IOS versions 0xffff?

If you've read this post you can see that many of the IOS versions are 0xffff.

HackMii v0.3 installer starting up
PVR = 00087200
59 titles are installed
Found IOS 16: revision: 0x200.
Found IOS 201: revision: 0xc16*
Found IOS 254: revision: 0x7a6a*
Found IOS 50: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 10: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 255: revision: 0x7a69*
Found IOS 0: revision: 0x0*
Found IOS 60: revision: 0x181e*
Found IOS 38: revision: 0xe1a*
Found IOS 35: revision: 0xc14.
Found IOS 34: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 31: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 33: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 30: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 28: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 22: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 20: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 17: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 15: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 14: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 13: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 12: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 11: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 250: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 249: revision: 0x7*
Found IOS 61: revision: 0x131a.
Found IOS 55: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 53: revision: 0x141d*
Found IOS 52: revision: 0x161d.
Found IOS 51: revision: 0x1300.
Found IOS 46: revision: 0xb15.
Found IOS 45: revision: 0xb13.
Found IOS 43: revision: 0xb13.
Found IOS 41: revision: 0xb13.
Found IOS 40: revision: 0xc00.
Found IOS 37: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 21: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 9: revision: 0xffff*
Found IOS 36: revision: 0xc16*
Found IOS 3: revision: 0xff00.
Found IOS 2: revision: 0x1c1.
Found IOS 4: revision: 0xff00.
This installer can NOT continue!

There is no known vulnerable IOS installed on this Wii.
Please note that we will not use a fakesigned IOS due to security reasons.

Look for an updated version at:
http://bootmii.org

If this is already the latest version... well, suck it.

That makes it so they can't be upgraded/downgraded, but what installs these? Is there a version of cIOScorp that someone was smart enough (well, sort of...) to make it the highest version?

They can't be downgraded? Why not?

They can't be up/downgraded because the version number is as high as it will go. (0xffff)

AFAIK somebody said, that they can be upgraded with versionnumbers just as high.

And a patched IOS should be able to downgrade them

Those IOSs with the maximum version number were installed by Nintendo (with the maximum version number) because the Wii no longer uses them. They are trucha patched and do nothing. They are sometimes referred to as "dummy IOSs" or "placeholder IOSs".

(This may be wrong so some outside information would be appreciated)

Are those "stub" or "mothballed" IOS? Anyway, they should be downgradeable same as any IOS. The version number doesnt go up in a downgrade surely.

EDIT: Was researching these mothballed or "placeholder" IOS, they don't use the maximum version number. For example, the mothballed IOS16 is v512. This page has some information and says Nintendo can easily use these IOS again by increasing the version number : [wiibrew.org]. Also shows the available versions of each IOS, and the mothballed ones dont have the highest possible version number, which in decimal is 65535. All the mothballed ones have a lower version number than that.

They should be downgradable because they are all trucha patched and you could just fakesign an IOS with a lower version number.

Also, how do the hex version numbers translate to the numbers we more commonly use?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 05:36PM by MattMan.

Well, what do you mean? Hex is a base sixteen counting system, where our regular one is base ten. Its a little tricky to explain. Basically, where our counting system (decimal) goes up to 9 before going to 10, then 19 before 20, hex goes up to f then 10, then 1f before 20, and so on. It goes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f - 16 numbers before going to 10. Hence, base 16. This means it can make huge numbers shorter. To convert between them, you can use this site : [www.easycalculation.com]

There's probably also a manual method, but this is quicker and easier.

Quote
MattMan
Also, how do the hex version numbers translate to the numbers we more commonly use?

Hex is base 16.
Our numbers (decimal) are base 10.

So...

A = 10
B = 11
C = 12
D = 13
E = 14
F = 15

To convert base 16 to base 10:
0xffff
f + f + f + f
Edit: This is wrong. See Phoenix's and SifJar's Comment Below
(15 * 16*0) + (15 * 16*1) + (15 * 16*2) + (15 * 16*3)
15 + 240 + 480 + 720
= 1455



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 09:51PM by Arikado.

Really? Cause some IOS versions on WiiBrew have much higher versions than that, and according to the website I linked to above, ffff = 65535. And windows calculator agrees.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 06:58PM by SifJar.

(15 * 16^0) + (15 * 16^1) + (15 * 16^2) + (15 * 16^3)
15 + 240 + 3840 + 61440
= 65535

For some reason, you were confusing powers with multiplication.

Oh, so thats how you convert between them. Thanks, that may come in handy one day. But we're getting off topic here...

EDIT: Wait, shouldn't it be the other way round?

(15 * 16^3) + (15 * 16^2) + (15 & 16^1) + (15 * 16^0)

Because thats how its done with binary, only with different numbers, if you know what I mean. for example

1010 is binary for 10. To convert you do this

(1 * 2^3) + (0 * 2^2) + (1 * 2^1) + (0 * 2^0)

8 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 10

Doing it the way you did it would give

(1 * 2^0) + (0 * 2^1) + (1 * 2^2) + (0 * 2^3)

1 +0+4+0 = 5

Which is incorrect.

The reason it worked for you is because all the values were f. If they were different, your way would have not worked.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 09:45PM by SifJar.

Yeah, I haven't had to do this on my own in about a year or two. Thanks Pheonix and SifJar (below) :-)

For the record, that formula will also work with other bases by simply replacing 16 with the base number being used.

Edit: Wow this is sad on my part...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 09:52PM by Arikado.

Its backwards though I think. See my post above.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 10:09PM by SifJar.

I have found out that the latest cIOScorp (and possibly last few versions) puts the version number as the maximum, i.e.0xffff, presumably to resist Nintendo updates.

Makes sense as that would also prevent BootMii IOS installs.

Yeah, Nintendo's update wouldn't upgrade (downgrade) those IOSs and HackMii installer wouldn't use them because they have the fake-sign bug. Dop-IOS MOD running off IOS35, 36, or 60 couldn't replace IOS34 either, even though they had fakesign capabilities. In order to replace it I had him use WAD Manager to run of IOS250 (it was a cIOS) because IOS249 (also cIOS) was broken, and that was able to install the normal IOS34 and let him use the HackMii installer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 10:57PM by bg4545.

Quote
SifJar
Oh, so thats how you convert between them. Thanks, that may come in handy one day. But we're getting off topic here...

EDIT: Wait, shouldn't it be the other way round?

I tend to read hexadecimal and binary representations from right to left, but I read and write everything else left to right, hence the reversal of sorts.

Back on topic.. uh... hmm... cIOScorp is definitely bad, but we knew that already, eh?

Yeah, but this is really bad. The guy had no idea it was there, and really it's a good thing a working cIOS was on there or else the HackMii Installer would never have worked.

HackMii Installer will use cIOS?