Hacking USB 3.0 + Wii = No Worky

[MussSyke]

My results using the SeaGate 1.5 TB Hard Drive

Using USB 3.0, the drive is only recognized occasionally, but I was able to boot a game from configurable usb-loader. The loaders "Return to" feature didn't work though, after booting a game, I would have to unplug the HDD and plug it back in before the Wii is able to recognize the drive again

Using the same drive, I plugged in a USB2.0 cable instead of USB3.0 (most hard drives can't do this, but the seagate goflex is so customizable... it's so awesome), and it worked perfectly!

XFlak, I know I'm about a year late here, but I have had the exact same experience as you - Running CFG with 1.5tb 2.5" Seagate USB 3.0 HD. I am on the fence about buying another Seagate to use its 2.0 SATA to USB Bridge. Have you used it for a while with no problems? Just looking for a confirmation that that's the path I should go.

As for those drives, I also like the attributes you pointed out, considering you don't have to pay extra for the privilege. They would be even better, though, if the SATA connector was not recessed and more toward center than normal drives, because then you could also put them in a SATA dock or use an external SATA to USB bridge, and I could have already tested this out for myself. Obviously, the manufacturer wants to keep some proprietary control over their devices...

 

[Pyrate02]

Hey guys - I was wondering if anyone tried using one of the new WD Portable Elements USB 3.0 drives on the Wii and if it works. I have been using the Portable Elements USB 2.0 models for a while and they are great. I now see that the USB 3.0 Portable Elements are cheaper than the older 2.0 models, but am hesitant to buy it if it won't work.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JoostinOnline]

Hey guys - I was wondering if anyone tried using one of the new WD Portable Elements USB 3.0 drives on the Wii and if it works. I have been using the Portable Elements USB 2.0 models for a while and they are great. I now see that the USB 3.0 Portable Elements are cheaper than the older 2.0 models, but am hesitant to buy it if it won't work.

Thanks in advance.

No, use 2.0.

 

[Pyrate02]

Did you try it? Do you know anyone else who has tried it?

Thanks...

 

[JoostinOnline]

Did you try it? Do you know anyone else who has tried it?

Thanks...

No, I did not try it, since the Wii has USB2.0 support, not 3.0. I know a lot of other people have tried it though.

 

[Lucif3r]

usb3.0 is indeed problematic. I bought a 3.0 USB memstick, same brand and size I already have, but 2.0. The 3.0 doesnt work in the Wii, while the 2.0 works brilliant
Id stay away from 3.0 as much as possible for the Wii.

 

[mightymo77]

I bought two Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 750GB (WDBACX7500ABK-01) drives and sometimes they would lock up every few mins, sometimes every few hours. So I ordered two Western Digital Elements SE Portable 1TB USB 2.0 (WDBABV0010BBK-NESN) that I know works, because up until the 3.0 drives I have been using a 2.0 Elements drive in a 120GB version. Some users said to use the included WD software and disable the spindown feature so solve this Wii issue. I have done that, it didn't work.

So, in my experience (completely up to date softmodded Wii) the 3.0 drives, both of them, locked up, the 2.0 Elements drives have been working great without any issues.

 

[RoMee]

The first HDD I used was a 500GB WD 3.0+2.0, and it never worked correctly, it freezes a lot.
I even tried a micro sd on an adapter and it works without any issuses
So I switched to a 1TB seagate 2.0 and it works perfectly

 

[hdhacker]

I had a similar topic about the Seagate GoFlex using the USB 3.0 connector. The workaround was to put the USB Loader on a SD card. Once the loader starts, it can read the drive just fine, even on the second go around.

 

[PizzaPino]

i just got uneek running on my cnmemory 3.0 2,5 with a workaround.
i started the wii on my realnand with the drive plugged in. then i turned it off and immidietly turned it on with my sd card in again so it would start uneek+di now. and it worked.

having it started on the first time, the wii disc drive just blinks and i only have a black screen.

edit: normal wbfs on the realnand works.

further testing: uneek always works when i switch from my realnand to my sneek nand via switch2uneek. (or when i just reset my wii in the health screen with my sd card in)
i guess the drive just needs longer sign in.

switching all the time with switch2uneek will be a pain in the ass. can anyone compile uneek to change it's drive search behaviour?

USB 3.0 + Wii = Worky

edit2: i added this code

dev->id = 0;
// NEW CODE START
int retries = 30;
while (!(PORT_CONNECT&status) && retries > 0)
{
msleep(1000);  // sleep 1 second
status = ehci_readl(status_reg);
ehci_dbg ( "port %d status at retry %d %X \n", port,retries,status);
retries--;
}
// NEW CODE END
if ((PORT_OWNER&status) || !(PORT_CONNECT&status))

in fs-usb/ehci.c in ehci_reset_port by some guy on sneek.googlecode. but it doesnt get me past the blinking, so it is no slow boot issue?

edit2: the reset method works with this code. so i guess it's not because of a slow boot, but rather because of the way the drive is detected.

 

[punkydudester]

OK so I figured out something. This 3.0 issue has been stumping me for a while and finally figured it out. Before you begin the partitions of setting up your HDD you must set it to MBR (Master Boot Record) and not GPT(GUID Partition Table). I have been using Easeus partition manager. This little configuration makes a huge mess and the Wii and it's emulator programs will not recognize the drive if it is set to GPT. Only the WiiMC would even recognize it but not any of the other 20 emulators I have on it. At least this part of the problem is now solved...finally! I thought I was going to half to find old HDD's of 2.0. Apparently this a new thing with Windows 7 and newer. I have been using Windows 7 but recently upgraded to 10. This should at least help a lot of people. I have tested this on my 2 TB Western Digital self powered as well as a non-self powered Western Digital passport both USB 3.0.
On these drives I have the first part of the drive partition as NTFS and the second is Fat32 partition. I have the Fat32 set at 400 GB and the NTFS as the rest. I have the retro emulators on Fat32 and my WiiMC videos and WiiFlow 4.2 on the NTFS so I don't have to deal with those annoying split 4GB files that freeze during gameplay that no one ever seemed to fix. Both partitions are set to active and the NTFS is set to active.

 

[tswntk]

2 on the NTFS so I don't have to deal with those annoying split 4GB files that freeze during gameplay that no one ever seemed to fix. Both partitions are set to active and the NTFS is set to active.

I finished Xenoblade, the Last Story and Skyward Sword a while ago in wbfs format on a fat32 partition. No problem at all. All with completion of 100% except Xenoblade that I didn't bothered to reach 999 A.coins for everybody but I have finished 2 playthroughs.
Granted, you want to store videos but it is better to have the fat32 partition being the first partition.

 

[[^Blark^]]

I have 3 of these ones the old 2.0 model and other 2 are the 3.0 100% (2.0 compatible) I use them on my wii,xbox (jtag),pc without any issues. my games used to freeze or stuttering during fmv etc on wiiu only but changing the partition to primary ( the one that the games are located on) and the second to logical worked. my logical partition I have misc files etc etc.