Hacking USB Loader GX

[GreyWolf]

Here is the post with images:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013102...eads/gamecube-isos.342993/page-3#post-4652406

Thanks, I actually looked there but I kept getting a "blocked" page. I assumed GBATemp was blocking web archive crawls.

 

[Cyan]

I re-uploaded the images on filetrip and updated his post
thanks for the links to old pictures.

 

[GreyWolf]

@Jeff Lavenz We found your pictures!

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

@Cyan I've tested neek2o r96 for about a week running as SNEEK and it seems fine on the Wii so it's probably ok to restrict the SD warning to isWiiU() only.

I also built a hidden neek2o channel with no text output and made a small patch to recognize it and use it if it's installed if you want it. The channel isn't useful on real NAND but it's handy on a dumped NAND because the channel won't show up on the loader's title list.

 

[Cyan]

ah yes, that's something I needed to remove. I always forgot.
I'll do it now, so the next commit won't have the warning on vWii.
*done*

Users could run the leaked version on Wii too, and SD would not work, but I guess it will be rare to have users with vWii leaked version on Wii.

Your hidden channel could be useful, but you'll have to install it with a wad manager, right?
it was suggested (sonictopfan?) to auto-install it when dumping NAND to emuNAND, but I don't think including the binary in the loader's dol is a good idea.
I could provide your channel on sourceforge as a "return to real nand" channel.

 

[GreyWolf]

I'll zip up the channel and patch in a little while and post it. You could always offer a prompt asking if the user wants to download and install the channel after a dump. I just used the built-in WAD installer to put it on mine but it could be copied straight from a zip to the filesystem, too.

 

[Cyan]

ah yes, I can offer a download prompt and auto-install !
don't know why I didn't thought about that solution


I'm currently looking at the plugin mod.
learning how it works to see how I can modify/integrate it better.
sorry to be slow to work on it. I don't have a lot of time to do all I want/need, so I'm not working on it often.

 

[GreyWolf]

Sorry for the delay. I had to check out a separate copy to make the patch.

The channel's ID is "HN2O". The dol in it compiled straight from the last source on Google Code so it doesn't have any message output or features. I made it into a hidden channel using Wiicrazy's HideandSeek.

The change to the NEEK boot just looks in the hidden title folder for it first then falls back to the regular Neek2o channel.

(Note to anyone else that might download this: the WAD does NOT go on real NAND, it goes in your NEEK NAND folder.)

 

[Cyan]

thanks for the channel.
did you keep only the reboot code, or did you keep all the nswitch code used to boot into neek from realNAND? there's no use keeping Nswitch code.

 

[GreyWolf]

thanks for the channel.
did you keep only the reboot code, or did you keep all the nswitch code used to boot into neek from realNAND? there's no use keeping Nswitch code.

I left it since it doesn't do anything when the console is in NEEK mode. I didn't want to alter anything to change the behavior so it can still be used to go from real NAND->NEEK. You could install it on real NAND and call it from another app or visible channel.

 

[thalesmms]

Hey guys... I've a noob question for a noob problem:
Do I always have to use Wii Backup Manager to transfer .wbfs files to my NTFS formatted drive?
I'm asking that because I've manually created a wbfs folder on a 1tb USB3 NTFS drive and putted some .wbfs images on it, but after doing it USB Loader GX isn't even reading the driver or starting property...

 

[cashonly]

you should format the drive in fat32.

 

[Cyan]

no he "should" not.
He can if he wants, but NTFS or Ext are both supported partition format.
If he likes NTFS better and don't want to use homebrew or features which requires FAT32, he is fine keeping NTFS.


If the game is already in .wbfs file format, you can of course copy the file manually (with your OS file's explorer), but it's source of problem if you don't know WHERE and HOW you need to do it.
the games needs to be in a specific folder, and named with a specific filename. Not following the proper file/folder layout will either not work, or have unwanted effect. (but usually, it should just "not display" in the loader).

if you put the game manually, be sure to put it here :
usb:/wbfs/Game title [GAMEID6]/GAMEID6.wbfs

example :
wbfs/New Super Mario Bros. Wii [SMNP01]/SMNP01.wbfs


Sometime it's just easier to use WBManager to transfer the file, and it will rename all the folders and filename correctly for you.

 

[thalesmms]

Thank you guys!
That seems to be exactly my problem!
My GAMEID6 are completly messed up...

 

[sonictopfan]

Sorry for the delay. I had to check out a separate copy to make the patch.

The channel's ID is "HN2O". The dol in it compiled straight from the last source on Google Code so it doesn't have any message output or features. I made it into a hidden channel using Wiicrazy's HideandSeek.

The change to the NEEK boot just looks in the hidden title folder for it first then falls back to the regular Neek2o channel.

(Note to anyone else that might download this: the WAD does NOT go on real NAND, it goes in your NEEK NAND folder.)

So if I install this channel it'll automatically be hidden but still act as a Neek2o?

 

[Cyan]

it doesn't "act" as neek2o.
it's the same code than NSwitch (booting into neek mode if on real NAND, or rebooting the console if already in neek mode), but installed as hidden channel (no animation) AND it has a different TitleID.
So, NO, it's not the same.
installing only that channel instead of the "NK2O" channel will not be enough, you'll need the patch he provided and recompile USBLoaderGX to tell neek2o to reload to that new TitleID (HN2O) instead of NK2O.

 

[GreyWolf]

I gave it a different title ID to indicate it's a hidden channel and so it doesn't interfere with the regular NK2O channel if you have both.

 

[fergambo]

Hi. I have a problem I don't know, how to solve, and how to search

Some GC games (as Def Jam Vendetta) work in nintendont due to require 'Video width' in AUTO; any value I tested (640, 720...) implies sound, but no video (TV says incompatible video)

But USBLoderGX in nintendont config, there's no an AUTO option, so 'Video Scale' must a range from 40 to 120, so for me it's impossible that these games works from USBLoderGX
Is there any config option??? I've tested all the video parameters...

 

[GreyWolf]

Hi. I have a problem I don't know, how to solve, and how to search

Some GC games (as Def Jam Vendetta) work in nintendont due to require 'Video width' in AUTO; any value I tested (640, 720...) implies sound, but no video (TV says incompatible video)

But USBLoderGX in nintendont config, there's no an AUTO option, so 'Video Scale' must a range from 40 to 120, so for me it's impossible that these games works from USBLoderGX
Is there any config option??? I've tested all the video parameters...

It's the first option under Nintendont in Loader settings: "Video mode"

 

[fergambo]

Oh, thanks, no, this option in the loadeer is the nintendont 'Video' option, both can be set to 'auto'

My question is about 'video width' option in nintendont, I need it 'Auto', but the equivalent option 'video scale' in nintendont Loder settings is not possible to set an 'auto', only from 40 to 120...

May be I wrong, but I think the equivalent option for 'video width' option in nintendont, is 'video width' under Nintendont in Loader settings...

 

[Cyan]

I'm not sure what "auto" is doing in nintendont.
isn't auto just the default value ?

640 is the default.
the setting inside USBLoaderGX is the additional pixel width based of 600.

600 + 40 to 120

600 + 40 = 640
600 + 120 = 720

so you have your 640 to 720 option.

 

[GerbilSoft]

I'm not sure what "auto" is doing in nintendont.
isn't auto just the default value ?

640 is the default.
the setting inside USBLoaderGX is the additional pixel width based of 600.

600 + 40 to 120

600 + 40 = 640
600 + 120 = 720

so you have your 640 to 720 option.

The "Auto" option (which is misleading, it should be renamed to something like "Default") sets ncfg->VideoScale to 0. The Nintendont kernel only applies VideoScale patches if the value is between 40 and 120 (inclusive).