Hacking The Definitive vWii Hacking Guide!

[About7fish]

Bah, I finally get around to hacking my vWii last week after putting it off for years and there's a change to the process yesterday.

Is switching to 52 from 53 relatively painless?

 

[Cyan]

@Cyan
why does the guide even mention installing ios236? i thought the only point of ios236 was to install cIOS249 but with the d2x cios installers the ios236 wasn't needed.

the cIOS 236 can be used to install other IOS (in case of semi-brick, or missing IOS58)
cIOS d2x doesn't have IOS installation rights patched. that's the only reason this cIOS is still mentionned in this guide : easy brick fix.

But if users follow the guide, they shouldn't brick.
if they follow the guide and never brick, that cIOS is useless
if they brick, they usually didn't follow the guide and don't have that cIOS
in all cases : it's usually missing when you need it ! ahaha

I've changed my cIOS to r52 instead of r53, and now Usb loader gx fails to load, it gets stuck on 'initialize usb device'

if you installed r52, be sure to put the HDD in USB Port 0, as USB Port1 is no longer working inside the loader, unless you select "IOS58" as internal loader's IOS.
verify your setup and hardware connection/cable/slots/etc.
r52 should work. if it really doesn't work and r53 works for you, then use r53 but you could expect issues later with specific setup or features.



Switching to r52 is very easy :
follow the cIOS installation step again.
it will overwrite the slot with the new data, you don't need to (and should not !) delete the existing slot before installing r52.
just install over.

like said just above, be sure you plug your drive in USB Port 0, and don't setup the USBLoader to load from USB Port1 in the HDD settings menu.
There's still a way to load gamecube from USB Port 1 even with d2x r52 installed, to use one drive for nintendont and one drive for Wii.
if you want to use the same drive for both wii and gamecube games, connect to port 0 and don't connect any drive to port 1 or higher (no WiiU HDD connected at the same time!)

 

[About7fish]

Simple enough. Just incidentally, I downloaded the latest versions of Nintendont and GX from their respective sources and it seems that the links in the OP are significantly outdated. The GX link was a version so old that updating from the app itself wasn't possible, and Nintendont jumped up an entire version number. Those weren't posted for some technical reason I couldn't even hope to understand, were they?

 

[SonGoku78]

Switching to r52 is very easy :
follow the cIOS installation step again.
it will overwrite the slot with the new data, you don't need to (and should not !) delete the existing slot before installing r52.
just install over.

Is there any benefit of switching from r52 to r53 ? What would be a reason to do so ?
Thanks for your help

 

[M1K3GUI]

Can I use the same HDD which I install WiiU games, to put Wii games and run the USB Loader GX?
If so, how do I do it? Thanks!

 

[Cyan]

Reason for switching r53 -> r52 : compatibility issues with games, emunand, hard drives
reason for switching r52 -> r53 : you need to load Wii games from USB Port1, supposedly "plug an play" accessories (meaning you an connect the USB accessories AFTER booting the game).... while you can just connect it BEFORE launching the game and you don't need r53. But, that's all your own decision based on compatibility/how munch you are willing to bother trying to fix your setup.

Can I use the same HDD which I install WiiU games, to put Wii games and run the USB Loader GX?
If so, how do I do it? Thanks!

No.
WiiU HDD is formated entirely to a proprietary format, and encrypted with a unique console ID.
you need a HDD dedicated for vWii/gamecube/other, and one for WiiU.


Technically, there's a way, but it's VERY VERY not suggested to do it :
- it's beta
- it's VERY slow
- it requires a LOT of steps to just install one game
- it's beta... more a "proof of concept" than a proper release.

just buy 2 HDD, it's easier, and not that expansive. (hey, you don't need 5000 games at the same time, that you will never play. Just take a cheap 250GB, not a 8TB!)
but here again, it's up to the user to choose what's easier and if it's worth the pain to spent time with complicated setup and knowledge, or just (un)plug a HDD cable when needed and don't worry about anything else.

I downloaded the latest versions of Nintendont and GX from their respective sources and it seems that the links in the OP are significantly outdated. The GX link was a version so old that updating from the app itself wasn't possible, and Nintendont jumped up an entire version number. Those weren't posted for some technical reason I couldn't even hope to understand, were they?

That's the issue with hosting specific files for guides instead of providing source's links.
we already talked about that with the guide's author, but he decided to do it that way anyway. now users have outdated programs
it would require another update of that thread with newer links.

 

[mostafa]

hi
how to download USB_loader_GX.wad for wii & vWii that not be forwarder and not be run from SD memory

i want install usb_loader_GX as channel on Wii and dont need to SD memory

thanks

 

[victormr21]

Hi!
Sorry if this was questioned but i didn't find anything about it. Can we use the Wii wimmfi on vWii or there is another program or special version, or simply there aren't any program?
Bye!

 

[mineiro-01]

A question:

1) With the new versions of Nintendon't and Ustealth, there is a risk of using 2 HD's on WiiU, being HD1 Vwii and HD2 games Wiiu. Apparently there is risk of corrupting data from the HD 2 games of Wiiu. This is true?

 

[Flocker]

A question:

1) With the new versions of Nintendon't and Ustealth, there is a risk of using 2 HD's on WiiU, being HD1 Vwii and HD2 games Wiiu. Apparently there is risk of corrupting data from the HD 2 games of Wiiu. This is true?

Where did you hear that? I have not seen that happening

 

[XC-3730C]

Is there a way to run vWii and WiiU games from the same hard drive? I have a 2TB USB3.0 external drive I want to use.
Do I have to have external power for this drive even though it is 2.5" that gets it's power from the USB port?

 

[gaga24]

No way to play vWii and Wii U games from same drive, two drives are needed, vWii drive needs to be hidden.
For 2.5" inch drives double Y usb power cable is recommended. Please read "wii u hacking guide"

 

[Sagento]

I've changed my cIOS to r52 instead of r53, and now Usb loader gx fails to load, it gets stuck on 'initialize usb device'
I can't find Greywolf's usb loader gx version, so if someone can point me in the right direction.
Yesterday, on someone elses advice I tried to check if a normal usb would work with a gamecube game and nintendont. It did.
However, if I load nintendont directly, it just says 'USB FAT device could not be opened.'

@Harx

I'm a newbie; however, I managed to run my Wiiu/vWii games using one HDD (1TB) for WiiU games and one 2.5 500GB HDD(Ustealth) for Wii games. The way I have it setup is I have an external A/C-powered SATA 3.0 bay adapter where my 3.5 HDD sits on the main port. This adapter has 3x additional USB ports; I use the first one to connect my 500GB HDD using a SATA USB adapter and because the bay is A/C powered there's no need for the "Y" adapter. From the bay I connect one cable goes to Port 0 on the Wii U. The Wii U does not detect the 500 GB (as it shouldn't because of Ustealth) and the Wii U games run normal. When I go to the vWii I use Wiiflow myself. Now this is where it gets tricky(at least for me it did after several trial/error tests).. The only way I got it to work was using IOS 251. Here's the reason why. I initially installed a combination of r52 and r53 to test to see which one would give me the best results. At this point I have not tested 251 using r53 but Wiiflow works flawlessly using IOS 251(base 58). I installed CIOSes 249,250, and 251 thinking that since I don't know what I'm doing, if I followed instructions I would get my setup to run as based on what I wanted to do. I should have only installed r52 on slot 249 using base 58 and call it the day. Correct me if I'm wrong but I see no use for the other two quite frankly. Maybe @Cyan can articulate.

Now here's my current challenge, and maybe this will be fixed once I install r53 on slot 251 (base 58): I have lots of Rockband games and I don't want to constantly unplug the wireless adapter (for the instruments) and the HDD and connect it to my legacy Wii every time I want to hit the drums or strum the guitar. So maybe since r52 only supports the use of Port 0, then if I install r53 I may be able to use the additional port for the wireless adapter. Has anyone tried this before? Please share for my benefit and for everyone else's. Thanks! A noob.

EDIT: Wiiflow No Likee r53 on 251(base 58). I reverted to r52 and all games load normally. Still have the challenge of running Wiiflow (w/o bringing me back to the Menu Screen) the additional wireless peripheral for the Rockband games. ;'( Sniff Sniff

Maybe I'm just asking for too much...

 

[conradcervantes]

Hello all, I wasn't sure whether to ask this in the USB Loader GX thread or here, since the issue lies on vWii. I've been having issues with USB Loader not being able to see the GCN games on my SD card. I went into Loader Settings and turned Gamecube Mode to Nintendont as instructed, and the games themselves are in a "games" folder on the SD root. I thought perhaps changing the Main Gamecube Path to look at the SD card could be an option, so I went to Custom Paths to change it, but there's no option to switch from usb to sd, just the OK and Cancel buttons.

Also, somehow the paths are made in such a way that USB Loader GX has placed "apps," "config," and "txtcodes" folders on the HDD my Wii games are located by default, something I don't recall being a thing when I first hacked my vWii three years ago. I would alter the paths to point towards the SD card if I could, but no dice. I'm on r1262. Thanks, all.

Edit: Unplugged my HDD, unhid it with Ustealth and copied the files that USB Loader put onto the HDD over to the SD where I want them, as well as manually edited the GXGlobal.cfg file. When I reinsert the card, everything reverts back. Googling and searching the forums for this issue has unearthed nothing.

 

[SonGoku78]

Hello all, I wasn't sure whether to ask this in the USB Loader GX thread or here, since the issue lies on vWii. I've been having issues with USB Loader not being able to see the GCN games on my SD card. I went into Loader Settings and turned Gamecube Mode to Nintendont as instructed, and the games themselves are in a "games" folder on the SD root. I thought perhaps changing the Main Gamecube Path to look at the SD card could be an option, so I went to Custom Paths to change it, but there's no option to switch from usb to sd, just the OK and Cancel buttons.

Also, somehow the paths are made in such a way that USB Loader GX has placed "apps," "config," and "txtcodes" folders on the HDD my Wii games are located by default, something I don't recall being a thing when I first hacked my vWii three years ago. I would alter the paths to point towards the SD card if I could, but no dice. I'm on r1262. Thanks, all.

Edit: Unplugged my HDD, unhid it with Ustealth and copied the files that USB Loader put onto the HDD over to the SD where I want them, as well as manually edited the GXGlobal.cfg file. When I reinsert the card, everything reverts back. Googling and searching the forums for this issue has unearthed nothing.

make sure you have a subfolder for each game, as example "games\twinsnakes". in this folder you copy your iso files. example: the first disc as "game.iso" and the second disc as "disc2.iso".

EDIT: The other folders are fine to be on the root of your hdd (txtcodes etc)
EDIT 2: Leave your games and folders on the hdd. This is correct. I tried SD performance myself and it was terrible.

 

[conradcervantes]

Okie dokie, I'll rejigger everything again. Do GCN and Wii games need to be on separate partitions?

Alrighty, everything is working correctly. Thanks for the assistance!

 

[Sagento]

Okie dokie, I'll rejigger everything again. Do GCN and Wii games need to be on separate partitions?

Alrighty, everything is working correctly. Thanks for the assistance!

@conradcervantes GCN and Wii games can reside in the same HDD/SD as long as the format is FAT32(64K cluster). If anyone has a comment that differs from this one please by all means educate us.

 

[SonGoku78]

Okie dokie, I'll rejigger everything again. Do GCN and Wii games need to be on separate partitions?

Alrighty, everything is working correctly. Thanks for the assistance!

As Sagento said, both can be on the same partition. Glad i could help myself too instead of only asking questions in the forums Please tell us what the solution was, so others can benefit from it too. I bet it was naming of the iso files (game.iso and disc2.iso) as it was the same for me the first time

 

[Sagento]

As Sagento said, both can be on the same partition. Glad i could help myself too instead of only asking questions in the forums Please tell us what the solution was, so others can benefit from it too. I bet it was naming of the iso files (game.iso and disc2.iso) as it was the same for me the first time

@SonGoku78 Often people think that naming the GameCube games as game.iso is only a suggestion and it's not to be taken literally, at least that's what I thought at first until used Nintendont for the first time and noticed that it didn't detect them as being on the SD card at all unless the file name was using the naming convention for the system. Once I renamed the GCN.iso to "game.iso," (without the ",") Nintendont displayed the game as one of the available games. So it's a common noob mistake to have issues such as these, including myself!

 

[mijuu]

I already have the homebrew channel setup in vwii and wiiu, and haxchi on wii u with a hdd for wii u games. How can i use the same drive for USB Loader GX, I imagine setting gx with that hdd will wipe it? is there another method if i have only one hdd, maybe load from the sd?