Hacking Wii storage question

[Eikon]

I noticed that when I accidentally install a WAD with WAD installer when my Wii is low on internal memory, the WAD still manages to be installed correctly and is playable. How can the Wii hold another 300 blocks when the data management menu shows zero are available? Where are those 300 extra blocks being stored?

 

[samsam12]

I noticed that when I accidentally install a WAD with WAD installer when my Wii is low on internal memory, the WAD still manages to be installed correctly and is playable. How can the Wii hold another 300 blocks when the data management menu shows zero are available? Where are those 300 extra blocks being stored?

the wii will use the space for the message board and store some data on to the ram.

 

[trent_fox]

Yeah, the Wii has a buffer zone where it has some free space even though it may read 0. It's like how cars still have a little bit of gas in the tank even though it might read as E.

 

[priapism]

hmmm that is weird.

i have tried to install Wad files when i have a few blocks left and the Wii gives me a message that says there isn't enough space for the install. how come i don't have a buffer?

 

[Volkov]

Different Circumstances.....

 

[a3HeadedMonkey]

Speaking of storage.. does anyone know the maximum size SD card I can use, if I'm only using it for Homebrew storage?

 

[ganons]

2gb

 

[Tichinde925]

Its not 2GB, you can go higher than that if its only for Homebrew.

 

[that1dude]

Its not 2GB, you can go higher than that if its only for Homebrew.

No, because the wii doesn't have sdhc support. It will recognize cards up to 2gb.

 

[Tichinde925]

This topic:

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=99545&pid=1329440&st=0&#entry1329440

Transcend 133x 4GB Model# TS4GSD133
NewEgg Link

Link to my spread sheet with different partition/formatting settings;
Spread Sheet

Tool used;
Command line (format h: /fs:fat) This allowed me to format partions greater then 2GB with fat16 in XP, "h:" of course being my SD drive
Partition Magic 9

Tested with;
Wii Data Management
Copying the Wii Sports Save
HBC
Snes9x emulator
FTPII
Guitar Fun
Mplayer

What I found;
The default format of the card (3,815MB or 3,991,941,120KB) was not readable by the Wii Data Management, but seems to be fully read/write in HBC.
Repartitioning the card to (3,812MB or 3,989,635,072KB) made it readable by the Wii Data Management, although it will not let you copy saves from the Wii to the SD card and will not display the space left, but seems to be fully read/write in HBC.
Partitions bigger then 2,102.23MB lose the ability to copy saves from the Wii to the SD card and you lose the ability to see the remaining space on the card in Wii Data Management.
Fat32 or Fat16 does not seem to make much of a difference in whether or not the Wii can read the card.

Assumptions
The Wii potentially has some static number hardcoded in it for the maximum amount of free space blocks to expect and when your SD card contains more of these said blocks it your Wii says screw you when you try and copy a save to the SD card.

Ta-Da
-FTen
Visit My Website

QUOTE(ften @ Aug 8 2008, 09:34 PM) I have quite a lot of songs from Frets on Fire, a few movies, and a bunch of roms on mine.

Also the post was about show 4GB cards can be used, as a few previous posts stated the Wii couldn't read larger then 2GB cards. So I just wanted to provide a little detail into the fact that they could be.

-FTen

But the HBC can detect all 4GB, and so the applications will presumably be able to too?

From my testing, yes.

-FTen

 

[Volkov]

i thought fat had a 2gb limit...

also your wii will read the partition but only be able to use the first 2gb of a 4gb card...i have tried anything in hbc, but if it was usable, don't you think everyone would know about it? no, we just have lots or threads about if it does or not instead, no solid answers

 

[pinesal]

Guys, Wii apperently does NOT support SDHC. So it officially only supports SD cards up to 2GB. However there are some NON SDHC cards that are 4GB. These card so not comply with SD standards, though they are safe to use.

So the Wii will read a 4GB SD card as long as it is NOT SDHC.

 

[Volkov]

Guys, Wii does NOT support SDHC

Fixed

 

[Livin in a box]

Only the Homebrew Channel can see all 4GB, but the Wii itself can only read the 2GB on the Data Management Menu.