First-Timer Needs some comfort

So, I'm a pretty heavy DIY'er on my laptop. I've tried a multiplicity of customizations/hacks/tweaks in the past with relative ease.

I just purchased a Wii and am trying to piece together how to get HomeBrew, etc. up and running. I just need a little bit of advice.

1) First, my Wii has a serial number starting with LU3549xxxxxx, I'm unsure when it was originally purchased, as I just bought it used (although it wasn't really used much). I remember seeing a page that talked of certain Wii's being incompatible, I thought I'd throw this up to see if any red flags are raised. It is using System Menu 4.0, and I have turned off Wii Connect, as it keeps asking me to update to 4.1.

2) Second, essentially what I want to accomplish, is I'd really like to be able to play DVD movies with my Wii, as well as play games via the emulators. I'd also like the ability to back everything up, so that in the event of a mishap I don't lose my Wii...that would be really sad.

3) I've read the FAQ page on BootMii, and I'm still trying to figure out it's benefits. Is this what is used to create a NAND backup? What other practical uses does it have?

4) The step-by-step guide is for Twilight, is there a step-by-step from start to finish for the BannerBomb hack (is this just the step included on the BannerBomb page? (http://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/Bannerbomb)?

5) If I understand correctly, you need an SD card in order to install everything, but once that is complete, you can take the SD card out and use your Wii as usual, but, in order to play emulators or any HomeBrew Apps, you need the SD card back in...so it's a good idea to have an SD card dedicated to HomeBrew usage. Is that correct?

6) Is all of this reversible? For instance, a software OC of your video card can have adverse affects on your system, however, once you delete the software/reformat, there are no traces of that ever happening. Is that comparable?

7) Do you need a GC remote for any of this? I read in the BooMii FAQ, it's preferable to have one, but I only have one WiiMote, and a Logitech Wii Keyboard.

8) Is there an internet browser that can be installed for free?

That's all for now, sorry to be a bit exhaustive, but before I hack my Wii I want to be extra sure of what I'm doing. The claims of HomeBrew being completely brick-safe may be true...but that doesn't prevent a naive or impatient person from screwing things up.

Thanks

1) Sounds fine.
2) For playing DVDs you will want to install DVDx and use an application like MPlayer CE. As far as backups go, Bootmii is what you need, but under normal circumstances you don't actually need it. Not at all bad to have, though (provided it is installed as boot2).
3) See above.
4) The steps on the bannerbomb page are pretty much all you need to do.
5) Yes.
6) You can uninstall the HBC, DVDx and Bootmii. Nothing else leaves a trace on your Wii.
7) You'll be fine with a Wiimote for the most part, but bootmii needs a cube controller, or the use of the power/reset buttons on the console.
8) Not yet. WiiBrowse will be your best bet when it is finished, I'd think.

Nothing wrong with caution, and provided you stay away from all the "failware" (downgrade guides, backup/usb loaders, cios) you really will be fine.
Let me know if I haven't covered a question well enough - I tried to keep it concise.

First off, a super THANKS for being so prompt, and so accommodating. You answers were very clear and understandable =]

I always love seeing an online community where the first response isn't a cheeky "RTFM". I can tell I am welcome, and if in the future I have the capacity, I'd love to help out.

A few more follow-up questions:
1) Is the only way to know if BootMii is installable on boot2 is to start the install and look for the "green"? (per these instructions: [www.wiibrew.org])

2) So BootMii on boot1 is not that beneficial? Is it because it can only run AFTER things are loaded? So it can't backup the NAND (or more importantly it can't overwrite it to restore a backup?...I guess it should be able to complete the backup)

3) [giddy] Any word on when WiiBrowse will be finished? With the keyboard the sellers included, I think it would be a pretty handy app for me.

4) What is all this speak of IOS? Why would someone want to do the CIOS mod you mentioned?

Thanks a million!


EDIT:

5) I recall seeing somewhere in the countless pages I've read the importance of not having a disk in during some/all? of these processes. After that is done, I should ever have to worry about having a disk in and the SD card simultaneously right? There WILL be other people using my Wii. I just want to make sure I make it fool-proof, so that someone can't screw things up when I'm not around.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2009 06:13AM by Meetloaf13.

You're welcome =) This community is indeed a lot nicer than many net forums, especially some I use.
Treat others how you would like to be treated and all that.

1) Pretty much. It should tell you whether you can install it as boot2/IOS before actually going ahead with the install, though.
2) Okay, some clarification needed, I think. Bootmii can be installed as Boot2 or IOS. The boot2 method was originally the only way it was going to be used, but the devs added the IOS method after some changes Nintendo made to newer hardware, which prevents to boot2 version. Due to this, the IOS version has reduced capability and does not serve as "brick protection", while boot2 does. As you say, I think the IOS version allows you to backup, but not restore, and requires a GC controller to use.
3) No idea. This is the WiiBrowse page on WiiBrew, if you want to keep tabs on it.
4) An IOS is the Input/Output System the Wii uses. There are multiple IOS versions on each Wii. A cIOS is a custom IOS. Most are used simply to enable piracy (with the exception of tona's cIOS & the USB2 cIOS).
5) After the install of HBC/DVDx/Bootmii with BannerBomb, you should be fine to have discs in whenever. As far as fool proofing goes, parental settings may be useful there, and keeping any out of region games out of reach is advised (installing an update from an out of region disc can cause a brick).

Awesome,

Let's hope for the best, I'm doubtful that my Wii will be able to install on boot2 (owners claim it is a newer Wii), but I REALLY hope so...if not, I think I can still swing it. Like you mentioned I don't plan on doing anything crazy/custom, I just want the general functionality.

I'm not even interested in the "Game-Genie" type cheats codes and whatnot, so there you go.

Regarding the "fool-proofing", I won't have anyone dubious or even tech-savvy trying anything on my system, just the wife, youngsters, and casual friends, so it sounds like I shouldn't have a problem.

1) Last question for now, if I understand correctly, the only time the system boots from the SD card is during install and when using BootMii, is that correct?

Thanks again and again.

I can't say for sure, but I think that the Wii may be old enough for boot2, judging by the serial number. If not, you really should be fine.
Again, for fool proofing, I think it is just a case of removing the SD card when you aren't there, and maybe using the parental controls.

Depends on your definition of "boot" and "load", I guess. Some examples: Bootmii attempts to boot from SD before the System Menu loads, and bannerbomb attempts to load and run a boot.dol/.elf from SD card while in the System Menu. HBC is installed as a channel but loads other applications from SD. Make any sense? The terms are largely interchangeable, but not quite the same.

Again, you're welcome. Drop me a PM if you need help with anything else, and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Does the speed of your SD matter? For instance, will a slower SD card play emulated games slower, or will it make a difference? I was just going to go and pick up this one:
[www.officedepot.com]

It shouldn't matter in most cases. There is no light and day difference between my Class 6 and my Class 2 SDHC cards, and even then, limited to read/write operations on the cards e.g. Bootmii loads up a second or two faster with my Class 6 card. For your example, I very much doubt it will make any noticeable difference.

Thanks for this thread. Was going to make a similar one. I'm in the same boat, I am a Windows/Hardware enthusiast, so overclocking and tweaking is no hassles, but all this HBC and Wii hacking stuff/jargon is driving me mad. I just want my GFs recently new Wii to be pimpin and just work. I am hell scared of bricking it haha.

Wish me luck.

Reporting back,

Thanks Phoenix, all fears aside (thanks to you), I went ahead and installed HBC! I decided to run down to walmart and they had a $10 2GB card there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to install BootMii on boot2, so I didn't bother. But, I don't plan on doing anything other than install programs through the HomeBrew browser, so it shouldn't really be a problem right?

Anywho, many thanks!

That is correct. None of the apps in homebrew browser really have the potential to brick you, I'm pretty sure there are no apps which access NAND in there, perhaps except some old DVDx installers, and those are safe.

As Sifjar has said, HBB acts as a nice sandbox. Nothing you can download from there should do any damage to your system.
Glad to be of assistance, and welcome to the world of Wii Homebrew.

...I loaded up Tetris on my Wii... = teh AWESOME!!

Thanks HomeBrew!