Hacking usb loaders keep asking me to format

[sweetbrett]

I've tried 3 different USB hdds and I get the exact same result, tried waninkoko's 1.5, usbloader gx from the google code site, and now the usbloader gx channel. I can format the drive using WBFS Manager in windows, and add games in windows without problem. When I plug the drive in to the wii and load up a usb loader, it sas "WBFS partition not found, please format" then it takes me to a screen showing 4 partitions when my drive only has 1 actual partition on it. The usbloader gx from the google code site and waninkoko's loader both tell me the 4 partitions are not formattable. The usbloader gx channel allows me to actually select one of the 4 shown partitions and format it, but once its down it black screens with a code dump.

I had waninkokos cIOS 36 rev 10 installed as ios249, and then installed cIOS38 rev 13 (non b) as ios249 (guessing it overwrote). This is really the only thing I can think of that might be causing a problem. Do i need to have both of these to run correctly? how can i install both of these independent of each other, if that is needed? Any other ideas as to what might be going on?

 

[imapterodactyl]

I think you'll find that there are actually other partitions on the drives, but Windows doesn't assign them drive letters because it doesn't know what they are. Where did these drives come from anyway? In any case, partition management software will probably see them, even if it doesn't know what they are.

Take a look at the drive(s) with Partition Magic, Easeus Partition Master (my personal favorite), etc. Delete all 4 partitions completely, then create a new FAT32 partition in the newly unallocated space, and make it primary. Next, open the drive in WBFS Manager, or your loader of choice, and format to WBFS. The USB loaders can't see your WBFS partition because of the other 3. If you want to keep a FAT partition too, then just create 2 of them in your partition software of choice instead of one, make them both primary, then format the second one to WBFS using WBFS Manager, USB Loader, etc.

And no, you don't need both cIOS36 and cIOS38. You can't do that anyway, because they both install as 249. As such, you get one or the other.

 

[sweetbrett]

the first drive I used, i made 1 partition using windows, formatted it ntfs, then loaded it with WBFS Manager, formatted it to WBFS, then plugged it in to my Wii blank. the usbloader gx (taken off googlegode) saw the drive as blank and with a proper wbfs partition. I was going to load all my games to the drive using the wii but I saw no option to do so, so I turned off the wii, plugged it back in to my windows pc and loaded 4 games on using WBFS Manager. Then I loaded up the wii and usbloader gx again, which was the first time it said "WBFS not found, pelase format" and it showed 4 paritions, which seemed to correlate to the 4 games I put on, and it wouldn't let me format any of the partitions it showed. After that, every drive I try and every loader I try shows the 4 partitions.

I've tried reformatting the drive using linux, creating 2 partitions on the drive, changing it back to one partition, not formating with WBFS manager first...and the wierdest part is that it doesn't matter which drive I plug in (all blank, not games, all one partition) they all still end up with the loader showing 4 partitions.

 

[hdhacker]

Put the drive on your Windows machine. Delete all the partitions. Create your first partition as FAT32 or NTFS. Make sure you create a primary partition. Then create another partition for your WBFS. Makit it ALSO a primary partition. You don't need to format it NTFS, but you DO need to assign it a drive letter. Format the second partition with WBFS Manager 3.0.1.

Follow those steps TO THE LETTER and try it again.

 

[imapterodactyl]

the first drive I used, i made 1 partition using windows, formatted it ntfs, then loaded it with WBFS Manager, formatted it to WBFS, then plugged it in to my Wii blank. the usbloader gx (taken off googlegode) saw the drive as blank and with a proper wbfs partition. I was going to load all my games to the drive using the wii but I saw no option to do so, so I turned off the wii, plugged it back in to my windows pc and loaded 4 games on using WBFS Manager. Then I loaded up the wii and usbloader gx again, which was the first time it said "WBFS not found, pelase format" and it showed 4 paritions, which seemed to correlate to the 4 games I put on, and it wouldn't let me format any of the partitions it showed. After that, every drive I try and every loader I try shows the 4 partitions.

I've tried reformatting the drive using linux, creating 2 partitions on the drive, changing it back to one partition, not formating with WBFS manager first...and the wierdest part is that it doesn't matter which drive I plug in (all blank, not games, all one partition) they all still end up with the loader showing 4 partitions.

This is odd. If you're using WBFS Manager though, you must have access to a Windows machine. As such, I would do as hdhacker states in the post above. What appears to be happening in Linux is that you're formatting the partition that it actually sees, but you still have "invisible" partitions causing you problems. Check it out through Windows... if you can't see the partitions, just use any of the partition management software that I mentioned... they should be able to show you everything on the drive, and kill the little buggers.

Also, which version of WBFS Manager are you using? Perhaps there's a bug there, as it seems very odd that you have 3 drives that all have the same partitions, unless the drives are the same or you used the same program to initially format/partition them. I really don't think it's anything on the Wii side; I can almost guarantee it's the drives themselves. Do you perhaps (and forgive me for asking, as I'm not trying to call you a 'noob') have a USB stick in the outside USB port which has multiple partitions on it, and are trying to use the inner port with your hds? With rev13, you have to use the outer port for the hd to be recognized. This would be the simplest explanation as to why you would get the same exact partitions with every drive (I honestly don't think this is your issue, but it's always best to cover all the bases, even the obvious ones).

 

[sweetbrett]

redid the partitions again, first using gparted in linux, then using win xp's disk manager (1st partition 1gb fat32 primary, 2nd partition tried fat32 first then no fs, opened wbfs manager 3.0.1, selected the 2nd drive and hit "format", it said everything went well). same result both times (usb loader gx says no wbfs partition, takes me tot he screen showing 4 partitions). it's almost like there is a temp file somewhere on the wii that keeps giving the same info. I do not have any other usb drives plugged in, and i noticed that i do need to use the 1st usb port (2nd port won't recognize). I do, however, have an sd card in, if that might make any difference.

i haven't tried other partitioning software yet, but the telling thing for me is that the 2 other drives I've tried I didn't even reformat or use wbfs manager on but they still give the same result on the wii. They are different drives, one is a 2.5" and one is a 3.5", and the original is a 2.5" but different enclosure than the first. All 3 of them are Vantec enclosures, but different models and different hdds inside them.

 

[imapterodactyl]

Try the partition software 1st, but that's starting to sound like it's probably not the issue.

Do you have a USB flash memory stick that you can format and try? Even a 1GB will work if you need to stay on the cheap... you can at least get it formatted and make sure the loaders can see it. Here's a list of games I know to be under 1GB when installed: Animal Crossing, Big Brain Academy, Bust A Move Bash, Geometry Wars Galaxies, Kororinpa 1 and 2, Let's Tap, Roogoo Twisted Towers, Rubik's World, Wii Music, Super Paper Mario, Wii Sports, and Worms: A Space Oddity. If you can't get the issue figured out otherwise, it might be worth picking up a cheap stick (You can easily find a 1GB for under $10). If it doesn't work, then you can at least rule out the hdds/enclosures.


Do you have a spare SD card, or can you move all the data onto your pc and start with a clean card? Download a couple of different loaders on the clean card, and see if your results are any different. This seems very.... odd. Perhaps the loader has issues with your enclosures, but from what I can see on the compatibility list, Vantecs seem okay (at least the ones listed).

So try, in this order:
1) partitioning software
2) USB stick, if available
3) clean card w/ loaders
4) newly purchased USB stick if not already available (if you get a sandisk cruzer, it will still work even with the U3 partition in place, but you may as well just to a search for "u3 removal tool" and get rid of it just to be safe; you can find it at the sandisk site).

Good luck. Let us know what you come up with.

 

[sweetbrett]

ok so here's what happened:

formatted with EASUS, totally erasing data before redoing partitions -> still 4 partitions shown in sd/usb loader
new SD card with SD/usb loader as the only thing on the card -> still 4 partitions shown
plugged in my cell phone -> still shows 4 partitions

sooooo i'm leaning towards there is something goofed on my wii. i tried going thru the system memory and deleting stuff but i haven't found anything that fixed the problem

 

[hdhacker]

redid the partitions again, first using gparted in linux, ...

Doesn't it blow your mind when people ask for advice and then ignore it?

sweetbrett: "Help! HELP! I'm stuck in a well!!!"

GBATempMembers1-4: "Climb! Climb up and take our hands!"

sweetbrett: "I'm thinking I should dig... should I dig?"

GBATempMember5: "NO! I was trapped in a well, and digging is a bad idea! Climb out!"

GBATempMembers6-8: "We're lowering ropes! Take hold of a rope!"

GBATempMember9: "I've even tied a harness to the end of this one!"

sweetbrett: "I can feel the ropes, but I don't want to hold onto them... should I dig?"

GBATempMember10: "No! If you dig, you'll hit water, and then you'll be proper hosed. I should know, I almost drowned."

sweetbrett: "I dug a little bit just now, and I haven't hit water. I'm gonna keep digging..."

GBATempMembers11-18: "No! Climb! Climb out!"

sweetbrett: "Guys, I'm seriously stuck in this well! Help! HELP!!!"

GBATempMember19: "I was trapped in a well once. It took me two years, but I managed to build a climbing machine that pulled me to safety out of a well bucket and a pocket watch. I'm dropping the blueprints, extra buckets, and an assortment of pocket watches."

GBATempMember20: "I've engineered a jet-pack that will rocket you to safety. Stay where you are and we'll lower it down!"

sweetbrett: "Thanks for your help, guys. I'm gonna keep digging. I'll find the Mines of Moria and I'll just walk to the surface."

**GBATempMembers1-20 piss in the well**

GBATempMember21: "Guys, seriously... stop peeing in the well."

 

[sweetbrett]

thanks for the input.

 

[romo12]

i have a similar problem

with every usb loader i have tried
when i first start the usbloader it tells me that a wbfs partion
but after i exit and load the loader again
all my games are shown and i can play them fine

its not really a big problem but if i found a solution it'd be nice not having to load loader twice

 

[Benjay]

redid the partitions again, first using gparted in linux, ...

Doesn't it blow your mind when people ask for advice and then ignore it?

sweetbrett: "Help! HELP! I'm stuck in a well!!!"

........................................

GBATempMember19: "I was trapped in a well once. It took me two years, but I managed to build a climbing machine that pulled me to safety out of a well bucket and a pocket watch. I'm dropping the blueprints, extra buckets, and an assortment of pocket watches."

GBATempMember20: "I've engineered a jet-pack that will rocket you to safety. Stay where you are and we'll lower it down!"

sweetbrett: "Thanks for your help, guys. I'm gonna keep digging. I'll find the Mines of Moria and I'll just walk to the surface."

**GBATempMembers1-20 piss in the well**

GBATempMember21: "Guys, seriously... stop peeing in the well."

OMG , i have fallen of my chair because of laughing ^^

 

[romo12]

no one else has this problem or a solution to it then?

 

[sweetbrett]

finally got it working. i went thru with AnyTitleDeleter DB and found a few entries listed as "?", so i deleted them, fired up usbloader gx, and it worked. and no i didn't use the windows built in formatter.