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Hacking My Wii may by bricked

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YoshiFlutterJump

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Just tried to boot up the old Wii to change the time for daylight savings, just as I always do on my Nintendo consoles when the time comes. But this time, it didn’t boot. At all. Like, it has a green light and I can hear the disk drive running, but the health and safety screen doesn’t appear when using either a composite or component cable. Also, I have to force a shutdown to turn it off. My TVs recognize that something is plugged in but display nothing.

It definitely worked in November when I changed the time then. I don’t recall using it since, and though it was softmodded, I certainly didn’t do anything on it with Homebrew since then. I don’t have a clue what could have caused this. Did the NAND just corrupt from age? I have had it for over 15 years now, after all…

However, I just found what may be one glimmer of hope. If I hold the reset button while powering the system on, it seemingly boots as normal, with one exception: if I try to go into Wii settings, it will softlock, I have to force a shutdown, and it won’t boot again even if I hold the reset button until I unplug the system for a few seconds. Then I can use the reset button to boot it once more.

I do not remember what I might have downloaded for this saving grace. Maybe Priiloader? In any case, I’m sure it’s homebrew-related, but I don’t know where to go from here. I can boot the Homebrew Channel, which is sure to be helpful, I hope.
 
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Try using identify-mii (https://github.com/ThatsJustCheesy/identify-mii) to check if bluetooth module is working correctly, as you have access to launch homebrew, after runing that app the bt mac addres will show, if not, problem found.
Swaping another bt module can fix the problem, if its related to that particular hardware.
 
zerofalcon said:
Try using identify-mii ([link]) to check if bluetooth module is working correctly, as you have access to launch homebrew, after runing that app the bt mac addres will show, if not, problem found.
Swaping another bt module can fix the problem, if its related to that particular hardware.
Click to expand...
Running the IdentifyMii app linked printed this result:

“Result code: 0
Your console's Bluetooth address is:
0:25:a0:59:ec:d8”

I assume this means the Bluetooth isn’t the problem. I have been able to use Wii Remotes when it does boot, too.
 
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YoshiFlutterJump said:
Running the IdentifyMii app linked printed this result:

“Result code: 0
Your console's Bluetooth address is:
0:25:a0:59:ec:d8”

I assume this means the Bluetooth isn’t the problem. I have been able to use Wii Remotes when it does boot, too.
Click to expand...
Yeah, bluetooth module is not the issue as it prints correctly.
Maybe the nand is corrupted somehow, do you happen to have a nand backup?
 
zerofalcon said:
Yeah, bluetooth module is not the issue as it prints correctly.
Maybe the nand is corrupted somehow, do you happen to have a nand backup?
Click to expand...
I may have backed up my NAND in the past but I am unsure where I might be storing it. I might be able to find one if I look hard enough, but since to my knowledge NAND restoration requires hardmods, I’m hoping for a solution that doesn’t require that.

But here’s what I’ve uncovered via further troubleshooting:
  • Sometimes the system boots normally, sometimes it freezes after the health and safety screen and sometimes it freezes without displaying anything. In both the latter cases I have to force a shutdown.
  • The reset button, upon further investigation, seems to have no bearing on which it is.
  • Pulling the power plug does seem to increase the chances of a normal boot, especially if I leave it unplugged for an extended period of time.
  • The HBC has a “launch BootMii” button that makes the disc drive flash blue but otherwise does nothing and requires a forced shutdown to exit. I probably never installed it despite using HackMii to install HBC initially.
  • I do not have Priiloader.
  • When the system boots normally, I can still boot the HBC from the system menu.
  • Accessing Wii Settings causes the Wii to freeze, without fail.
 
I would open the Wii and reconnect the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module just in case even if you confirmed them to be working before; they might be getting disconnected while the system is running, which would explain the freezes.

If the problem persist, then there's the possibility that the NAND might be failing, which is rare for normal Wiis, but it can happen sadly.

As for BootMii making your disc drive flash blue, you might be missing the ''BootMii'' folder and files on your SD Card.
 
Yeah, since it’s becoming increasingly apparent that it’s a hardware issue, I decided to go to a repair consultant. He said the difficulty of replacing the Wi-Fi module would lead to expensive repair costs, so he recommended I just buy a new one. I found one for 40 USD, which isn’t bad at all.

I appreciate the help here, though! At least now I have a good idea of what went wrong.
 
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YoshiFlutterJump said:
Just tried to boot up the old Wii to change the time for daylight savings, just as I always do on my Nintendo consoles when the time comes. But this time, it didn’t boot. At all. Like, it has a green light and I can hear the disk drive running, but the health and safety screen doesn’t appear when using either a composite or component cable. Also, I have to force a shutdown to turn it off. My TVs recognize that something is plugged in but display nothing.

It definitely worked in November when I changed the time then. I don’t recall using it since, and though it was softmodded, I certainly didn’t do anything on it with Homebrew since then. I don’t have a clue what could have caused this. Did the NAND just corrupt from age? I have had it for over 15 years now, after all…

However, I just found what may be one glimmer of hope. If I hold the reset button while powering the system on, it seemingly boots as normal, with one exception: if I try to go into Wii settings, it will softlock, I have to force a shutdown, and it won’t boot again even if I hold the reset button until I unplug the system for a few seconds. Then I can use the reset button to boot it once more.

I do not remember what I might have downloaded for this saving grace. Maybe Priiloader? In any case, I’m sure it’s homebrew-related, but I don’t know where to go from here. I can boot the Homebrew Channel, which is sure to be helpful, I hope.
Click to expand...
Clip as it boots please?
Post automatically merged:

YoshiFlutterJump said:
Yeah, since it’s becoming increasingly apparent that it’s a hardware issue, I decided to go to a repair consultant. He said the difficulty of replacing the Wi-Fi module would lead to expensive repair costs, so he recommended I just buy a new one. I found one for 40 USD, which isn’t bad at all.

I appreciate the help here, though! At least now I have a good idea of what went wrong.
Click to expand...
40 USD for a Wii bluetooth module. is a ripoff. Is that for a new console, or just the bluetooth module?
 
YoshiFlutterJump said:
Yeah, since it’s becoming increasingly apparent that it’s a hardware issue, I decided to go to a repair consultant. He said the difficulty of replacing the Wi-Fi module would lead to expensive repair costs, so he recommended I just buy a new one. I found one for 40 USD, which isn’t bad at all.

I appreciate the help here, though! At least now I have a good idea of what went wrong.
Click to expand...
You sure homie?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806988970526.html - $2

Literally 20 times less expensive.
 
Guys he was trying to say the repair guy said it would be better for him to buy a new Wii which he said he found for $40 rather then pay a repair tech to replace a wifi module for a similar cost. :P

There's no way he paied $40 for a wifi/bluetooth module. The $40 he mentioned was for a replacement Wii console which he decided was easier/cheaper then having someone repair the existing one for him. He would have paid maybe $5 most for the part but over $40 to have a repair tech replace it which is why finding a new Wii was better for him.

Personally I would have gotten a new wifi module and install it myself. But not everyone has the know how to do that so it's understandable why he chose that route.
 
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Yeah the 40 USD was for a new system. I don’t have much of any experience with repairing my own systems, and the repair guy I talked to said it would be an expensive repair because of how difficult it is to do, not because of the cost of the module itself.
 
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YoshiFlutterJump said:
Yeah the 40 USD was for a new system. I don’t have much of any experience with repairing my own systems, and the repair guy I talked to said it would be an expensive repair because of how difficult it is to do, not because of the cost of the module itself.
Click to expand...
40 USD for just the console or with cords and stuff? For 40 the console should be in pretty good condition.
 
I just stumbled across this thread and I've seen a youtuber which I forgot the name who reviewed 2nd hand Wiis and one was modded.
It wouldn't start and when he pulled out the SD card, it booted perfectly.
Have you tried that?
 
Arseniy_Kmit said:
I just stumbled across this thread and I've seen a youtuber which I forgot the name who reviewed 2nd hand Wiis and one was modded.
It wouldn't start and when he pulled out the SD card, it booted perfectly.
Have you tried that?
Click to expand...
Was it Jacob R?
 

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