Hacking System Wad Ash Files

[WiiBlaster]

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[WiiCrazy]

Does any Pros out there know of away to view or edit the System Menu Wad ASH files Any help would be great, or atleast put me in the right Direction. Thanks

You can use Ash to decompress the .ash files... they are compressed u8 archives I guess... the same program can be used to compress them (not sure 100%)
http://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/List_of_homebr...PC_utilities%29

By the way, be careful with the system menu wad...

 

[WiiBlaster]

Thanks, for the reply

 

[WiiShizzza]

modifying Big Ns wad files is illegal and could brick your wii.
So better don't touch the files...

- You can use crediars ASH to decompress ASH files.
- The result is a *.arc file. This could be extracted with "u8extr" (tools found in the banner editing tutorial)
- if you decompress/extract for ex. a file called health.ash you'll end up with a bunch of folders and files (check banner editing tutorial to know more)
changes in any of those, tpl, brlan and brlyt could result in a bricked/useless wii!
- you could view tpl files with "tplconv" (tools found in the banner editing tutorial)

So maybe it could be possible to make yourself a custom Bootscreen instead of the health screen.... for ex....
Although changing tpl files would result in longer loading times, cos of the filesize.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[fiveighteen]

Let's say I want to try to make a custom bootscreen.

I should unpack the system menu wad for the system menu I'm using, 3.2U, correct? (How would I get this system menu wad?)

Then how would I install it. Just install the new wad over the old one, or would I need to uninstall the old menu first (can you even do that?)

What if I did screw up making a custom bootscreen? Couldn't I just autoboot Wad Manager 1.3 (I have a modchip), uninstall the bad system menu wad, and reinstall the original wad with the good ASH file?

Thanks for any answers... this interests me, but I don't want to risk full bricking my Wii or diving in without having a clue at what I need to do.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[WiiShizzza]

Never uninstall the SystemMenu
If you really wanna take the risk and install a modded one, always install it over the existing one.
I would recommend, don't touch the system menu, until bootmii is out, at all!

Could be possible that an autoboot WADManager Disc + ModChip +"clean" system menu can rescue you if you brick something...
Also I won't mod any system menu over 3.2 (you know, safty first)

I'm sure you'll find lot of wads on your original Discs if you open them with TRUCHA...
And yes, if you mess something up, you could be permanent bricked.

Fors could tell us more about the brick risk of only changing one tpl file, I guess.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[WiiShizzza]

You're right, I'm also bored and looking for something to do^^
I might try this out, these days...

I'm on 3.2E right now. With SystemMenu v290 (for use with Starfall)
If I remember right, bushing posted a update iso file with SMv290.wad on it, somewhere...
that wad could be used to mod and installing over the same version on wii.

I'm 98% sure, nothing will get bricked if only that one tpl file is changed.
Of course the new tpl needs to have the same size in pixels.

-NO RISK NO FUN

 

[Forsaekn]

i really suggest leaving the "custom" system menu modifying to myself and the few others who have worked their ways to it. I've been successful in doing it, as the others have (crediar, marcan, etc)... and it really is a long process, and a fragile one at that. A good test to this would be if you can't figure out the side-by-side config error, its doubtful you will be successful in doing what you're aiming to do. :-/

But hey, with enough determination you can do anything really, so I urge you to try and push your limits, and accept no help / tips from anyone here as you do it. If you're logically able to figure it out on your own, i'd say you can start at your goal.

Although if you're ultimately in it for the results and less for the knowledge of the journey, you can wait for cSM, as im implementing the ability to change your boot screen (among other things).

Goodluck,
Fors

 

[SanGor]

I'm not doing anything to my wii until i figure it out, or if it can even be done, but yes that was my aim, custom Bootup screen. how did you guess.lol but anyways it seems i can't get the ASH decompresser to work i keep getting error, here i'll quote

The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log for more details.

So i guess i'll quit while i'm still ahead. But thanks everyone for the help

you are simply missing .dlls. you need to install those:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

 

[WiiShizzza]

Yeah Fors. You're absolutly true.
I won't touch the system menu only cos I'm bored. It's to dangerous for me.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[Forsaekn]

i really suggest leaving the "custom" system menu modifying to myself and the few others who have worked their ways to it. I've been successful in doing it, as the others have (crediar, marcan, etc)... and it really is a long process, and a fragile one at that. A good test to this would be if you can't figure out the side-by-side config error, its doubtful you will be successful in doing what you're aiming to do. :-/

But hey, with enough determination you can do anything really, so I urge you to try and push your limits, and accept no help / tips from anyone here as you do it. If you're logically able to figure it out on your own, i'd say you can start at your goal.

Although if you're ultimately in it for the results and less for the knowledge of the journey, you can wait for cSM, as im implementing the ability to change your boot screen (among other things).

Goodluck,
Fors

Thanks everyone i'm to able to view the Bootup screen now.
and everything is now working like it should thanks Sangor
I've already Modified the bootup screen and compressed it with U8 back to ARC
now just need to put The Arc back to ASH, Is this right?
But if this is going to be in CMS, i dont' think i'll bother, So my question is, is this going to be in CMS
if its not, aleast tell us the proper steps to do it.Thanks

It's in cSM. As you can see, its very similar to changing the banner of a channel, with some few exceptions. these are regular u8's (not md5 signed) and only 1 currently public u8 packer/unpacker of the 3 out in the wild are able to pack the archives correctly for the system menu to read. packed with all other result in bricks. BUT, for packing the ash arc, this packer cannot be used, as it sucks balls and screws the tpls, so another packer must be used to pack that, then recompressed, then packed again with the first u8 packer.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[fiveighteen]

I'm pretty confident of myself that I could figure out how to make one on my own, but considering cSM is coming out in a few weeks with it included, I'm not going to try right now. Maybe I'll do it another day for the experience.

It would be cool if you would share which u8 packers worked for what though. HowardC's, gally', Crediar's, others?

Also, I don't believe one of my questions was answered: Is there any way that you can full-brick your Wii with a bad bootscreen (if you have a modchip)? I know you bricked a couple Wii's, Fors, and just wanted to make sure that this wasn't the cause! ;P

 

[SanGor]

well can you give me a link to the right U8 packer\unpacker and for packing h.ash.arc can you also give me a link for that packer. after that i think i'll be set.Thanks
Cause like you said i think the packer i'm using is corrupting it, I've finally made the system menu wad with the Modified Bootup screen, but i'm almost sure it wont work, i'm not even going to test, cause the final wad looks alot bigger than the Orginal
the Org was about 21mb and the end result was about 28 i think, just doesn't look right to me, so all i need is the right packer

http://wiibrew.org/wiki/List_of_homebrew_a...PC_utilities%29

there is no .ash packer.

 

[WiiBlaster]

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[WiiShizzza]

I just want to bring this up again.
I'm still looking for the right packer to get the h.ash.arc.out to work.

I know 2 of the 3 u8 packers....
Howard C, Gally and what's the name of the 3rd packer?