Wii:Introduction to Wii Softmodding

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Revision as of 01:48, 23 January 2022 by TrolleyMC (talk | contribs) (Added a third hacking method that takes advantage of a bug in the EULA and edited the other 2 methods to inform the user to install Bootmii, as it allows NAND Backups and brick protection on Wii's made before 2008. We should add an additional section late)
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Softmodding a Wii can be daunting at first, but you will soon realize it is one of the easiest consoles to install homebrew on thanks to its SD Card slot. When you softmod your Wii, you will install The Homebrew Channel, your gateway to all your homebrew apps.

Requirements

  • An SD card OR the Internet Channel installed on your Wii
    • The card must be formatted to FAT32.
    • The SD Card is recommended to have at least 1 GB of space.
      • This is only required if you're going to take a backup from your Wii's NAND, which is highly recommended.
  • A computer to transfer all the installer files to the card.

Note: If, for whatever reason, you don't have access to an SD card, you will still be able to install the homebrew channel. However, you won't be able to install any homebrew apps without an SD card.

(Method 1) SD Card Method

The exploit that you will be using is named "Letterbomb".

  1. First, you will need to get the Wii's MAC address and version.
    • The MAC address can be found under Settings > Internet > Console Information.
    • The Wii's version can be found on the top right corner in the settings menu.
    • Note: If your Wii's version is NOT 4.3, first update your console, then continue softmodding.
  2. Navigate to the Letterbomb website and input your Wii's MAC address and version. Ensure "Bundle the HackMii Installer for me" is checked, then click "Cut the blue/red wire". No matter which one you choose, you will be prompted to download the exploit.
  3. Extract the zip file to the root of the SD card, safely eject the SD card, and plug it into your Wii.
  4. From the main menu of the Wii, select the mail icon (Wii Message Board) in the bottom right corner.
  5. You should see a red envelope with a bomb in it. If you do not, scroll to the previous day (or whatever day you downloaded the Letterbomb files) to find it.
  6. Press the A button on the letter and the exploit will start.
  7. Wait approximately 30-60 seconds and the option "Press (1) to continue" will appear. Press the 1 button to enter the HackMii installer.
  8. Press D-Pad Up three times to highlight "Install the Homebrew Channel" and press A and then "Yes, continue". You should also install Bootmii as it provides brick protection on older Wiis (<2008) and the ability to take a NAND backup.

Success! Your console is now softmodded. You can now start installing homebrew apps to your SD Card or a USB storage device. However, many require custom IOSes.

(Method 2) Cardless Method

If you don't have access to an SD Card, you can still softmod your Wii through the FlashHax method.

Note: Your console needs the Internet Channel installed and an internet connection.

  1. First, you will need to get the Wii's MAC address and version.
    • The MAC address can be found under Settings > Internet > Console Information.
    • The Wii's version can be found on the top right corner in the settings menu.
    • Note: If your Wii's version is NOT 4.3, first update your console, then continue softmodding.
  2. From your Wii, launch the Internet Channel and navigate to flashhax.com on your console.
  3. You will be greeted with 3 buttons with a letter each. This letter corresponds to the console's region, which is the letter on the version number (e.g. 4.3U would be the letter "U"). Select the button corresponding to your console's region and it will take you to a page asking you to bookmark the page.
  4. Select the star icon (Favorites) at the bottom of the screen, followed by the Plus icon (Add Favorite).
  5. Press the Home button and close the Internet Channel.
  6. Relaunch the Internet Channel, choose Favorites, then FlashHax. When the progress bar finishes, it should boot into a black screen with text.
    • If it hangs at 99% for more than 5 seconds, hold the power button on the console to turn it off and attempt this step again until it works. It may take 5 or more tries.
  7. From the black screen, wait approximately 30-60 seconds and the option "Press (1) to continue" will appear. Press the 1 button to enter the HackMii installer.
  8. Press D-Pad Up three times to highlight "Install the Homebrew Channel" and press A and then "Yes, continue". You should also install Bootmii as it provides brick protection on older Wiis (<2008) and the ability to take a NAND backup.

Success! Your console is now softmodded, but you won't be able to add any homebrew apps without an SD Card or USB storage device.

(Method 3) EULA Method (str2hax)

Credit to Fullmetal5 for developing the exploit

If you don't have an SD card, or the internet channel installed, you can use an exploit in the End User License Agreement screen to launch an exploit.

Ensure your Wii is updated to version 4.3 before continuing.

  1. You need an active internet connection in order for this to work
    • If you do not have access to an internet connection, you can host the payload locally (Check the str2hax repository for more info)
  2. Access the settings menu and go to Internet > Connection settings
  3. Select the connection that you wish to use, make sure it has access to the internet
  4. Select the Change settings option and scroll until you get "Auto-Obtain DNS"
  5. Select No, then select Advanced Settings
  6. Change the Primary DNS to 97.74.103.14 and the Secondary DNS to 173.201.71.14.
  7. Select Confirm then save and run the mandatory connection test
  8. If, and when prompted, DO NOT UPDATE THE WII. Depending on your wii, this could brick, and this type of brick requires hardware modification to fix.
  9. Go back to the internet panel and select "User Agreements"
  10. Select Yes to the question about Wii Shop/WiiConnect24
  11. You will then see a screen telling you to review the user agreements for the Wii. Select Next.
  12. If there is a pony on screen telling you to wait, you have done everything correctly. DO NOT PRESS ANYTHING. The exploit takes about 1-2 minutes, if it takes longer than a few then the exploit probably failed, reboot your Wii and retry.
  13. Once loaded into the Hackmii installer, proceed to install the Homebrew channel and Bootmii. The Homebrew Channel allows the loading of homebrew, Bootmii is an essential program that allows backing up the Wii's NAND and if the Wii was made before 2008, offers brick protection.
    • You can check if Bootmii will provide brick protection during the installation process, if you can install Bootmii as Boot2, then your Wii can have Bootmii injected into the boot process which offers brick protection. If "Install Bootmii as IOS" is the only option allowed, then unfortunately your Wii is too new to allow for the Boot2 injection method. You should install Priiloader regardless as it offers patches and some layer of brick protection.

If your Wii now has the homebrew channel in the system menu, congrats! You will need an SD Card or USB storage device though to install homebrew.

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