Hacking HOWTO: Backup copy protected Wiiware saves

shadowofdarkness · Sep 21, 2008

After a couple days searching of which every post I found asking how to do this was told it could not be done, I have figured it out and it was surprisingly easy.

All I used was a sd card and the homebrew channel to start GeckoOS 1.07a
This method does not require a usb gecko.

In GeckoOS turn off the "copy flag" then run the rebooter to restart the system with the change.
Now just copy it using the Wii menu just like you would any save since you turned off copy protection on the system..
It is not persistent so you well have to rerun GeckoOS every time you backup the save.

*Just mentioning My Pokemon Ranch since people searching for this process are generally doing it for this game.

caitsith2 · Sep 21, 2008

This is indeed the best way. Make certain to get 1.07a. (It has complete no-copy save copy support.)

There are 2 types of no-copy flags. Type 1 is the flag contained in "banner.bin" at offset 0x07. If this is set, the Wii will block copying of the save outright. in BOTH directions. (This means if you bypassed the flag to copy the file to your SD card, and you don't have the flag bypass set, the wii will NOT let you copy the file from the SD back to the system.) (If you select copy, the system will say right then and there "This save cannot be copied.")

Type 2 is a directory called "nocopy". Here, the wii will start the save copy process, and skip EVERYTHING contained within "nocopy" directory. If that results in only "banner.bin" being copied, then the wii will tell you that the save cannot be copied, otherwise it will copy everything outside of the nocopy directory, including banner.bin. As of Gecko 1.07a, Saves of this type are copied COMPLETELY. The Wii does NOT block copying such saves back to the system from the SD card, but it will however honour the nocopy directory when you try to copy the save back off, immediately.

Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and all NES/SMS/Genesis/TG16/SNES virtual console games use Type 2.

Doctor Mario Online RX uses BOTH type 1 and type 2.

Mario Kart Wii, Mario & Sonic Olympics, Nights: Journey of Dreams, Internet Channel, Nintendo Channel, CHeck Mii Out channel, use Type 1.

shadowofdarkness · Sep 21, 2008

Thanks for that info. I like to have a little understanding of how this stuff works.

joinx · Aug 18, 2009

i tried same with gecko os 1.09 but i still get message data was not copied..what should i do?

urherenow · Aug 18, 2009

Not to be a smarta** but without having tried myself... I'd say you should do what they told you and use version 1.07a.

Hacking HOWTO: Backup copy protected Wiiware saves

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