Hacking [Guide] Fully Softmod Any Wii (everything you need)

[iamwally]

I got it working. I did some searching on the web for people with same issue and found some recommendations to fix. The solution was to install IOS60 and then install 4.0 systemmenu and that worked like a charm. The Wii was originally 3.4u so I guess maybe I should have upgraded to 4.0u before I installed preloader? That being said I did the same thing on an older 3.3u LU61 unit and it did not give that error after preloader install. I ended up upgrading that unit to 4.0u also but I ddin't have to to get it work. Maybe it was because it was a LU64 unit. Who knows but it is working now and that is all that matters.

Thanks for a great guide.

iamwally

 

[georgecoat]

Where fits the StartPatch 4.1 into this?
If I have BootMii as boot2 installed, should I install in addition StartPatch and Preloader as well?
Do they complete or conflict each other, do they go together? If not which one should I keep?
Thanks

 

[WalkerOfTheDay]

Where fits the StartPatch 4.1 into this?
If I have BootMii as boot2 installed, should I install in addition StartPatch and Preloader as well?
Do they complete or conflict each other, do they go together? If not which one should I keep?
Thanks

With Preloader installed you don't need StartPatch.
With BootMii installed as Boot2 you actually aren't required to install Preloader as well, but I would recommend that you did.

If you would get a banner brick or something it's better to remove the bad wad with preloader because a Nand restore overwrites everything, including you saves...

 

[georgecoat]

This is a great guide.
I would appreciate to have upgrade to 4.0-4.1 section in it as well (something like this here would be very useful).
Imagine for example old dinosaur Wii, currently on 3.4U, having HBC, cIOS36/IOS249 rev.10, BootMii on boot2 (NAND backed-up), Gamma Launcher (loading backups from DVDs) and USB loaders (loading backups from external USB HD) working properly and completely happy (except of Wii Sports Resort, which could be the reason for upgrade).
Is it possible for example to follow everything including HBC, installing cIOSes and IOSes again even if they are already installed? Could it do any harm if for example I patch the IOS again, because I do not know that it is already patched? Can I install Bannerbomb and Preloader on this old softmoded systems? This could be the questions coming from older systems.
In this case I would like to know what steps in this guide should I definitely skip because they could harm my system (since I have some of the components already installed/patched or they would conflict with another components) and which I can skip because they are just optional (or maybe just redundant).
Thanks.

 

[georgecoat]

Where fits the StartPatch 4.1 into this?
If I have BootMii as boot2 installed, should I install in addition StartPatch and Preloader as well?
Do they complete or conflict each other, do they go together? If not which one should I keep?
Thanks

With Preloader installed you don't need StartPatch.
With BootMii installed as Boot2 you actually aren't required to install Preloader as well, but I would recommend that you did.

If you would get a banner brick or something it's better to remove the bad wad with preloader because a Nand restore overwrites everything, including you saves...

Perfect answer I was looking for.
Thank you!

 

[Deviyl]

Sorry guys, I haven't had time yet to finish writing the 4.0 upgrader guide. Will post it as soon as I finish, but in the meanwhile I linked the guide posted above to upgrade SM.

This is a great guide.
I would appreciate to have upgrade to 4.0-4.1 section in it as well (something like this here would be very useful).
Imagine for example old dinosaur Wii, currently on 3.4U, having HBC, cIOS36/IOS249 rev.10, BootMii on boot2 (NAND backed-up), Gamma Launcher (loading backups from DVDs) and USB loaders (loading backups from external USB HD) working properly and completely happy (except of Wii Sports Resort, which could be the reason for upgrade).
Is it possible for example to follow everything including HBC, installing cIOSes and IOSes again even if they are already installed? Could it do any harm if for example I patch the IOS again, because I do not know that it is already patched? Can I install Bannerbomb and Preloader on this old softmoded systems? This could be the questions coming from older systems.
In this case I would like to know what steps in this guide should I definitely skip because they could harm my system (since I have some of the components already installed/patched or they would conflict with another components) and which I can skip because they are just optional (or maybe just redundant).
Thanks.

Since there is only a 4.1 upgrade available at the moment, and it doesn't hurt your Wii at all, a regular Nintendo update would be the easiest at the moment. Everything will still work after that. Once you get that then you can upgrade the cIOS and install PreLoader.

 

[mitchkramez]

So, if i have a softmodded wii with system menu 4.0, I can safely do the update right from the system and not use waninkoko Firmware Updater 4.1 dol?

 

[Davess]

thanks worked great! i wanted to try the usb thing but vista's a bitch so i can't copy a 4 gb wiiisports iso to a 8gb usb flashdrive any help here?

 

[Deviyl]

So, if i have a softmodded wii with system menu 4.0, I can safely do the update right from the system and not use waninkoko Firmware Updater 4.1 dol?Yup. You'll have 4.1 when you're done and you shouldn't have to repatch ios36 since you're just going from 4.0 to 4.1. Might have to run new cios again, I'm not sure. But you'll have to install preloader again if you had it before.


QUOTE(davess @ Jul 25 2009, 10:44 AM) thanks worked great! i wanted to try the usb thing but vista's a bitch so i can't copy a 4 gb wiiisports iso to a 8gb usb flashdrive any help here?

Get 7? =)

 

[nabster92]

thanks worked great! i wanted to try the usb thing but vista's a bitch so i can't copy a 4 gb wiiisports iso to a 8gb usb flashdrive any help here?

Why are you trying to copy it through any Vista utilities? You need to use WBFS manager after formatting the flashdrive to WBFS with it or a usb loader. Windows should not be able to recognize WBFS as a valid format on the drive so WBFS manager is required or you have to burn the game to a disc and install it through a usb loader on the Wii.

BTW Wii Sports will take up about 0.1 GB when copied to WBFS.

 

[Slowking]

You can skip the entire 36 downgrade on older Wiis, but on newer models, if you don't patch 36.. you'll brick your Wii with a cIOS. And preloader won't work either.
You won't brick your Wii. It just won't install.

QUOTE(WiiPower @ Jul 21 2009, 08:07 AM) You don't know about trucha or boot2v4 Wiis. Without doing something to get trucha, you can't install a cIOS on virgin Wiis with 3.3v2 or higher. And on boot2v4 Wiis, downgrading other IOS than IOS15 is not an option.

It really has nothing to do with boot2v4. There are actually some boot2v4 Wiis out there that don't have the LU64+ problem. It's probably a starlet revision that's causing it.
Nintendo just introduced these new "features" at about the same time but they are not related.




This is a really good guide btw. ^^

 

[Atrozation]

Hi bro and i've read through your detailed tutorial
thank you for the tut but i just cant seem to solve my situation
Here is my situation:
My wii is already softmod when i bought it. Gamma 0.3
Recently i just tried to load virtual tennis 3 and Sports resort under backup channel
but in fact got a error #002*Blue Screen*
Thus as advice by goodmates in Gbatemp that i should update to Neogamma R6 instead and 002 errors should be fixed
I wanted to update but i cant find any help in forum

Just wanna ask u if i could check if my wii have its nand back uped?
Just in case because if i really update my wii its my first time updating it and i fear of bricking cases
and also how to check if my version is cIOS38 rev13b?
and hopefully for a detailed and good solutions for first time noobers like me. thanks!
thanks for your help guys!

 

[justanotherstalk]

Hi, I'm a noob at this, I just got my wii and has spent a few days mucking about in the forum. This all was kinda confusing (well some still is) but this guide was the one that finally got a lot of it sorted out, so a great many thanks!

Still, there are a few questions left, I hope it helps to improve the guide as well

- I'm still a bit in the dark about how, when and where to update the system menu (I'm currently at 3.4e). The guide you linked to says I need cIOS36 rev 10 or higher, so I guess I need that first? Which means I need trucha? But as far as I could see in other threads letting nintendo upgrade to 4.1 would only affect preloader, since anyone following this guide probably is on a virgin wii without preloader it should be safe just letting nintendo do it?


- I have bootmii as IOS and due to a lack of gamecube controllers I'm stuck at where I'm supposed to make a nand backup (trying to decide if I feel lucky enough to continue) but let's say I manage to get a nand backup and get bricked by the preloader installation, that's a big fail brick since I won't be able to get to hbc and bootmii to restore, right? Or can I recover? I'm thinking about this statement

It will ask if you're sure and tell you that your Wii could brick, but it doesn't matter since you have the NAND backup, right?I don't feel that comfortable even if I had a nand backup...


- Let's say i chicken out and skip preloader and all of that until I can get my hands on a GC controller, and continue along this path to at least get backups running
QUOTENow that you have the HomeBrew Channel, you can run a backup launcher and play burned games. If that's all you want to do, skip down to the cIOS and Backup Launcher section.

And "cIOS" in this case would be the cIOS38 install under the preloader section, but without installing preloader? Which is safe according to the readme, though I assume I'll need trucha first so I'm stuck anyway. Would I be able to do anything fun without cIOS? A brief explanation of what cIOS is and when one does and does not need it wouldn't hurt, I've tried to find this information elsewhere but there's a lot of cios talk so there are a lot of search hits... I think this is what made this guide good, it explains in a brief and simple way what one needs to do and why. (Maybe a few words in the IOS36 section that it's for getting the trucha bug back as well?)


- There is a cIOS38 rev 14 and WAD manager v1.5 out: http://www.teknoconsolas.es/blogs/waninkoko


- The link to preloader gives me a note.txt with "This files has been moved to http://chaoshq.de/~crediar/preloaderv0.29-cred.rar"


There, I made it all the way to the submit button and without being too noobish

(I write these kinds of posts just to help me think things through but I usually figure things out before I'm done)
Thanks again to all of you!

 

[Slowking]

- I'm still a bit in the dark about how, when and where to update the system menu (I'm currently at 3.4e). The guide you linked to says I need cIOS36 rev 10 or higher, so I guess I need that first? Which means I need trucha? But as far as I could see in other threads letting nintendo upgrade to 4.1 would only affect preloader, since anyone following this guide probably is on a virgin wii without preloader it should be safe just letting nintendo do it?
You need cIOS38rev14
Just follow this guide on how to isntall it.

- I have bootmii as IOS and due to a lack of gamecube controllers I'm stuck at where I'm supposed to make a nand backup (trying to decide if I feel lucky enough to continue) but let's say I manage to get a nand backup and get bricked by the preloader installation, that's a big fail brick since I won't be able to get to hbc and bootmii to restore, right? Or can I recover? I'm thinking about this statement
I have never heard of a preloader install that has bricked somebody. The creator of this guide is jsut trying to cover his ass.
And btw. you can control bootmii with the power and reset buttons on the Wii.

- Let's say i chicken out and skip preloader and all of that until I can get my hands on a GC controller, and continue along this path to at least get backups running
QUOTE

Now that you have the HomeBrew Channel, you can run a backup launcher and play burned games. If that's all you want to do, skip down to the cIOS and Backup Launcher section.

And "cIOS" in this case would be the cIOS38 install under the preloader section, but without installing preloader? Which is safe according to the readme, though I assume I'll need trucha first so I'm stuck anyway. Would I be able to do anything fun without cIOS? A brief explanation of what cIOS is and when one does and does not need it wouldn't hurt, I've tried to find this information elsewhere but there's a lot of cios talk so there are a lot of search hits... I think this is what made this guide good, it explains in a brief and simple way what one needs to do and why. (Maybe a few words in the IOS36 section that it's for getting the trucha bug back as well?)

I don't see the problem. Patch the trucha bug back into IOS36 and install cIOS38rev14. Nothing dangerous about it. No system menu runs on either of these IOSs.
And cIOS does all the cool stuff, like USB backup loading and a lot of other stuff.

 

[justanotherstalk]

[...]But as far as I could see in other threads letting nintendo upgrade to 4.1 would only affect preloader, since anyone following this guide probably is on a virgin wii without preloader it should be safe just letting nintendo do it?
You need cIOS38rev14
Just follow this guide on how to isntall it.

You sure about this? I was just about to let nintendo do the update the official way before i go mess with the IOSes. What's the harm in that?

- I have bootmii as IOS and due to a lack of gamecube controllers I'm stuck at where I'm supposed to make a nand backup (trying to decide if I feel lucky enough to continue) but let's say I manage to get a nand backup and get bricked by the preloader installation, that's a big fail brick since I won't be able to get to hbc and bootmii to restore, right? Or can I recover? I'm thinking about this statement

I have never heard of a preloader install that has bricked somebody. The creator of this guide is jsut trying to cover his ass.
And btw. you can control bootmii with the power and reset buttons on the Wii.

Well this guy http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=168964 bricked his wii at a preloader install, it doesn't really matter if it's human error or not, I just don't want to be the very sorry dude with a brick and no way to recover

And power and reset buttons didn't work to control bootmii (since this is an ios install)


Slowking

I don't see the problem. Patch the trucha bug back into IOS36 and install cIOS38rev14. Nothing dangerous about it. No system menu runs on either of these IOSs.
And cIOS does all the cool stuff, like USB backup loading and a lot of other stuff.

Sounds great, thanks

 

[justanotherstalk]

Well let me try to answer this myself, please correct me if I'm wrong

By doing the waninkoko update to 4.1 I'd enable the trucha bug in IOS60, which is required if I want to run custom channels, for example a neogamma channel installation. By doing a nintendo update I'd miss this option since IOS60 would reject a fakesigned channel, or I'd have to patch ios60 later. Correct?

So here's how one generally would do a softmod and upgrade on a 3.4 with bootmii/ios?

option 1

1. hackmii/bootmii/hbc
2. do a nand backup
3. trucha bug restorer ios15/ios36
4. cios38
5. preloader (just to be safe)
6. waninkoko 4.0 firmware update (at least some required this before 4.1 installer)
7. patch ios60 (I guess?)
8. patching ios60 after preloader install means you now have a brick, re-install preloader
9. waninkoko 4.1 installer
10. backup launcher

or option 2

1. nintendo official update
2. hackmii/bootmii/hbc
3. do a nand backup
4. trucha bug restorer ios15/ios36
5. cios38
6. preloader (optionally)
7. patch ios60
8. preloader
9. backup launcher

 

[Deleted User]

thanks for the great guide it really cleared up things for me

A Question my Wii is 3.3E can i still use this guide ??

 

[illinialex24]

Preloader is not a must.

So true.

 

[LufianGuy]

Preloader is not a must.

So true.

Preloader is a must for people like me that can't install bootmii as a boot2 and have to install it as an IOS. People who have bootmii as a boot2 are lucky because thats the only way your wii is 100% brickproof.

 

[justanotherstalk]

A Question my Wii is 3.3E can i still use this guide ??

Sure you can.

I'm not really sure about the steps to take if you want to update to 4.1 though, that's the only thing this guide is missing imo.

QUOTE(LufianGuy @ Aug 1 2009, 10:26 PM) Preloader is a must for people like me that can't install bootmii as a boot2 and have to install it as an IOS.

+1. Just as the guide says if you read it.