Step-By-Step Homebrew Guide

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Note: Some of this guide does NOT work on System Menu 4.0! See the Homebrew setup guide instead.


Info: The Twilight Hack is one of the only safe, public ways to enable homebrew 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 homebrew application from an external SD card. The Twilight Hack was created by Team Twiizers.

Twilight Hack 0.1beta1 is compatible with System Menu up to 3.3, 0.1beta2 is compatible with System Menu 3.4

Twilight Hack icon

Contents

What you will need:

1. Nintendo Wii (duh...)

2. SD card (No larger than 2GB, not SDHC) formatted as FAT16 or FAT32. (The Wii System Menu, which is used to copy the save, only reads SD cards, not SDHC)

3. SD card reader for PC or a PC with one built-in

4. Wii version of Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess that has been played at least once(If you don't have this game, rent it or borrow it from someone. You only need it once if you install the Homebrew Channel)

5. Some homebrew to load (In this case, the HackMii Installer)

Download:

System Menu Version

Version 0.1beta1 for System Menu up to 3.3 from hbc.hackmii.com

Version 0.1beta2 for System Menu 3.4 from hbc.hackmii.com

  • If you do not know your System Menu version, go to Wii Options, then System Settings and in the upper-righthand corner it will show your version.

The HackMii Installer v0.2 from bootmii.org (Installs The Homebrew Channel 1.0.3, DVDx, and BootMii)

  • Use something like WinRAR or 7-zip to extract the archive

Usage and Installation of the Twilight Hack:

Inner disc circle with serial

Inside the zip file you will find versions of the hack for all three regions. You can copy all of them to your SD card, but you will need to choose the correct one to copy to your Wii based on your version of Zelda: Twilight Princess. USA users also need to determine the correct save slot to load once inside Twilight Princess. The easiest way to check your version is to compare the text string which is on the inner circle of the data surface with the ones below.


Region Inner circle text File Save slot
Europe/Australia (EUR) RVL-RZDP-0A-0 JPN /private/wii/title/rzdp/data.bin Twilight Hack
Asia (JPN) RVL-RZDJ-0A-0 JPN /private/wii/title/rzdj/data.bin Twilight Hack
America (USA) RVL-RZDE-0A-0 JPN /private/wii/title/rzde/data.bin TwilightHack0
America (USA) RVL-RZDE-0A-0 USA /private/wii/title/rzde/data.bin TwilightHack0
America (USA) RVL-RZDE-0A-2 USA /private/wii/title/rzde/data.bin TwilightHack2

1. Be sure your SD card is formatted as FAT. By default SD cards are formatted as FAT, so if you're not sure you can probably skip this step.

Copying Twilight Princess Save

2. (optional) If you would like to keep your Zelda savefile, copy it to your SD card and save it onto your computer to put back on the Wii later.

2a. Put your SD card in your Wii and turn it on.
2b. Go into Wii Options --> Data Management --> Save Data --> Wii
2c. Find your Zelda save, click on it, click "Copy", and click Yes
2d. Put your SD card in your computer, and copy the "private" folder from the card to a safe place.

3. Copy the "private" directory from the Twilight Hack download to the root of your SD card. (Root means not in any folders; Just on the SD card.)

4. Take your Wii executable (installer.elf from the HackMii Installer download) and rename it to "boot.elf" then save it in the root directory of your SD card.

5. Put your SD card in your Wii and turn it on.

6. Go into Wii Options --> Data Management --> Save Data --> Wii.

7. Find your own Zelda save, click on it, click "Erase", and click Yes. (Which is why you copy it before)

Copying the Twilight Hack

8. Open the SD card and select the "Twilight Hack" save that corresponds to your game region. (Note: Some people are having problems with the Wii not "seeing" the save file on the SD card. If you are experiencing this, try setting the archive bit for the data.bin file - in Windows this can be done from the file's properties dialog [right click on it in Windows Explorer and check the archive box])

9. Click copy and then yes. Now exit out of the menu.

10. If you are using System Menu 3.4, you must immediately put the Twilight Hack to use. Turning off or running some other channel or game will have the System Menu delete the Twilight Hack savegame, and you'll have to copy it over again.

11. 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 above). Otherwise, load the only "Twilight Hack" save game.

12. Once in the game, either walk backwards or talk to the man standing in front of you.

13. Follow the instructions listed on the screen.

14. Enjoy =]

Troubleshooting:

  • If you get an error such as Failed to read boot.elf (-1), your SD card may not be formatted as FAT. Try reformatting your SD card with the Official SD Card Format Tool
  • [US version] If your game freezes and no code runs, you must use the other save slot (between TwilightHack0 or TwilightHack2)
  • If you get exception 300 (Error 0300) or similar errors when trying to install the Homebrew Channel via the Twilight Hack, you didn't extract the homebrew channel's tar.gz archive (Hint: If you're renaming anything, you're doing it wrong.)

See here for more info about the Twilight Hack


HackMii Installer

The HackMii Installer

When you load the HackMii Installer, wait for "Press (1) to continue" and then press 1. It will show what you can install. The Homebrew Channel and DVDX should be able to be installed no matter what. Press Continue and select "Install The Homebrew Channel" and let it run. You can also choose to install DVDx but it is not necessary. You should not install BootMii unless you know exactly what it does and what the risks are (it's still a BETA).


Using The Homebrew Channel

Info: The Homebrew Channel is a self-updating homebrew application loader by Team Twiizers which allows users to load homebrew 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 can launch homebrew applications from an SD or SDHC card or via TCP/USB Gecko using Wiiload.

See also: Homebrew Channel/Help

Adding Applications 

All Homebrew Applications

You can use the Homebrew Browser to download the latest homebrew applications and games directly on your Wii.

In order to make an application appear in the Homebrew Channel, you must do the following:

1. Make a folder on the root of your SD card called "apps".

  • Note: This is case-sensitive; Make sure it is not "APPS".

2. In the folder "apps," create a folder for the application (for example, "/apps/<NameOfApp>/").

3. Copy the files for the application into its folder (e.g. /apps/<NameOfApp>/).

4. Find the executable file (either .elf or .dol) and rename it to boot.elf (or boot.dol if it was a .dol file) if it is not already named that (for example /apps/<NameOfApp>/boot.dol). If the app comes with an icon.png and meta.xml, copy the them both into the the same folder as the app's boot.dol.

Now the application will appear in the Homebrew Channel. However, if the application did not come with icon.png or meta.xml, it will not look very good and may be difficult to distinguish from other applications. To fix this, text and an image can be added.

Invalid Wii App

If the homebrew channel tells you you are using an invalid Wii application, that is because as of beta 9, the homebrew channel will no longer run certain older, slightly incorrect .elf files.

To correct this, either convert the application to a .dol using the elf to dol converter tool or load the loadmii application and run your elf through loadmii.

Adding a meta.xml

To add text to an application in the Homebrew Channel, do the following: (note: you may install the Homebrew Browser and download pre-formatted apps without performing this step for every app)

  1. Make a file in the folder of the application (for example, apps/scummvm/) called "meta.xml" (apps/scummvm/meta.xml). (I usually just make a new file Notepad and save as meta.xml
  2. Open "meta.xml" in Notepad and add the following text as a template:
    3.   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name></name>
    <coder></coder>
    <version></version>
    <release_date></release_date>
    <short_description></short_description>
    <long_description></long_description>
  </app>
  3. Add the appropriate information in between the "<>" and "</>". For example, the name of the application goes between <name> and </name>. The purpose of each field is as follows:
    4.   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name>The name of the application</name>
    <coder>The name of the person or group that wrote the code for the program.</coder>
    <version>The version of the application.</version>
    <release_date>The date the application was released.
    It has to be a timestamp using this format: YYYYmmddHHMMSS</release_date>
    <short_description>This is displayed on the main menu of the Homebrew Channel 
    (before you select an application) and is used as a space to add a few words 
     to describe the program. Make sure it is not too long.</short_description>
    <long_description>This is displayed once the application is chosen. 
     It describes the program and its function in great detail, and can be used 
     to elaborate on a program's controls.</long_description>
  </app>

An example of a completed "meta.xml" for ScummVM is provided below: 

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name>ScummVM</name>
    <coder>dhewg</coder>
    <version>rev32231</version>
    <release_date>200805230000</release_date>
    <short_description>Point &amp; Click Adventures</short_description>
    <long_description>ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic 
     graphical point-and-click adventure games,
    provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM 
    just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them 
    on systems for which they were never designed! Some of the adventures ScummVM
    supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's 
    Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon 
    Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios'
    The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation 
    Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, 
    Sam and Max and more.</long_description>
  </app>

Alternatively, you can use Pinecone's Java-based HBCXMLGen program.

Adding an icon.png

See also: Homebrew Channel/Icons

In order to make icons for the Homebrew Channel show up, they must be in .png format with dimensions of 128x48 pixels. The full alpha channel can be used. Copy it into the folder of the application under the name "icon.png" (/apps/scummvm/icon.png).

Complete Setup Format

You should have a compatible SD or SDHC card. See here for a list of SD and SDHC cards known to be compatible or incompatible. Note: it is by no means a complete list.

An SD card should be formatted in FAT16 or FAT32. After you have installed the apps on your SD card, its folder structure should look something like this:

  • Removable Disk (eg: (E:) on Windows and where it is mounted to on Linux or Mac OS X eg: /media/disk/ )
    • apps
      • ScummVM
        • boot.dol
        • meta.xml(Optional)
        • icon.png(Optional)
      • WiiShopInstaller
        • boot.dol
        • meta.xml(Optional)
        • icon.png(Optional)

If you have any problems having your Applications showing up on the 'HBC', make sure you are following the correct format.

Controls in the Homebrew Channel

You can use Wii Remote Aim to navigate though the application list.

Wii Remote Nunchuck Action
Wiimote D-Pad Up / Wiimote D-Pad Down Classic D-Pad Up / Classic D-Pad Down Move through the applications Up/Down
Wiimote - Button or Wiimote D-Pad Left Classic - Button or Classic D-Pad Left or Classic L Trigger Change applications page left
Wiimote + Button or Wiimote D-Pad Right Classic + Button or Classic D-Pad Right or Classic R Trigger Change applications page right
Wiimote A Button Classic a Button Select option
Wiimote HOME Button Classic HOME Button Menu
Wiimote B Button+Wii Remote Aim Classic Left Control Stick Nunchuck Control Stick Scroll text
Wiimote B Button Classic b Button Returns from app screen
Wiimote 1 Button Classic x Button Net reload
Wiimote Power Button Shutdown

Removing the Homebrew Channel

If, for any reason, you would like to remove the channel, this can be done by simply deleting it in the channels section of the Wii's Data Management. Also if you're really paranoid and are on System Menu 3.3 v1 or lower (No updates past Oct. 23, 2008), you can use tona's AnyTitle Deleter and delete the title "HAXX".

Frequently Asked Questions

See also WiiBrew:FAQ

Q. I installed The Homebrew Channel but all that appears is bubbles and nothing happens. Did I do something wrong?

A. You need to put apps on your SD card as shown above.


Q. Do I need my SD card in my Wii in order to run homebrew applications and for the Twilight Hack to work?

A. Yes, you need the SD card for the Homebrew Channel. Once you install the Homebrew Channel, you no longer need the Twilight Hack, but you do need your SD card.


Q. What are the chances that my Wii would be rendered useless by using the Homebrew Channel and the Twilight Hack?

A. I can definitely understand that you are worried about your system, but as long as you follow this guide and don't try to do anything illegal, you should be fine. There is a very slim chance your Wii will be bricked while installing The Homebrew Channel.


Q. I have a Wii with a System Menu that is lower than 3.0, can I install The Homebrew Channel?

A. Yes, but you must first update your System Menu to at least 3.0 or the installation will not work. I suggest using a game disc to update. See here for a list of games with updates. Alternatively, you can run tona's AnyRegion Changer using the Twilight Hack and install a 3.2 System Menu.


Q. How do I put homebrew apps on the system menu as a channel?

A. There currently is no way to (legally) do this.


Q. What will happen if I perform a system update or buy a game that forces a system update while the Homebrew Channel is on my Wii?

A. Right now the Homebrew Channel is not affected, but you should not update until that update is proven to be safe here on Wiibrew. If there is a game with a disc update, run the game through Gecko OS.

If you have any questions about installing Wii Homebrew or you need help with something, feel free to email me at wiibrewhelp@yahoo.com. Please be sure your questions are not already answered here before you ask me.

Note: Questions about specific homebrew applications may or may not be answered (but I will reply). I don't know every homebrew app... You can also join the WiiBrew Forums for more help.

REMINDER: Questions about WADs or backups (copied or downloaded Wii games) will be ignored. They are illegal and not supported by WiiBrew or myself.

Retrieved from "http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Step-By-Step_Homebrew_Guide"
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