Hacking Old man is lost!

[MaxiMii]

This is my first post here, so Hi everyone!
A couple months ago, while on a business trip, I bought a Wii and a handful of games to play with my sons. Everything was going fine until he got a new game as a gift. The Wii was bought in Europe, and I had no idea about it being region specific (my ATARI didn´t have this!!!). So I did a little reading and found a few tutorials not only on how to unlock it, but how to run back up games from the HDD instead of keep messing with discs (particulary bad with my 5 year old). But since I never did anything like this, I am a little lost and have some basic questions that maybe you can help me with. Our Wii is ver. 4.3 (E).
- Can I follow this tutorial, or is there something better/easier? https://sites.google.com/site/completesg/hacking-guide/4-3-guide
- Even on ver. 4.3, do I still need an SD, or can I use an SDHC?
- Should I hook up my HDD during the whole process, just for the USBLoader, or when?
- Are any of those programs going to be intalled on the HDD, or on the Wii itself?
- How do I prepare the HDD? How many partitions? Does it matter if it´s NTFS or FAT32?
- About getting the games on the HDD... should I just copy the ISO or do I use a program for this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Deleted member 194275]

try this: http://gbatemp.net/threads/modmii-for-windows-official-support-topic.207126/

This is the "ultimate guide in my opinion"

The Wii was bought in Europe, and I had no idea about it being region specific (my ATARI didn´t have this!!!).

Oh yes, your atari had it, the problem is even worst for us, brazilians, because on 80's and early 90's we had the PAL standard, and now we have the NTSC standard.

 

[MaxiMii]

I´m from Brazil as well Melo! And we still use the PAL-M standard. It is just that every TV set, DVD, camera or whatever sold here is both NTSC and PAL-M.

 

[XFlak]

as lokomelo already said, ModMii's your best bet

 

[MaxiMii]

Thank you lokomelo and XFlak! I shall begin my reading now...

 

[MaxiMii]

Is it ok to get a few errors while ModMii is downloading... photochannel I think?

 

[person66]

Depends on what you were downloading, if it was just the photo channel then you should be fine. If you want you can try downloading the stuff again, it will probably fix the problem

 

[MaxiMii]

hmmm... I´m pretty sure it was the photo channel, but it´s late and I´m tiered! I will cancel it and give it another try tomorrow night!

 

[3bbb7]

- Can I follow this tutorial, or is there something better/easier? Yes, but Modmii is better like others said
- Even on ver. 4.3, do I still need an SD, or can I use an SDHC? You can use both I think. not completely sure
- Should I hook up my HDD during the whole process, just for the USBLoader, or when? Doesnt matter
- Are any of those programs going to be intalled on the HDD, or on the Wii itself? Nothing is installed on the HDD. like the homebrew channel is installed on the Wii. However u can install apps onto the HDD manually on a computer by putting them in the /apps folder
- How do I prepare the HDD? How many partitions? Does it matter if it´s NTFS or FAT32? Sorry idk the answer to this one. Mine is 1 partition though
- About getting the games on the HDD... should I just copy the ISO or do I use a program for this? You can add games from the USBLoader by pressing ADD GAME or something. If u want to add a iso from a computer, use this: http://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-backup-manager-for-windows.188295/

ALSO: NEVER UPDATE YOUR WII FROM THE SYSTEM SETTINGS MENU. u should always come here and ask exactly what you should update if you need to update something (like the shop channel)

 

[Taleweaver]

This is my first post here, so Hi everyone!
A couple months ago, while on a business trip, I bought a Wii and a handful of games to play with my sons. Everything was going fine until he got a new game as a gift. The Wii was bought in Europe, and I had no idea about it being region specific (my ATARI didn´t have this!!!). So I did a little reading and found a few tutorials not only on how to unlock it, but how to run back up games from the HDD instead of keep messing with discs (particulary bad with my 5 year old). But since I never did anything like this, I am a little lost and have some basic questions that maybe you can help me with. Our Wii is ver. 4.3 (E).
1. Can I follow this tutorial, or is there something better/easier? https://sites.google.com/site/completesg/hacking-guide/4-3-guide
2. Even on ver. 4.3, do I still need an SD, or can I use an SDHC?
3. Should I hook up my HDD during the whole process, just for the USBLoader, or when?
4. Are any of those programs going to be intalled on the HDD, or on the Wii itself?
5. How do I prepare the HDD? How many partitions? Does it matter if it´s NTFS or FAT32?
6. About getting the games on the HDD... should I just copy the ISO or do I use a program for this?

Thanks in advance!

I numbered these a bit.
1. as said numerous times: modmii is better. The complete hacking guide...I'd say it's more convenient if you want to read up on what specific things do, but for the actual hacking, it's best to follow the modmii procedure.
2. from 4.0 and above, SDHC can be used on the system menu.
3. this doesn't matter much. It's certainly not needed on the first part (the initial using the exploit to install HBC, bootmii, priiloader and things like that are run from the SD card. But with some configuring, you can get everything on the USB drive afterwards).
4. the HBC, bootmii, priiloader and the cIOS'es all get installed on various parts of the internal wii storage (and when hacked with a decent guide, priiloader is the only one that overwrites something important). Other homebrew generally either runs from the SD card or the USB drive (they are to be put in a "\apps\nameofhomebrew\boot.dol" structure).
5. the easiest is a single partition FAT32. The reason is that homebrew must be run from a FAT32 partition, though (when run) some tend to be able to use NTFS. So if you want, you can put all your homebrew (e.g. your preferred USB loader) on a SD card and put everything else on a NTFS drive. A small note: stay away from WBFS partitions. While it was initially the only standard, it's no longer the case. But not everyone on the internet got that memo.
While multi-partitions do tend to work, I've read about some programs not doing all that well when not on the primary one. If you already have a multi-formatted drive, I'd try it to see how it works, but otherwise: single partition FAT32.
6. it's best to go with wii backup manager. Just plug your HD in your pc, start the program, select the wii games (no matter what format they're in) and select the drive (no matter what partitioning). The reason is that USB loaders expect a certain format. And for FAT32, it'll need to do some converting (FAT32 is limited to 4G -> some games have to be split into multiple files).

 

[stomp_442]

A small note: stay away from WBFS partitions. While it was initially the only standard, it's no longer the case. But not everyone on the internet got that memo.

WBFS works fine here, since day one. Oh damn, there was a memo, I must have missed it.

 

[Sicklyboy]

WBFS works fine here, since day one. Oh damn, there was a memo, I must have missed it.

Just because it works doesn't mean it's better.

My car works, but that doesn't mean it's better than a brand new one.

Edit - here's a way to put it. My car has almost all of the accoutrements and amenities one would desire out of a modern day car, despite being almost 20 years old. Power seats, power windows, power/heated mirrors, power locks, cruise control, you name it. But my car does not have cupholders or heated seats, something found on newer, better cars.

 

[stomp_442]

Just because it works doesn't mean it's better.

My car works, but that doesn't mean it's better than a brand new one.

Your right, it works. That's why I never updated it. If it ain't broken then it don't need fixing. FAT32 and NTFS allow the hdd to be used for more than just Wii games, and you may gain a tiny bit more storage space. WBFS worked with Waninkoko's first usb loader, and it works with the latest version of CFG and CFG MOD. I wasn't claiming it worked better as you insinuate, check my last post and you will see. If I were to get a new hdd then FAT32 would be woth looking into. But as of now, WBFS is still working, it don't need to be the best, kind of like your car. The reason I even posted in the first place is the post above my last post kind of demonizes WBFS partitions.

 

[Sicklyboy]

I never did insinuate that you said WBFS is better. When you're buying a car, unless you can't afford a new one, the choice between going with a beater (or even a good condition, but still old car) from '95 over going with something from at least '08 is a clear one.

Luckily, WBFS and FAT32 are both free. Thus, there's no reason to not go with FAT32. Intentionally handicapping yourself is just... stupid.

 

[stomp_442]

But I'm not handicapping myself (ignoring the stupid comment). My usb hdd has WBFS format because I want it like that. It sits next to my Wii as it has since april 2009. No need to use it for anything else. I got other usb hdd's for other things. I got one that sits next to my PS3 too, and that's all it gets used for is PS3 stuff.

good day sir!

 

[ddetkowski]

I dont want this to end up in a pissing fight, Both formats work. Period.
A WBFS partition, once corrupt, will corrupt your entire drive, and lose everything.
NTFS and FAT32 will corrupt, but you can save your data off the drive.
I chose not to live dangerously and switched to FAT32 after drive corruptions with WBFS.

 

[Taleweaver]

The reason I even posted in the first place is the post above my last post kind of demonizes WBFS partitions.

Erm...I wasn't demonizing WBFS at all...even though you seem to do more than just insinuating that.

In fact, if you want to go technical, then WBFS actually has one or two small advantages over FAT32 or NTFS (I think it was reading access...I can't recall exactly. But it was Wiimm who said it, and he knows his stuff). However, for the average user, they do not outweigh the clear disadvantage of being unable to use the drive for anything else. And my experience with average users has taught me that it's better to be overly clear than give even slightly too much context.

So...it's all cool, if you ask me.

 

[MaxiMii]

Ok.. thanks a lot for the responses so far and I´m glad to say I´m making progress. A couple things though... I ran ModMii about 3 times now, because for some reason I thought I got different folders being created. I guess I´should work on this earlier in the night! I also got shortcuts created on my desktop, although I unticked those boxes, and once ModMii starts I cannot get it to stop by pressing the "Cancel" button. Those are all general comments, nothing really important. But here is what is unclear for me now:
- ModMii asks me where to create "COPY_TO_SD" and "COPY_TO_USB" folders. But it only creates "COPY_TO_SD". Am I only supposed to hook my FAT32 formatted, but otherwise blank HDD?
- *stupid* - I should copy the contents of "COPY_TO_SD" to the root of an SD card, run it from the Wii. But after everything is installed, does it ever need the SD card again?
- How do I get my games on the PC? I don´t think (should have tried!) my desktop DVD burner will read them... does it matter which format it is in?
- I ran "Modmii Wizard + Guide". Do I still need to run "USB-Loader Setup + Guide"? I´m thinking the Wizard does everything I need, right?

I was asking about the partitions because I was going to use part of a 2TB portable drive. But decided to to just buy a new, smaller (500GB) one for the Wii. It should be here next week so I have time to get everything straight!

 

[CheatFreak47]

Ok.. thanks a lot for the responses so far and I´m glad to say I´m making progress. A couple things though... I ran ModMii about 3 times now, because for some reason I thought I got different folders being created. I guess I´should work on this earlier in the night! I also got shortcuts created on my desktop, although I unticked those boxes, and once ModMii starts I cannot get it to stop by pressing the "Cancel" button. Those are all general comments, nothing really important. But here is what is unclear for me now:
- ModMii asks me where to create "COPY_TO_SD" and "COPY_TO_USB" folders. But it only creates "COPY_TO_SD". Am I only supposed to hook my FAT32 formatted, but otherwise blank HDD?
- *stupid* - I should copy the contents of "COPY_TO_SD" to the root of an SD card, run it from the Wii. But after everything is installed, does it ever need the SD card again?
- How do I get my games on the PC? I don´t think (should have tried!) my desktop DVD burner will read them, <snip> but does it matter which format it is in?
- I ran "Modmii Wizard + Guide". Do I still need to run "USB-Loader Setup + Guide"? I´m thinking the Wizard does everything I need, right?

I was asking about the partitions because I was going to use part of a 2TB portable drive. But decided to to just buy a new, smaller (500GB) one for the Wii. It should be here next week so I have time to get everything straight!

Do you plan on loading GC Backups with Dios Mios? If so the partition on the HDD might need to be formatted, and it i'm pretty sure it has to be the first partition on the disk (leftmost in disk managers) Ask if you plan on loading GC backups.
Also, loaders have in-built disk rippers. So no worries. You can make your own iso's in 30 or so minutes per disk (*cough* edit that torrent bit out, it's moddable*cough*)

Yes you need the SD card in.

 

[MaxiMii]

Thank you CheatFreak47 for that. I don´t want to break any forum rules, but as I said... I own the games anyways, and if there was no way to rip those game discs.... but if USBLoader will it´s solved.
I´m not sure I would run GameCube games. But if that´s an option it would be nice to have the choice of games. It (Dios Mio) needs to be on the 1st partition, but what if I make a single (500GB - FAT32) partition?