Wii Homebrew - Overview and How to Use

rushil01

Maestro of Meyhem
This guide will be updated whenever i feel it is necessary or whenever something major happens within the Wii HomeBrew Community. After the latest Wii console update, the old twilight hack was broken and unusable. Within the guide is the new version which is compatible with the update. Also when installing the Home Brew Channel you may be prompted with a warning due to the new Wii firmware update. It is currently still safe to install this channel. For more info on the Wii home brew scene visit the websites written in the Credit section at the end of this guide. Do not spread this guide without the authors (rushil01) permission and if permission is given then it must be reposted exactly as the original.

What is Wii Homebew?
Wii home-brew refers to the reuse of Nintendo's Wii game console hardware, accessories and software for purposes outside of those intended by the manufacturer. For those without a drive chip such as the WiiKey or Wasabi must use the Twilight Hack (as below) to execute and install home-brew software or install Virtual Console games without purchasing them.
What is the Twilight Hack?
The Twilight Hack is currently the only safe, public way to enable home-brew on an unmodded Wii. The Twilight Hack is achieved by playing a hacked game save for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess which executes a home-brew application from an external SD card.
How do I install the Twilight Hack?
Required Materials:
Wii
SD card (you may want to format the card to ensure a consistent file system)
SD card reader (a digital camera can be used as a medium)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess that has been played at least once
Some home-brew to load
1. Begin by formatting your SD card to FAT16 if it is not already (in Windows it's just called "FAT"). If you don't know how to do this then Google it.
2. Start by placing the SD card into the Wii.
3. Go into Wii Options --> Data Management --> Save Data --> Wii.
4. Find your Zelda saved file and select Copy to place it onto the SD card
5. Place the SD card into your PC and copy all the files to your PC. This allows you to revert back to your real saved file in case you wish to continue playing at a later date.
6. Replace the saved file on the SD card with the appropriate one found in the twilight hacked files (there are 3 files given in the hack. You only require the one which corresponds to your version. This can be determined by looking at the saved file you retrieved from the Wii and go to private > Wii > title. Here you will find a folder called RZDE, RZDJ or RZDP. The corresponding twilight hack file must replace this folder and its contents)
7. Place the SD card back into the Wii and once again go into Wii Options --> Data Management --> Save Data --> Wii.
8. Find your Zelda save, click on it, click "Erase", and click Yes.
9. Go to the SD card and find the hacked Zelda saved file, click on it, and copy it over to the Wii
10. Insert The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess game disc and run the game. If you have the USA version of the game, load the "TwilightHack0" or "TwilightHack2" version of the game as appropriate (see below). Otherwise, load the only "Twilight Hack" save game.
11. Once in the game, either walk backwards or talk to the man standing in front of you to initiate the crack. It is not recommended you do this step until you have added the wad manager to the SD card (found below)
Which Saved File do i Load once i installed the Twilight Hack?
This section really only applies to those who have the US version of the game. If when you load Zelda you only get one saved file then just choose that one. If you get "TwilightHack0" or "TwilightHack2" then you need to eject the disk and see which version of the game you have. This can be seen in the inner circle under the disk (eg. http://wiibrew.org/w/images/c/c8/Twilight_Serial.jpg). If it reads "RVL-RZDE-0A-0 JPN" or "RVL-RZDE-0A-0 USA" then load TwilightHack0. If it reads RVL-RZDE-0A-2 USA then load TwilightHack2.
Now that i have Installed the Twilight Hack how do i install games and channels?
1. Extract the wad manager (boot.elf) from the archive and place it in the root directory of the SD card
2. Create a folder called "wad" in the root directory of the SD card
3. Place the *.wad file of the game/channel that you would like to install
4. Run the twilight hack including step 11
5. Using the arrow button on the Wii remote you can select the appropriate *.wad file and then press the (-) button to uninstall it and the (+) button to install it

NOTE: You should NOT try to uninstall a channel by deleting it with the Wii channel manager. This may delete the channel but it leaves behind of the channels ticket files, making it only a partial uninstall
Do i have to run the twilight hack every time I want to install a *.wad?
No you don't. This can be overcome by using the twilight hack to install the Home-brew Channel. From that point onwards you will not require the twilight hack to install games and can put your original Zelda save file back onto your Wii!
What is the home-brew channel and how do i use it?
The home-brew Channel is a home-brew application loader by Team Twiizers which allows users to load home-brew applications without having to run the Twilight Hack every time. Once installed, users can access the channel from the Wii Menu just like any other Wii channel. It is currently capable of running dol or elf homebrew applications from an SD card, a USB Gecko, and TCP, or using Wiiload. It is also capable of downloading online updates for itself.

Steps to Install the HBC
1. Download the archive (found below) and place the boot.elf in the root directory of the SD card overwriting any other boot.elf files found.
2. Run the Twilight Hack to complete the installation of the home-brew Channel

How to use the home-brew Channel
1. Create a folder called "apps"
2. Within the apps folder create another folder for the application you wish to run (eg. apps/WadManager)
3. Place the appropriate boot.elf file within that folder (eg. if you were running the WadManager you would place the wad managers boot.elf within the folder. apps/WadManager/boot.elf)

If you are using the WadManager to install channels then the "wad" folder must still be in the root directory of your SD card
FILES
Twilight Hack
Code:
[URL]http://rapidshare.com/files/125342241/twilight-hack-v0.1-beta1.rar[/URL]
 Password: [URL]http://[email protected][/URL]
Wad Manager
Code:
[URL]http://rapidshare.com/files/125343204/Wad_manager.rar[/URL]
 Password: [URL]http://[email protected][/URL]
HomeBrew Channel
Code:
[URL]http://rapidshare.com/files/125359803/The_Homebrew_Channel.rar[/URL]
 Password: [URL]http://[email protected][/URL]
The *.wad files required to install the Virtual Console games will be uploaded by myself soon. They will be the PAL versions however as i live in Austrailia which uses the PAL region format so they will not work on a NTSC console and it is NOT recommended that you try.

CREDITS
Code:
www.wiibrew.org
www.hackmii.com
myself (rushil01)
 
Back
Top