Hacking The Definitive vWii Hacking Guide!

[lafleche]

@Waveracer : I saw your question and thought "well..... that's a good one... I was wondering myself".
Setting works like a charm.

I wonder: is there a good on-line manual for usbloaderGX explaining all the options? In the last days this topic helped me setting up emunand, starting up wiiware games and now going back to the loader and not systemmenu.
What more hidden gems are there in this loader

 

[Waveracer]

@Waveracer : I saw your question and thought "well..... that's a good one... I was wondering myself".
Setting works like a charm.

I wonder: is there a good on-line manual for usbloaderGX explaining all the options? In the last days this topic helped me setting up emunand, starting up wiiware games and now going back to the loader and not systemmenu.
What more hidden gems are there in this loader

Yep, thing is I tried to mess a bit with the options in the beginning but something went wrong so I had to go back to defaults. A manual would be great indeed, I also miss it. Anyway, without Cyan and CJB100 I would have given up already.

I found out that for playing GameCube games you should go to the game launch settings and set Widescreen Wii U OFF unless the GameCube game supports widescreen (just a few do).

Also if you like right to be right when browsing games there's an option for that, but when you go to another view the controls reverse again, it's weird... I just can't press right and go left, my mind goes crazy.

 

[Cyan]

is there a good on-line manual for usbloaderGX explaining all the options?

We started working on one (using Googlecode wiki feature) but it ended with "startup guide" and lot or incomplete pages.

I hoped someone was interested enough to help us, but we were only two users working on it, and it finally ended as a dead project.

it had a navigation bar:
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/SideNav.wiki
and three completed pages haha :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Introduction.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Installation.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Changelog.wiki

other "work in progress" was done on a different googlecode project, as each edit on wiki increased the revision number of the loader :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbguiwikicolab/wikis

It used to contains pictures too, googlecode archive removed all the linked media.


We expected to explain how to setup, how to use, explain every settings and their uses, and do a reverse "setting" search, like a menu with many "how to xxxxx" -> set this setting, or "how to play gamecube" etc.
There were a start of "advanced game filtering guide" and other kind of pages and tuto.
It took too much time (that we spent elsewhere... probably here repeating the same answers that we could have written to the guide directly ahaha).


If someone is interested in writing the guide, let me know. but it will probably require a good knowledge of the loader, and also a good guide writing skill (writing info in chronological order, etc.).
The guide has to be written with "complete non-tech end users" in mind. all ages and new to the wii should be able to follow and understand what they are doing.
a guide telling "press A and it's done" is not good way to teach how to use a program.

 

[Waveracer]

I will try to help with that when I have the time.

Something weird happened. Now Wii U reads my GameCube and Wii games via USB Loader GX, but I cannot launch my legitimate WiiWare/Virtual Console games any more. I try to download them again and I get an error. What could it be?

We started working on one (using Googlecode wiki feature) but it ended with "startup guide" and lot or incomplete pages.

I hoped someone was interested enough to help us, but we were only two users working on it, and it finally ended as a dead project.

it had a navigation bar:
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/SideNav.wiki
and three completed pages haha :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Introduction.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Installation.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Changelog.wiki

other "work in progress" was done on a different googlecode project, as each edit on wiki increased the revision number of the loader :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbguiwikicolab/wikis

It used to contains pictures too, googlecode archive removed all the linked media.


We expected to explain how to setup, how to use, explain every settings and their uses, and do a reverse "setting" search, like a menu with many "how to xxxxx" -> set this setting, or "how to play gamecube" etc.
There were a start of "advanced game filtering guide" and other kind of pages and tuto.
It took too much time (that we spent elsewhere... probably here repeating the same answers that we could have written to the guide directly ahaha).


If someone is interested in writing the guide, let me know. but it will probably require a good knowledge of the loader, and also a good guide writing skill (writing info in chronological order, etc.).
The guide has to be written with "complete non-tech end users" in mind. all ages and new to the wii should be able to follow and understand what they are doing.
a guide telling "press A and it's done" is not good way to teach how to use a program.

We started working on one (using Googlecode wiki feature) but it ended with "startup guide" and lot or incomplete pages.

I hoped someone was interested enough to help us, but we were only two users working on it, and it finally ended as a dead project.

it had a navigation bar:
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/SideNav.wiki
and three completed pages haha :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Introduction.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Installation.wiki
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbloader-gui/wikis/Changelog.wiki

other "work in progress" was done on a different googlecode project, as each edit on wiki increased the revision number of the loader :
https://code.google.com/archive/p/usbguiwikicolab/wikis

It used to contains pictures too, googlecode archive removed all the linked media.


We expected to explain how to setup, how to use, explain every settings and their uses, and do a reverse "setting" search, like a menu with many "how to xxxxx" -> set this setting, or "how to play gamecube" etc.
There were a start of "advanced game filtering guide" and other kind of pages and tuto.
It took too much time (that we spent elsewhere... probably here repeating the same answers that we could have written to the guide directly ahaha).


If someone is interested in writing the guide, let me know. but it will probably require a good knowledge of the loader, and also a good guide writing skill (writing info in chronological order, etc.).
The guide has to be written with "complete non-tech end users" in mind. all ages and new to the wii should be able to follow and understand what they are doing.
a guide telling "press A and it's done" is not good way to teach how to use a program.

 

[Cyan]

you are sure you are displaying the NAND and not emuNAND ?

 

[Waveracer]

you are sure you are displaying the NAND and not emuNAND ?

Well, I did not even try to launch them on USB Loader GX, I mean the vWii menu (SD menu). The games were purchased on my hacked Wii (but I bought them before the hack) and then they were transferred to my Wii U but now they don't work any more and I can't download them because I get errors (but they appear as "downloadable" games). When I installed USB Loader GX on Wii and Wii U I had to connect them both to internet, I don't know if that has something to do.

 

[Cyan]

if they are legit games bought on eshop they should work.
You can't connect or download from eshop on vWii ? maybe you have the WiiU URL filters to prevent updates?

Also, in order to run a game installed on SD card, you need enough free space on internal NAND as it will move the game internally before launching.

 

[Waveracer]

When I try to launch any of them it says "it can't be launched on this console". Have they been updated or something when Wii/Wii U connected to internet? The NAND has enough free space. Are the WiiU URL filters installed when you hack Wii U? I didn't manually install those filters. Yes, I can access the Wii Shop on Wii U, I see that the games are "downloadable" but when I try to download them again I get an error (I can update with the error number).

if they are legit games bought on eshop they should work.
You can't connect to eshop on vWii ? maybe you have the WiiU URL filters to prevent updates?

Also, in order to run a game installed on SD card, you need enough free space on internal NAND as it will move the game internally before launching.

EDIT:

@Cyan I checked that, there are no games on NAND or EMUNAND (USB Loader GX) even though I have many games on the SD card. I just checked and now I was able to download a game. I am going to erase all games and download them again and let you know. By the way, can I launch legit WiiWare (NAND, if I'm not mistaken) on USB Loader GX?

 

[Cyan]

that's strange that you couldn't launch them if you made a legit conversion from wii to wiiu.
At least, you can redownload them so it's fine.

Yes, you can launch the channels from USBLoaderGX, just select "Channels on NAND" on the 4th icon of the top menu.
Some game could not work correctly, as it's currently trying to reload the cIOS instead of using the default channel's IOS. I'll have to add an option to use the official IOS for channels on NAND.

 

[Waveracer]

that's strange that you couldn't launch them if you made a legit conversion from wii to wiiu.
At least, you can redownload them so it's fine.

Yes, you can launch the channels from USBLoaderGX, just select "Channels on NAND" on the 4th icon of the top menu.
Some game could not work correctly, as it's currently trying to reload the cIOS instead of using the default channel's IOS. I'll have to add an option to use the official IOS for channels on NAND.

But they have to be in Wii memory, right? If they are in the SD card they are not read on USB Loader GX? Not really an issue because I can load them on the SD menu, just curious about it. As for the Wiiware and VC games I am downloading them again on Wii U so it's fine.

There's no need to connect a Wii to internet at all, but my Wii U is online. Since updates are downloaded automatically on Wii U, do you think a Wii U update could harm hacked consoles?

 

[Cyan]

Ahhh, did you insert the same SD card you used on Wii ?
the channels on SD card are encrypted for the console. (uniqueID).
You can redownload them on WiiU after transfering the account, but you can't use the "encrypted and packed" files on SD card on another console.

USBGX can't launch a game from SD card menu, as it's encrypted and not installed to NAND or in extracted format. JoostinOnline created a homebrew to decrypt/convert to wad the SD installed channels, it could be integrated to USBGX but never had time to work on it.
WiiU update never harmed vWii side (until now).

 

[Waveracer]

Ahhh, did you insert the same SD card you used on Wii ?
the channels on SD card are encrypted for the console. (uniqueID).
You can redownload them on WiiU after transfering the account, but you can't use the "encrypted and packed" files on SD card on another console.

USBGX can't launch a game from SD card menu, as it's encrypted and not installed to NAND or in extracted format. JoostinOnline created a homebrew to decrypt/convert to wad the SD installed channels, it could be integrated to USBGX but never had time to work on it.
WiiU update never harmed vWii side (until now).

Exactly, it looks like I was using the Wii encryption and not the Wii U encryption.

****************************************************************************

EDIT:

Is there a way to launch Project Zero 4 / Fatal Frame 4 with the English patch on USB Loader GX?

 

[Ghassen-ga]

Will there ever be a way to softmod the vWii without a game disk ?

 

[lafleche]

my two cents: no!
I guess nobody is searching for exploits in the WII anymore as there are 7 games to do what we want.

 

[geheim]

You can buy a used game and sell it immediatly again. I did so a few days ago, bought it for 10 euros and sold it again for 9 euros. So 1 Euro for hacking the vWii, which should be affordable

 

[Ghassen-ga]

You can buy a used game and sell it immediatly again. I did so a few days ago, bought it for 10 euros and sold it again for 9 euros. So 1 Euro for hacking the vWii, which should be affordable

Yeah if it was that easy , why haven't i done it yet ? problem is my Wiiu is out of my region , id have to buy it online then have it shipped and that's not exactly cheap , not to mention that amazon doesn't ship to where i live.

 

[CJB100]

Yeah if it was that easy , why haven't i done it yet ? problem is my Wiiu is out of my region , id have to buy it online then have it shipped and that's not exactly cheap , not to mention that amazon doesn't ship to where i live.

You'd be surprised, a lot of people don't wanna cough up the $5. Don't be so smart with someone just trying to help.

I have looked into vWii Hacking with what little knowledge I have in exploiting and my programming knowledge. All the old game-less exploits have been very firmly patched, and there doesn't appear to be any easy way to exploit the system menu on its own this time around. None of the freeware from Nintendo appear easily hackable either. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be happening.

 

[7Robins]

If there hasn't been any postings about it, why would you think there'd be a free way of doing it?

 

[Ghassen-ga]

You'd be surprised, a lot of people don't wanna cough up the $5. Don't be so smart with someone just trying to help.

I have looked into vWii Hacking with what little knowledge I have in exploiting and my programming knowledge. All the old game-less exploits have been very firmly patched, and there doesn't appear to be any easy way to exploit the system menu on its own this time around. None of the freeware from Nintendo appear easily hackable either. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be happening.

I wasn't trying to be smart , i was simply trying to explain myself , do you think i would pay 300 $ to get a wii u but not 5 $ ?
Thank you for clearing things up tho , that's all i needed to hear ! (:

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If there hasn't been any postings about it, why would you think there'd be a free way of doing it?

No , i'm sorry , i was asking him if there would be a way in the future , if not , then i wouldn't mind paying extra and having a copy shipped , even tho for me , to where i live it would be expensive , i'm sorry if my question bothered you everyone.

 

[CJB100]

I wasn't trying to be smart , i was simply trying to explain myself , do you think i would pay 300 $ to get a wii u but not 5 $ ?
Thank you for clearing things up tho , that's all i needed to hear ! (:

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


No , i'm sorry , i was asking him if there would be a way in the future , if not , then i wouldn't mind paying extra and having a copy shipped , even tho for me , to where i live it would be expensive , i'm sorry if my question bothered you everyone.

Not a problem at all, just be a little bit careful with wording. Sometimes things come off through text in a way they otherwise wouldn't in real life. Welcome to the forums. If you have any further questions just let us know.