Many bad blocks during BootMii backup

maza2580

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Hello guys,
I know there are some posts about this already, but please hear me out :)

I recently bought a supposedly unused black horizontal standing Wii (most recent model?). It looked like it hasn't been used at all.

While modding it, I noticed that it has many more bad blocks than the other Wii's I've modded. They were all are much older and heavier used.
There is one factory bad block and 25 "corrected page" bad blocks.
They all stay after running a BootMii Backup again.
Some of them are in a row of three, if that's relevant.

Most topics are about like 2-3 bad blocks in total.

I've read that "Corrected pages" are file system errors which get fixed during backup and writing that fixed backup can resolve them.
The problem is that I have a Wii with no BootMii boot2 support and no gamecube ports.

Is there any way (without soldering gamecube ports) to restore the NAND? I am aware of the risks and everything. I will only take it as a last resort when all these filesystem errors make themself visible.

Also maybe someone can comment if I should be worried about the longevity of this console or not.



Regards,

Martin
 

KleinesSinchen

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It is kind of a bummer that BootMii is closed source software and never allowed NAND restore on consoles without GameCube ports.
Edit:
====

BootMii loader or whatever this is called is actually open source now. But the source doesn't contain the graphical interface (I think the PowerPC side of the thing). We can't to my knowledge not simply recompile the whole thing to include restore functions not requiring GC controller for dangerous operation.
============

On the other side... the demand for people use a search engine before doing something dangerous was a very good idea, and probably saved quite a few Wii consoles.

I wouldn't worry about a few factory bad blocks. This is unlikely to ever cause issues (unless the NAND gets progressively more bad sectors). No idea what the corrected pages are supposed to mean. Logical errors? A mostly unused NAND could get in trouble with data retention time, but you started using it now.

In any case I would advise not trying to fix what is not broken. Store the backup image on multiple locations; if you ever need to restore it... well... unless BootMii gets updated at some point, this will mean pretty complex hardware modification (or a hardware NAND flasher)
 
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maza2580

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It is kind of a bummer that BootMii is closed source software and never allowed NAND restore on consoles without GameCube ports.
On the other side... the demand for people use a search engine before doing something dangerous was a very good idea, and probably saved quite a few Wii consoles.

I wouldn't worry about a few factory bad blocks. This is unlikely to ever cause issues (unless the NAND gets progressively more bad sectors). No idea what the corrected pages are supposed to mean. Logical errors? A mostly unused NAND could get in trouble with data retention time, but you started using it now.

In any case I would advise not trying to fix what is not broken. Store the backup image on multiple locations; if you ever need to restore it... well... unless BootMii gets updated at some point, this will mean pretty complex hardware modification (or a hardware NAND flasher)

That means there is no other software able to write a NAND image?
 

KleinesSinchen

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That means there is no other software able to write a NAND image?
I'm not aware of any. Doesn't mean there isn't anything.
Please note that flashing NAND is inherently dangerous if there is no safety net in the form of an area that won't be affected (BootMii@boot2 for Wii and B9S for 3DS).

Corrupted image, interruption (power failure), error on writing, error on reading (SD) → Most likely permanent full brick.
Probably the reason why developers are hesitant to add write functions (same situation on Wii U with the brilliant new recovery menu: No NAND write). BootMii is also running in MINI instead of an IOS.

If there are any significant failures it is likely you won't be able to start any software for a restore attempt. At least Priiloader and the System Menu IOS must be present and functional for any chance of software based recovery.

But again: It is unlikely that normal usage, including softmod based on wii.guide or ModMii, will cause damage requiring a NAND restore. If the chip itself starts failing → out of luck anyway. A restore on a defective NAND won't do anything (or not permanent). A new chip would be required → micro-soldering, hardware flashing.
 
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CoolMe

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I'd recommend using emunand (Sneek/Uneek) if you're worried about the nand degrading. Also don't update the firmware or anything like that, and don't install random themes/wads on the sysnand.
Good news witha Sneek/Uneek setup, is even if somehow gets corrupted by installing a bad wad or the like, you'd just make a new one (or fix it? Not sure about it tho)..
 

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