Hacking USB Loader GX

[dragon12]

sorry to ask but what is this vWii Forwarder link update for? I updated the usbloader gx .dol file yesterday and my forwarder was working nice.

 

[kosheh]

Oh - Cyan, do you...work on USB Loader GX? Whoa.


Maybe one of you guys could answer a particular question for me. I know this is primarily for usage with the Wii - but I assume it works similarly on the virtual Wii.
I think it's more a cIOS functionality question, though.

I was in a topic asking about Nintendont:

Are there any USB loaders that I can use as a Nintendont frontend that allow you to download/scroll through coverart that doesn't require you to install a Hermes cIOS, i.e. CFG or WiiFlow?

(Personally, I think Nintendont is pretty as is. u_u;; but, it's mainly to use as an easier-to-navigate interface for a more casual user in the household)

So basically, I want to use USB Loader GX as a frontend for Nintendont.
I don't have any cIOSes installed [yet], yet Nintendont can read my USB drive and it works perfectly as far as I'm concerned (for others reading, I don't want to install any cIOSes until there's a BootMii equivalent for the vWii. Nintendont doesn't require cIOS patching, so I'm totally down with using it)

For these reasons, I really like Nintendont. but...uh, you see it's a little rough around the edges and not quite as user-friendly for other members of my household.
Attempting to use USB Loader GX "out of the box" will temp-patch IOS58 - however, USB Loader GX won't show what's on the drive, even when filtered to only show GCN games.

My question is - must cIOSes be installed for USB Loader GX to even see what's on the USB drive in the first place? (The GCN games are stored in /games/ on the drive, and it works fine in Nintendont) I'd really like to use USB Loader GX as it's one of the sexiest loaders out there, and once it's 100% foolproof to install cIOSes on the Wii U, I'd definitely use it as my main USB Loader (probably eliminating all the problems I'm having here anyway)
If I can't, I don't mind holding out :/


(Now that I think about it, though, I don't remember explicitly switching the drive to USB, if it defaults to the SD card first...I'll give that a shot when I go home today, to see if that fixes my issue)

 

[Cyan]

sorry to ask but what is this vWii Forwarder link update for? I updated the usbloader gx .dol file yesterday and my forwarder was working nice.

You mean the "5.1Fix" ?
The user who converted the Wii Forwarder to work on vWii didn't use last version, but I thought (and he probably thought too) that he used 5.1 so I tagged it v5.1 for almost a year.
But users reported issues which existed in old version only. I finally checked and it happen that the converted channel was in fact 2.0
So a user made a proper 5.1 version
It works with USB now.


Kosheh : sorry, I'll answer later, I have to go now.

 

[dragon12]

You mean the "5.1Fix" ?
The user who converted the Wii Forwarder to work on vWii didn't use last version, but I thought (and he probably thought too) that he used 5.1 so I tagged it v5.1 for almost a year.
But users reported issues which existed in old version only. I finally checked and it happen that the converted channel was in fact 2.0
So a user made a proper 5.1 version
It works with USB now.


Kosheh : sorry, I'll answer later, I have to go now.

Thanks Cyan! I asked because I installed the forwarder prior to the update but I didn't have any issues, even with the latest version.

Then, there is no problem keep the older forwarder, I assume?

 

[G0R3Z]

I don't know if someone else has posted it before or not. I appologise if it's been covered.

There's a couple of games that I can't load properly. Kirby's Adventure for Wii isn't working properly and crashes on the cutscene before the second level; It does this each time. Is it a bad rip or just my settings?

 

[TecXero]

I don't know if someone else has posted it before or not. I appologise if it's been covered.

There's a couple of games that I can't load properly. Kirby's Adventure for Wii isn't working properly and crashes on the cutscene before the second level; It does this each time. Is it a bad rip or just my settings?

It works fine for me. If you're using the default setting for it, then it's probably just a bad dump.

 

[xombiemp]

Cyan, thank you for your continued contributions to this great app! I've seen you mention the possibility of implementing loading Wii games from SD card before, and I thought I'd let you know why I would like to see it.

I just got a Wii U and and got everything set up on the vWii side. USB loading is not as convenient as it was on the original Wii. First I had to order a Y cable so that the drive would receive enough power. Then I had to use Ustealth to hide it from the Wii U side so it would stop nagging to format it everytime I booted. So it's true these problems have been overcome, but it's still not as convenient as it was before.

The other problem is that you cannot have more that one drive plugged in at a time and the Wii U and vWii cannot share a single drive. So if you wanted a USB drive for both sides you'd need to unplug one drive and plug in the other depending on what you are doing.
The thought of having all my homebrew and games on one SD card that's always stored in the Wii U would be awesome. Then I could dedicate my USB drive to the Wii U side for downloads. It's true that you can get more storage for the price in a USB drive, but you can get a 256 GB SD card for about $100 now and that would hold all my homebrew and games easily.

It seems to me like SD card loading is one of the biggest features missing that other loaders support. And before someone says it, yes, I know it's called "U-S-B" loader, but that doesn't mean it can't load from SD too!

 

[schraat]

Hi Cyan,
can you please add the Wiiu widescreen option ( from Nintendont) to the usbgx 1233 nintendont settings and compile it with libwupc?
Big Thaaaaaaanks

 

[Cyan]

My question is - must cIOSes be installed for USB Loader GX to even see what's on the USB drive in the first place?

Sorry for the late reply.
So, I'm also playing nintendont from USBLoaderGX on WiiU without cIOS!
You don't need to install cIOS are all. USBLoaderGX is patching IOS58 at boot to get access to all the required ressources (manly for NAND access and channels).

If you don't see Gamecube games, you should start by looking in the "User path" menu :
GameCube Main Path : set it to USB1 (should be the default if you installed GC recently)(Should be SD/games/ if you updated from an old version)
Gamecube SD Path : you can't set it to USB, so SD:/games/ is fine.

if it's not enough, be sure that you are looking for games in the correct device :
Settings > Loader settings > GameCube > Gamecube source : SD - USB - SD+USB - USB+SD - auto
It should be set to Auto by default, which checks the current MIOS to determine which priority (DML -> SD has priority over USB).
But on WiiU there's no MIOS, so it's maybe your issue! set it manually to "Main path/SD path" or "SD Path/Main path" depending on your own needs.

I don't know if someone else has posted it before or not. I appologise if it's been covered.
There's a couple of games that I can't load properly. Kirby's Adventure for Wii isn't working properly and crashes on the cutscene before the second level; It does this each time. Is it a bad rip or just my settings?

Kirby has a AntiPiracy protection (or more correctly an anti-patch detection).
You need to disable all patches : disable "Return to" option, disable language patch (set it to console default), disable video patch (set it to console default), don't use cheatcode, and use the same game region as your console.

Hi Cyan,
can you please add the Wiiu widescreen option ( from Nintendont) to the usbgx 1233 nintendont settings and compile it with libwupc?
Big Thaaaaaaanks

There's a new option? I didn't follow nintendont this week.
I won't be home for a week, so I'll do it later (end of the year or next one).
supporting controllers is planed, I just didn't had time to test it. AbdallahTerro did a version which support it.

xombiemp:
I understand, but I won't do it soon.
I will need proper testing first. I have other priorities (neek2o) and releasing v3.1 (yeah I'm still hoping to do it).

ther eare also a lot of issues/bugs to be addressed. Users reported update system to have issue (loading from forwarder channel after updating still load an old version?)

 

[G0R3Z]

Sorry for the late reply.

Kirby has a AntiPiracy protection (or more correctly an anti-patch detection).
You need to disable all patches : disable "Return to" option, disable language patch (set it to console default), disable video patch (set it to console default), don't use cheatcode, and use the same game region as your console.
)

Check, Thanks man. Will try it shortly.

 

[schraat]

I have the wupc mod but i need the widescreen function in usbgx.
Next year is great.thanks

 

[Cyan]

I see that the widescreen option for wiiU is now forcing it to 4:3 if you don't enable the Wide option. (it was forced to widescreen on r257 and less).
Instead of keeping current aspect ratio, it's forcing it to 4:3 if the loader doesn't have the setting.

If you want, you can rebuilt nintendont by commenting this lines :
https://code.google.com/p/nintendon-t/source/browse/trunk/kernel/main.c?spec=svn258&r=258#258
line258 and 259.

Then It will use your current resolution.
If you want 4:3 -> run USBGX from HBC
if you want 16:9 -> run AspectFixer -> run USBGX from HBC
if you want 16:9 -> run USBGX from Forwarder


I can make an option for all games launched from USBGX on WiiU (not only Gamecube).
If I have time today, I'll make the option for nintendont, else it will be after Xmas as I'm leaving home today's night.


Edit:
I just see that r259 make nintendont reading games from DVD disc drive!
I hope it will not break current launching method, or else it will not work from USBGX until I fix it.
I'll test after my holidays. Sorry if it breaks things.

It seems it doesn't break the autoboot.

 

[xombiemp]

I understand, but I won't do it soon.
I will need proper testing first. I have other priorities (neek2o) and releasing v3.1 (yeah I'm still hoping to do it).

Sounds good. I'm just glad it's on your radar for eventually. Thanks!

 

[AbdallahTerro]

Cyan
I believe I fixed DS3 and WUP simultaneous use
please check this dol it has all files and patches included (WiiUPro users can test this please?)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/101209384/ds3/usbloader-gui-read-only-1234-ds3-wup-patch.rar

 

[Acidflare]

Cyan is there anyway we can see an option for running VC/Wiiware titles from the private folder on an sd card?

 

[TecXero]

Cyan is there anyway we can see an option for running VC/Wiiware titles from the private folder on an sd card?

Probably not. Software installed to the SD card by the Wii is encrypted. Though, it might be possible if someone created a hack to prevent titles from being encrypted when copied to the SD card. For now, if you want to run non-homebrew related software from your SD card in USB Loader GX, EmuNAND is your best bet.

 

[SuperrSonic]

Probably not. Software installed to the SD card by the Wii is encrypted. Though, it might be possible if someone created a hack to prevent titles from being encrypted when copied to the SD card. For now, if you want to run non-homebrew related software from your SD card in USB Loader GX, EmuNAND is your best bet.

The encryption is not really a problem, that software automatically does it but also packages the game into a wad. You would have to simply decrypt the title upon loading and copy it to /tmp/ on the nand and execute it like normal Wii channels and boom; best new 100% compatible SD/USB loader for channels.

It would be like the SD Card Menu but better because ULGX caches the icon/banner so unlike the SDCM, the graphics are already decoded and saved on the removable device, ULGX just needs to read the title id in the respective folders to identify what banner belongs to what.

It sounds like a far-fetched idea but it could totally work. The SDCM writes the game .app files to the intended directory but writes something elsewhere so that the banner doesn't show up on the system menu(?)
I don't know for sure if loading the game from another directory could cause problems but is unlikely to.

 

[Acidflare]

well dolphin has the system menu working with sd card access and the ability to install priiloader for copy/move hacks, I guess you could run the debugger to see what actually goes on when running a game from sdcard private, also i'm pretty sure the encryption for the private folder is wii based in the sense that the folder is tied to a specific wii

 

[Antidote]

I made a quick DVD Keep Case model in case someone decides to rewrite that (saw the comment about it), I'll probably do it myself and post a patch some time.
It's to scale so as long as the cover images are properly scanned they should work without issue.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21757902/usbloader_gui_box_model.zip

 

[TecXero]

The encryption is not really a problem, that software automatically does it but also packages the game into a wad. You would have to simply decrypt the title upon loading and copy it to /tmp/ on the nand and execute it like normal Wii channels and boom; best new 100% compatible SD/USB loader for channels.

It would be like the SD Card Menu but better because ULGX caches the icon/banner so unlike the SDCM, the graphics are already decoded and saved on the removable device, ULGX just needs to read the title id in the respective folders to identify what banner belongs to what.

It sounds like a far-fetched idea but it could totally work. The SDCM writes the game .app files to the intended directory but writes something elsewhere so that the banner doesn't show up on the system menu(?)
I don't know for sure if loading the game from another directory could cause problems but is unlikely to.

Interesting. I might have to poke at that when I get back from Christmas shenanigans. I wasn't aware anyone had even attempted a way to get around the encryption. That's what I get for being gone from the homebrew scene for a few years. I've mostly been waiting for NAND emulation to become stable enough for me to just put all my N64 VCs on the SD card through USB Loader GX, as running them from the SD card through the Wii's SD menu isn't the greatest. It loads up quick enough, just don't like the idea of it having to be copied to the NAND to run. It seems rather lazy on Nintendo's part.