Hacking Questions about brick

[DarkBahamut7]

sorry if this exists somewhere already.. I'm feeling a bit too lazy to look through the search results on "brick".

I wanted to find out more about what can cause a wii to brick, possibly by asking all that have been bricked before.
so, I would like to ask if I can:
What caused the brick?
how serious was the brick?
were you able to fix it and how?
and if sent to Nintendo for fixing, what was the cost?

So far I've found out a few things that can cause a brick:
Deleting of files you do not know anything about,
Installing files that are not tested to be safe,
and failure during an update

I am still not sure if the type of brick semi or full happens randomly or if it depends on what you did that caused it.
If random, this thread is useless. But if the type of brick semi or full depends on what caused the brick,
this thread could help all who do or plan to soft mod their Wii.

 

[TheNewbPleaser]

a brick is caused only by a stupid person who does things hes not supposed to u just need to READ and get some knowladge about all things and whats causes a brick just u dont have to be stupid its real simple what causes a brick and its also recomended to test stuff and have preloader or bootmii as boot2

 

[techboy]

Here's a little on bricks. Never bricked beyond a banner brick myself.

Pretty much all software related bricks (except failures of official updates that include boot2) are repairable with bootmii as boot2.

Most common is a banner brick. A corrupt channel banner causes the menu to crash. Anyone with preloader or bootmii can unbrick by uninstalling the channel with the bad banner.

Most non-banner related bricks are boot failures. Usually, they're caused by uninstalling the system menu or uninstalling the menu IOS. These are fixable only with bootmii as boot2. Sending these in to N usually gets you a refurbished wii.

Also, Nintendo repair is a flat rate, usually $70 or so. You typically get a refurbished wii if the one you sent in is fully bricked. Someone on hackmii reported a $230 bill when brew was discovered, although its virtually unheard of beyond that hackmii post.

 

[DarkBahamut7]

Thanks Techboy, I just want to be sure that if I do soft mod my wii that I have a 100% chance of not getting a brick. I only have 1 wii and I really cant afford to send it in to ninendo for refurbished one.

I have 4.2U and bannerbomb says I can't install bootmii as boot2.
the only app I really want is a backup loader.

 

[razorback78]

http://sites.google.com/site/completesg/unbricking

 

[techboy]

That brick guide is horribly incomplete, not to mention that it's inaccurate in regards to full bricks. They say for the "uninstalling ©IOS/System menu" cause, you can use "preloader/bootmii as boot2" for full bricks. Good luck with preloader when the system menu or menu IOS is missing. That brick is a bootmii only repair.

Also, it neglects to mention another (rare) brick: mail bricks. The maintenance mode mentioned at the top will let the thing boot to the menu if mail bricked, but formatting the wii is the cure. Only reason I mention this rare brick is because I helped someone fix one the other day...

Finally, it makes no mention of #003 bricks. They're caused by region changing a Korean wii. Sure, they're Korean only, but they're a brick nonetheless. Currently, there is no fix for an already #003'd console, only prevention (installing the cIOS70 from cIOSCORP 3.5 before updating the wii). A potential fix for #003 involving a recently discovered unbricking method is being developed/tested.

 

[DarkBahamut7]

Here's a little on bricks. Never bricked beyond a banner brick myself.

Pretty much all software related bricks (except failures of official updates that include boot2) are repairable with bootmii as boot2.

Most common is a banner brick. A corrupt channel banner causes the menu to crash. Anyone with preloader or bootmii can unbrick by uninstalling the channel with the bad banner.

Bootmii will only install as an IOS on my wii, is there a way to install it as boot2 even if bannerbomb says it can't?
From what I hear bootmii is useless as an IOS.

 

[razorback78]

That brick guide is horribly incomplete, not to mention that it's inaccurate in regards to full bricks. They say for the "uninstalling ©IOS/System menu" cause, you can use "preloader/bootmii as boot2" for full bricks. Good luck with preloader when the system menu or menu IOS is missing. That brick is a bootmii only repair.

Also, it neglects to mention another (rare) brick: mail bricks. The maintenance mode mentioned at the top will let the thing boot to the menu if mail bricked, but formatting the wii is the cure. Only reason I mention this rare brick is because I helped someone fix one the other day...

Finally, it makes no mention of #003 bricks. They're caused by region changing a Korean wii. Sure, they're Korean only, but they're a brick nonetheless. Currently, there is no fix for an already #003'd console, only prevention (installing the cIOS70 from cIOSCORP 3.5 before updating the wii). A potential fix for #003 involving a recently discovered unbricking method is being developed/tested.

then your concern is i am sure appreciated...address the issue to tj_cool so that he could add up your additional info on your rare mail brick.

 

[bnwchbammer]

Here's a little on bricks. Never bricked beyond a banner brick myself.

Pretty much all software related bricks (except failures of official updates that include boot2) are repairable with bootmii as boot2.

Most common is a banner brick. A corrupt channel banner causes the menu to crash. Anyone with preloader or bootmii can unbrick by uninstalling the channel with the bad banner.

Bootmii will only install as an IOS on my wii, is there a way to install it as boot2 even if bannerbomb says it can't?
From what I hear bootmii is useless as an IOS.

Bannerbomb says you can't install it as boot2? Got your terms right?

 

[DarkBahamut7]

well.. obviously it doesn't talk.. but anyways the files I received from xzxero's thread.
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=171901
the same files on this guide labeled "The basics of bannerbomb"
http://sites.google.com/site/completesg/ha...uide/the-basics

just like in the picture it says "BootMii can only be installed as an IOS"
I haven't gone any further pass this part.

 

[razorback78]

well.. obviously it doesn't talk.. but anyways the files I received from xzxero's thread.
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=171901
the same files on this guide labeled "The basics of bannerbomb"
http://sites.google.com/site/completesg/ha...uide/the-basics

just like in the picture it says "BootMii can only be installed as an IOS"
I haven't gone any further pass this part.

it is because if you are going to check on the crew of the complete softmod guide, xzxero is one of them.

 

[DarkBahamut7]

I've asked many questions already on Xzxero's thread, Any more and I feel that I will just be an annoyance to them.

BootMii as boot2 was already mentioned on this thread as a way to keep from bricks.
It would sure be nice to have install methods for the Wii's that cannot install BootMii as Boot2 if it is possible.

 

[techboy]

If it says IOS only, your wii can't take it as boot2. Wiis made after mid-2008 can't run bootmii as boot2.

If your curious as to why it won't run: A bug in the old boot1 is required to allow it to run. It can't be downgraded because boot1 cannot be modified in any way. It is checked against a hash stored in non-reprogrammable memory. If modified, the wii bricks.

@razorback: Thanks for letting me know about that. I'll head over to the site and see about contacting him. Mail bricks aren't just rare they're EXTREMELY rare. The guy the other day was only the 2nd one i've seen. They're a PITA to diagnose too, since half the time you'll end up trashing all their channels with ATD first thinking its a banner brick!

 

[DarkBahamut7]

so, any method I use to softmod my wii will resault in a brick or the chances of being bricked will be higher then most?

 

[nutta_nic]

so, any method I use to softmod my wii will resault in a brick or the chances of being bricked will be higher then most?

if you follow then guides you will not brick (unless power failure) but i suggest you reads up a bit more because bannerbomb is only running the hackmii installer boot.dol on ther root of your sd, you could put a wad manager boot.dol on the root and bannerbomb would run that,so i suggest reading all the info in xzxero's guide before actually trying anything, anywaYs if your just after backup and iso loaders than your brick chance is minimal at most, AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THE GUIDE!!!

 

[DarkBahamut7]

A brick is mostly caused by a failure to install, failure to update or an app that's not proven to be safe correct?

On my wii I need to install HBC, Bootmii as an IOS and Restore The Trucha Bug, then finally the backup loader.

Without Bootmii as Boot2, I should have no chances of getting bricked right?

 

[techboy]

A brick is mostly caused by a failure to install, failure to update or an app that's not proven to be safe correct?
Correct that most bricks are caused by failed installs (of system menus, boot2, system menu IOS), failed updates, and misusing unsafe apps (such as using AnyTitle Deleter to delete the system menu).

On my wii I need to install HBC, Bootmii as an IOS and Restore The Trucha Bug, then finally the backup loader.
The only thing that even has potential to brick from that list of procedures you gave is installing HBC, and that is only if the power goes out while its installing. You'd have to be very unlucky, since it takes about 5 seconds to install it. I've never heard of HBC bricking while installing, and there's probably been been several hundred thousand installs.

Installing any channel has a potential for bricking, even official shop downloads can brick if you unplug while they're installing!

QUOTE

Without Bootmii as Boot2, I should have no chances of getting bricked right?

Since you can't use bootmii as boot2, you should install preloader for protection instead. It can fix all bricks except missing system menus/menu IOSes. If you plan to install VC/WW wads or custom channels, preloader is even more important.

 

[DarkBahamut7]

Thank you very much, this helps allot. I will try this out and hope my power doesn't go out during the 5 seconds

 

[DarkBahamut7]

Umm. I noticed there are a few different preloaders, which would you recommend?

 

[techboy]

The version I use, 0.29, does NOT work on 4.2. I'm on 4.0 still.

You might want to ask someone else about it, since I haven't used the newer preloaders before (or 4.2 for that matter). If I had to pick, I'd say PriiLoader. Whatever one you choose, READ THE README! Many people have had issues because they didn't read the readme file...