Channel creation

Channel creation Let's start with the situation. My Wii is physically unmodified, I'm still on system menu 3.2E and have the homebrew channel and a USBGecko. My plan is to create a channel for WiiBASIC and/or WiiTree (Wii version of XTree/ZTree) if and when I sort them. My test plan was too try and write an installer application which will create a channel using a copied banner (probably the photo channel) and my Freecell DOL file. A few questions: 1. If the install goes wrong, and the files aren't registered properly or something, could it brick my Wii? (I'm working off the assumption that using an existing banner means I won't get a banner brick at least) 2. Do I need to provide my own DOL loader for the channel, or would the system menu load it okay? 3. How do channel permissions work? Say if I want WiiTree to be able to access the NAND, DVD (Game discs) and SD card. 4. How do I create tik and tmd files? or can the Wii generate them on my install? 5. Are there any other things I have missed that I would need for my test? Wow, I only thought I had two questions at the start :-) Cheers WhoDareshttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,3226#msg-3226Sun, 07 Jun 2026 16:29:27 +0200 Phorum 5.2.23 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6584#msg-6584 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6584#msg-6584
Two things: My non-Wii project is currently taking priority, and I'm having doubts whether to continue this project anyway.

It's been a while since I released a project that I can put my real name to, and I think that is something I need to do.

You'll have seen several posts about me not wanting to brick my Wii as I develop this, same can be said about other peoples Wiis after the project is "finished", whether it's from a bad banner, or a bad install.

Fakesigning won't work for a number of people, and as I'm more of a coder than a "decoder", It'll be incredibly unlikely that I'll manage what Twiizers and Comex have managed in installing content without the current fakesign.

Also, with the Homebrew Channel, is it really actually worth it?

So, all in all, I don't really know what's going to happen for WhoDares in 2009.

One definate possibility is bringing back WiiBASIC, giving it an interpreter that works, finish off the GX, Wiimote, Internet/Sockets, etc. interfaces for the language and building a Wii-based IDE that supports a USB keyboard.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralThu, 01 Jan 2009 21:26:06 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6577#msg-6577 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6577#msg-6577
also, any updates? or are you still "on vacation" from working on these?]]> DrLucky Homebrew GeneralThu, 01 Jan 2009 19:05:31 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6001#msg-6001 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,6001#msg-6001do have to IMD5 sign the sound.bin though, but a wrong format/bad sound.bin will just give you a channel without sound.

At least one of the sound formats for channels is 16bit PCM wav, and looping is accomplished with a program like Wavosaur that lets you make looping wavs.]]> icefire Homebrew GeneralFri, 26 Dec 2008 17:14:54 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5988#msg-5988 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5988#msg-5988

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bushing
One interesting thing we discovered was that some parts of the spec are optional -- you don't have to actually compress stuff with LZ77, and I believe you can actually leave out the IMD5 block entirely.

I was wondering as much when I was writing the all the block classes and was on my list of things to test when I finished the authoring side.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralFri, 26 Dec 2008 09:49:51 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5960#msg-5960 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5960#msg-5960

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comex

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bushing
FWIW, the only time I've actually heard of a "hard" banner brick was when a banner was *almost* valid, but had an MD5 mismatch.

Wait, what? Why would the menu read a file with a bad hash?

Wrong hash. I'm not talking about a SHA1 content hash that's in a TMD -- these are never verified after installation, anyway (c.f. Starfall).
There is also an "IMD5" block inside the banner that contains an MD5 hash of part of the rest of the banner (or is it the metadata?). The danger is less that you'll incorrectly calculate the MD5, but more that you will forget to update it.

Marcan is the expert here, but I spent some time very early on with him trying to RE the banner format. One interesting thing we discovered was that some parts of the spec are optional -- you don't have to actually compress stuff with LZ77, and I believe you can actually leave out the IMD5 block entirely.]]> bushing Homebrew GeneralFri, 26 Dec 2008 04:30:11 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5952#msg-5952 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5952#msg-5952
Am I right?]]> icefire Homebrew GeneralFri, 26 Dec 2008 01:25:39 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5950#msg-5950 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5950#msg-5950

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bushing
FWIW, the only time I've actually heard of a "hard" banner brick was when a banner was *almost* valid, but had an MD5 mismatch.

Wait, what? Why would the menu read a file with a bad hash?]]> comex Homebrew GeneralFri, 26 Dec 2008 00:57:48 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5904#msg-5904 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5904#msg-5904
Shouldn't have any problems with my MD5 tho, it's written by Microsoft as part of the .NET framework :-)]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralThu, 25 Dec 2008 09:52:23 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5898#msg-5898 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5898#msg-5898 bushing Homebrew GeneralThu, 25 Dec 2008 04:25:37 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5637#msg-5637 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5637#msg-5637
@DrLucky: Correct. There's a thread here [forum.wiibrew.org] where I was enquiring about how content installations are validated.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralMon, 22 Dec 2008 20:22:12 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5627#msg-5627 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5627#msg-5627 DrLucky Homebrew GeneralMon, 22 Dec 2008 18:04:21 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5625#msg-5625 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5625#msg-5625 icefire Homebrew GeneralMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:55:51 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5612#msg-5612 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5612#msg-5612
But yes, that's why when people "customise" banners by replacing images with the wrong sizes they get banner bricks.

I am a little disappointed that Nintendo didn't have any proper fallback on the banner code (ie, just show a black banner instead), but then before a product ships, I guess it will have gone under severe testing and thus would never expect such failures.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralMon, 22 Dec 2008 09:02:09 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5341#msg-5341 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5341#msg-5341

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whodares
Internal files are corrupt (U8 archive incorrectly built, bad LZ77 compression, TPL format bad/unsupported)

Hm. On the N64, the games didn't do much (really, any) sanity checking of their resources, and would simply crash loading a file if it were corrupt or they ran out of memory. I bet the "system files are corrupt" message is just the System Menu's exception handler, and it doesn't do any sanity checking on the banner files, so corrupt files crash it. That would also explain why it occasionally shows up loading HBC, because some part of the loader code has a bug in it, or maybe the banner code has a race condition and crashes if you start at just the right time.]]> HyperHacker Homebrew GeneralSat, 20 Dec 2008 02:30:50 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5237#msg-5237 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5237#msg-5237

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DrLucky
hahaha, I thought the same thing too... that thread was epic..

I soooo enjoyed that thread. Funny as hell!

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DrLucky
anyway, whodares, always interesting to read some of your knowledge!

You're welcome...

Edit:

For those interested in playing with my Banner Creator code. I've dropped TODO comments in all places (I can think of) that require work, they are visible from the Task List window (if you change the combo box to "Comments").
If you get stuck, or would like me explain any of it, please drop me a mail (email on my page of the Wiki), pm me, or reply to this thread :-)]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralThu, 18 Dec 2008 08:37:56 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5232#msg-5232 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5232#msg-5232

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daniel_c_w

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whodares
I lost a bit of code,
[...]
I might post the code up if anybody wants to play with it/carry it on :-)

You lost code? Did you accidently format your SD-Card? :D

hahaha, I thought the same thing too... that thread was epic..

anyway, whodares, always interesting to read some of your knowledge!]]> DrLucky Homebrew GeneralThu, 18 Dec 2008 04:21:00 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5204#msg-5204 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5204#msg-5204

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daniel_c_w
You lost code? Did you accidently format your SD-Card? :D

lol. Actually, it was kinda similar. I have a copy on my local computer, and I also have a copy on a USB stick that I take to work (I always arrive early, so I sometimes do some coding before I start, or in my lunch hour). The only trouble is, I often forget which one is the "latest" version if I don't copy it back that night. Anyway, I had LZ77 stuff on my home and TPL encoding on the USB pen, and I forgot and copied one over the other.

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daniel_c_w
Is [www.wiibrew.org] still up to date?

I've made some slight adjustments, but yes.

Edit 2: I've added an additional section, and provided a link to download the project in all it's unfinished glory :-) Whilst there is no "creation" side to it yet, I hope some of you find it useful.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralWed, 17 Dec 2008 20:24:50 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5202#msg-5202 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5202#msg-5202

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whodares
I lost a bit of code,
[...]
I might post the code up if anybody wants to play with it/carry it on :-)

You lost code? Did you accidently format your SD-Card? :D

Is [www.wiibrew.org] still up to date?]]> daniel_c_w Homebrew GeneralWed, 17 Dec 2008 20:11:18 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5200#msg-5200 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5200#msg-5200
The latest updates from Nintendo block Fake Signing, however, it appears Team Twiizers have found another method of faking a valid signature. Not sure how I'll get around it (I don't have this issue, having not updated beyond v3.2). My options on that will be looked at if and when the banner tools are finished. As all sorts of other updates, patches and bugs might have been found by then.

Regarding the "exact size" issue. The size requirement is only required when replacing one image with another in an existing banner, this is due to the way the brlan and brlyt files control the drawing and moving of the image. However, as my tools would be actually creating the brlan and brlyt files, you'd be able to chose an image of any size and the files will cater for it.

Here are some things that will cause bad banner bricks (none of these have been tested, just theorised)
1. Image sizes don't match their panes in the brlyt files
2. The contents of the banner refer to files (textures, animations, etc.) that aren't actually included in the banner U8 archive
3. Internal files are corrupt (U8 archive incorrectly built, bad LZ77 compression, TPL format bad/unsupported)

From my banner tools, you won't get point 1 because the brlyt will be built with the textures. Point 2 can also be caught when compiling the banner "app" file. So only point 3 could cause a problem really.

I have done extensive tests with my U8 code, and this should not cause any issues. My LZ77 compression currently matches the format, but does not compress :-) I lost my all of the TPL encoding code I wrote, so that'll need writing again.

Thanks to comex, I have a way to test banners using USBGecko without fear of bricking the Wii. Later on, I was planning to build this into my banner tools so if you had the banner tool open on your PC connected to your Wii with the Homebrew Channel running, it would send down a system menu booter that patches banners to read from the editor.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralWed, 17 Dec 2008 19:57:11 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5195#msg-5195 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,5195#msg-5195
I have a question regarding your tools and the HBC install.

Since 3.3 ver.2 and 3.4 block channel installs, then how does the Homebrew channel get installed on that system and how would your channel creator get around this?

also, as I was confused about a while back, (here) how do Wii's brick with a "bad" banner? I was getting it confused with the EXACT size issue that bricks, so what warrants a bricking with your banners?]]> DrLucky Homebrew GeneralWed, 17 Dec 2008 18:32:38 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4455#msg-4455 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4455#msg-4455
I've not seen the code for the Wii menu booter, but the whole package works well. Kudos to comex :-)

I'm currently working on LZ77 compression, although I really should finish the brlyt and brlan stuff soon.]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralWed, 03 Dec 2008 09:18:39 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4445#msg-4445 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4445#msg-4445
Could you give us more detail about the patch?]]> WiiCrazy Homebrew GeneralTue, 02 Dec 2008 23:38:52 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4409#msg-4409 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4409#msg-4409
I'm hoping, down the line, comex might modify the menu loader dol to find the addresses to patch, rather than hard code. Then I could merge the code into my banner tools, and you could run it all straight out of the box :-)]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralTue, 02 Dec 2008 08:44:32 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4211#msg-4211 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4211#msg-4211 icefire Homebrew GeneralWed, 26 Nov 2008 00:52:58 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4184#msg-4184 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4184#msg-4184
@icefire: We'll see how these other two ideas pan out first, as they won't require any installation of a new IOS.

Cheers guys]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralTue, 25 Nov 2008 09:26:34 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4182#msg-4182 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4182#msg-4182

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whodares
Anyway, the project is not dead. If anybody does want to help, the best thing they can do, is assist me in finding a way to test banners in the real system menu, without the possibility of bricking the Wii.

Dunno if you're still looking for help on this, but the ORIGINAL way to test this stuff was to use menuloader with a patch to change the location from which the System Menu looks for the banners.
I'm going from memory on this, but it normally checks the first content file or somesuch, so you change the string for that load to /title/%08x/%08x/contenx/%s or somesuch, then put your banner files in the new content folder.

When it boots, it will load up a "blank" image for all "missing" banners, and load any banners in the new "correct" location just fine.

I don't really have the details on what exactly to patch on this (It's been a while), but IIRC crediar (#wiidev@efnet) did something like this. You should ask him about it. Or someone else in #wiidev. Testing banners should not be risky with menuloader.]]> tona Homebrew GeneralTue, 25 Nov 2008 09:15:39 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4131#msg-4131 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4131#msg-4131 icefire Homebrew GeneralTue, 25 Nov 2008 00:32:15 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4127#msg-4127 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4127#msg-4127 whodares Homebrew GeneralMon, 24 Nov 2008 22:19:36 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4124#msg-4124 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4124#msg-4124 strongfan Homebrew GeneralMon, 24 Nov 2008 21:21:34 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4114#msg-4114 Re: Channel creationhttp://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?21,3226,4114#msg-4114
Anybody fancy donating a chipped Wii? :-)

Just kidding, although I do think I need to find me one to play with]]> whodares Homebrew GeneralMon, 24 Nov 2008 09:16:30 +0100