Requirements

- BootMii (either installed as boot2 or as IOS)
- SD(HC) card (at least 1GB, 2GB recommended)
- USB keyboard

Preparing the SD card

You have to create 2 partitions. One little FAT16/32 for BootMii, HBC and the kernel and one big ext3 for the filesystem ("userland"). You can do this for example with gParted in Ubuntu. If you don`t have Ubuntu installed, use the latest LiveCD. For this tutorial it is important to set the descriptions of the partitions.

- Backup your current BootMii folder
- 1. partition: At least 32 MB, FAT16/32, "kernel" as description
- 2. partition: Remaining free space, EXT3, "filesystem" as description
- Copy your BootMii folder to the first partition

Installing the kernel

The mike kernel must be booted via BootMii! If you boot it with the homebrew channel, wifi and other things won`t work.

There are two ways to boot the kernel:

1.)
The first one (and also the recommended one) is to copy the kernel to the first partition of your sd card, for example to the BootMii folder. To boot the kernel you can use the sd card explorer in BootMii and select the kernel. It could happen that it doesn`t work and return to the BootMii main menu. If this happens try to update to the newest BootMii version (beta4). If it also doesn`t work with beta4 then you have to use the second way.

2.)
With the second way you will have to replace the executable of the BootMii GUI with the kernel. This should always work, but the disadvantage is that the kernel will boot immediately after launching BootMii. So you won`t see the GUI of BootMii. If you need the BootMii GUI you may use a second sd card for Linux only.

- Rename the file "ppcboot.elf" in the BootMii folder to "ppcboot.elf.backup"
- Download the latest mike kernel (mikep5) with your appropriate TV mode:

- 480i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...480i(PAL60).elf
- 576i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.576i(PAL).elf
- 480p PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.480p(PAL).elf
- 480i NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480i(NTSC).elf
- 480p NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480p(NTSC).elf

- Rename the kernel to ppcboot.elf and copy it to your BootMii folder
- If you have BootMii beta1 or beta2 you need to download the latest armboot.bin to prevent an error with the mike kernel: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/mikep1-armboot.bin. Rename it to "armboot.bin" and replace it with the one in your new BootMii folder. If you are running BootMii beta3 or later you might skip this step, because it should already include a newer version of armboot.bin

Installing the filesystem

- Download XWhiite 0.2 to your Desktop: http://hbcapps.com/debian-etch-4.0+whiite-...ite-0.2.tar.bz2
- Open a terminal and login as root (sudo su)
- Change the directory to your Desktop:

cd /home/yourusername/Desktop

- Extract the filesystem to your sd card:

tar -C /media/filesystem/ -xjvf debian-etch-4.0+whiite-0.1+xwhiite-0.2.tar.bz2

- Backup your xorg.conf:

cd /media/filesystem/etc/X11/
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup

- Open your xorg.conf and set your TV mode (pal or ntsc):

gedit /media/filesystem/etc/X11/xorg.conf

- Find the Subsection "Display" in the section "Screen"
- Replace "pal_50" with "ntsc_60" if you have a NTSC TV
- If you have the problem with the "small line" try to remove the lines with "HorizSync", "VertRefresh", "Modeline "pal_50"" and "Modeline "ntsc_60"" in the section "Monitor" and the whole subsection "Display"

- Now you can try to boot your Wii with Linux.

Getting WiFi to work

- Download the necessary debian packages and put them to /media/filesystem/home/wii/:

- nano: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wpasupplicant: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...5-2_powerpc.deb
- wireless-tools: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- udev: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- libiw28: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- libvolume: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wifi firmware: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gc-linux/f...tar.gz/download

- Boot your Wii Linux
- Open a terminal and login as root (pwd is "whiite")
- Install the packages:

cd /home/wii/
dpkg -i *.deb

- Extract the wifi firmware:

cd /
tar -xzvf /home/wii/openfwwf-5.2-bin.tar.gz

- Edit the wifi settings:

nano /etc/network/interfaces

- For WPA 1/2 add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ssid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-psk YOUR_SECRET_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-pairwise TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-group TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-proto WPA RSN
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ap-scan 1
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-scan-ssid 1

- For WEP (ASCII string key) add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key YOUR_ASCII_SECRET_GOES_HERE

- For WEP (binary key) add this:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key s:0123-4567-89

- Test your wifi connection:

ifup wlan0
ping www.google.com

- If you get responses: CONGRATULATIONS! Now your Wii will automatically connect your wifi on every boot

And what now?

- Now you can update your system (as root!):

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

- You can also install a "normal" desktop environment like XFCE4. It`s more comfortable to use, but will use more RAM and will run slower. But it`s quite usable.

apt-get install xfce4

- Install whatever you want! Have fun!

Problems and their solutions

Problem: No sound
Solution: CODEusermod -G audio


by elmurato
revision 5


PS: If something isn`t clear feel free to ask so that I can improve this tutorial. Thanks!

Sources

http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:whiite-linux
http://www.tehskeen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9777
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/MINI:KernelPreviewThree
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:Wifi_Configuration

 

[Ferrie]

Guys when i run xwhiite via bootmii it just shows tiny little line of background screen in the middle of my TV, the rest of my screen is just black. I do see my wiimote moving so linux is running, but just a tiny little bit (like a horizontal line of 10cm's) of screen, the rest is black..
I already tried reinstalling xwiithe, without any luck.
But when i try running it from the HBC it runs OK (exept wifi offcourse)

Can anyone help??
Thanks!

Read the tutorial again and try "- If you have the problem with the "small line" try to remove the lines with "HorizSync", "VertRefresh", "Modeline "pal_50"" and "Modeline "ntsc_60"" in the section "Monitor" and the whole subsection "Display" " you should load whiite in ios/hbc mode, open a terminal, login as root (sudo su, password whiite) and than backup and gedit the file as said before. Save the file, shut down whiite and try again.

 

[El Snorro]

Guys when i run xwhiite via bootmii it just shows tiny little line of background screen in the middle of my TV, the rest of my screen is just black. I do see my wiimote moving so linux is running, but just a tiny little bit (like a horizontal line of 10cm's) of screen, the rest is black..
I already tried reinstalling xwiithe, without any luck.
But when i try running it from the HBC it runs OK (exept wifi offcourse)

Can anyone help??
Thanks!

Read the tutorial again and try "- If you have the problem with the "small line" try to remove the lines with "HorizSync", "VertRefresh", "Modeline "pal_50"" and "Modeline "ntsc_60"" in the section "Monitor" and the whole subsection "Display" " you should load whiite in ios/hbc mode, open a terminal, login as root (sudo su, password whiite) and than backup and gedit the file as said before. Save the file, shut down whiite and try again.

Thanks Dude!!
My wlan is working now

Now going to Apt-get

 

[madtamski]

I wish I didn't spill bear over my USB keyboard the other week now

 

[ozguy]

You spilled a bear on your keyboard?
Eww. Messy

 

[xgrimflamex]

I installed Linux on my computer just for Wii Linux at first, but now I'm loving Linux! Thanks for the tutorial! It worked perfectly for me!

But, I only have a 1 gb SD to work with, so while I wanted to install more stuff, I ran out of room.
I was reading the other topic when this person: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=&showto...t&p=2216912 :said he was able to boot the root from his USB. What exactly are the steps to make this happen?

Do note, that I am new to Linux.

 

[Ferrie]

I installed Linux on my computer just for Wii Linux at first, but now I'm loving Linux! Thanks for the tutorial! It worked perfectly for me!

But, I only have a 1 gb SD to work with, so while I wanted to install more stuff, I ran out of room.
I was reading the other topic when this person: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=&showto...t&p=2216912 :said he was able to boot the root from his USB. What exactly are the steps to make this happen?

Do note, that I am new to Linux.

Step one: buy a 4gb sdhc card

- because to get it booting from an external USB is very tricky if you don know what you're doing. And i think it even requires hexediting from what i've read.

 

[xgrimflamex]

Step one: buy a 4gb sdhc card

- because to get it booting from an external USB is very tricky if you don know what you're doing. And i think it even requires hexediting from what i've read.

Ahh, I think I may just do that. The hexediting part sounds complicated, so I'm not even going to attempt it unless there is some kind of properly documented tutorial on how to do it just especially for Wii Linux.
Thanks.

 

[Ferrie]

Step one: buy a 4gb sdhc card

- because to get it booting from an external USB is very tricky if you don know what you're doing. And i think it even requires hexediting from what i've read.

Ahh, I think I may just do that. The hexediting part sounds complicated, so I'm not even going to attempt it unless there is some kind of properly documented tutorial on how to do it just especially for Wii Linux.
Thanks.

What you could try is to contact that guy and ask if he could share his startup elf and how he partitioned his HD. If you have an external HD partitioned the same as his it will probably mount the same as his. It's not difficult if you have some knowledge of computers and linux. But i think that a new sd/sdhc card is just easier. I'm using a 2GB SD, 1.5GB for linux and the rest for HBC stuff.

I'm also busy to try to make a new startup elf for 16:9 480p tv's. But it's not as easy as i thought because my linux/xorg skills are less than great... If i have something, than you will hear it here first... (does anybody has some mini skills here???)

 

[m00k]

Great tutorial! Im commenting from my wii right now.

a quick question tho......

i installed xfce4 and on start up it says that "xfce4 cant connect to xwhiite by the internet so certain features wont work. you may want to add xwhiite to /etc/hosts"

is this required/possible?

 

[elmurato]

Great tutorial! Im commenting from my wii right now.

a quick question tho......

i installed xfce4 and on start up it says that "xfce4 cant connect to xwhiite by the internet so certain features wont work. you may want to add xwhiite to /etc/hosts"

is this required/possible?

Open a terminal, login as root and enter ”nano /etc/hosts”. Replace ”localhost” with ”xwhiite” and save with f2.

 

[m00k]

hey thanks for the quick reply, replacing "localhost" with "xwhiite" did the trick. never been a heavy user of linux although ive always ment to try it out.

a couple more questions.....

easy way to change keyboard type from US (english) to UK (english)? i tryed changing "us" to "uk" in xorg.conf but it had no effect.

"EDIT"
Solution: Type into root terminal "install-keymap uk", then edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf find this line 'Option "XkbLayout?" "us"' change it to 'Option "XkbLayout?" "gb"'. Restart and you have a uk keyboard layout.
"END EDIT"

an easy way to mount or if already mounted find my external hard drive? tryed "ls sda*" didnt like it

although on boot up it does list it clealy as a device.

"EDIT"
I used terminal "apt-get install Gparted" once installed i used trhat to work out which partition i was after, this was "sda1" I then.....
"mkdir /mnt/sda1"
"mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1"

To have your hard drive mount each time your server is restarted, you must edit your /etc/fstab file. Simply add at the bottom of your /etc/fstab file:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 vfat defaults 0 0

The first argument (/dev/sda1) tells the system what device to mount, and the second argument (/mnt/usbdrive) tells the system where to mount it. The third argument is the filesystem type (vfat). The fourth argument (defaults) tells the system what options to apply to the device, so in this case we’ll just use the defaults. The fifth and sixth arguments (both zeros) tell the system if the filesystem should be backed up using the dump utility, and the second zero tells the system whether to process the device when fsck is run. We can leave them both to zero for now.
"END EDIT"

in xfce4 settings/display it seems to list my display as 320x240 although im using the mikep3 480p elf, is this normal?


do i need to go and do some research instead of asking lots of stupid questions?

 

[texasrick]

This may have been covered already but. I got it working somewhat. It will boot up and get to the desktop but I have no way to control the mouse

I tried using:
My game cube controller
the wiimotes
my usb keyboard


I have bootmii as ios

 

[m00k]

Does the cursor show up and some of the buttons do things but the cursor not move?
If so, just type into the terminal, "/etc/init.d/wminput restart".

This was written tehskeen for the bliight linux release. worth a try but im no expert

half way down or more
http://www.tehskeen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9848

 

[cheeskun]

I am getting a "Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs" then "Reboot in 180 seconds" error.

Anyone with something similar?

*edit*

My own fault. Problem solved. :-D

 

[Ferrie]

Well... I've been busy trying to Compile, Hexedit, gedit all sort of options to try and make the kernel to output somekind of 16:9 anamorphic resolution. But it's just not working. And as far as i can read that's because the wii video drivers are all re-used gamecube drivers. So unless someone programs it, i don't think we will see propper widescreen support. But please prove me wrong!!

On a sidenote. An option i've read online that will prevent any windows from occupying (even partially) the problematic top and bottom of the screen. Is to add an extra panel at the top and bottom edge of the screen and leaving it empty (ie, no applets and menus) It's not a real sollution, but maybe a nice workaround. Gonna try it myself tonight.

 

[m00k]

shame ferrie, would be nice to get a more fitting screen.

is there any way to change dpi scaling etc in linux? or maybe intrapolate(or what ever projectors do to fake the higher resolutions) ?

 

[ozguy]

This may have been covered already but. I got it working somewhat. It will boot up and get to the desktop but I have no way to control the mouse

I tried using:
My game cube controller
the wiimotes
my usb keyboard


I have bootmii as ios

You need to have a USB mouse connected. The WiiMotes are not supported by default.

 

[El Snorro]

I am remote controlling my wii now by VNC viewer, works like a charm

But can i set a password in Xwhiite for the vnc server? (security issue)
And how can autostart the vnc server on boot?
Thanks again

 

[cheeskun]

Im still having problems getting Ubuntu and or Gparted live to partition my SD card...sighh. I have 4 to use all micro SD two are SDHC. 3 are over 1gb.

Any suggestions?

 

[El Snorro]

Im still having problems getting Ubuntu and or Gparted live to partition my SD card...sighh. I have 4 to use all micro SD two are SDHC. 3 are over 1gb.

Any suggestions?

Just use the whiite partitioner/installer from the HBC on your wii, this will make the partitions etc

http://www.tehskeen.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=3101