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Hardware Recovering save data from a Wii U USB?

Wii U Homebrew — accessing certain apps causes 160-0103 error, uncertain if Homebrew attempt is responsible

SLthePyro · 2026-06-17T04:12:17+00:00

Hello, GBATemp. Apologies if making an account just to discuss this here is out of turn, but I think I need some expert eyes on this. This is my first time setting up Homebrew, done following these instructions. It was an attempt to get Pretendo Network working. Aside from backing up files with every available option and accidentally pressing Patch (slc) and boot IOS (slc) one time, I followed the guide to the letter, and the Payloader and Aroma all worked fine. But as I went to create a new Wii U user account that would use Pretendo, I was met with a Parental Controls message asking me for my pin which I've since forgotten. No problem, I can just go into Parental Controls for options to fix it, right? Then I encountered the dreaded 160-0103 error trying to get into Parental Controls. So, now I have a problem I need identified. 160-0103 can mean anything from "you did something wrong in Homebrew" to "your Wii U is a dying dinosaur", and as I'm not a coder, I have no idea how to analyze the system logs even though I can access them. So I've extracted what I believe are the logs and have attached them here for your analysis, along with this short list of my Wii U's current status: The 160-0103 error occurs when accessing certain apps. I haven't tested all of them out of concern that I'll break something more permanently, but among the failed apps were Parental Controls and MARIO KART 8, so it's not an isolated incident. Several apps still function. Games loaded from discs still work, as well as internal apps like Mii Maker and System Settings. I am uncertain if these errors were present before attempting Homebrew. I had no reason to check the affected programs until after installing it and being roadblocked by the Parental Controls PIN. Certain online apps give app-based error codes rather than crashes. I assume this is simply because Nintendo Network no longer functions. (I can't test them with Pretendo Network until I get past the Parental Controls PIN issue.) There are no issues with booting. The Wii U can reach the main menu whether Aroma is active or not. All Homebrew backup services function. All "backup" options in the Backup and Restore menu of minute were done before and after installing ISFShax, a MCL backup was done following the wiiu.hacks.guide page (before I transitioned to GBATemp's guide following the warning about restoring backups), and I did a full batch backup using SaveMii after seeing the 160-0103 error. I have not altered the console at all following the SaveMii backup. I know where the backup options are in minute, but I'm not engaging them until I hear it's the correct move from you guys. I think that was all the information I needed to provide. Let me know if you need anything else. Please help me figure this out, please and thank you.

Thread starter tan-tan
Start date Jul 21, 2017
Views 3,064
Replies 2

tan-tan

Well-Known Member

Member

Level 7

Jul 21, 2017

My friend's child formatted their Wii U console. They have a USB HDD with games + saves on it. Is there any way, with homebrew, to recover the save data?

Mat37

Well-Known Member

Member

Level 8

Jul 21, 2017

Maybe with ftp you can backup them

Ryccardo

A RUBBER SNORKLE

Member

Level 18

Jul 21, 2017

In practice, no

In theory, the drive can be decrypted with wiiu-wfsmount if you know the encryption key (from an eeprom + otp backup made when the drive was readable), but there's no software to actually browse the filesystem on a PC, and no software to simply put the drive key in the console's eeprom... yet

Should have backed up more often...