Hacking Real USB ISO Loader discussion

[Blue-K]

Well, since all the Threads, that haven't much to do with that thing, always get a little bit Off-Topic, discussing about an ISO Loader, I decided to make a whole new Thread for discussion, thoughts and wishes, like the one for the GC-Backup-Loader. This should keep the other Threads clean. If this was a bad Idea, I'm sorry, and the mods can delete this Topic...
Now, let's discuss

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My Opinions:​

How to do it:
Since FAT can't hold 1:1 Games, beacuse they are too big, the best solution for me would be to make a damm small Wii-Linux, which only loads the needed things, like the Drivers (NTSC, EXT2/3/4) USB 2.0, and how to load games. The problem with that is, that it would take time to load, I don't know how much the Boot-Up progress can be speeded up with a Wii-Linux...but we would have the power to integrate a nice GUI also...Sorry, not possible..haven't thought...like the other said, Linux can't acess the IOS...

Another way would be to code whole Drivers for NTSC or/and EXT...looks like this is one solution for 1:1 games...

Artwork:

(10-Minutes work..only a basic Idea)

What I think about it:
Well, as much I would be happy with an USB-ISO-Loader, I'm not shure if this is a good idea...I have fear that this would be the Ultimate Hack, it would be free, resulting that more people will pirate (even more than now), and this will make the sales go down, resulting in no good Games anymore for the Wii. Nintendo will then maybe even abbadon the Wii...this is all a Worst-Senario, but hey...

Blue-K

 

[WB3000]

Well if normal loaders are patching the main.dol to use standard DVD read functions, then why not patch to use USB functions instead? Add that USB 2.0 IOS, and you'd be set.

Especially with the latest NAND loader example, I am assuming that the file read commands were patched to NAND ones.

 

[sess]

I'm not sure, but doesn't Wiiscrubber's trim option shrinks the ISOs? If so, I'm pretty sure that every game out there could be transfered to a FAT USB device. Of course, there are exceptions, like Brawl.


Also, is a FlatMii-like software even possible, without hardmodding? I mean, just install stuff, plug the USB-USB cable and voilà? :

 

[ddp127]

would be even nicer to load iso's over smb

i dont think that the bigger piracy would be a problem, because ninty will patch it after about 1 - 2 months, and only the people with a older wii and older firmware will be able to use the usb iso loader

ps. finaly a apart thread for the usb iso loader, great!

 

[bamabam]

I would like a usb loader go out get a nice size storage drive put all me wii games on will make my shelf look emty, other half gets her shelf bk i get to keep all me wii games job done would be great

 

[Scolor]

An HDD/SD/External Device ISO Loader would kill the Wii in every way.

No, thanks.
I'd like to see great games as Mad World and The Conduit, and not only Zelda and Mario.

 

[Richy Freeway]

I might be wrong but doing it from within Linux isn't an option. Once you've got Linux running you'd lose all access to the IOSs so the games wouldn't be able to run.

A custom IOS that can access an NTFS or other FS that supports 4GB+ files is the only way.

If someone more knowledgeable wants to correct me, fire away.

 

[Skarface05]

Blue K - It may pay 2 do a little homework about what you are talking about/discussing before posting.

 

[linkinworm]

yea the USB loader dont need no linux, not the ones made anyway

, id change the post to to speculate and not make stuff up that overcomplicates things

 

[geishroy]

I'm not sure, but doesn't Wiiscrubber's trim option shrinks the ISOs? If so, I'm pretty sure that every game out there could be transfered to a FAT USB device. Of course, there are exceptions, like Brawl.

Fat has a 4gb file size limit. Not sure how much disc scrubbing takes off, but you'd be better off going with a NTFS.

 

[Richy Freeway]

I'm not sure, but doesn't Wiiscrubber's trim option shrinks the ISOs? If so, I'm pretty sure that every game out there could be transfered to a FAT USB device. Of course, there are exceptions, like Brawl.

Fat has a 4gb file size limit. Not sure how much disc scrubbing takes off, but you'd be better off going with a NTFS.

NTFS is a closed source filesystem. There's info out there about it but you'd be better off with an open filesystem like one of the many used in Linux.

That does mean you can't hook the drive up to a Windows PC without messing about with drivers, but you could always FTP the ISO's over to the external HD through the Wii, or fire up a Linux LiveCD like Ubuntu.

Edit : I realise there are open source NTFS drivers out there btw.

 

[roku93]

But the wii linux should be running behind the game all the time, am I right? That just wouldn't work. Better approach would be to extract the game files to usb drive, force game to use ios 202 or patch every ios to use the echi module and patch main.dol to read from usb.

Personally I don't want this to ever hapen. Waninkoko, Wiigator, I beg you not to do this. It doesn't feel that good when some small studio goes down because nobody bought the wii title they put so much love and effort on. If you really do this for your own fun, then don't give the pirates the luxury, they don't deserve it.

The child Jesus makes ugly faces on you. And everyone here who pirates all their games, movies and music.

Just kidding, please don't ban me.

 

[cwstjdenobs]

Well if normal loaders are patching the main.dol to use standard DVD read functions, then why not patch to use USB functions instead? Add that USB 2.0 IOS, and you'd be set.

Especially with the latest NAND loader example, I am assuming that the file read commands were patched to NAND ones.

I thought that the cios handled the DI side, and loaders "just" patched it to run on a particular ios. As far as the games concerned it's seeing a normal wii disc.

Linux may work as an environment to run a loader from, but can kexec be used to load an ios and disc? The ability to read the image would have to be built into the cios because there is no way you could run linux and a game at the same time.

I think a more likely solution is to use a combination of cios that mounts images like mount -o loop, but mounts it wherever the dvd device node should go, loader, and crypted partition images the same as you would use for multiboot discs. Simple solution to the 4 gig limit on fat32 for most games. I don't see why you'd have to understand the filesystem in the cios, just make sure you don't move the iso's around (to have zero fragmentation) and get the loader to pass the right sector to read the iso from. Or is raw disk access not possible?

 

[UranusKiller]

ddp127
would be even nicer to load iso's over smb

No chance, WIFI driver is crap, 300-750kbps, wifi
Similar to the cIOSusb2 by kwiirk, we require replacing IOS' WiFi module to one that actually works.
Even still over Network is way too ambitious

 

[zapu]

Can we use standard fopen/fseek/fread functions within dip module and can they use USB2.0 driver? If so, creating a iso loader should be easy.

And it's definately possible, marcan himself stated that he is capable of creating sd loader.

 

[ganons]

what about HFS+ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HFS_Plus

 

[computerboy]

running a Wii game on linux is not possible. Extracting the game partition from a Wii game is possible but would cause problems with the 4 gb file limit size. The best solution is to create an NTFS driver for Wii so it can read more than 4 gb but of course would take some time to develop. About the piracy: only a few thousand people pirate Wii games but that's nothin compared to the millions of Wiis sold all over the world

EDIT: the NTFS driver would only be necessary for very little games cause if you look on: http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php/Wii...tion_Sizes_List only a few games are bigger than 4 gb

 

[Knocks]

This thread is a waste of space. If a USB loader is going to be created, it's not going to come out of a "wish list" by newbies who have no idea what they're talking about. It will be made just like all other useful Wii homebrew, i.e. someone will write the software and it will be posted when time comes.

 

[Master Mo]

I don`t get why some people are thinking, that a USB-ISO-Loader would be much worse to sales than it is now. What I mean is, that you still need to download the isos... The only real benefit is, that you wouldn`t need to burn the Discs (cost for one blank DVD is really affordable and not very heavy to ones wallet) and you wouldn`t have to change the Disc, when you would like to play another game... So I really don`t see how this would ruin the sales of especially small developers, like some mentioned in this thread. The methods to play WiiWare and VC titles (wads) was all the worse to sales of those small developers...

 

[Richy Freeway]

This thread is a waste of space.

A lot of the threads on here are a waste of space. You have three choices in dealing with them:

1. Make a point of telling everyone the posts are a waste of space.
2. Join in the thread.
3. Ignore them.

Option 1 will take up most of your day, option 2 will take up some of your day, option 3 will take up none of your day.