gecko adapter is a good idea in any case, but theoretically, if the drive is physically capable of reading DVD-R (possibly potentiometer adjustment), a DVD-R with data files should do as well. No drive chip required once Swiss is loaded.

What do I write to the DVD-R? What do I copy to the memory card?

What’s a .gci file?

 

[Ryccardo]

What do I write to the DVD-R? What do I copy to the memory card?

What’s a .gci file?

Never dabbled with GC game exploits, but (a bit like on Wii and 3DS) you have 2 pieces - the exploit + first stage loader, and the program to be run which is for most intents and purposes a homebrew in standard format (in this case a DOL)

By convention, for most game exploits, this is "boot.dol" on a memory card;
not a problem in this case, but files on the memory card can have very stupid (and DOS/Win32 incompatible) names (example: Mario Kart replays), so GCI is generally used as a wrapper ( https://github.com/suloku/gcmm/blob/master/source/gci.h - there are others, mainly for various proprietary save backup tools) - I think Swiss is smart enough to handle the extraction if you copy a GCI to a memory card;

So basically you'll need a launcher (Swiss) OR GBI directly (both officially come also as a GCI, but you can always make your own with "dol2gci"), and the game exploit

Since 100% of GC drives are older than D3v2 a suitable software (yes, like Swiss) can unlock it to read backups and generic data miniDVDs

 

[rcpd]

Ensure that you have the multimeter against the potentiometer at all times when adjusting the power to the laser, you will otherwise screw up if you don't.

I don't suggest this, but it has worked for me in the past when I didn't have a multimeter handy. Take the pot and screw it all the way counter clockwise making sure to count the turns. Taking a pen and marking the original placement helps so you can be more accurate in your turns. Take note of that amount and call it the "home position". Turn it back to that place.

Now, turn it slightly left and try. No good? Go back to the home position and try slightly right. Still no good? Keep doing this, going slightly past the previous attempt until you get it working. Fixed several PS1's and Gamecubes using this method. Also either ruined a few or was unable to fix several others, so take from that whatever you will.

 

[Myria]

It looks like I'm out of luck. I need GCMM to copy the file over to the memory card, but it only supports SD cards as source, not PC networking. Swiss doesn't seem to have a way to copy files to memory card, though it can read them.

 

[Kwyjor]

Since 100% of GC drives are older than D3v2 a suitable software (yes, like Swiss) can unlock it to read backups and generic data miniDVDs

What do you mean by this? You mean, you can write new firmware without having to hardmod the console at all?

 

[KleinesSinchen]

What do you mean by this? You mean, you can write new firmware without having to hardmod the console at all?

A different firmware is not needed. There are debug(?) commands allowing older Wii (and therefore GC) drives to read standard DVDs rather than Nintendo Optical Discs only.
This loophole was closed with D3-2 drives on the Wii.

For GC this "softmod" is not permanent. You will need to boot homebrew somehow to apply such "patches" (where on the Wii it can reside on NAND in cIOS).

Swiss doesn't seem to have a way to copy files to memory card, though it can read them.

Swiss supports writing to Memory Card. You might have to enable file management in the options.

 

[tech3475]

It looks like I'm out of luck. I need GCMM to copy the file over to the memory card, but it only supports SD cards as source, not PC networking. Swiss doesn't seem to have a way to copy files to memory card, though it can read them.

Have you had any luck? I ask because I happen to have some old software which judging by the readme MIGHT work but I need to test it first which requires some setup and testing.