The Wii has 2 processors, one mainly used for security, the ARM processor. On the ARM processor IOS runs, the Input/Output System. When a game, or other wii application asks IOS when it needs to use Wii specific hardware like the NAND internal memory, bluetooth (Wii Remotes) but the classic GC hardware is wired to the main one. Several different versions of IOS are on any Wii, so as to maintain backwards compatability with older games. IOS 58 is special in that it has USB 2 support, eliminating the need for a cIOS to implement it. a cIOS is an IOS which has special things added on to it, such as USB 2 (before IOS 58 came out) and ZOMG PIRACY (which Wiibrew discourages).
dop-Mii Wiibrew Edition is the best way to manage your IOS's. You can install IOS's, either from wads or from the Nintendo Update Servers,
and patch them so they have the Trucha Bug (And old way of installing things) (I've been gone a loooooong time). Use it to install a vanilla IOS 58, then if you want USB 2 in Homebrew Channel re-install Homebrew Channel. Installing new IOS's will NOT impact on game-playing compatability, and the reason many games have updates is to make sure they have the IOS they need. They only negative installing IOS's have is to take up a minute amount of space on the Wii's NAND.
If you want to know what MIOS is, it's a special IOS that manages Gamecube mode.
IOS's used by the Wii System Menu usually follow the pattern x0 e.g. IOS 30 for menu 3.2, 3.3, IOS 70 for menu 4.2, IOS 8- for menu. Often Nintendo overwrites old system menu IOS's with stubs that do not function when they release a new menu often, and also try to "stub out" cIOS's to stop piracy (but in the past have epicly failed, stubbing IOS's that are used for non-piracy homebrew)
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2011 08:06PM by metroid_maniac.