Hacking What is the safest way to update system menu of an old hacked Wii?

[sfs76]

Hi,

I've bought a first generation Wii which was already hacked, probably quite a long time ago. Its system menu version is 3.2E and it had an old HBC installed.

So first I installed Bootmii v1.5 (as boot2 since the console was old enough -boot2v2-, it's the reason why I bought it), then Priiloader 0.8.2.
Of note I'm very familiar with Bootmii because the Wii I hacked some time ago were too recent to install Bootmii as boot2 (I hacked a 4.3E version via Letterbomb and just installed HBC+cIOS+USBLoaderGX).

Then I updated the HBC via HackMii Installer, it's now version 1.1.2. I didn't update the cIOS yet (it seems there's only two, installed on 249 and 250 (see syscheck at the end).

So things are running fine, except I can't play recent CD games since they require an update of the console.

I'm looking to update the system without any risk and, if possible, without to have to redo the full hack again. I've read different posts on different sites, and as usual, difficult to draw a clear conclusion about the best way to do it. For example on the official Hackmii FAQ (http://hbc.hackmii.com/faq/) warns about the 4.2 update that can render the Wii unusable

So my question is what is the safest way to update to 4.3E in this specific case?

Now I have Bootmii as boot2 + a NAND backup, I guess the risk is low to update via the Nintendo update process, but I'd like to know if there is a best way to do it?
What parts of the hack will be deleted and will have to be done again? I've read somewhere that even the boot2 install of Bootmii would be swiped. Is it true? I was a bit surprised about that.

Here a syscheck of the current system if it helps

SysCheck HDE v2.4.0 HacksDen Edition par JoostinOnline, Double_A, R2-D2199, et Nano
...tourne sous l'IOS61 (rev 4890).

Region: PAL
Menu Systeme 3.2E (v290)
Priiloader installe
Date de disque: 09.07.2006
Chaine Channel 1.1.2 utilise IOS61

Hollywood v0x11
Identifiant de la console: xxx
Type de Console: Wii
Pays de la chaine boutique: France (77)
Boot2 v2
96 titres trouves.
31 IOS trouves sur cette console. 7 sont des stubs.

IOS4 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS9 (rev 521): Pas de patches
IOS10 (rev 768): Stub
IOS11 (rev 256): Stub
IOS12 (rev 12): Pas de patches
IOS13 (rev 16): Pas de patches
IOS14 (rev 263): Pas de patches
IOS15 (rev 257): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces Flash, Acces NAND
IOS16 (rev 512): Stub
IOS17 (rev 518): Pas de patches
IOS20 (rev 256): Stub
IOS21 (rev 525): Pas de patches
IOS22 (rev 780): Pas de patches
IOS28 (rev 1293): Pas de patches
IOS30 (rev 1040): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces Flash, Acces NAND
IOS31 (rev 3092): Pas de patches
IOS33 (rev 2834): Pas de patches
IOS34 (rev 3091): Pas de patches
IOS35 (rev 3092): Pas de patches
IOS36 (rev 3094): Pas de patches
IOS37 (rev 3612): Pas de patches
IOS38 (rev 3610): Pas de patches
IOS50 (rev 5120): Stub
IOS51 (rev 4864): Stub
IOS53 (rev 5149): Pas de patches
IOS55 (rev 5149): Pas de patches
IOS60 (rev 6174): Pas de patches
IOS61 (rev 4890): Pas de patches
IOS249[38] (rev 14): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS250 (rev 65535): Trucha Bug, ES Identify, Acces NAND, USB 2.0
IOS254 (rev 65281): BootMii
BC v2
MIOS v5
Rapport genere le 2020/07/05.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Phenj]

Why would you update to 4.3

 

[sfs76]

Hi, maybe not to 4.3, but at least make the update required by the CD game to launch (something I've blocked via Priiloader, but that prevents the game to launch). As far as I've understood, this kind of update made by CD games install some IOS too, so I was wondering if it was not better to go directly with the full update of the console.

 

[sfs76]

And the second point is that it seems I can't install the recommended versions of d2X cIOS (I mean the way of the most recent guides), based on IOS56/57 since I don't have them. And I've read some games require to have them if I'm not wrong (call of duty black ops)

[EDIT]
Last thing: Update to v4.x add support to SDHC cards, which may be useful if the only old SD card I have dies (quite difficult to find such a stuff now)

 

[sfs76]

Putting the full update to 4.3 aside, I could ask another linked question: "what will happen if I let the Disc game (U-Sing 2 for example) let do the update it requires?"

I tried to understand how IOS / cIOS work, but it's quite technical and when you read some sentence like this "There are some people who are bricking their Wii as a result of doing a standard update, whether or not they had hacks before they updated" (http://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/System_Menu_4.2, which seems to be quite a serious site), it's a bit dreadful.

I've read about the ModMii solution to update with less risk, be it seems it is no more functional now Nintendo has closed some servers.

 

[StrayGuitarist]

Well, I've updated a handful of already modded Wii consoles to 4.3u with no issues, but every Wii is just a tiny bit different it seems. So then, if you've got a NAND backup, got Priiloader and Bootmii on there, you should be perfectly fine. Just try updating with one of your discs that prompts you to update (Don't forget to disable "block updates" in Priiloader's settings) and you should be able to update just fine. Do note that it might remove the Homebrew channel, and you might have to re-install it, but it shouldn't corrupt anything.

 

[sfs76]

Ok thank you for your feedback. I am hesitating, because in some guides (sometimes old), it is clearly stated that it should be avoided to update via a disc (also to update by other official means), but I guess it was at a time where Nintendo was actively fighting against the modding of the Wii.
The most concerning thing to me was to have read that the boot2 code can be updated (and so I guess Bootmii can be deleted in the process, ie no more guarantee against a brick)

(Now I have to find how to indicate that the question is answered).

 

[sfs76]

If it can helps someone in the future to make a decision in a similar situation: I did the 'standard' update via the Wii menu, with fingers crossed. The hack was deleted in the process, as expected, including the bootmii on boot2 hack (boot2v2 replaced by boot2v4). I had to perform a new hack on v4.3 (I used LetterBomb) then reinstalled Bootmii on boot2v4
So I had the chance that everything went well, but be aware that having a NAND backup might not help if something goes wrong during the update, because Bootmii installed on boot2 will not be present anymore as a safe net.

(And I still didn't find a way to point out that my question was answered, sorry about that)

 

[NewGBAXL]

I would have updated it before installing homebrew, but since this does not apply in your case, I recommend
(1) installing 4.3 using the installer in Settings
or if you don't want to update the console with Homebrew on it, you can
(2) remove Homebrew, update, then install it again.