How to play Wii backups from a usb stick with no modchip.

Step 6: Troubleshooting.

I finally had the time to write the solutions to some Wii error codes. If at any time you Wii spits an error code at you, here two of the most common errors, and their solutions.

Common error codes and solutions:

Error Code:ret= -1 
Cause:You are missing a Cios (249, 222 or something like that)
Solution: Install Cios 249 or 222, or whatever cios is needed by the usb loader you are using.

Error Code:ret= -2011
Cause: A signing bug that allowed the execution of code was patched by /nintendo is system menu 4.0 and higher.
Solution: Run trucha bug restorer to restore the exploit on your Wii.

For the errors that I didn't bother to write down, here is a list of common Wii errors and their solutions:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AsG1QflcbnLndE5JQUpIbS1BZEEyb2VzSTJad2RZNlE&hl=en

Always remember, THE HOMEBREW CHANNEL IS FREE.

Comments

[steamruler]

FYI Be careful when using a cIOS, since it "rips the ios in half and mess with it".

[jonaboy]

HI i'm getting the error ret = -6 when i load my hdd its strange because i formatted it to wbfs anyone help please?

[benzugo]

I have just installed eveything with no problems until i Loaded USB loader it come up with boot.dol missing in /apps/busbloader. Now i checked and its there. Any ideas what i have done wrong would be great Many Thanks

[Devinology]

hi there.  thanks for the instructons, but i have a problem.
I am installing the cIOS36rev10 fine, but when i go to Wad Manager 1.3 and try to install the WAD USBLoadermodBrisma.wad (USB channel) I get the 2011 error.  I am using Wii firmware 3.4, and I thought it was supposed to work on this.

do i really need to install the channel?  can't i just always run usbloader from the homebrew channel?
I just tried that now and am getting some different error...
it immediately says "custom ISO could not be loaded, error 4100." in the black part of the screen at the right, before i do anything at all.
ugh......

can anyone help me?

[TheShredder777]

When searching for my device it tells me it isn't partitioned and I get Error ret=-6. Any Ideas? I followed all of the steps and it IS partitioned.

[scott_allan]

I was having this same problem. Did a little Google searching and found something that strangely works...

1) Start the Wii. No USB stick inserted.
2) Run the USBLoader program.
3) THEN Plug your USB device into the left USB slot.
4) Load up the file and that should get it to work...

Let me know if that helped you out. Thanks.

[wayne7799]

That fix worked perfectly. Now that i have loaded wii resort sports i get the 002 error any help?

[humongo_spork]

 Same thing's happening with me, if you figured it out, please reply

[bissch119]

due to some stupid incident (lucky I can blame it on the kids) my external USB hard drive was disconnected during the formatting by WBFS manager. Now both vista and WBFS manager do not recognize the hard drive anymore. Resetting, rebooting new cables and hooking it to my laptop have had no result. Does anyone have any idea how to make it NFTS again many thanks

[Solderguy]

Recognize it in what sense? Does it still show up in your explorer when you click start and then computer? If it does you can right-click it, choose "Format" and format it to NTFS. Or you can format it using WBFS manager if you can remember the drive Key (E: for example) of the USB hard drive.

[bissch119]

Solderguy thanks.... no it was not recognized by explorer... Seems like it was found but not initialised...

[baconmaster]

did you try disk management in computer tools? im running xp so i dont know if it is the same but people use it to format new drives (im talking HDD's but it shows every drive connected. this is where you assign drive letters and such. plug the drive in, try and find this program and see if it is detected, if you right click on it you should be able to format the selected drive. Hope this helps!

[bissch119]

Baconmaster... running vista myself ,and  yep... like I mentioned It was not initialised, once I initialised it in the "computerbeheer"(it's Dutch for .... ) --> diskmanagement ... WBFS manager found the disk.

Unfortunately I have not been able to run the USB loader (installed the homebrew succesfully) but haven't tried for a while (too little time...and too much at work)

Thanks anyway for the post.

[baconmaster]

your welcome, just remember that even though wbfs found the disk doesnt mean its formatted, try formatting it now and see what happens.

[bissch119]

I will .... seems I lost 250GB of the 500GB in the process. I try re formatting and see

[baconmaster]

hey guise, got it all working fine great instructable! just one thing- i keep getting a error message in the form of"take the disk out and turn off the wii" or along those lines but i had the usb loader running off the USB (via homebrew) and having games on SD card.

[Solderguy]

I'm guessing that your Wii laser is almost dead, dirty, or defective if it's getting errors while playing the games you copied to your usb hard drive. Does that happen with any store-bought games you play from the DVD? If yes, your Wii laser is the problem. If no, then it's a usb/SD problem.

[FOOOFEI]

Hi I made everything and started the game , it goes till creating the game profile then just freezes ! I then have to remove the power cord :( Can anyone please help ?

[xhuskiesplaya07x]

everything works great except i don't get color on my games which is a little annoying. any suggestions?

[Solderguy]

You're trying to play a PAL game on a NTSC television or NTSC console. Try to press 2 on your Wii remote when loading a game.

[jonkrause]

I've been using the USB Loader 1.5 for a week or so now and it's been working great! I love that I don't have to put my game discs in anymore. I just bought the new Ghostbusters game yesterday and for some reason when I rip it and try to load it, it just loads a green screen and seems to freeze. Does anyone know why this could be? Thanks

[Ninwii]

I think the new ghostbusters game comes with an update,or you just need to unhook the nunchuck,load the game,and put it back on.I had the same problem too.

[dragonista]

solderguy or anybody please help me please

i cannot get past the cIOS36rev10 install it errors out (installing ticket ret = - 2011)

tried the wifi installation too but same error

my wii is 3.4u with wasabi zero mod chip

any help from anybody would be appriciated

thanks in advance

[scott_allan]

I have 3.3u and I am receiving this same error. During the install, it gets down to the "Installing Custom IOS, please wait..." step and then I get the (ret = -2011) error. Any suggestions?

[dragonista]

hello, scott its me again

i made some time to help you some more
here is what i did

goto below and downgrade your wii, its up to you to install starfall

http://www.wiihacks.com/recommended-faqs-guides-tutorials-only/7199-3-1-3-4-twilight-downgrade-starfall-gammatutorial.html

and after your wii is 3.2 use instructables instructions to install usb loader but you cant follow it step by step

1. to install cIOS36rev10 you have to use wifi installation because the files are missing

2.you have to create folder in root of sd card name it "wad" and put USBLoadermodBrisma.wad in the folder then install using wad manager

and you should be done

but i upgraded my wii to 4.0 using wankinkos firmware upgrader, this will be totally up to you

good luck, hope this would be some help for you!

[Gonzo Mullin]

thet ret=-1 kept happening to me too........ it's something to do with a bad install file. get one from another source if possible

[scott_allan]

Your instructions are perfect. Thank you very much for the help. I worked on this for so long and couldn't get anything to work. As soon as I downgraded to 3.2U I was rockin' and rollin'. Again, thanks for the help!

[dragonista]

im glad you got it working! congrats! i was excited too when i got it to work! i know the feeling! have a great game day! till next time drag

[dragonista]

hello scott, i got it to work, you have to downgrade your wii to 3.2 then install the usbloader and if you wnt upgrade to 3.4 or 4.0 using wankinkos firmware upgrader here is the steps i took downgrade to 3.2u install cios ver 10 install usbloader upgraded to 4.0u i did not use the files that were listed here on the site because few things were missing just google the steps i took and you should be good to go! after hours of trial and error i finally understand the procedures good luck

[eaglemick]

Hi Solderguy, thanks for a very easy to understand guide. I love all the screenshots too, very helpful. I've just finished the guide and tried to load my first game but the USB loader has been stuck on the message "Mountain device, please wait" for 5 minutes now. Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated! I'm using an old lacie 40gb pocketdrive as my external usb drive. The drive has converted fine to WBFS and I've only put one iso on it for now to test. I was surprised that WBFS converted the 4gb iso to 0.4gb. Is this right? Thanks for your help :)

[Solderguy]

Reformat your drive back to FAT, FAT 32 or NTFS, then reformat it back to WBFS. That should work, if it doesn't work then, reformat it back to NTFS , connect it to the Wii, launch usb loader 1.5 and it will ask you if you want to format the drive. If it doesn't ask you if you want to reformat then the drive might not be compatible with the Wii. Tell me if anything worked.

[mazumi]

I have followed the instructions but when I tried to use the USBbrisma.wad (sorry if that is spelt wrong), it starts to install and then says "ERROR ret = (-1029)" Any sugesstions?

[mazumi]

Fixed it. It was cIOS conflict. Used cios unstaller (great spelling!!!) and problem went away.

[rubix1225]

Great guide Solderguy! Easy to follow and straightforward, but I just have one question: What's the version of the USB loader?

[Solderguy]

Thanks for the comment! The loader is USB Loader version 1.5 , the most up-to-date version.