Hacking noob question re which loaders

[tantimongoose]

Have read through the posts to follow modmii and been lurking on the forum for a while trying to work it all out but before i start messing with my wii just wanted to check if I've got it right.
I want to play original discs, backup discs, games off hdd and out of region games. I'm not interested in playing gamecube games.

I've checked my wii serial number and am pretty sure it should play backup discs and the firmware is 3.3e
Therefore i think i need neogamma (for backup discs) and if i put on both usb loader gx and wiiflow that should cover most game compatibility or is it wiser just to put one on?
SO is there anything else i should install?
do i need to install a separate program so that usb loader gx and wiiflow will show box artimages?
Do all the most revlevant cisos get installed with the usb loaders or should i be installing a heap of them to get started?

 

[hack_ziro]

if you're care to read: there are some stickys above your topic
especially THIS one

 

[tantimongoose]

thanks i had read that but got muddled as the more i read the more complicated it seems! That brings it back to basics again.
question i still have though is: to ensure good compatibility with out of region games is it worth putting on 2 usb loaders (eg: neogamma plus usb loader gx) and does having two installed at once create any issues?
Secondly having re read the guide i note it says a con of loading from hdd is IOS reloading problems. Does this just mean you have to keep updating isos with recent released games or something else.
Thankyou for any answers.

 

[ddetkowski]

SOME games are ios reloading games, We Dare, CSI games, and a couple others.
Disc loading = Neogamma is the s**t.
USB loading = take your pick, all work well. And, yes, you can install as many loaders you want, no harm with doing that, I use 2 usb loaders (Configurable USB Loader and WiiFlow) and, neogamma, for discs.

 

[hack_ziro]

most loaders should recognize the region of a game and load "NTSC" on a "PAL" console, for instance

and about IOS's: if my limited knowledge is correct, an IOS is a operating system in your wii...well there are more than one IOS on your wii (slots)...every IOS handle something else (one is needed for installing channels to the wii's NAND, others for running games) and you, my friend need to hack your wii (modmii...you done this already, amirite?) and install a cIOS first (customIOS), which let's you run some homebrews, let you install other stuff or load games via neogamma, for instance..a few games run better with specific IOS slots...but well don't bother for now

but before you start to mess around with your wii's NAND, make sure you know what you're doing, which means read and understanding each tutorial/faq on here
i'm pretty sure, you want to avoid using your wii as a doorstopper in the future
don't panic...just read carefully the guides out there...^.^

 

[tantimongoose]

Thanks haxck-ziro and ddetkowski
So isos reloading just means that those games are hard to get running from a usb backup?
Also i was thinking usb loader gx as it looks simpler. From what i can gather about configurable usb loader its more for advanced users? does any have a better compatibility with more games?

 

[ddetkowski]

All usb loaders will run what is out there, except ios reloading games, which are few.
gx is just as good as the others, try them all, no harm in that.
There are ways around the ios reloaders, using sneek, uneek, etc...., but you may want to stick with the basics

 

[tantimongoose]

thanks again
Just one last question (well just for now!)
Should i also install Priiloader to block updates or will usb loader gx and neogamma block updates without it?

 

[ddetkowski]

they will auto skip the updates, but I prefer you install priiloader.
Better safe than sorry.

 

[tantimongoose]

Thank you good advice.
Have looked everywhere and can only find install guides not actually how to use priiloader as from what i can tell it loads its own screen on startup instead of the regular wii menu and you then select channels from there? As i have young kids I would like to check the program out prior to installing it to see if it is something that is too easy for them to accidentally press buttons and mess up the wii as i'm sure i won't then e able to fix it!
Last question - have checked the stickies but am finding it hard to work out - can anyone tell me latest version numbers of wiiflow, usb loader gx, neogamma and priiloader.
Again thanks so much.

 

[Taleweaver]

and about IOS's: if my limited knowledge is correct, an IOS is a operating system in your wii...well there are more than one IOS on your wii (slots)...every IOS handle something else (one is needed for installing channels to the wii's NAND, others for running games)

Sorry, but no. If you want to compare it to a computer, then the BIOS would be the better counterpart of the wii's IOS (though the operating comparison isn't entirely wrong...perhaps 'a very, very basic operating system' is the best description). There are indeed multiple IOS'es on the wii, but though they have their specialties, it's not correct to say that they all have different tasks. In most (or even all?) cases, the differences are additions in certain way (eg. hardware support). The multiple IOS-es allow developers to develop extra hardware for the wii without the risk of interfering with hardware other developers are making.


@topic: I agree with ddetkowski what loader choice is concerned.


@tantimongoose: this depends on how you configure priiloader. You can always load the priiloader menu by holding the reset button while the wii is starting, but other than that, you can choose to automatically boot your wii in the system menu, the homebrew channel, the priiloader menu or even your choice of loader. Oh, and it has a sort of parental control, so you can prevent your kids from messing with its settings.

Priiloader's latest version is 0.6 (linky). For the loaders, it's best to check the first post of the stickied threads. These are maintained by the authors themselves, so you can be sure they are the latest version.

 

[hack_ziro]

@wever: i told ya...my knowledge is limited

(good to hear, that i was'nt completely wrong, though)

@OP: if your wii is made before 2008, you can install (instead of priiloader) bootmii via modmii...it's bulletproof

my brother updated the wii and i lost my NAND-backup...and i didnt have any lego indiana jones or (NTSC)SSBB around here...i still was able to downgrade and install custom IOS's...(whoever made "cboot2"...if you read this, prepare, to be married with me, soon)

again: make sure, you actually know, what you're doing, before doing anything