Hacking Returning Wii to Nintendo for repairs

[cmonster]

As the topic title says, I'm sending my Wii in for repairs due to a nasty video card problem that creates black lines of dots all over my screen. I currently have 4.2u with homebrews installed and I need some help with reverting the Wii back into its virgin state so that I won't piss off Nintendo.

 

[Haxxy]

[post removed]

 

[CarbonX13]

Don't bother reverting it to a 'virgin' state. Any hacks made on the Wii can still be detected by Nintendo, despite being 'removed and virginised', because they all leave traces on the NAND. Send your Wii in, they'll detect hacks, and they'll ship it back telling you that since you have hacks on it, you'll have to play a certain fee to get it fixed, and that your hacks will be removed in the process. They may even hand you a brand new Wii console, with an updated boot2 and D3-2 drive, and simply transfer your saves over.

 

[cmonster]

I'm already paying for the repair so you think that they'll care that much?

 

[PeregrinFig]

I thought of an idea, but it may be a horrible, horrible idea. Make a NAND backup, then remove the memory from the console and do something to mess it up without physically destroying it, like microwaving it or freezing it or something, then put it back in, and tell them that your Wii won't turn on. If the NAND is shot they wouldn't be able to find out your console was modded. Like I said, this is probably an extremely bad idea, but hey, maybe not.

 

[GenericGirlName]

Why do all that? Worse case, you send in the Wii for repairs and they wont fix it and will give you a refund. Then you can take your money and get the Wii repaired some where else. They wont call the cops on you (not that I'm aware of) they'll just send it back with a little paper saying "DONT DO UNAUTHORIZED THINGS KTHNXBAI."

-___- They sent me one of those when I sent in my DSi with screen protectors on it. I'm sure its not the *exact* same situation, but its similar.

 

[cmonster]

I got off the phone with them about an hour ago so I might just cancel the repair if it'll result in a huge waste of time. Anyone here with first hand experience with this kind of situation or at least know of one?

 

[Fishaman P]

I don't think Nintendo even cares very much. For safety, though, just run through a standard Wii format from the Settings, and you'll be just fine -- that's really all there is to it.

You don't know ANYTHING about Wii hacking, do you? You should NEVER do that.

Just remove all of your cIOS, Priiloader, Bootmii, and anything else you may have. Then do a 4.3.1 update to be sure.

 

[Presto99]

at least the NAND backup idea is pretty good, not sure about the rest...

 

[PeregrinFig]

I'm retarded, I just realized it would be a WAY better idea to make a backup, have them fix the thing's video card, then restore the backup.

 

[cmonster]

I'm retarded, I just realized it would be a WAY better idea to make a backup, have them fix the thing's video card, then restore the backup.

Care to elaborate? This isn't really my Wii and I have a very basic knowledge when it comes to homebrew.

 

[CarbonX13]

Your best hopes of getting it fixed would be to either go to a repair shop if you want to keep your hacks. If not, just send it to Nintendo, go through the process of 'get sent back with notification but continue anyways', and they'll fix it for you with a payment, but they'll remove your hacks and such. Just re-hack your Wii after they repair.

 

[cmonster]

My only concern is wasting time+paying more than what I have to pay now. If I have to pay more than $60, I'd rather not deal with it.

 

[VashTS]

sell it on ebay, then buy a used one. thats what i would do.

if you want to try to send it in, like everyone else said, remove cios and do an update from nintendo.

actually i would update and halfway through pull the power. it will be bricked and i would call them frantically saying my wii updated and wont turn on. they may consider it a broken boot2 update and replace the wii. no money involved. you got nothing to lose anyway.

 

[cmonster]

Yea, that's pretty much what I figured.

However, I'm still waiting for someone to elaborate on this:

I'm retarded, I just realized it would be a WAY better idea to make a backup, have them fix the thing's video card, then restore the backup.

Otherwise, I'm just going to call them again and cancel the repair service.

 

[Haxxy]

You don't know ANYTHING about Wii hacking, do you? You should NEVER do that.

Can you explain why? I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with this.

 

[mauifrog]

If I was to send my wii to Nintendo, this is what I would do.
1- Make a nand backup
2- Have cios38-r17 installed
3- Run Priiloader Installer- Uninstall Priiloader
4- Run Nand Cleaner
5- Load MMM, Downgrade all ios to 4.1 - no patches, Delete all ios above 200, ensure all ios are not patched and official N ios of 4.1 version #
6- Install system menu 4.1
7- Run Hackmii installer, uninstall HBC, Bootmii, DVDx
8- Go to system settings, do a system format
9- Do a system update to 4.3
10- Do another system format
11- Cross your fingers and send it in
12- When it comes back, immediately make a nand backup and send it to TT. Install nothing but bootmii, then load it with the bootmii booter via disc exploit. They need these nand dumps, very important.

Note region changed wiis, or semi bricked wiis would have to take extra measures in returning the wii to the proper region and removing non region channels. Ensure the proper SN was in the setting.txt if you ever messed with that.

Even with that, softmods still may be detected. Who knows.

 

[cmonster]

If I was to send my wii to Nintendo, this is what I would do.
1- Make a nand backup
2- Have cios38-r17 installed
3- Run Priiloader Installer- Uninstall Priiloader
4- Run Nand Cleaner
5- Load MMM, Downgrade all ios to 4.1 - no patches, Delete all ios above 200, ensure all ios are not patched and official N ios of 4.1 version #
6- Install system menu 4.1
7- Run Hackmii installer, uninstall HBC, Bootmii, DVDx
8- Go to system settings, do a system format
9- Do a system update to 4.3
10- Do another system format
11- Cross your fingers and send it in
12- When it comes back, immediately make a nand backup and send it to TT. Install nothing but bootmii, then load it with the bootmii booter via disc exploit. They need these nand dumps, very important.

Note region changed wiis, or semi bricked wiis would have to take extra measures in returning the wii to the proper region and removing non region channels. Ensure the proper SN was in the setting.txt if you ever messed with that.

Even with that, softmods still may be detected. Who knows.

Thanks for the detailed instructions. I'm still on the fence about this especially since this isn't exactly my Wii. If I do decide to go through with it, I'll execute the steps you listed.

By the way, I don't really get step 12. What do you mean send it to TT? Also, who or what needs the nand dumps?

 

[mauifrog]

Team Twiizers
They will examine your nand and try to reconstruct the apps Nintendo use to examine your wii.

 

[copperteeth]

I had my wii fixed a couple years ago, i think back in 2007 or 2008. Anyways...

My wii was one of the early models that was susceptible to the GPU overheating when on WiiConnect24 was running with the wii on standby. I sent my wii in for repairs and my drive had a chip that allowed me to play my legally created backups. all i did was cut the wires off at the leads and the remainders of the wires were CLEARLY visible. Also, the rubber feet were missing and the screws had markings on them that had shown obvious signs of tampering.

Nintendo never even asked any questions. They honored my warranty 100% anyways and no charges were made to my credit card.

In fact they sent me a brand new system.

A year later the drive failed on that wii, probably due to excessive use. It was basically used for at least 3 hours a day MINIMUM by my family combined with the fact i was using recordable media that probably wasn't too friendly on the drive lens.

Nintendo sent me yet another Wii because i didn't want to send mine in, i didn't mind paying money again for new points for the wii store and to go a day without a wii to play games on at all was not going to happen. When the wii came in the mail i decided to try and just swap the drive with the old one because that's all that was faulty in the first place. Sent back the brand new wii with the bunk drive, yet again still clearly visible wire leads coming off the drive.

This system however was NOT under warranty because it had expired by this point, i dont know if that made a difference or not.

So basically i sent back yet another tampered with system and no one asks any questions.

I dont know whose working in these RMA departments but they aren't too picky about what goes through.

EDIT: Almost forgot... In every case i have ever heard about sending in a Nintendo system for RMA or repair in the last 10 years, Nintendo has always just sent out a replacement system. Its too costly and takes too long to repair each one when its not even costing them $90 to make these things nowadays. (pure speculation on the cost)