The last year or so has been great. WordPress is an amazing platform (probably why it’s #1!) and I’m continuing to use their software on the new site. I want to thank everyone who reads this blog, and hope you will continue to follow me (and, hopefully, some of my friends!) as I try to transition into the mainstream web.

As of the time of this writing, the new site is currently under construction, but I’m about to post links to both the blog and the *NEW* forum in just a bit on the main page. Update your bookmarks, subscriptions, and RSS feeds, and I hope to see you soon!

Until the new site makes it all the way up, you can still follow along with me on both Facebook and Twitter, which I hope to start keeping more up-to-date as well.

This blog will be left up for search engine and archive purposes.

See you guys on the flip side!
–MWN

AMD Phenom II 1055T Thuban X6 Processor
MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card
16Gb (4x4Gb) G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3 1333 RAM
Rosewill 74-in-1 Card Reader with 3 extra USB 2.0 ports
LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner
Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS SATA 6gb/s (2 x 2tb, total of 4tb)

All ran via HDMI to my 32″ Plasma TV.

Thus far, the only thing I don’t like (now that I’ve figured out some .dll file issues, which I’ll explain below) is that the Motherboard’s RAID controller as well as it’s built-in Overclocking features…well…they just don’t work. I wanted to run the two hard drives in a RAID 0 array to increase the transfer rate, but it’s a no go. Oh well, I’m sure 6Gb/s transfer rate is enough.

Now, the reason this is v1.4.1 is…well…I’ve had to do 4 Windows Installations to finally manage to get this one .dll file to stop crashing everything. Turns out, it was a part of my security suite that was causing all the mayhem. The culprit was actually a program called ThreatFire which, for some unknown reason, is just not compatible with my system. After the 4th reinstall of Windows, I decided to start eliminating possible apps that could be causing all my stuff to crash. Luckily, I got it right on the first try. Something about the way ThreatFire works was essentially hogging all the resources of ntdll.dll, which is a core system file for Windows. Took about 4 days to figure all this out, but seeing as I spent about $1,721 on this computer, it was well worth it.

This thing scoffs at Crysis. I’m set to Ultra High (the maximum setting) on everything, and the frame rate was amazing (I don’t have an exact number yet, still trying to get the tools together for that). Fallout: New Vegas saw similar outcomes (all maxed out, not even a hiccup). Even the load times were non-existant. Fallout actually loaded faster than it would on the Xbox 360 or PS3. I would love to report on how it handles Final Fantasy XIV, but at the time of this writing FF14 can’t connect to the update servers for some reason.

So there you have it, my new computer system. As I find out what this thing can REALLY do, I’ll keep you guys updated!

Case: AZZA Solano 1000R
MoBo: MSI 890FXA-GD70
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
PSU: AZZA Titan 900W PSAZ-900A14
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 1333 DDR3 (4 x 4GB, total of 16gb)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER V8 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
Disc Drive: LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-Ray Burner
HDD: Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS SATA 6gb/s (2 x 2tb, total of 4tb)
Card Reader: Rosewill RCR-IC002

Free Stuff:
8gb Flash Drive from OCZ
Darksiders game for PC
$10.00 NewEgg Gift e-Card
Red/Cyan 3D Glasses
CyberLink PowerDVD 9, 3D Edition

All parts selected on NewEgg.com. Price would be lower except they have a warehouse in my state, so sales tax sucks. Shipping is less than $17.00 though! Thoughts? Comments? Leave em below, or over on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/madwhitenerd !

Case by AZZA
Power Supply by AZZA
MoBo by MSI
HDD by Seagate x2
Video Card by Sapphire (w/ free 8GB Flash Drive)
Card Reader by Rosewill
RAM by G.SKILL
Six-Core Processor by AMD (w/ Darksiders game and $10 Gift Card)
Blu-Ray Burner by LG (w/ 3D Glasses and Cyberlink PowerDVD 9)

So basically, this thing’s already a beast, but can still be added to once my wallet recovers. Funny part is, I only overshot my budget by $142.46. What? I set my budget like $400 lower than what I could actually spend. Ah? Ah? That even includes the fact I have to pay NewEgg some sales tax! Likes? Dislikes?

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370298,00.asp

Now, at first I was like “OOOH! New Android stuff…” but then when I looked at the slideshow, my only thought was, “When the hell did Blackberry get knocked up by a Droid?”

I read the review, and the hardware sounds strictly inferior to other Droids that you can potentially get way cheaper than this one. Do you agree?

Thoughts? Comments? Sound off down below, or on Twitter or Facebook.

Technorati Code: JZ8RE2HHVR9N

A few weeks ago, I took the plunge and got an early upgrade to the Motorola Droid 2. This being my first smartphone, I was ecstatic to see what all it could do. My inner technophile jumped for joy. The first couple of weeks went by with me just downloading a few meaningless apps, setting up my Facebook and Twitter accounts, tweaking settings, etc. Then came the time I began researching USEFUL apps as well as the idea of Rooting my phone (the Android version of Jailbreaking, essentially).

So, after taking some time to figure out how the Android OS works and messing with some apps, I now present, for your reading pleasure, a list of apps that I feel are excellent for an Android user to have. This list will encompass several things, including Social Networking, basic user experience improvement, a few games, and some other entertaining widgets and gadgets. Apps will be listed by title in the Market, followed by the developer, so that you know exactly what to look for when you download them. Also, all the apps listed are free or have a free version.

Ready? Here we go!

• LauncherPro by Federico Carnales – This app replaces your basic home screen with one which is a bit more customizable. You have the option of having 5 rows of icons rather than 4, as well as up to 7 home screens to scroll through. You can also customize the icons at the bottom of the home screen with things such as shortcuts to your gmail, including an option to show the number of unread text messages or e-mail. It can be kind of slow if you have a lot of apps running, but that’s what this next app is for.
• Advanced Task Killer by ReChild – You know how, on your Windows PC, you hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and can open Task Manager to kill off programs that are running in the background? This is essentially the Android version of Task Manager. It uses very little memory and battery power, and automatically ends unused apps in order to preserve the precious internal memory and battery power. I believe it was the very first app I downloaded. You can change how often it kills apps, and can also do it manually if need be. There’s also a white list you can add apps to so that ATK ignores them. You won’t normally have to, though; this thing’s pretty intelligent.
• Coin Flip by AJAS – Pretty simple. A digital quarter you can flip. I’m sure I don’t need to list the uses. Actually uses your phone’s motion detection, so you only have to flick your phone to flip the coin. You can also tap the screen if you’re accident prone.
• Last.fm by Last.fm Ltd. – Most people have heard of Pandora Radio by now, and they also have an app for Android if you’ve used it in the past. Last.fm is almost the same as Pandora, in that it plays music according to what you’ve listened to. For instance, if you start a station for Linkin Park, you’ll not only get songs from LP, you’ll hear from bands such as Creed, Fort Minor, and Godsmack. Once you’ve listened to a couple stations, you’ll be given your own “library”, which plays music according to ALL the music you’ve listened to on Last.fm’s network. Pretty cool, especially if you use the Firefox plugin. (Also has a widget you can place on a home screen so you don’t have to go in the app each time you want to change stations.)
• Wi-Fi Locator by YOUniversal Ideas – A simple app that uses your GPS location along with Google Maps to show you nearby public Wi-Fi hotspots. Pretty nice if you’re hunting a place to set up your laptop. Note that your GPS must be turned on for this to work effectively.
• Trap! by Matt Wachowski – A pretty entertaining game where you’re presented with a box, and inside the box are a bunch of bouncing balls. The object of the game is to draw lines which section off the box, trying to fill as much of the area inside as possible. The catch? The balls can’t touch your line while it’s being drawn. Special powerups such as Freeze Ball, Ghost Ball, and score multipliers make for an addictive experience. How high can you score?
• Urbanspoon by Urbanspoon Team – Ever been in that situation where everyone’s hungry but no one knows what they want? Let me introduce Urbanspoon. This app will determine your general location, and will randomly determine a restaurant from criteria such as City, Type of food (Mexican, Italian, Sushi, Burgers, etc.), and price range (From 1 to 3 $ signs, with $$$ being the most expensive). Tight on money? Just lock the price slot at $. Don’t want to go out of town? Lock in your city. Surprisingly useful pretty often.
• OpenSpark by Akop Karapetyan – This one’s for the Xbox Live people out there. This app, upon installation, will ask for your Xbox Live information such as Gamertag and Windows Live ID. After that, it will list your Xbox Live friends, show their and your profile information, and even allows you to message and add your friends! No more writing down gamertags just to lose and forget them 2 hours later.
• Paypal by Paypal Mobile – Should be pretty obvious on this one. Allows you to check your balance in your Paypal account, and send and receive money on the fly. Even includes the Bump function that Apple advertised for the iPhone. Speaking of Bumping…
• Bump by Bump Technologies, Inc. – Want to exchange more than money with people? How about pictures? Video? Maybe some contact info? Bump is your app. Simply select the information to send, bump phones with your buddy, and BOOM! it’s sent. Supposedly works with iPhones too!
• Paper Toss by Backflip Studios Inc. – Remember when you were shooting paper balls at the trash can, and your boss yelled at you? Fear not, for now you can do it on your phone (if your boss allows phones, that is)! It even has fans set up so you have to account for wind. How many can you make in a row?
• GetGlue by AdaptiveBlue – A social networking app. It can stand alone, or it can tie into Facebook and Twitter. Glue allows you to check in, comment on, and review various things such as movies, video games, and the random wine you’re drinking. It has a sort of achievement system, awarding stickers which, once you’ve collected enough, you can actually order so as to decorate things with. A good way to find new movies or games, as well as to let the world know how much you suck at Halo: Reach.
• Foursquare by foursquare – the big cousin to Glue, Foursquare can tie into Facebook, allowing you to check in to places you travel to. What’s interesting about this, is that certain places such as restaurants have specials for the “mayor” of that particular location. For example, the local Pizza Hut here offers a free order of breadsticks once a week to the mayor with the purchase of any pizza. Pretty cool, especially if you travel a lot.
• Wheres My Droid by alienmanfc6 – So, tell me if you’ve ever been in this situation: You have no idea where your phone is, and you can’t just call it because it’s on vibrate or silent. With Wheres My Droid, you don’t have that problem anymore as long as you can text yourself. Once you install this app, your phone watches for a key phrase in text messages. If it receives it, the app will bring your phone out of silent mode and start ringing. Nice, eh?
• EasyTether Lite by Mobile Stream – You know the commercial where Verizon advertises the 3G Mobile Hotspot ability of some of their phones? What they don’t tell you is that it costs $20 a month extra to use it, and it’s capped at 2 gigabytes of data. Why pay that, when there’s a free solution? EasyTether Lite allows you to connect your phone to your computer, and use your 3G Web connection to access most websites. The free version, however, doesn’t allow secure, encrypted pages (aka Https:// sites). Great for facebook and the like, though! (Note for those who have rooted their phones: try out Barnacle Wifi by syzm.net. It actually does the Wifi hotspot, allowing more than just one computer or device to connect. I had to use the Legacy version for my laptop running Ubuntu to connect, however.)
• Dropbox by Dropbox, Inc. – Here’s a great one for students. Ever worked hard on an essay, just to leave your flash drive at home? Dropbox allows a user to store their files online. Just set it up on your phone and your PC, and anything you put in your dropbox folder is automatically synced to any other device tied to your account. So, type that paper on your desktop, and almost instantly pull it up on your laptop or phone for e-mailing or printing. Dropbox even has a web interface, so you can even pull up your files and download them to a school computer or at your friend’s house. They even give your files their own special URL, so you can share them with friends! Free accounts have a 2 GB storage capacity, with the option to subscribe for larger space. Great for sharing pictures!
• Barcode Scanner by ZXing Team – You wouldn’t think you’d need this app, but with the advent of QR codes being used on webpages, it becomes epically more useful. This app uses your phone’s camera to scan and read the information from barcodes. From there, you can do a variety of things including, but not limited to: Go to the URL embedded in the code, search for product information and reviews, find out what the product’s price is online. Definitely has saved me a ton of time when trying out apps that are still in beta, such as Trillian.
• BLEEP Me! by Foncannon Inc – Got a potty-mouthed friend? Now you can exercise FCC-level censorship with your very own BLEEP button! Simply touch the screen and you’ve instantly bleeped those sorry mother *******. Comes with a variety of sounds, including the doinging spring and a chattering dolphin.
• Tweetcaster for Twitter by Handmark – Probably the best Twitter app I’ve found on the market. Supports multiple accounts (unlike the official Twitter app), has a fairly easy interface, and allows you to quickly retweet, view links, and tweet yourself. Searching for people to follow, and following them once you’ve found them, could definitely be improved however. The cool part about this app is that you can create a widget on your home page for EACH account, allowing you to instantly tweet without needing to load the app, switch accounts, etc. The widgets could do with updating a bit more often, however.
• Volumer++ by mokkouyou – An app that gives you a bit more control over the different volume levels on your phone. For example, you can change the volume level for apps and videos without actually loading one, while leaving your ringer volume untouched. Also has toggles for vibrate, total silence, and even a Wifi toggle. Also leaves a notification, so that you can quickly change volume levels without leaving your current app.
• Best Matrix Live Wallpaper by Yu Xin – This isn’t actually an app, but I figured other fans like me would like it. Gives you a wallpaper of characters raining down from the top of your screen, just like in the Keanu Reeves movie, The Matrix. You can even change the color, if green isn’t your thing.
• Taskos To Do List | Task List by Taskos.com – Pretty simple to-do list. Simply add something to it, and check it off when it’s done. Great for when you’ve got a hectic schedule .
• FREE Caller ID & 411 Search! by phonetell – PhoneTell is a substitute for your normal dialer on your phone. It has a real-time caller ID, using internet-style name lookup so it can even ID numbers that aren’t in your contact list. Also has a yellowpages feature for when you can’t remember the number to the Dominoes up the street. Even better though, is the answering-machine-like feature. If you set yourself to busy, PhoneTell will automatically send any calls to voicemail, and can even send an automatic text message telling people you’re busy.
• Shake – Uninstall by Zosq Labs – A pretty fun little piece of software for app whores like myself. When you enable its service, Shake will monitor any apps you run and, if you shake your phone, gives you the option to uninstall them. Good for doing a massive cleanup of your phone. Don’t worry though, it won’t allow you to uninstall core applications like G-Mail (or bloatware like the Blockbuster app :S). It also can’t uninstall itself. If you’re still worried, however, just use the notification it places to open and disable the service. And even if you DO uninstall an app accidentally, all apps can be redownloaded free of charge.

Whew! That was a long list! I’ll be back another time with more apps for your app-whorish inner technophile, but I think that covers the basics and then some for now. Special thanks goes out to @Cool3stNerd for suggesting several of the apps above! Follow him on Facebook, or on Twitter by clicking his name. You can also find his official blog at this link right here. You can also follow me @MadWhiteNerd on Twitter, as well as be my fan on Facebook right over here.

Thanks for reading, and check back for more apps, and more random tech! Matter of fact, why don’t you subscribe over in the sidebar?

Till next time!

So I set out on an escapade today. I’ve acquired some new toys recently, and as such have had to reconfigure my network a bit. It was definitely interesting when I decided to network a laptop running Ubuntu 10.04 with a desktop running Windows 7 Ultimate. I have made it work, however, and now I’m going to show you how. If you don’t want a long story, the list of steps is at the bottom.

First off, the equipment in question:

HP G60 Laptop (2008, Wal-mart Edition) running Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)

Acer Aspire AX3200-U3600A Desktop running Windows 7 Ultimate

Girlfriend’s laptop with Win7 Ultimate (Not important to the equation, but this machine will come up in the story below)

Linksys Wireless-G Router (Cheapest G router in Wal-mart. I don’t think your router will matter but you never know).

And on with the show…

Ok, so the endeavor started simply enough: Once I cleared all of Windows 7′s Homegroups off my network (an interesting task to say the least), I set up a new Homegroup so that any computers regularly attached to my network could share files.

But that posed a new question: How do I get my laptop, freshly wiped with Linux installed, to appear within the network on my Windows machine? If you were to do some Googling, you’ll read a lot about a package for Ubuntu called Samba. (Foreshadowing: This eventually solved the problem) From what I read, however, it seemed that was only for the Linux machine to recognize Windows File Shares, which my laptop was already doing no problem. I could access files on my desktop from my laptop no problem, I was just trying to do the reverse!

Well, I created a folder that I intended to drop files I wanted to share into, and attempted to set file sharing to “On” for that folder. Lo’ and behold, it told me I needed to install Samba! Ok, so I did that, giving superuser permissions and all that. Voila! There was my laptop, not inside my Homegroup but definitely inside the Network.

~ZING!~

Oh, but if it were just that simple. When I tried to access the shared folders on my laptop, it asked for a Username and Password! I had even enabled Guest access for the folder, which was supposed to allow people without usernames on the machine to access the shared files. Still, Windows just wouldn’t go for it without a username and password.

Coincidentally, I had just messed with User permissions earlier, and something drew me back into the System -> Administration -> Users and Groups menu. I considered many options, such as changing the administration permissions I had just given myself, thinking maybe Linux wouldn’t allow a remote computer to login with an admin account. Then I remembered something: the Domain that Windows had tagged on when I tried to log in (which was the network name of my PC; I’ll call it NERD-PC for now).

Back inside the Users and Groups window, I proceeded to add a new user. When prompted for a username, I gave it the name “NERD-PC/admin” (where admin matches my actual username on the laptop) and just named it “remote” for the short name. I even applied the same password as my original account. The user was created, and made just a “Desktop User” which simply means it can’t (un)install programs or change any system settings. I didn’t care about that, I just wanted my files!

So, after taking a breath, I attempted to log in from the Windows machine again. I just used my normal username “admin” and my password as if I were logging  into the laptop itself. And…

*drumroll*

Bam! There were my files. All my pictures, music, etc. that I had backed up before the wipe. I could easily transfer/copy them to my Windows machine! w00t! After that, it was just a matter of making a shortcut to the laptop, as you still can’t get a linux machine into a Windows 7 Homegroup. Still, WAY easier than constantly swapping around a USB Drive.

===================================================

So for those who don’t like reading, a simple list of steps:

Make sure your Windows 7 Homegroup is setup and properly configured.

Make sure your Linux machine can see the Windows machines on the network. ( Places -> Network -> Windows Network -> WORKGROUP {or the name of your Homegroup if different} ) Note: if you just try to click on the PC’s name before going into Windows Network, it will ask for a username and password. Going into Windows Network first apparently bypasses this. See the PS at the bottom for tips on how to make a shortcut to this location!

Once that’s done, create (or determine) the folder(s) you want your Ubuntu machine to share on the network. Right click them, then click Sharing Options. If you check the box next to Share this Folder, Ubuntu will prompt you to install Samba if you don’t already have it, which you should do. After that, enter a share name for the folder. Guest access is NOT required.

Now, if you open Explorer on the Windows machine, and click Network in the navigation bar on the left, the name of your Linux machine should appear. Double click, and it should ask for a username and password. Make note of the Domain under where it asks for the password.

Back on the Linux machine, go to System -> Administration -> Users and Groups, and click Add.

When the Create New User dialog comes up, in the Name field, enter DOMAIN/accountname. In Short Name, name it something like remote or network. When asked for a password, you may either set one, or Ubuntu can randomly generate one for you. Just make sure you remember what you use! Leave the box next to “Don’t ask for password on login” unchecked.

Once the account is created, close the Users Settings window, then jump back on your Windows machine. Go back into your network, and try to get back into the Linux machine’s shared folders. This time, use your new account you just made on the Linux machine, except remove the DOMAIN/ from the username. You may choose to remember the credentials if you wish.

If everything went right, you should now be able to pull any shared files from your Linux machine onto your Windows 7 PC.

========================================================

So, that’s it. It sounds way more complicated than it is, I promise. Sound off in the comments or on Facebook if you have any questions, praise, or flames!

P.S. To make a shortcut to a folder in Ubuntu, right click your desktop and click Create Launcher. For Type, set it to Location. Name it, then plug in the path to the folder you want in the Location field (if you use Browse, it’ll want you to actually point it at a file. If it does, just erase the file name and extension from the Location field). Comment if you wish, then click OK. Done!

P.P.S. I’ve recently gotten myself a Droid 2. Nifty! But I’m looking for app recommendations. I’ve posted a status on Facebook for app suggestions. My favorites may get featured in a future blog post!

Ok, so with time comes new stuff. Since this post, a few things have become clear about my previous guide. For the most part, it comes down to attention to detail: There are some things that can be done in a different order (and in one particular case, needs to be). There are also a few more steps to add (namely, adding Hermes’ cIOS 222 & 223). Also, I’ll be posting an updated torrent so that we’ve got the latest software.

So without further ado, here we go.

DISCLAIMER

I take no responsibility for any damage done to any of your equipment by using this guide or the software provided. Note that modding your system does technically void your warranty. Follow these steps at your own risk. Also, this guide is provided on an educational basis. I do not endorse piracy, including games, software, or otherwise. Modding a Wii DOES have it’s legal uses, however, this guide DOES enable piracy if you choose. User Beware.

END DISCLAIMER

Now, a few beginning notes. First off, make sure to follow these steps as closely as possible. As I write this very post, I am modding an actual system. So if this works for me, it should work for you. If a step is highlighted in red text that means it is very dangerous and has the potential to harm your system. However, rest assured I take ALL precautions to save your system from most any brick.

Secondly, the setup. The equipment I am using is as follows:
Virgin Nintendo Wii (LU64+) running 4.2u Firmware
Seagate FreeAgent Go 250 Gb USB External Hard Drive
Toshiba 8 Gb SDHC Memory Card
WiiMote, chords, etc.

**UPDATED!!!***

Next, check your Wii. Click the settings icon in the lower left corner and make sure you’re running Firmware 4.2. If not, you’ll need to borrow or rent a game that will update your system to 4.2. DO NOT do a system update as Nintendo has released version 4.3 with the black Wii’s in North America. 4.3 was updated to use IOS80 rather than 4.2′s IOS70, which had a stubbed version released when 4.3 came out. If you’re running 4.1 in particular, this is important for future steps as you can potentially brick your system.

Ok, so last you need to use a BitTorrent client (I suggest uTorrent!) and open this file right here.

That file is a .RAR file, so you’ll need WinRAR to extract it. Once you’ve downloaded that, proceed to step 1.

1. Prepare your SD Card
For this guide, I’m assuming you have an SD card that is at least 2 GB. If not, they’re only like 12 bucks at your local Wal-mart, Electronics Store, etc. They make a Wii-branded kind, but any SD card will work. If the SD card has anything on it, back those files up somewhere safe. (Don’t worry, you can put them back later!).

Pop your SD card into your PC, open up your Computer screen (where you see all the drives on your computer), right-click your SD card, and click format. This needs to be formatted as FAT32 (Name it anything you like).

Once that’s done, it’s time for that file you downloaded. If you open your (freshly formatted) SD card, you’ll see it’s empty. If you right-click and drag the RAR file you downloaded into this window and then click Extract Here, you’re done. If that doesn’t work for you, just extract the file to a folder somewhere, and place all the files onto the empty SD card (I’ll be calling this the root from now on). On to step 2!

2. Install the Homebrew Channel, DVDX, and BootMii

So now that you’ve got that out of the way, let’s get dirty. Pop that SD card back in your Wii, and on the main Wii menu, click the little SD card icon in the bottom left corner. It might freeze for a second, but don’t worry. Soon it should ask if you want to load Boot.elf/.dol. Say yes to this.

You’ll now be presented with the HBC BootMii installer. Go past the disclaimer screen and it should say that the Homebrew Channel (HBC from now on) and DVDX can be installed. It will also say something about BootMii. It will either say it can be installed to Boot2 and as an IOS, or as an IOS only. If your Wii is older, it may be able to install as Boot2 (and this is preferred if able). But if your just now modding your Wii, chances are that it can only be installed as an IOS (this is still fine though).

Proceed past that, and install each one in order (HBC, then DVDX, then finally BootMii). If BootMii can be installed to Boot2, this is preferable as it prevents a few extra bricks. However, don’t be discouraged, installing as an IOS is just fine. Make sure all that installed successfully, and hit exit.

3. Your first NAND Backup

Ok, now we’re going to put BootMii to use. When you hit exit, you should be looking at a blueish screen with a few options. Don’t hit any of those yet though! This is the Homebrew Channel. What you need to do now is hit your HOME button on your WiiMote, and select “Load BootMii”.

The menu that comes up won’t respond to your WiiMote, but that’s ok. On your screen are 4 Icons. What you need to do is press the power button (don’t hold it!) to cycle to the Gears-looking one. Once there, press reset. A new set of icons will appear. The first icon should show an arrow pointing from a microchip to an SD card. Press reset on this, and leave your Wii alone for a while.

What it’s doing is making a complete backup of your Wii’s internal memory, so that we can restore it just in case anything funky happens. It’s going to report a few bad blocks, but this is normal (I mean if the factory threw out every NAND chip with a bad block, the cost of making them would shoot up threw the roof!). After it creates the backup, it will make another pass to verify that it did it’s job right.

Once that’s done, press your reset button and it should kick you back to the Wii Menu.

After this is all done, put your card back in your Wii. From the SD Root, you can delete “Boot.Elf” and the “private” folder. Don’t delete anything else though. We’re removing these because now that HBC is installed and backed up, you won’t need these anymore, and they can interfere with stuff we’re going to do later. After they’re gone, pop the card back in the Wii.

4. Getting ready for the rest.

Ok, a little short step here, but necessary. For this guide, I’m going to assume your Wii has a Wireless Internet Connection. A lot of stuff we’re about to do relies on this (there is an offline way to do this, but it’s a bit more dangerous as a bad file can really muck things up). So, make sure your Wii’s internet connection is set up. You can do this through the settings (on the lower left corner of the Wii Menu). Do the network test. If it succeeds, DO NOT do a system update. Also, when you first open the settings screen, check the corners to make extra sure you’re running Firmware 4.2 (this will either be followed by a U, E, or J, depending on what country your Wii is from).

Everything working fine? Cool, let’s continue.

5. Getting the Trucha Bug

No, you don’t need some weird disease. Time to do the fun stuff. On your Wii Menu, you’ve probably noticed this new channel (which, lo and behold, is the Homebrew Channel). Start this bad boy up, and you’ll be back on that bubbly blue screen. Use the arrows on the sides, and find Trucha Bug Restorer. When the new screen comes up, use left and right on the D-pad of the WiiMote to navigate and A to select. Go ahead and load IOS36. Some new text will come up on the screen. Take a second to read over this and, when prompted, press 1 on the WiiMote to move on.

The next screen presents you with 6 options. The one you want to select is “Downgrade IOS15″. When prompted, select “Download IOS from NUS”. What this is doing is downloading an older version of the IOS to get some bugs needed to get the mods done. Continue through with this, Downloading from NUS as necessary. Once done, it will kick you back to the HBC. Reopen the program, this time selecting IOS15 instead of IOS36 to load.

Back at the screen where you downgraded, this time select “IOS36 Menu”. You’ll see about 5 options here. These should be set at follows:
Install IOS to slot: 36
Patch hash check (trucha): yes
Patch ES_Identify: yes
Patch nand permissions: no

Once those are set, select “Install patched IOS”. Once again, Download from NUS as necessary. Once that’s installed, it will kick you out again. Go back in one last time, and Restore IOS15 after loading IOS36.

Good! You’re bugged! (Weird, huh?)

6. Priiloader and another NAND backup

Ok, IOS15 is restored and you’re back in the HBC. The next step is to finish installing our Anti-Brick protection (and a few other juicy bits as well!). From the HBC, go ahead and load up Priiloader. The screen you’ll be presented with holds a disclaimer and a few options. What we’re going to do is press + to install Priiloader.

Priiloader is an application that installs itself in front of the Wii System Menu. What this means is that, if you are somehow able to brick your system and can’t access your System Menu, you can still get into Priiloader, which contains options to load BootMii, the System Menu, and the HBC, before your Wii ever really “boots”. This is useful, as we can access BootMii and restore a NAND backup, unbricking our system (which we hopefully won’t have to do!).

Ok, so once that installs, it will automatically kick you back to the HBC. Now we’re going to test it. Go ahead and turn the Wii off, then hold your reset button down as you turn it back on. You should now see a White screen with black letters. At the bottom of the screen, it should say “IOS v70″, “Systemmenu v481″, and “priiloader v0.3b (r48M)”. If this is correct, try to boot into BootMii. If BootMii loads, go back and try the HBC, as well as the System Menu. Did they all load? Great.

Now, select settings. Autoboot and Return to should be set on System Menu. Shutdown to and Stop Disc should both be set to off. If you want, Light slot on error can be turned on, as well as ignore standby (when your power light goes yellow instead of red). Use System Menu IOS should be on.

Once that’s done, save your settings then press B.

Now, select System Menu Hacks. On your SD card is a file called hacks.ini, from which these options are being pulled. I’ve included a fairly common list of hacks, and you can enable or disable them at your leisure. I recommend enabling these and leaving the rest disabled:

Replace Health Screen with Backmenu
Block Disc Updates
Block Online Updates
Move Disc Channel
Remove NoCopy Save File Protection
Region Free EVERYTHING
Disable HAXX.DVDX.RZDx deletion

After setting these how you like, save your settings then hit B. Back on the main Priiloader menu, load up into BootMii and make a NAND backup the same as in Step 3. If you’re really cautious, backup your existing one first. Everything’s installed fine so far though, right? This is the last NAND backup you’ll need, as this will have all the essentials already installed.

NOTE: If you don’t have a Gamecube controller, you’ll need to use your PC to delete (or backup!) nand.bin off your SD card, as it requires you to press A on the GC controller to overwrite the existing file.

Once that’s done, proceed to the next step.

7. Time for Some cIOS Action!

If you’ve done any research on hacking the Wii outside of this guide, you’ve probably heard mention of this thing called “cIOS” on some forums and other places. What this stands for is “Custom Input / Output System”. The most popular cIOS was designed by Waninkoko, and alongside Hermes’ own cIOS, is the core behind REALLY hacking the Wii.

So, now that the history lesson is over, let’s get this stuff installed!

First things first, though. Nintendo caught on to what Waninkoko and Hermes were doing, and made a (feeble) attempt to stop it by installing stubbed IOSes in the places where cIOS normally goes. We’re going to remove these stubs.

CAUTION: The program we are about to use has the greatest potential out of anything in this guide to brick your system! Be very careful about what you select in this next bit!

Ok, take a breath. Back in HBC, open the program called “AnyTitle Deleter” (see why this thing could be dangerous?).

On the first screen, select System Titles. Now here we’ll see a list of all the IOSes installed on the system. We’re going to delete IOS249, IOS222, and IOS223. DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING ELSE!

And…exhale. Now press B till you get back to the first menu, then press HOME to get back to the HBC.

From here, select cIOS38r17 installer. You’ll be greeted by a nice rock theme along with the option to select an IOS to use. Select IOS36, read the disclaimer, then on the next screen select Network Installation. The installer will do its thing, and if successful, your first cIOS will be installed (when referring to this one in particular, I’ll be calling it IOS249 from now on).

Next, back in the HBC, you’re going to run cIOS 222 installer v4 (ignore the part about it being for uloader). The first menu will ask you to select an IOS for install. Select 249 if it is not selected and Press A (TAKE THE RISK! lol).

Now select “Install Custom IOS 222 (Default)”. On the next menu, we’re going against recommendations and selecting “Use IOS 38 merged with IOS 37″. Once that’s done, repeat this process, except select “Install Custom IOS 223″ (rather than “Install Custom IOS 222″). All other selections are the same.

NOTE: It may not want to download if someone else is using the same internet connection (this usually only happens to me when someone else in the house is doing games on Facebook and the like). If it code dumps, don’t worry. Just reboot the Wii and try again.

After those have installed, it’s time to clean out your Wii. There are plenty other stubbed IOSes in there, so now that we’ve got cIOS in, it’s time to get those out.

8. Entering Cleanup Phase

Well believe it or not the hard part is done. All we gotta do now is cleanup a bit and get ready to do some nifty things. For most of this, we’re going to be using Dop-IOS MOD (v11.1) from the HBC. This program’s gonna be our best friend from here on, cause it will let us update all the stuff we need to in the future (since we can’t necessarily do a system update). So go on and open it up.

Read the disclaimer, then press A to proceed. When selecting an IOS, feel free to choose 36, 249, 222, or 223. The program should default to 36.

Once the IOS loads, press A to continue. You’ll have 6 options. The first one we want to select is “Remove Stubbed IOSes”. Anything it presents is OK to remove (If you’re running Firmware 4.1 and not 4.2, DO NOT delete IOS60!). This will be a bit annoying, as you’ll be pressing A alot. Once that process is done though, your system will be a lot cleaner.

Now the “fun” part. Select “IOSs”. If you scroll all the way back to IOS4, you’ll see that it gives each IOS a description. Anything that doesn’t say “Stub” or “Useless” is perfectly fine to install the latest version at this point.

The cool thing about DOP-IOS is that it tells you what’s currently installed, as well as what the latest version is. So browse through, and compare. Anything not deemed “Stub” or “Useless” is perfectly fine to install.

The one IOS we’re interested in, though, is IOS70. Be very careful, as this is the stage where you are absolutely MOST LIKELY to brick your system if you’re not careful! Open DOP-IOS fresh from the HBC, don’t do this if you’ve already been installing things, as we’re trying to reduce the risk of a brick as much as possible. Load it using IOS249, and in the IOSs menu, select IOS70 (this is for 4.2 only, NOT for 4.1 or earlier!). Install the latest version (v6687 at the time of this writing), and choose to apply the FakeSign bug. This is the Trucha Bug from earlier, but installed in a different way.

To make sure it installed correctly, back at the main DOP-IOS menu, choose to Scan the Wii’s internals (SysCheck). IOS70 should have the FakeSign Enabled.

Next is Channels. It’s generally the same process, just the program doesn’t tell you if your channel is up to date. Install all the channels (make sure you get the ones for your region! Unless of course you want Japanese games ). Of course you don’t need the 1.0 AND the 1.1 versions of the Photo Channel. The important one is the Shop Channel. If you run into problems installing the Internet Channel, don’t worry. As long as you got the Shop Channel installed, you can get the Internet Channel (and most of the others) through there. Just remember, no system updates!

Ok, another thing included in the download (and likely on your SD card) is a file called USBLoaderGXInstaller.exe. With the SD card plugged in your computer, run that. Check all the options except Cleanup to install USBLoaderGX onto your card.

With the SD card back in your Wii, use the HBC to load WAD Manager 1.5. Read the text, and proceed through. Use IOS249 to install, Disable NAND Emulation, and load from the SD slot. You’ll see an option named USB Loader GX-UNEO_Forwarder.wad. Press A and install this.

Once it finishes successfully, you’ll have a new channel on your Wii Menu. Press any button to continue, followed by HOME to get back to the HBC. We’re done in here for now, so press HOME again and go back to the Wii Menu.

If you want, go on and pop your SD card back in your PC once you’re sure everything works. The following folders and files are safe to delete (if they’re there at all):

00000001 (from Root)
README.txt (from Root)
USBLoaderGXInstaller.exe (from Root)
cIOS38r17-Installer (from Apps)
Hermes_cios222-223_installer (from Apps)
Priiloader_v0_3b (from Apps)
TBR (from Apps)
USB Loader GX-UNEO_Forwarder.wad (from WAD)
DopIOSModReport.csv (from Root)
Installer.log (from Root)

Also, to save space on your card, maybe backup keys.bin and nand.bin. (You can even make another NAND backup in case you want to continue modding past this guide).

NOTE: If you installed BootMii as boot2, rename the bootmii folder to something like bootmiiOLD. This stops the bootmii menu from loading every time you turn your Wii on. This does not occur on systems with just an IOS install of BootMii. If you have need of BootMii, just rename the folder back to bootmii prior to attempting to load it.

9. The Aftermath

Ok, your Wii is officially softmodded! But now what can we do with it? Well, we’ve already installed USBLoader GX. What this does is enables you to install actual Wii games like Super Smash Brothers Brawl or Zelda: Twilight Princess onto an external USB drive (Hint: get at least a 250Gb one) and play them without the disc. This is useful if you want to collect the games for future value, or if you just have kids who tend to destroy discs. If the drive you plug in is in an incorrect format, USB Loader GX will format it for you as well.

NOTE: The format used on these drives is called WBFS, a file system developed specifically for Wii applications. While most are able to use other file systems now, I still prefer WBFS because it cuts the junk data out of the Wii ISOs, allowing for more games in the same amount of space. Some games are less than 1 Gb in actual size, but the ISOs are still 4.38 Gb thanks to Nintendo’s “anti-piracy measures”. It is possible to split a drive with 2 partitions, although I won’t go into that here.

To manage what games are on your Hard Drive, there exists a program called WBFS Manager, which can be found here. Simply plug the drive into your computer (Don’t format it!) and open it in WBFS Manager.

Note: If your USB Loader GX seems to hang, plug your drive into the other USB port, as it can be picky at times. If that doesn’t work, your drive may not be compatible.

Also, there’s a reason we patched IOS70 with the FakeSign bug. Any Virtual Console or Wiiware titles that you place in the WAD folder on your SD card can be installed through the HBC using WAD Manager. This is good for custom injected WADs, such as VC titles which aren’t available through Nintendo’s Shop Channel. However, the internal memory for the Wii is limited, and if you move a channel not purchased through the Shop Channel onto the SD card, you won’t be able to run it or move it back onto the Wii without having IOS70 patched. It will simply say “Unable to run/move/copy”.

The reason for this is that IOS70 is the IOS used by the system menu itself. So once we patched this, you can run WADs not officially purchased from the SD Menu (the one where we were given the option to load Boot.Elf at the beginning of this process).

Also, another Homebrew program you may be interested in is the Homebrew Browser. This lets you download and install useful programs to be used through the HBC without having to move your card back and forth to your computer. I suggest Super Mario War! It also has various things like Media Players and Emulators.

So yeah, have fun with your modded Wii. I highly suggest moving AnyTitle Deleter and DOP-IOS somewhere safe if you have kids.

If something in this guide doesn’t work for you, or there’s something you think should be added, or hell, even if you just like it and it worked for you, sound off in the comments, or hit me up on Facebook!

But anyways, here’s what I’m working on for the future.

First off, my Wii mod guide needs an update. A few of the games coming out are starting to ignore cIOS when installed with the method I use, but that’s ok! There’s just one extra thing to update about that. Also I’ve got to reorganize it a bit, as some systems have issues if you follow my steps in order. However, I believe I’ve found the issue and will address that in the next update.

Secondly, I’m planning on more closely following the PS3 Homebrew/Hacking scene, as it seems to really be heating up now (and I may potentially join once I get my Hi-Def TV so Linux looks right). I’m in kind of a middle ground right now, but definitely look for more and more updates as we get closer to Fall semester.

And lastly, for those who are into custom built stuff, I have a couple projects I’m likely to post about. One of them is a definite, the other a maybe.

I definitely appreciate the people who have been visiting the blog during this dry spell, and stay tuned! There is more to come I promise! If there’s anything you’d like me to write about while I’m getting all this other stuff together, sound off in the comments or on my Facebook page! (Just search Blog of a Mad White Nerd)

P.S. Anyone else see the video of that 2-year-old Chain smoker? WTF?!

P.P.S. I’m looking for another Wii to mod in order to validate the guide update. If anyone wants their Wii modded for them, leave a comment with an e-mail and I’ll get back to you.

P.P.P.S. Also, looking for a 360 to mod. If anyone has one that works but maybe got blacklisted or something, hit me up as well.

P.P.P.P.S. Question: Would an old Pionix (sp?) case from a Windows 95 machine make a good case for what may turn into a file server? Sound off!

Why is this important, you ask? Well, it’s because Geohot’s Exploit runs under the OtherOS platform. Which means, all the effort that has gone towards hacking the PS3 thus far will be for nothing if this is removed.

Note that, if you are a Slim PS3 owner, this update doesn’t affect you in the slightest, and in fact does nothing to your system at all as this update does nothing else except remove OtherOS from the Fat models.

The comments over on PS3-Hacks.com have been on fire since the update was announced. Since it’s release, there have already been two workarounds to avoid the update and still allow the user to log into the PSN.

One of these is using the Logan5 tool to proxy your way through. This allows you to use the store and your friends list, but you won’t be able to play games online. Details of doing this can be found here.

The other, preferable method, is to simply set 67.202.81.137 as your Primary DNS in your Internet connection settings. To do this, you must manually enter IP settings rather than choosing “Automatic” or “PPPoE”. Note: If it won’t let you save the settings, try setting your router’s IP as the default router.

For more information, visit Geohot’s Blog and The PS3-Hacks.com Website.

Comments? Drop em below, or Become a Fan on Facebook!

As for my own personal comments, I’ll repost the comment I left in one of the articles on PS3-Hacks.com:

So, just figured I’d put my two cents in here.

First of all, Thank you Geohot for putting an unfathomable amount of your personal time into getting as far as you have. For those who didn’t pay attention, Geo put in just under 4 years of HIS time attempting to find the exploit that he did (I believe the exact time he posted was 3 years, 11 months, and 20-some odd days?).

Secondly, let me just note that I don’t endorse piracy for piracy’s sake. If you can afford the games, buy them. Personally I’ve purchased many Wii games in my day despite my Wii being completely softmodded. I actually modded another guy’s Wii, and right after he told me he was headed to Gamestop to purchase Mario Kart Wii. I asked why, and he said that Mario Games were collector’s items to him, and were worth more unopened later on. He still has his copy unopened to this day, yet plays the game regularly off his USB Hard Drive.

As to the PS3, I personally hope that it becomes hacked. I would love to use the PS3 as a fully powered Secondary PC. I have many neat uses in mind for it once it becomes fully unlocked. Removing this OtherOS feature pretty much kills that. It essentially means I bought my PS3 just to play like 3 or 4 games (the rest could’ve easily been played on my 360, but I like to keep a balanced collection on all consoles).

Once you pay the price for the hardware, it’s yours. Sony can’t stop you from doing whatever the heck you want with it. If you wanna use the OtherOS feature it came with to hack, or to record music, or simply to convert and save DVD movies, you are completely allowed to do that.

However, that does not give you the right to use the PSN. Whereas you own your PS3, Sony still owns the PSN, which includes online gameplay, along with your account and your friends list. So, needless to say, it’s not a matter of them coercing you to remove the OtherOS. It’s just them saying “Systems that continue to use the OtherOS feature will no longer be compatible with our PSN service.” It’s just like when the servers went down for several PS2 games that were online enabled (Twisted Metal Black Online comes to mind). You got the game because you wanted to play it online. However, you were playing on the COMPANY’S servers. Once the company decided it didn’t want to keep the server up anymore, they simply pulled the plug.

So yeah, while it sucks and does NOTHING for Consumer Relations, Sony has every right to do this.

Luckily I don’t play games online that much with PS3. The only game this severely affects for me is MAG (which is easily substituted for by Modern Warfare 2 on the 360).

I’d still LIKE to use the full features, but can do without until Geohot or whomever else releases the first PS3 CFW.

So to all those trying to break through that final door, Godspeed!