Working WIndows 7 activation …
This activator works on a machine with no SLIC …
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5302510/Server_2008__Win_7__Vista__Activator
The area seem fairly complex but the activator seem to support it all …
The Wii is prepared! Not loads 40+ games from USB! :-)
The Wii USB disk is operational and prepped with some 40 games. I placed toe small USB disk back in the package for one of the daughters birthday! 
So, this is how to do it, and also the why in a sketchy outlines form, assuming system 4.2E as I have. Do also ensure that you have a working internet connection to the unit; Wireless via the built in set-up or wired via a USB to LAN type of connection. I have a third party version of the latter that works nicely.
Install HackMii
This is a step needed to install Homebrew channel (HBC) and BootMii. A channel is an icon in the system menu and HomeBrew Channel is hence what you need to do in order to get a button that gives a menu which contains the homebrew stuff on the SD memory.
In order to install HackMii, you first need to install Bannerbomb Version 2. Instructions on the page, which also instructs you how to install HackMii. Install all three components of the HackMii (HBC and BootMii being the two most important at this point).
Install Homebrew Browser – Optional but highly recommended
I would suggest you already at this point create a directory on the SD that is called “apps” and get Homebrew Browser. HBB allows you to download Homebrew material directly from the unit. Download link and instructions all on the page.
What you do with apps – all in DOL or ELF format – is to depack them into a directory of the apps folder on your SD card. Then rename the file to boot.dol/elf (whichever extension the original file had). Talking about the SD card, I will call it SD: in the examples below.
Install a USB loader
There are several to chose from, but to keep it simple there are basically two that stands out to do the job.
- USB Loader GX
- Configurable USB Loader
I installed both of them, and there is really no harm in doing just that. They don’t conflict so there is no harm in having both. If one fails, try the other.
Mess with IOS
See IOS as releases of the OperatingSystem. In order to have this working there are a zillion things to do here that fiddles with IOS files and installs special version of them. This seem to be a complete science of it’s own, but again to keep it short, there seem to be two things you are recommended to do. Install an IOS222 and a IOS249
- IOS 249
- hermes IOS 222/223 (End of the page – search for “Descarga”)
Install to SD://apps/IOS249 … A very detailed guide is available here.
Optionally you can also install Hermes 222/223. Again, I think this is something to do just in case the 249 fail you and you need a plan B. Described here. I didn’t do this and it works fine without it. By the way, the IOS249 giude talks about another app called AnyTitle Deleter Mod v6b, which can uninstall IOS files. Might be handy for some.
If you have done all things right now, you will have one or possibly two USB loader options available in the Homebrew Channel.
Final part
Starting the HBC every time may seem tedious. There is something that is called the WAD manager 1.5, that you can install and start from the HBC. It creates channels for Homebrew applications. So, using it you can have a link directly from the Nintendo Wii menu directly to the USB loader application (or any other application). I failed this step repeatedly, and the reason was that you need to you run BootMii and back-up the NAND memory to a file on the SD card for it to work. So, please ensure that you install it (unless you did in the earliest steps). Start it but starting the HBC and pressing “Home” (the house on the controller). There you will see a menu that allows you to run BootMii. Now control the app with reset (step on step forward) and reset (select current option). Awkward steering mechanism but it does work. While at it, I can strongly recommend reading the FAQ here. These are qualified guys for sure!
Let’s now prepare the games
The early USB loaders could only access drives using the WBFS, so you needed special programs to format and manage. Now the loaders can do it also for FAT32 disks and USB Loader GX can possibly also do NTFS. Again, for maximum compatibility I would advice you to use the WBFS option and get a nice program that will allow you to take the ISO files (or possibly even the RAR files) and copy a playable image on the drive.
So, obtain a unit that can connect to the USB port of the Wii. A larger USB stick will do, but in order to have a point I do recommend a harddisk. Preferably the “portable category” where you need no external power, but it’s all taken from the USB port. I parted with some money for this beauty. It’s a white 2.5″ drive from Western Digital. Please mind; 320GB is A LOT. The average game is around 2GB. I think I have stuffed over some 40 games (all of which I own the original disk of course 
and it takes some 90GB.
I use WBFS manager 3.01 (Windows only) and it works like a charm. Takes the ISO files (not to be mixed with the IOS files), converts them and places them on the disk in a MOST userfriendly way. It can also take cases where the ISO is RAR compressed and depack it transparently in the conversion process.
So, with games on the disk and the machine prepared, start the USB Loader GX. You now see a graphical representation of the games installed on the harddisk if it worked. (A reason for failure is if you connected the using to the wrong USB port). You can download themes but more importantly you can download representations of the covers in 2D and 3D, plus also for the discs. There will be spinning disc images that you click to start the game in at least some of the layouts of the menu. I pressed a blank cover and selected to download. hey presto, I had an AMAZINGLY nice menu to chose from. For every game you can select IOS version and a lot of other things than might be relevant in some cases. For the New Super Mario I needed to select IOS 222 as IOS 249 didn’t work.
In general I must say that obviously a tremendous amount of time must have been invested in making and perfecting this and it looks and works SO good! I am totally blown away by how good it works and home crisp the design is! The Configurable USB Loader can most likely do the same, but I didn’t go all the way with it quite yet.
More Wii stuff
So, learning more and progressing Wii;
Installing HomeBrew was pretty easy. Depacking the BannerBlaster V2 and HackMii 0.6 was just depacking and putting it on the CD card.
HomebrewChannel worked and I had mixed it up with the HomeBrew Browser, so the HBC was empty. Stupid me was waiting and waiting. I was expecting it to update but read up and realised the mistake. I run WLAN using MAC address control and no WEP/WPA so I basically cannot use the Wii’s WLAN capability, and did get a corded access (USB LAN converter).
So, I downloaded the HomeBrew Browser and depacked it to a newly created “Apps” folder on the SD card. Now I could add a bunch on nice applications and run them.
Next work item is adding the new 320GB USB disk and ensuring I can access ISOs from it.
I understand that there are a few things to do in order to make that work;
- Fiddle with the cIOS
- Install something that allows accessing units connected via USB (USB Loader GX seems to be the program people recommend). Download from here. There are other alternatives. Check here to see which they are and a very detailed comparison.
- Connect a USB disk. A compatibility list is provided here
- Get a WBFS manager (These are available, the best Windows one seem to be WBFS Manager. Current version is 3.0). It can access WBFS formatted device.
Seems there are a comprehensive guide here: http://gwht.wikidot.com/usb-loader
Wii and HomeBrewChannel
So, HomeBrew Channel – please mind that I am reading up and commenting back – I haven’t actually tested if this works yet
A channel is an icon on the Wii starting screen, and HomeBrewChannel (“HBC”) is adding such a channel that gives you access to HomeBrew applications. HomeBrew is a fair pick of a word as it’s home made stuff, which is not officially authorized and can come in any quality from professional/commercial to pure rubbish.
The obvious starting point for reading up is HERE
The law
So, naturally Nintendo didn’t intent us to use the equipment we purchased in a manner they do not approve of. It’s not only unauthorized, they are trying their best to prevent it from happening. If somebody claims it’s illegal, then rest assure in most jurisdictions it’s not. Actively bypassing protections schemes to be able to copy a game might be, but to do it to install a custom DVD player is for sure not no mater how hard a hoard of Nintendo lawyers will tell you something else. Please mind that legislation works; you have the actual legislation but nothing there in any law says you cannot fiddle with your Wii. NOTHING! However something in your local law can establish a principle of enforcing mechanisms that impose limitations of usage and the Nintendo lawyer will say it is applicable for the case. Even a pretty lousy lawyer would be able to state that this is obviously a clear case.
System Updates
The menu system of the Wii is software. Some games requite a revision of the system software that is newer than a certain revision. Nothing more strange than that a PC program cannot run on Win95 and ME but only later ones, or need DirectX 9 or later. Games can seemingly enforce updates for you, presumably only if the unit is Internet connected.
Any hack of the system software is logically eradicated from the system if it’s updated. It’s not supposed to be there, to there is no reason to ensure that it stayed if Nintendo didn’t want it there in the first place.
So there are two things to know;
- How to install, and
- What to install
Installation
Depending on the system you have, you need different methods to perform the installations. The installer uses loopholes in the system to allow to be installed. Loopholes are shut per the Nintendo updates, why new need to be found for newer versions.
From what I read, if you have a recent system (which at the time of writing seem to be Version 4.2 – I have 4.2E where E is for Europe. It’s visible under Wii Options and then Wii Settings – top right corner) the best solution is to install the Bannerbomb Version 2, which is the mean to facilitate the installation of the program that will enable HomeBrew.
What you then install is the HackMii package. Current version is 0.6. Bannerbomb installations guide asks you to install it with the HackMii package described below. Installation guide is here
HackMii contains three parts;
* BootMii – Current version: public beta 4 This is the piece that allows a nice set of features. It can make a safety copy of the system memory so that it can be restored and also facilitates the activation of the HomebrewChannel. The program is nicely presented here, and it’s pointless for me to repeat that very comprehensive text.
* The Homebrew Channel 1.0.6 – is a self-updating homebrew application loader by Team Twiizers which allows users to load homebrew applications without having to run an exploit every time. Once installed, users can access the channel from the Wii System Menu just like any other Wii channel. It can launch or install homebrew applications from an SD or SDHC card or via TCP/USB Gecko using Wiiload.
* DVDX v2 – Installs a hidden “channel” which can be used by other homebrew applications to access home burned and factory pressed DVD content without the need for a modchip. This does not modify any IOS in any way, making it very safe
A nice read with screen illustrations can also be found here
So, you have read this far and have come to the conclusion that it’s doable (right you are) but think “Why do it?”. Some are into the sport of proving it could be done. Assuming you are the kind that need a bit more tangible use in order to spend a night on getting this to work, then the answer is to run Homebrew applications. There is actually a fairly impressive range of stuff available that turns your Wii into a much more versatile machine that you found it to be out of the box.
A list of relevant software is here
Extra reading
CompleteSoftmodGuide – It looks most complete. Lots to read, and not to that you necessarily are interested in all of it, even if you are interested in the topic.
For the dare devils of you. Can’t recommend this. It’s playing with fire for real! HERE
LG 42PC1RR
I am very pleased with the family plasma, even if it by now is a bit old. 42″ but not full HD, a useless analogue TV module (Sweden is all digital since a just after i bought it) .
Anyway; it’s been there since quite long but it seems the “dancing red sports” is a common problem on the model.
http://www.minhembio.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=146294&st=60
Another thing; any suggestion is how I on the PC can set-up the 1366*768 that the TV supports? I can define it on the tv side (default is 1024*768) but this is not a step that can be set in Windows Xp in the native state.
Must remember this:
Jag ringde detta numret när jag skulle klaga på mina röda prickar: 0771-414379. Det går till LGs helpdesk. LG service har numret: 0550-85537.
Nintendo DSi and ad hoc networks
Having a WiFi enabled device such as the Nintendo DSi, it’s only natural to use it in order to access the public internet. However it doesn’t support any USB modem (no USB port) and if you don’t have any access point within range it would make sense to use an ad hoc wifi network for the purpose.
I am currently on a fairly remote location but still within 3G/UMTS coverage so using the laptop and it’s 3G modem as a mean to go on-line would make a lot of sense. However, as I read it this is not doable.
It seems Nintendo had a special plug for this
Very descriptive question similar to mine
More of the same (with a very techy solution for allowing downloading homebrew stuff via Wireless as a bonus).
A product that target the same segment that Nntendo themselves seemingly left is the WiFi Access Point Adapter from Datel/Codejunkies here
Any hint on how to make the normal WiFi connection an access point that the Nintendo DS can accept for internet access, please send a comment, mail or mess!
Programs I can’t live without
When getting to a new computer there are program that I simply must install or it would restrict the way I work on computers.
Total Commander – With the old roots in the Norton Commander structure and Directory Opus for the Amiga the two window file manager tradition is where I was born and bred. It has so many features that I simply don’t know how to do without it; pattern based mass renaming, support for all compressed formats, FTP, fully configurable button-bar, extensive search.
VLC – Videolan plays all the media-formats you feed it without the need to install the vast variety of codecs available. It’s all built in, nicely packaged and available for free. I wouldn’t mind a more cosmetic and skinned front-end, but the engine inside is second to none.
Firefox – I refuse to work with Internet Explorer. I believe in competition and a vital part of that is to steer away from the leading provider and support a challenger where I can do this without too much effort. So as you notice I do run Windows (XP, Vista and now 7) as all efforts to run Linux failed horribly. It has improved SO much but so many times did it fail on lack of support for a piece of hardware. I am well beyond the average user but even I am reluctant to go to the shell window and start issuing a “sudo” command, no to mention the “classical” “make and install” combination.
Must have plug-ins:
- Swedish and English dictionaries. I know you can’t always tell I use it
- Google Gears – Offline support
- IE tab – allow using IE for specific pages withour fireing up IE itself.
- Twitterbar - If you are a tweeter, twitterbar is fantastic. When you find a link to share, enter a comment in the address field and fire away the comment + link as a tweet.
- Xmarks - Synk your bookmarks between computers. It can do passwords as well but I never spent the time to get that to work. It’s worth the effort to install it by the bookmark synker alone.
Microsoft Office – Yes, Open Office cannot give me what I need – sorry! Pivotables based on an underlying SQL query to a MySQL database is yet to show up in OO, so there is no option for me.
Nokia Ovi Suite – I gues this replaced the PC Suite. Being a Nokia junkie, I do of course need this.
Vuze – Nuff said. Good shit that you need
Dropbox – You get access to a slice of diskspace on the web and a brilliant sync function to it. The stuff that I have at home and at work which I need to have consistent across is there. Source code for a project, EXE files that in the virus infested net never seem to get through in any other way, plus you can provide a link to a file or directory for someone.
Avast Antivirus - Going cheap, this is the best no money can buy in terms of safekeeping your environment.
ACDSee - My favourite program for handling the family pictures. I have used it since version 2, where it’s now in version 9. Very good! Favourite feature is the ability to rename files from an EXIF property.
Picasa – Picasa is a free picture managing program. Very good and the 3.5 has a truly nice face recognition feature. If it could do a few of the things ACDSee can, then I would terminate the use of ACDSee but so far they are complimentary.
Snagit – Snap pieces of the screen. The new “snipping tool” in Windows is a light version of Snagit and works really good (however a bit primitive) but nothing beats Snagit.
Thunderbird – Mail and news monster. Second to none. My mail is relayed to GMail so I can read it on the move, but mail at home is read using Thunderbird using IMAP. I then collect and delete it from the server using POP3 from Outlook. Might seem like a clumsy solution and to some extent it is. I am sort of halfways between webmail and client based mail, wanting the best of both worlds.
TweetDeck – Recent acquaintance. Really convenient for following feeds from twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. Actually made it possible to follow both Facebook and Twitter without much human CPU load.
I would want to say I use Spotify and Voddler a lot, but I honestly don’t. I have accounts, have both programs installed, friends working for Spotify and honestly support their cause with all my heart, but I consume local media using MediaPortal (TV, movies and sometimes music) on the HTPC and MediaMonkey (music) and SqueezeBox (music – hardware but the HTPC also run as a SqueezeServer)
Webservices
iGoogle – My opening page is the iGoogle page where I have a set of gadgets that shows the information I need on a regular basis
- Twitter gadget - Read your twitter feed in a compact way
- Stock portfolio – Monitor one or more stocks. I am naturally following my employer.
- GMail – THE online webmail. I collect my mail using POP3 (with no delete) from my normal accounts. Gives a common interface to all of it and also a storage repository.
- Latitude - Google’s positioning service that sits on top of the Google Maps
Media for Wii
So the family is now owner of a Wii console. The kids saved up to one and even if I would prefer that the PS2 was replaced/supplemented by a PS3, the Wii has got advantages for sure.
So, just to ensure that we do not wear out the original games we plan to buy, I have ensured that the unit can play backups of our own originals. There are several options available but they are pretty much the same.
Wiikey 2 – http://www.psxcare.com/product.php?xProd=900&xSec=86
Argon 2 – http://www.psxcare.com/product.php?xProd=952&xSec=86
I am still reading up on installing the HomeBrew channel. Look very interesting if one wants to execute stuff from the SD card that can be installed. We have installed such a card (8GB one) but key usage is still to be able to use the DVD player as a region free DVD player, and we already have a computer attached so I am not sure of the added benefit.
Flashcards
The daughters all have their Nintendo DS Light. We are going to add another and naturally it makes sense to then buy a DSi, as they are now available. Now I also seek to get Flashcards to enable playing homebrew games.
There are several different vendors available and it’s fairly confusing which supports what.
So the options seem to be:
I rule out the iTouch2 as it doesn’t support Firmware 1.4 of the DSi
So, any feedback welcome! Please use the option to comment!
Picasa 3.5
The face recognition part of Picasa 3.5 made me uninstall the Swedish speaking 3.1 I had and go for the English speaking 3.5 (as it seemingly takes forever to get 3.5 translated).
Anyway – it worked for some days on my 4 core CPU computer and it did a fairly good job even if I have spent hours and hours to manually adjust things. Very few false positives but very many unidentified.
There are a few things I would like to see addressed in an update:
* When it allocates a face to a name as “Suggestion” you can select if the programs assumption is correct by two easy to understand symbols. Pressing No it tries to match the face to another name and so on. Sometimes the face belongs to a person that just happened to be in the picture even if this is unintentional and you don’t want the person registered in your list, like if you took a shot as something or someone in a public place with lots of unknown people around. In the “unnamed” category you can select “Ignore Person”, but in the named albums this is not possible. PLEASE add “Ignore Person” to the right button menu for the people added to albums as suggestions. As it it now, these unknown faces ping pong between albums, tying to find a home it will never reach.
* The the right click menu for the “Suggestions” there is an option of adding a person to an album (“Add to People Album”). I have 466 identified contacts which makes this function totally impractical for any contact that does not have a name that starts with an “A”. Scrolling the list to later characters takes forever.
* Also for the “Suggestions”, you can double click the thumbnail and add the name to the persons on the picture. Sometime naming the people there, you still have the person in the album listed as a suggestion, even if you just filled in the name manually. This only happen sometimes and I find no system in when it works or not. I get the feeling that not all changes made to the picture opening a “Suggestion” is trapped by the program.
* In the same context, opening the picture of a suggestion and clicking the “X” symbol of the identified people on the list (even all of the people on the list) the suggestion is still there. As an example; my daughter in a group of people. None identified but the program has her suggested as on of the faces, but the wrong one. I open the picture and “X” away all the people that aren’t relevant to keep (right or wrong, I use this a “Ignore people” on a picture by picture basis). I then define my daughters name to the correct face. Not the picture contains *one* identified person – my daughter – and I press escape to get back to the list. Now, the album still has the suggestion to accept my daughter as being identified in the picture but a) she is already identified and b) the definition of the face to the suggested on is not there – I just deleted it.
* If I from the “Unnamed” category has chosen to Ignore Person, I can still see the same person from the same photo as a suggestion in one of the people album. When ignored in the Unnamed category the face should universally ignored.
* Also in the context of opening the picture of a “Suggestion” the option of manually adding people is not there.
* When I enter an album, sometimes I find that there is a person that is added that doesn’t belong there (so person X is present in the album of person Y). However, opening the picture I see that the person in the album isn’t even present in the picture. So all faces are properly named in the picture, but it’s still there in the wrong album.
* Similar to my reflection above, I have cases in the album of my wife where the thumbnail shows a picture of my daughter. My wife is present in the picture so the thumbnail correctly points to picture of my wife but shows another person in the same picture in the thumbnail. I right clicked my wifes album icon as listed under “People” but the thumbnail is still wrong.
It might be that I do something wrong but the results still indicate room for improvement. I do think these are errors in the implementation.
One other thing which should be considered is differentiating unnamed and unrecognised. I found it so that pictures feature a person whom I know but do not recall the name of (class mate of the children, person on a party I don’t recall the name of and so on). I would like to be able to have a convenient mean to allocate references to “identified but unnamed person X”.
