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Wow, there are a looot of questions, I'll try to answer all of them as best as I can.
1. Gecko OS is also a kind of USB Loader to boot games from USB devices?
No. It was first a region free boot application, and got many options added.
It's a Disc launcher with option for video mode, cheats, languages, etc.
If you don't have a modchip, it launch original game disc only. With a modchip it can launch burnt games.
And it's also a rebooter/system_menu_patcher to patch stuff temporary in memory like allowing copy Wii protected save game to SD, region free for WW/VC etc.
2. Ocarina is a cheat application? Can I use it separetly from Gecko OS or is it _only_ implemented in Gecko?
Yes, ocarina is the cheat application. You can't use it separately from GeckoOS, except if the application has it implemented (some USBloaders have it).
3. SDUSB-Loader and NeoGamma is also Loaders?
Yes, there are many loaders, some are DVD loaders, others are USB and/or SD loaders, and finaly some allow booting from SD/USB/DVD.
Check the compatibility here : http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php?tit...Loader_Releases
4. Is it correct that a dol forwarder is just like a shortcut to run applications from your SD card?
Correct.
But recently there are also "mixed" forwarders with included boot.dol inside. It's a forwarder which looks on the SD and run the boot.dol found, and if the file isn't present on the SD it runs the included boot.dol.
5. I saw that USB Loader GX could be installed as both "channel" and "forwarder". I got HBC and USB Loader 1.5 as icons on the SM. I´m pretty sure that´s channel installations and they are working fine. Any meaning to install as "forwarder"?
Channel installation takes more place on your NAND, when forwarders are just code to load the real data from SD/USB.
If you have 1.5 as channel, you don't need the SD card inserted to boot it. The disadvantage is if there's an update, you need to replace it on your NAND.
Advantage for forwarders are exactly this : you just need to change the boot.dol on your SD card to update the loader. easier to do to test stuff when there's a lot of updates (loaderGX, emulators, etc.)
(Channel installation can be updated automatically on some homebrew, like USBloaderGX. It's up to you to decide if you prefer update the SD or write to the NAND space)
6. If I install an application as channel it goes to the NAND memory? How "big" is the NAND memory? Is it ok to install applications as channel or should I sometimes prefer dol forwarder?
Yes. The forwarder also goes to the NAND memory, but it's less bigger.
The NAND is ~512Mb(Mo). installing stuff to it takes "block" you can see remaining block on the memory menu on your wii.
It's ok to install as channel, it's up to you. just check your remaining blocks. And up to you to update the channels if newer homebrew version are released. I prefer forwarders over channels.
(I prefer HBC/apps/boot.dol and launch them manually, that's even better, it takes just 5 seconds).
7. Is it harder to remove a program if it´s installed as a channel than a forwader? If it´s on the SD Card it´s just to delete it huh and no harm is done to the Wii itself?
No, it's the very same way. It's "installed" on the nand. to remove them, use wad manager (you need your original .wad), or AnyTitleDeleter (be careful with it, .wad file is not needed but you can delete needed files for the Wii and brick it).
If it's on your SD, and run it from HBC, no harms are done to the NAND (depend on which homebrew you wish to run though).
8. Right after I installed HBC I made a NAND-backup. Is it ok (even smart) to do a new (a second) NAND backup when all applications is installed? If I should brick my Wii, could i choose which one of those NAND-backups to reinstall with?
I'll start with the last : You can restore the one you want.
Now about the smart move : it's smart to make dumps every now and then (no need to make one every days though >.>). The NAND has bad blocks. Some are from factory, and some may appear after normal Write process. When it's done, the Wii mark it as badblock and doesn't ever use it anymore on normal use. Now if your dump was made before the block marked as bad, your dump will be unable to restore completely and may brick your wii if the missing block is a vital data.
It's very uncommon that you get new badblock, but it may occur. Just "check" (by making a new dump) your nand before replacing it. the log says how many badblock and their location.
My wii dump
Maybe Bootmii 0.3b can do block moving, I didn't follow the improvement. so don't take my answer as granted.
9. After reading some about the USB Loader GX the manual says: "You will need to have any 1 or more of cIOS 249rev9 or greater, cIOS222, or cIOS 223.". I kind of know what a cIOS is but how do I check which ones I already got? I got a tool called "title_lister" with a boot.dol. Anyone heard of that one? If anyone have, could I just put that folder in the apps folder on the SD card and run it from HBC? I think that app will create a list of all cIOS currently installed.
Yes, you can use title_lister to check ALL the installed titles (channels, saves, ios), not just the cIOS. just put it on your apps/titlelister/boot.dol and run it.
It will tell you the title and its version, (and for channels and savegames the IOS needed to run it).
ex. Title=1-f9 (IOS249) vers: 0.14 (14) custom IOS249 rev1 is based on original IOS37
cIOS36 rev10 -> custom IOS249 rev10 is based on original IOS36
cIOS38 rev14 -> etc.
14. In the readme file for cIOS38rev14 it says:
[...]
What to they mean by "installer"? Is that the .dol file which I run from HBC? Is the .dol just a loader and the .wad is the actual cIOS?
Yes, that's what it is. the dol is the installer. It will read the original WAD from your SD card, or download the needed IOS WAD from nintendo update server, patch the data and add features, and install the resulted file as IOS249.
15. Also what is the difference between WAD and Network installation? Could I just copy the .dol file (skip the .WAD file) to the SD card and make a Network installation and download the "IOS38-64-v3610.wad"-file over the net?
WAD : from SD/USB if you have it.
Network : Download it from nintendo update server.
yes, you can just copy the dol and use network if you have an internet connexion on your wii.
As you can see, you had a lot of similar questions, I've almost answer the same thing over about the cIOS.
I hope it helped you understand your wii better.
I haven't check and reread my post yet, I hope there's no big mistakes.
1. Gecko OS is also a kind of USB Loader to boot games from USB devices?
No. It was first a region free boot application, and got many options added.
It's a Disc launcher with option for video mode, cheats, languages, etc.
If you don't have a modchip, it launch original game disc only. With a modchip it can launch burnt games.
And it's also a rebooter/system_menu_patcher to patch stuff temporary in memory like allowing copy Wii protected save game to SD, region free for WW/VC etc.
2. Ocarina is a cheat application? Can I use it separetly from Gecko OS or is it _only_ implemented in Gecko?
Yes, ocarina is the cheat application. You can't use it separately from GeckoOS, except if the application has it implemented (some USBloaders have it).
3. SDUSB-Loader and NeoGamma is also Loaders?
Yes, there are many loaders, some are DVD loaders, others are USB and/or SD loaders, and finaly some allow booting from SD/USB/DVD.
Check the compatibility here : http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php?tit...Loader_Releases
4. Is it correct that a dol forwarder is just like a shortcut to run applications from your SD card?
Correct.
But recently there are also "mixed" forwarders with included boot.dol inside. It's a forwarder which looks on the SD and run the boot.dol found, and if the file isn't present on the SD it runs the included boot.dol.
5. I saw that USB Loader GX could be installed as both "channel" and "forwarder". I got HBC and USB Loader 1.5 as icons on the SM. I´m pretty sure that´s channel installations and they are working fine. Any meaning to install as "forwarder"?
Channel installation takes more place on your NAND, when forwarders are just code to load the real data from SD/USB.
If you have 1.5 as channel, you don't need the SD card inserted to boot it. The disadvantage is if there's an update, you need to replace it on your NAND.
Advantage for forwarders are exactly this : you just need to change the boot.dol on your SD card to update the loader. easier to do to test stuff when there's a lot of updates (loaderGX, emulators, etc.)
(Channel installation can be updated automatically on some homebrew, like USBloaderGX. It's up to you to decide if you prefer update the SD or write to the NAND space)
6. If I install an application as channel it goes to the NAND memory? How "big" is the NAND memory? Is it ok to install applications as channel or should I sometimes prefer dol forwarder?
Yes. The forwarder also goes to the NAND memory, but it's less bigger.
The NAND is ~512Mb(Mo). installing stuff to it takes "block" you can see remaining block on the memory menu on your wii.
It's ok to install as channel, it's up to you. just check your remaining blocks. And up to you to update the channels if newer homebrew version are released. I prefer forwarders over channels.
(I prefer HBC/apps/boot.dol and launch them manually, that's even better, it takes just 5 seconds).
7. Is it harder to remove a program if it´s installed as a channel than a forwader? If it´s on the SD Card it´s just to delete it huh and no harm is done to the Wii itself?
No, it's the very same way. It's "installed" on the nand. to remove them, use wad manager (you need your original .wad), or AnyTitleDeleter (be careful with it, .wad file is not needed but you can delete needed files for the Wii and brick it).
If it's on your SD, and run it from HBC, no harms are done to the NAND (depend on which homebrew you wish to run though).
8. Right after I installed HBC I made a NAND-backup. Is it ok (even smart) to do a new (a second) NAND backup when all applications is installed? If I should brick my Wii, could i choose which one of those NAND-backups to reinstall with?
I'll start with the last : You can restore the one you want.
Now about the smart move : it's smart to make dumps every now and then (no need to make one every days though >.>). The NAND has bad blocks. Some are from factory, and some may appear after normal Write process. When it's done, the Wii mark it as badblock and doesn't ever use it anymore on normal use. Now if your dump was made before the block marked as bad, your dump will be unable to restore completely and may brick your wii if the missing block is a vital data.
It's very uncommon that you get new badblock, but it may occur. Just "check" (by making a new dump) your nand before replacing it. the log says how many badblock and their location.
My wii dump
Code:
ecc failure (uncorrectable) for page 11ÂÂ(block 1854)
Factory bad block marker at block 25559. After reading some about the USB Loader GX the manual says: "You will need to have any 1 or more of cIOS 249rev9 or greater, cIOS222, or cIOS 223.". I kind of know what a cIOS is but how do I check which ones I already got? I got a tool called "title_lister" with a boot.dol. Anyone heard of that one? If anyone have, could I just put that folder in the apps folder on the SD card and run it from HBC? I think that app will create a list of all cIOS currently installed.
Yes, you can use title_lister to check ALL the installed titles (channels, saves, ios), not just the cIOS. just put it on your apps/titlelister/boot.dol and run it.
It will tell you the title and its version, (and for channels and savegames the IOS needed to run it).
ex. Title=1-f9 (IOS249) vers: 0.14 (14) custom IOS249 rev1 is based on original IOS37
cIOS36 rev10 -> custom IOS249 rev10 is based on original IOS36
cIOS38 rev14 -> etc.
14. In the readme file for cIOS38rev14 it says:
[...]
What to they mean by "installer"? Is that the .dol file which I run from HBC? Is the .dol just a loader and the .wad is the actual cIOS?
Yes, that's what it is. the dol is the installer. It will read the original WAD from your SD card, or download the needed IOS WAD from nintendo update server, patch the data and add features, and install the resulted file as IOS249.
15. Also what is the difference between WAD and Network installation? Could I just copy the .dol file (skip the .WAD file) to the SD card and make a Network installation and download the "IOS38-64-v3610.wad"-file over the net?
WAD : from SD/USB if you have it.
Network : Download it from nintendo update server.
yes, you can just copy the dol and use network if you have an internet connexion on your wii.
As you can see, you had a lot of similar questions, I've almost answer the same thing over about the cIOS.
I hope it helped you understand your wii better.
I haven't check and reread my post yet, I hope there's no big mistakes.
