Hacking Unbricking

[highsteve]

Hello,

Let's say I have a Wii that is totally bricked and doesn't support BootMii as BOOT2 or BootMii wasn't installed at all. Let's also assume that there was no backup made of the NAND at all.

Would there be a way to fix the Wii with a solderless ModChip by dumping a Nand backup with it and then getting the keys out of it and using a nand rebuilder (forgot the name.. ohnes something) and putting the new NAND back inside?

If there is, then which ModChip would you recommend?

(This is not a real situation, I just want to know if a solderless chip can fix a dead Wii. I might start experimenting with my not used and useless Wii)

Thanks

 

[DeadlyFoez]

The wii is screwed. Nothing you can do to save it. The keys aren't stored on the nand. Time to buy a new one.

 

[highsteve]

How does BootMii get the keys then if it only does a Nand backup?

Also as I said this is not something that happened just something I had on mind.

So if I have a previous Nand backup I guess a solderless Modchip can save the Wii?

Edit: Deadly I want to know then how do you deal with people having totally bricked Wii's and have no NAND backup? How do you fix it?

 

[obcd]

If the wii is capable of having bootmii as boot2 you can extract the keys with it. With those keys and ohneswanzenegger, you can rebuild the nand contents and flash those on the nand.

If the wii is uncapable of having bootmii as boot2, and there is no nand backup, than even Deadly can't fix them.

 

[highsteve]

If the wii is capable of having bootmii as boot2 you can extract the keys with it. With those keys and ohneswanzenegger, you can rebuild the nand contents and flash those on the nand.

If the wii is uncapable of having bootmii as boot2, and there is no nand backup, than even Deadly can't fix them.

Thank you for your answer.

This brings up another question: How would you install bootmii @ boot2 on a completly dead Wii?

Solderless Modchip capable of doing that? If so which one?

 

[obcd]

You can't.
bootmii @ boot2 requires a boot1 containing the strcmp bug. Due to that, it's possible to install a homebrew boot2 with a fake hash.
Ninty fixed the bug, and all wii's after that date can't have bootmii @ boot2 anymore. It's hash will fail and the wii won't run the code.

 

[DeadlyFoez]

If there was a wii that did have a vulnerable boot1 but bootmii was not installed to boot2 and the wii became fully bricked then what I do is remove the nand chip and inject bootmii into boot2, solder the nand back on, put in my sd card, and turn on the wii. Profit!!

 

[highsteve]

If there was a wii that did have a vulnerable boot1 but bootmii was not installed to boot2 and the wii became fully bricked then what I do is remove the nand chip and inject bootmii into boot2, solder the nand back on, put in my sd card, and turn on the wii. Profit!!

Can this be done with a solderless Modchip? (injecting bootmii into boot2 on a vulnerable boot1)

 

[DeadlyFoez]

What solderless modchip are you talking about? When most people talk about solderless modchip they are referring to dvd drive modchips that let you play burned games.

There are some solderless nand clip type things, but you also have to buy an infectus or progskeet also and they are not to reliable either.

 

[highsteve]

Actually talking about any that would work. I don't know the types of modchips, that is why I was asking you.

Which one would you recommend?

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Well, a dvd drive chip that let you play burned games is not going to help you reprogram a nand chip. The cheapest options are the infectus, which is now obsolete, and the progskeet, which I have not had a chance to use yet.

 

[highsteve]

What about the expensive quality gear? Any options over there?

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Nope. I don't own one. I wish I did. But progskeet seems like it can do most of what the expensive programmers can do. But I'm only saying that from what I've read and without any experience with either of those.

 

[highsteve]

Nope. I don't own one. I wish I did. But progskeet seems like it can do most of what the expensive programmers can do. But I'm only saying that from what I've read and without any experience with either of those.

In one of your videos I saw you are using some socket to swap NANDs, how do you do that? Also I think you are using Infectus, right?

 

[Sicklyboy]

Wow. Even I wasn't aware that you couldn't fix a Wii with no NAND backup that doesn't have a vulnerable boot1, Foez.

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Wow. Even I wasn't aware that you couldn't fix a Wii with no NAND backup that doesn't have a vulnerable boot1, Foez.

Umm, you can't. You thought correctly. What did I say that made you think differently? Or, what was it that you read wrong?

Well, you can if you have the keys. But chances are if you have the keys then you also have a nand backup.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Wow. Even I wasn't aware that you couldn't fix a Wii with no NAND backup that doesn't have a vulnerable boot1, Foez.

Umm, you can't. You thought correctly. What did I say that made you think differently? Or, what was it that you read wrong?

Well, you can if you have the keys. But chances are if you have the keys then you also have a nand backup.

That's what I was saying. I hadn't known it wasn't possible until I read your post that it wasn't possible.

BootMii ought to just automatically start a dump the first time it's run, and have it run once immediately after it's installed. Save everyone a bunch of headache

 

[DeadlyFoez]

BootMii ought to just automatically start a dump the first time it's run, and have it run once immediately after it's installed. Save everyone a bunch of headache

No, thats a bad idea. It gives the user less control. TT would never make something like that automatic, and I agree with not doing that.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Yes, it gives the user less control, but the user also now doesn't have control of BootMii@IOS getting installed when the HackMii installer is launched. They can uninstall it after the fact, but initially it is something that they now have no control over.

Correct me if I am wrong - the only bad thing to come from having BootMii auto-dump the NAND when it's run for the first time (okay, maybe forcing BootMii to run after it's installed is a bad idea) is a 10 or 15 minute wait while it dumps the NAND. Even if your power is cut, nothing is being written, so there's no risk of bricking from that, right? In the end, as long as the SD card is capacious enough to hold the dump, the user is left with something that could potentially save them from having a $145 paperweight if they do something dangerous because they're unaware of the consequences. I feel like this could be of particular use to the people following the YouTube guides, though I am sure half of those redistribute an old version of the HackMii installer anyway, despite being against TT's rules.

Also, note that I'm not asking or suggesting that this be added. My initial statement that it "ought to" was more of just a joke than anything serious.

 

[highsteve]

@DeadlyFoez: In one of your videos I saw you are using some socket to swap NANDs, how do you do that? Also I think you are using Infectus, right?