Hacking Homebrew app Please, please help me to fix my Wii!

[Gudetama]

Hi, I was going to post in Noob Paradise or Quick Questions, but this post turned out to be longer than I thought it would so I decided to create a separate thread. Please let me know if that was not a good idea.

So, I got a soft modded Wii but only some of the stuff works that I was going to use it for. It is a PAL Wii console and I want to use it to play games for Wii, Gamecube, and some WiiWare and Virtual console ones. When it comes to retro games I avoid PAL, just to make sure I don't end up playing in 50 Hz. So I have an external USB HDD with all the backups of my NTSC-J and NTSC-US games.

But the only games that seem to work fine so far are the ones for Gamecube. With the Wii games, some work, and some don't. I tried to install some WADs (games from WiiWare and Virtual Console) and few worked, most didn't (either "region error" or just black screen/freeze), and I was only able to install around ten of those kind of games due to the limitations of the NAND. I read about emulating a fake NAND, which would be able to hold many games from the WiiWare and Virtual Console library, but the instructions were not clear and it was no success. I also tried using Priiloader to be able to play the few games I installed, but the region unlock hack did not help at all. Also, some Virtual Console games (the MSX ones) apparently work, but there is no video, just sound. In one game I get to see the pause menu as soon as I pause the game, but that's it lol.
Also, I don't think this Wii was hacked properly. It freezes here and there, for instance if you exit a game via the home button and then try to run USB Loader GX again.

I am so frustrated and just tired of half of the stuff not working. Can you please help me to build a normal Wii that plays everything fine? I am not asking for much, I don't even need any emulators at all. I just want the Gamecube/Wii/WiiWare games to work, that's it.

Do you think I should rather try to fix what's not working, or should I just start from scratch by applying a factory reset to the console, formatting the SD card and the USB HDD, then hack everything properly?
I was already going to do that (hacking it from scratch), but I am not experienced with these things, and when trying to fix the existing problems explained above, I couldn't even find the right information or appropriate tutorials. I could only find very brief hints and the more I looked into it, the more confused I got. So, I really need your help, please!
I am aware of certain guides and I know there are straight forward tutorials that are easy to follow, but they do not cover the issues I have.

I hope you can help! Thank you.

 

[Sypherone]

First check for update in internal Priiloader settings. Or if you are going through the hole process of rehacking the Wii wich includes installing the latest Priloader Version, uninstall Priiloader by running the installer in HBC and choose uninstall.
Do a IOS Syscheck and restore the cioses if needed to its original state by using DOP-Mii. A IOS versions overview can be checked on wiibrew.org IOS_history. Attention, be sure to do the right. Dont mess with them!!
Do a factory reset and start from the scratch by using this guide https://wii.guide/ .
If there are still problems with USB Loader GX check this USB Loader GX Troubleshooting guide

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Do a factory reset and start from the scratch by using this guide https://wii.guide/ .

Hmmhm. What if an old version of Preloader (sic!) is installed and System Menu won't load after factory reset? What if there is a cIOSCorp installation that prevent the HackMiiInstaller from doing its work after formatting? What if there is any needed data stored?

Why does this keep coming up? "Start from scratch!", "Delete everything!", "Format!"… Factory reset throws away the user profile, including channels. Nothing more, nothing less. Modified IOS will not magically be removed or changed to stock versions.
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@Gudetama Please post a Syscheck so the experts can have a look at it. Running ModMii – either pretending there wasn't any softmod, or by drag+drop the Syscheck onto ModMii – should be fine to bring everything to a good state.

 

[Sypherone]

@KleinesSinchen Ya, I was this thinking, too. But the hole setup of the hacked Wii can be wrong or outdated. So i think its easier to use one correct guide to follow and verify the installation or change if something is wrong. And then ask if something didnt work.

EDIT: I edited the previos post, to uninstall Priiloader first and check for restoring modified (c)ioses.

 

[CoolMe]

EDITED: First uninstall Priiloader by running the installer in HBC and choose uninstall.

Not very good advice. Telling someone to uninstall Priiloader makes the system vulnerable, and even if the user has a nand backup in hand it's useless to him if he can't access Priiloader (and doesn't have BootMii), in the event of a (random) system file corruption..

Do a IOS Syscheck and restore the ioses if needed to its original state by using DOP-Mii. A IOS versions overview can be checked on wiibrew.org IOS_history
Do a factory reset and start from the scratch

Not very good advice either. There's no reason to do it that way manually, as it is prone to errors. Without mentioning that you shouldn't mess with system related IOS's regardless, without atleast having a nand backup, BootMii, and well, Priiloader.
And the factory reset won't resolve anything either.

 

[sombrerosonic]

maybe try to boot a wad manager and delete said broken wad?

 

[CoolMe]

As to OP and his issues, can you keep it simple as to what issues you're having?
Are you using usbloadergx to launch Wii games?
Is the drive plugged into port 0? And is formatted as Fat32, sst to MBR and with a primary partition?
And yes, post a syscheck.

 

[Sypherone]

As to OP and his issues, can you keep it simple as to what issues you're having specifically?

Thats it, you can riddle what wrong there on the system. Especialy if he cant play other region games. So my thought would be, best clean the system as far as possible and rehack it once for all and uptodate. Then we know what we are talking about.

 

[CoolMe]

Thats it, you can riddle what wrong there on the system. Especialy if he cant play other region games. So my thought would be, best clean the system as far as possible and rehack it once for all and uptodate. Then we know what we are talking about.

There's nothing to clean. A syscheck will determine if he's missing anything or outdated, and he could choose to either update them with ModMii, or with the Wii.guide site..
About the issue with out-of-region games, first he needs to have either scart or component cables (and a compatible tv) in order for them to display and work properly. Though they would still technically work and they'd be displayed in black and white.
The black screen could be an issue with the drive, formatting or the wbfs files themselves he's using.
Again, i (or we) can't help him/her properly until further details are given..

 

[Sypherone]

There's nothing to clean. A syscheck will determine if he's missing anything or outdated, and he could choose to either update them with ModMii, or with the Wii.guide site..

As you stated here, even you dont understand where the core problem might be.

As to OP and his issues, can you keep it simple as to what issues you're having?

The hole setup on the Wii is for sure a mess, too. So, you are going to need to check the hole setup.
So my advice, best start from the scratch by one correct guide.

And as he stated here its not a display error, its a configuration error, else he will not get "region error" displayed.

(either "region error" or just black screen/freeze)