The Wii is prepared! Now loads 40+ games from USB! :-)

The Wii USB disk is operational and prepped with some 40 games. 🙂

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.