BBRoundtable

Here's the condensed version of what you need to do...

WARNING: This will void your Wii's warranty as you're violating Nintendo's Acceptable Usage Policy... if your Wii breaks down, don't expect Nintendo to repair it.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Information provided here is for legitimate usage only (for those who wish to utilize the Fair Use Policy of copyright law). Please use your own discs & not download Wii games.

1. Download the HackMii Installer
2. Download the viable system exploit for your system
   • Wii Menu 4.3 utilizes Letterbomb -- Go to http://please.hackmii.com to download the tailor package (Have your Wii's MAC address on hand)
   • Wii Menu 4.2 utilizes Bannerbomb ver. 2
   • Wii menu 4.1 or lower utilizes Bannerbomb ver. 1
3. Install the Homebrew Channel & BootMii (in Boot2 sector preferred)
4. Reboot Wii & run BootMii (preferable at boot), run the SaveMii utility -- Best time to back up your Wii for the very first time.
5. Install IOS 58, if you're running Wii Menu 4.2 or lower (Wii Menu 4.3 has it) & RE-INSTALL the Homebrew Channel.
   • IOS 58 includes USB 2.0 support, which the Homebrew Channel & many homebrew apps can utilize.
   • Just re-run the HackMii installer to do the re-install. It can be lauched within the Homebrew Channel itself.
6. Install cIOS 236 -- Revive the Trucha Bug w/o tampering with IOS 36 (which is locked down in Wii Menu 4.3)... so the safest method.
7. Install cIOS 249 / 250 -- cIOS 249 is the standard cIOS that most advanced homebrew stuff utilizes.
8. Install USB Loader GX on your SD card.
9. Attach a compatible USB HDD to your Wii & load up USB Loader GX.

OPTIONAL Steps

1. Install YAMMM (Yet Another Mod Manager Mod) on your SD card.
2. Install USB Loader GX Channel WAD

Installing the USB Loader GX Channel on your Wii will give you quick & easy access to USB Loader GX right from the Wii Menu. That way, you won't have to load up the Homebrew Channel every time. It's possible to modify your Wii to load up USB Loader GX by default (instead of the Wii menu), but it requires install Priiloader, which is a bit more advanced stuff. Visit https://sites.google.com/site/completesg/home if you're serious about doing that.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Daily Achievements Log will note "USB Loader GX" (if accessed by channel) OR "Homebrew Channel" (if access through HBC) every time you use it... so it will be visible to those locally that you've modded your Wii.

When it comes to a USB HDD, the disk format comes into play depending on how you're planning on using the USB HDD...

* FAT32 format is recommended for greatest flexiblity as the Homebrew Channel apps (including USB Loader GX itself) can access it. However, Wii Game ISO/ WBFS files over 4 GB will need to be split into smaller files... HOWEVER, USB Loader GX has an option to handle file splitting automatically & it's set to split every 4 GB's.

* NTFS format is suitable if you're only planning on using it to store Wii Game ISO / WBFS files (as well as any video files for WiiMC). It can support Wii Game ISO / WBFS files over 4 GB's.

* WBFS format (a special format specifically designed for USB Loader GX & other USB game loaders) is NO LONGER RECOMMENDED & have been depreciated as a format due to improved compatibility with FAT32 & NTFS formats.


Once you have USB Loader GX running, just pop a disc into your Wii & USB Loader GX will ask if you want to install that game to your USB HDD. When you hit install, it'll fire up it's own ripping utility & copy the relevant data from the game disc to the HDD (known as ripping & scrubbing)... so it NOT copy Wii Menu update files & any "garbage filler" & store the games in WBFS (Will Back-up File System) format, which is just a smaller form of an ISO file... so games will only take as much space as they need.

Please be aware that the size of the finished WBFS file will determine how long it'll take to finish. Figure roughly 7 MBps for a ripping speed with your Wii or 2.5 minutes per GB. In the case of Super Smash Bros. Brawl & Metroid Prime Trilogy, you might want to tune your TV to a preferred channel OR take a coffee break (as it'll take around 15 minutes to complete). When ripping, the Wii's disc light will be on for the duration. It'll turn off when it's done (so you don't have to babysit it).

Once you have installed the games to your HDD, you can later download covers from http://www.gametdb.com/ & so you have something nice to look at in the Game Menu. You can also swap between list, carousel (my preferred method), fan OR channel views. Just select the time you want to play & hit Start to load up the game normally. The games will run just like the disc is in your Wii, even though you know otherwise & in some cases, it may run a little smoother.


If you're wondering if this can be detected online... rest assure that you won't stick out to the WiiConnect24 monitors, as long as you don't utilize out-of-game cheats (like Ocarina, which is included with USB Loader GX) while playing online.


FAQ's
Q.1) Is this legal?
A.1) While it treads into the grey region of copyright law, it's legal if you only do this with your own Wii & copy your own games to the USB HDD as you're utilizing the "Fair Use Policy" of copyright law... just as long as you don't loan out those games (as you can only have one copy in use at any given time). If you download games from the internet, you're breaking the law.

On the Wii side, the iPhone jailbreaking ruling applies... making modding your Wii legal, but as it does violate Nintendo's Acceptable Usage Policy... you lose all warranties on your Wii in the process.

Q.2) Is this Safe?
A.2) While there are some risks involved, it's fairly safe for those who can follow the instructions. The best way to limit your risk is to have an Wii with a serial number that's under "LU64" (this is the first 4 characters) as you can install BootMii in the boot2 sector on your Wii, which can give you a way to restore your Wii to a functional state if things go wrong.

If you have a newer Wii, you may not be able to fully utilize BootMii as an IOS in some bad cases... but it helps to have a way to back up your Wii.

Q.3) Do I need my Wii online to do this?
A.3) Having your Wii online helps a lot as the cIOS installations will just pull the required IOS's from the Nintendo Update Servers. HOWEVER, you can still do this without getting your Wii online.

You'll need to pick up the NUS Downloader, which is a utility program that allows you to download the necessary stuff from the Nintendo Update Servers manually. You'll have to place those IOS on the Wii's SD card in order for the cIOS installers to find & change the setting on the installer where to locate the needed IOS, but that's not too hard.

Just note the IOS & the version of it (which is noted in the OFFLINE instructions) so you can download the right IOS files.

Thanks for the information, TStodden!
When given the opportunity, I'll tr-
y to obtain another Wii to ex-
periment on seeing as th-
is makes things that
much more conv-
enient for ac-
cessing g-
ames.



I
thin-
k option
2 would be b-
est for me since
I strive for simplici-
ty these days (laughs).
How many titles do you h-
ave stored right now if you d-
on't mind me asking? I'd definite-
ly play the Wii more using this method.

I've currently have roughly 40 titles (+ my entire GCCX video library, to use with WiI MC) on my HDD & I'm only at ~40% HDD capacity (~100 GB used). While I have to manually turn on my HDD (as I'm using a an SATA/IDE-to-USB adapter kit from ThinkGeek -- http://www.thinkgeek.com/dd1a/) before loading up USB Loader GX, it's really convenient (to the point of laziness) as you can switch between Wii retail titles without leaving your seat.

If you're wondering about game compatibility, visit http://wiki.gbatemp.net/w/index.php?tit ... patibility -- It's Helpful to give you an idea on how much space each game will take (noted in GB's) & what possible issues you'll may run into with possible titles.

I will note that Rock Band & Guitar Hero games typically require additional work to use with USB Loader GX... so you may want to avoid going discless with them unless you really want to put in the extra work.


If you're wondering about USB HDD compatibility, visit http://wiki.gbatemp.net/w/index.php?tit ... ility_List -- It's Helpful to know which USB HDD's to avoid for this use. Please be aware that you will need to configure some USB HDD's to avoid powering down when idle to avoid some potential issues.

Thanks for the useful information, TStodden! While I have
yet to explore this possibility, when I get the time, I w-
ould like to actualize the idea. I'll probably get ano-
ther Wii to work with as opposed to tampering
with the one which I already own. I would t-
ry this with the family Wii that I picked
up, and they probably would appreci-
ate it too, but I want a test syst-
em to begin with. I probably
wouldn't want to mess w-
ith Rock Band anyway
(laughs). Just title-
s such as those
which shall b-
e posted j-
ust belo-
w this
tex-
t:

-Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
-Zelda: Skyward Sword
-Xenoblade Chronicles
-Elebits 1 and 2
-Godzilla Unleashed
-Okami
-Muramasa
-Punchout
-Red Steel 2
-Monster Hunter Tri
-Super Paper Mario
-Sin and Punishment
-Warioware: Smooth Moves

(and a few others...)

By the way, I'll
check the
links t-
omo-
rro-
w.

Out of your list, I can give you a few heads up here.

* Super Mario Galaxy 1 -- Works OK -- Make sure you have a good rip of the game disc. A bad rip can cause issues with the first cut-scene when you start a new file.
* Super Mario Galaxy 2 -- Works OK
* Xenoblade Chronicles -- Works OK -- Large Game (over 4 GB)
* Zelda: Skyward Sword -- Works OK
* Okami -- Works OK
* Super Paper Mario -- Works OK
* WarioWare: Smooth Moves -- Works OK

I will make a few additional notes if you go discless...

1) USB Loader GX does allow you to go Region Free on the system -- You can force the games (likes the PAL titles) to work on your system, so you can import titles work.

2) The special editions of the Just Dance games are erroneously noted as PAL formatted, even if the game disc it was ripped from is NTSC-U -- This can be fixed by tweaking loader settings.

3) Unless you update your Wii completely BEFORE installing all the homebrew stuff, provide strict instructions NEVER to update the system. -- System updates post-modding typically breaks the cIOS's that you've installed. However, these can typically be re-installed afterwards.

I kind of figured that updating the system would work against
this method seeing as it's "not official" (laughs). Thanks
for checking the list I posted and listing the status
of each. I appreciate it. Just Dance is not a se-
ries of titles that I plan to use, so that wou-
ldn't be a problem, though I appreciate
the mentioning. After I'm better sit-
uated, I'll make a strong effort t-
o make this so. I'll see if I can
find a used Wii that isn't u-
pdated with the most re-
cent umm, updates (l-
aughs). It shouldn't
be difficult to fi-
nd since they
are everyw-
here in t-
his ar-
ea.



I
will
be bac-
k on Sunda-
y to post more.

(thanks again, TStodden!)

I found out that USB Loader GX uses the 6-character title code to figure some of it's information out... The Title Code follows a specific pattern.

XXXYZZ

XXX = Title Name
Y = Regional Code (E = US, P = Europe, J = Japan, K = Korea, W = Taiwan, ect.)
ZZ = Publisher's Code

Just Dance 3: Best Buy Edition's title code is SJDY41 & Just Dance 2: Special Edition is SD2Y41... & it's the "Y" in the Regional Code that probably throws USB Loader GX off


That reminds me, If you would like to download the title images (like game cases) to use with USB Loader GX manually (if the Wii is offline), you can go to http://www.gametdb.com/Wii/Downloads & download them. Here's the rundown on the items.

* WiiTDB.xml / .zip -- This includes all the supplemental information about a title when you hit 2 on a title in USB Loader GX. This gets unzipped in USB Loader GX's app folder
* titles.txt -- This includes all the game names, referenced by their game code (So "Wii Sports" doesn't get called "Sports Pack for Revolution" & so on). Gets placed in the USB Loader GX's app folder.
* Cover packs -- This is broken down into 3 categories: Disc, 2D Cover, & 3D Cover. This gets unzipped in .../USB_Loader_GX/titles/

The Cover packs are split between Full & Weekly packs. I suggest going with the full package each time unless you're going to come back on a weekly basis so you get all the updates at once. I prefer the look of the 3D covers over the 2D covers, but it's mostly down to your preference.

I will note that all this information can be downloaded directly through USB Loader GX, but you need to have your Wii online to do so. The cover image downloads are limited to the games you have installed, but don't have something for it.


If you don't care for the default theme, you can download new themes for USB Loader GX at http://wii.spiffy360.com/themes.php -- They get unzipped to .../USB_Loader_GX/themes/ if you want to do it offline. This can be done through online means as well, but you're probably better off going offline (as it seems the freeze up after downloading).


Finally, I will note that USB Loader GX does include lockable parental controls, so if you want to keep unruly children from tampering with stuff OR from playing certain titles, you can set the rating level restriction you want & a password (it'll bring up an on-screen keyboard so you can punch it in) to lock the settings. If you're planning on using this with kids, you'll probably want to set this up ahead of time... just to be safe.

Thanks again for the wealth of information on this topic, TStodden!
I wouldn't mind the 2D covers but given the option, I'll side with
3D. Also, I'd probably be online to accomplish this since it s-
eems to be easier. And yes, I'd use my own titles. I'd ju-
st have to invest in another system and determine
which HDD would be best. It's going to take me
some time since I'm currently on "E" financi-
ally (laughs). In the meantime, I'll read u-
p on the compatible HDD's from the li-
nks that you provided. And since I
am going to be the only one us-
ing this system, the family
settings won't be touch-
ed. I guess after I ge-
t working, I'll mak-
e cosmetic adju-
stments after-
wards. Just
convenie-
ntly pl-
ayin-
g
title-
s in my
collection
without swa-
pping discs is a-
ll I really would like
to take advantage of
in the immediate sense.



Have you included
any other gam-
es to your H-
DD since
your l-
st:

(post...?)

I'm over the 65-mark on my HDD w/ about 60 GB open (although I could free up about 50 GB if I dumped my Game Center CX collection from it, which I view using Wii MC).

That's great, TStodden! My Wii doesn't even get played
these days, though now that I've accomplished a ga-
ming goal of mine, I'll be getting back into the s-
tandard gaming sessions that I'm used to and
may dust-off the Wii. I still want to invest
in another Wii system to mod though j-
ust to be safe. The Wii titles and a
few Gamecube games I could se-
e myself including, but I thin-
k I'll leave the Virtual Con-
sole games since I pre-
fer the portability o-
f these games w-
hile on my PS-
P. I'll check
the info-
rmat-
ion rega-
rding the ha-
rddrives on Mon-
day it all goes well.

Hey, TStodden! It's finally done!
Thanks for the information!
Right now, I just have t-
o get a HDD that's co-
mpatible. I'll use t-
he titles that I
own. I hop-
e that I
can
find a
HDD that
I can get loc-
ally, but if not, I
will try to acquire o-
ne online. It's going to
be a while before I get on-
e though since I'm trying to p-
repare for Thanksgiving and X-m-
as for the family first. I'll speak mor-
e of this on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks!

Great to hear that you've made the jump to Discless. Most USB HDD's that don't require any special drivers to run are usually the best. HOWEVER, if you like flexibility or just want to recycle an old HDD, getting an IDE-to-USB kit (like the one at http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/dd1a/ ) is a decent choice. I know it's not the most attractive look in the entertainment center, but it allows you to use any internal HDD you happen to have. Since there's no drivers required, it's plug-n-play friendly. The only minor downside is that you have to use an external power source for desktop HDD's, which is included in the kit, & remember if it's on or not can be a pain when you're trying to conserve power & limit wear on the drive.

With the USB loaders now taking FAT32 & NTFS natively, it's not that hard to prep the HDD. Just reformat to the desired format (FAT32 is preferred if you want to use the HDD for other homebrew stuff... otherwise, NTFS works fine) & add a "WBFS" folder on the root & you're pretty much ready to go.


My Wii collection is almost hitting the limit of my HDD's space (totally 81 titles)... pretty much to the point where I have to drop some of my GCCX videos to free up space, but I can enjoy all my games while fitting it in a relatively small travel bag.

Short on time now, but
got HDD and stored
a few games. N-
o luck with s-
toring Ga-
mecub-
e ga-
me-
s.

-Do I need, Mios Dios?

Thanks...

For Gamecube support, you'll need Dios Mios installed to run them off a USB HDD (FAT32 ONLY) OR Dios Mios Lite installed to run them off an SD card.

Please be aware that you can only have ONE OR THE OTHER INSTALLED, NOT BOTH (at the present time. They're probably working on how to combine them).

Visit https://sites.google.com/site/completes ... /dios-mios for install details. The compatibility list for DIOS MIOS is available at http://crediar.no-ip.com/gc/ . The Compatibility list does contain technical jargon (Game size, region, ect.), but they use the standard "Stop Light" system for compatibility (Green = works OK, Yellow = Works w/ issues, Red = Not working) to make it simple. Check the comments for games that are working with issues before proceeding, just so you know where the problems lie.