How to run the OLD Action Replay (GCN) on the Wii

[hawkeye2777]

First, a disclaimer...

WARNING: THIS CAN/MAY BRICK YOUR WII IF USED INCORRECTLY; ONLY PROCEED IF YOU COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT I DON'T TAKE ANY RESPONSIBLITY FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR WII AND THAT YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS DOES AND HOW CARRY OUT THIS METHOD.

...next, what do we need? (Required for both Methods | Method 1 only | Method 2 only):

-Wii (with firmware 3.0-3.3v1; 3.3v2 and later will NOT work)*
-Method of loading Wii Homebrew (HBC, Twilight Hack, etc.)
-AnyTitle Deleter
-WAD Manager
-Access to MIOSv4 (see below for possible ways of getting this)
-Access to one of the following games (w/ MIOSv4)**: Pokemon Battle Revolution (U), Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (U), Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (U)
-MIOSv4 from elsewhere (internet, etc.)***

*I'm not sure if the AnyTitle Deleter will work on 3.3 and above; it will work on 3.2 though.
**These are games listed on the Wiibrew Title Database, the other versions and different games MIGHT have MIOSv4, but they also may have a newer version instead. If you want to see if your game has MIOSv4, use WUFE to dump the updates from your disc to your SD card (you'll need roughly 200+mb free).
***The only risky thing here is that the MIOS file itself could be tampered with. With method 1, you know that the MIOS file is the original file from Nintendo.

Now we move on to the actual guide (it's a bit short, but I think I covered all I needed to; just ask if you have further questions). I highly recommend Method 1, which is probably the safest route out of the two. Just rent one of those games, or borrow them from a friend. You'll only need them once.

Both Methods:
If you haven't already, run the Twilight Hack and install the Homebrew Channel. Next, download the AnyTitle Deleter from here. You'll be running this first. Now, run it and delete the copy of MIOS that is on your system. If for some reason you screw up later or can't install MIOSv4, you can always run Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or Mario Kart Wii to install MIOSv5. Once you've completed this step, move on to Method 1 if you have those games, or go to Method 2 if you do not.

Method 1:
This is quite simple, just pop in one of those games with MIOSv4, run it from the disc channel (it should ask you to update, as you don't have any MIOS), and once it's done, you should be able to run the Old AR! Congrats!

Method 2:
This is a little more tricky/risky. I won't tell you where to get your MIOSv4 WAD nor will I tell you where to get WAD Manager; Google is your friend here. Once you have gotten both, create a directory in the root of your SD card called 'wad' and put your MIOSv4.wad file in there. Run the WAD Manager, install the MIOSv4 WAD, and it should (hopefully) install successfully. If it does, congrats, you can run the old AR.


If it didn't work (for whatever reason), just ask and I'll try to help you out. Oh, and before you ask, I do have a copy of MIOSv4, I will NOT upload it though. I am, however, seeing if I can find an alternative to Method 2. If you have any suggestions for improvements on the "mini"-guide, feel free to post them.

Oh, and stickied for justice.

[nensondubois]

Where is the source? I would like to know where it's from for trust reasons.

[hawkeye2777]

Source for what? I wrote most of it myself.

EDIT: If you want some evidence that MIOSv4 is the one that can still run the old AR, look below.

Talk: Wii Gamecube Homebrew Launcher
[...] As of right now, I am trying to get my hands on a copy of an ISO form of Pokemon Battle Revolution for the update partition, as it contains MIOS v4 on it, which would not only be useful to me (it should let me use my action replay on the wii again), put MIOS v4 might some way be a better patch (might have more exploits). Thanks, and I will keep checking back on this page.[...]

[Nayr]

Meh, I'll just buy a new AR from codejunkies.

No risk and the codelist is updated. Plus my AR disc is scratched to hell.

[Radical Hacker]

it looks risky, and might brick my wii if i tried, but would be nice if o can use my AR for my wii

[stickman]

which method did you use, hawk?

and if i do this, will brawl ask me to update again? (or do i just boot it with gecko os?)

[Hells Guardian]

I'm kind of curious as to weather there would be a way to launch the dol file for it and still be able to use the disk drive without trouble.......... there are many ideas to look at but I'm not sure what will and what will not work. thanks for the info Hawk. BTW I think if people wanted to use the AR they would be better installing a patched version of the mios. one that has been patched to appear to be more current than the recent updates. However again this runs a very high risk of creating a very exspensive paperwieght.

[Golbez]

The Prince of Codes, the new AR is garbage - you can't add new codes, and you can't even use existing codes from the old AR.
Anyway, my old AR is also scratched up badly, that's why I had to get a new AR, hoping I could use my old SSBM codes.

[nensondubois]

I wouldn't use either method.

[hawkeye2777]

If you guys want, I could try and take a short video (from my phone) showing that it does indeed boot. You'll know the process is successful if a game like SMG/SSBB/MKW (any game with MIOS higher than v4) asks you to update.

Meh, I'll just buy a new AR from codejunkies.

No risk and the codelist is updated. Plus my AR disc is scratched to hell.

The Wii can read it. Mine is also scratched to hell, and it reads it just fine.

it looks risky, and might brick my wii if i tried, but would be nice if o can use my AR for my wii

If something goes wrong, you'll only lose access to Gamecube games, nothing else. MIOS is the Gamecube compatibilty IOS only.

which method did you use, hawk?

and if i do this, will brawl ask me to update again? (or do i just boot it with gecko os?)

First; yes it will, just use Gecko OS.

I'm kind of curious as to weather there would be a way to launch the dol file for it and still be able to use the disk drive without trouble.......... there are many ideas to look at but I'm not sure what will and what will not work. thanks for the info Hawk. BTW I think if people wanted to use the AR they would be better installing a patched version of the mios. one that has been patched to appear to be more current than the recent updates. However again this runs a very high risk of creating a very exspensive paperwieght.

I would think a patched MIOS is more risky than installing an official, untampered version.

[stickman]

has number 2 been proven to not brick the wii. (i will still try this anyway lol)
(but i do realize there is always the risk of bricking, i just want to know if anyone has done it this way yet)

[hawkeye2777]

Again, as MIOS is the Gamecube compatibility IOS, I don't think it would brick any Wii features; I'm not 100% positive however.

I could try Method 2...

[stickman]

don't worry about it. i'll try it later and take one for the team

[nensondubois]

Well I'm not attempting it just in case my Wii bricks.

[hawkeye2777]

If Method 1 were to fail, you'd only lose MIOS which you can easily restore via disc updates.

EDIT: Method 2 does work, just tested it now.

[stickman]

ok thank you very much. i'll get on that right now

[Golbez]

Need help with 3.3 - I try to delete the MIOS, get an error of -102.

[hawkeye2777]

Need help with 3.3 - I try to delete the MIOS, get an error of -102.

Which 3.3? (v1 or v2/Oct 23 update)

[Golbez]

v2, I presume.

[hawkeye2777]

Then you can't use this method; v2 blocks the Signing bug which AnyTitle Deleter apparently uses.

[Golbez]

Any other method?

[hawkeye2777]

Not that I know of.

[Golbez]

That's too bad, but I'm not sure my AR would have read, anyway. Trying to boot it with the new AR's freeloader led to a black screen, and trying to load it directly led to the Wii resetting (rather than giving a "Disc Error" message).

[stickman]

thanks hawk. the wad version works!
it loaded three times straight to the wii menu, but the fourth time, it loaded my ar!
sweet! now i have to figure out how to input codes to my memory card the same way the computer writes wii codes to the sd card. (that could take a while though lol)

[Aaron]

I'll just go without AR; don't want to run the risk (which is probably high, with my luck. -_-), and it probably wouldn't read anyway.

[hawkeye2777]

Wii lens are much better at reading disks than the GC lens, btw. An extremely scratched disc could still be read on the Wii.

[111]

Hawkeye2777 is correct. As long as you only delete the MIOS, you should be safe from any type of full brick. The very worst that should happen is that you would lose GameCube compatibility.

If you use AnyTitle Deleter, just make sure that you do not delete IOS30 or IOS50, as one of those are most likely used by the System Menu.

[hawkeye2777]

Hawkeye2777 is correct. As long as you only delete the MIOS, you should be safe from any type of full brick. The very worst that should happen is that you would lose GameCube compatibility.

If you use AnyTitle Deleter, just make sure that you do not delete IOS30 or IOS50, as one of those are most likely used by the System Menu.

There's brick protection with AnyTitle Deleter, where you can't delete the system menu or anything like that too. Like I've said before, if you lose Gamecube compatibilty, you can just restore it with Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, basically any game that has a update on it.

[Golbez]

One other thing - I was able to use AnyTitle Deleter to delete a Zelda save, but not the MIOS.

[hawkeye2777]

That could be due to the signing bug being blocked then...

[Hells Guardian]

While yes a patched mios is more risky than a standard official release it would only cause gamecube functionality loss...... while this would suck it's easily fixed. there are many tools that can completly remove the currently installed mios and then you can just reinstall with an update from another game. however the part that would be most difficult is creating the patch for it.......

[stickman]

Update: my AR boots up the first time, every time. i can access it twice in the same day (or more), and best of all, if the game goes into a continuous loop (i am not sure about freezing yet), the reset button will load the gc game with codes still active!

[Hells Guardian]

really....... wonder if my pretty much destroyed AR disk would read.... it's cracked slightly....... Highly doubt it will......

[stickman]

its worth a shot. i did the wad version of this guide and it works.

[Hells Guardian]

It has come to my attention that It's quite simple to downgrade the wiis firmware to allow greater controll of the wii. System menu 3.2 is the most advised as it allows access to starfall........ It's useful to allow one to recover from a partial system brick.

anyone who would like further info please visit this link.

3.1-3.4 Twilight/Downgrade/Gamma Tutorial - GBAtemp.net

It's meant as a tutorial on installing the backup loader for the wii but it's the most detailed downgrade instructions I've ever seen. If you wish to attempt this please be sure to register over there and thank EOC for his exccelent guide. Thats the only reason I plan to register there when I get around to it........ lol cuz quite frankly don't find the pages all that apealing. None the less it's great that this is possible. also note that the tools used for this are also the best way to upgrade to 3.2 if using an older sm. If i'm not mistaken Nintendo will go straight to the latest firmware when updating through them......... So you can use this to install 3.2

[hawkeye2777]

Thanks for posting that.

Just read through it, it is very detailed. Usually GBAtemp has a bunch of crap, but that increased my opinion of them.

[Hells Guardian]

I have to agree. It actually was the most detailed downgrade info I've ever come across.

[Nayr]

YES, method 1 worked. My GC Action Replay is loading now.

Hawkeye my man, you are a genius.

If you would please tell me which of the following games if any has the update with MIOSv5 on it.(Just so I know what and what not to use GeckoOS with.)

Dragon Quest Swords
Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn
Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles
Soulcalibur Legends

[hawkeye2777]

YES, method 1 worked. My GC Action Replay is loading now.

Hawkeye my man, you are a genius.

If you would please tell me which of the following games if any has the update with MIOSv5 on it.(Just so I know what and what not to use GeckoOS with.)

Dragon Quest Swords
Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn
Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles
Soulcalibur Legends

If a disc update appears in the disc channel, you'll know if you have to boot them with Gecko OS or not.

[Nayr]

Harvest Moon needs GeckoOS.
Since all the others are relatively old I doubt they do, but I will anyway so I can cheat.

[LinkFan18]

does the action replay 1.14 count as old action replay? because I uninstalled mios v5, then installed mios v4 and my action replay still doesn't work on my wii (it says: "disc could not be read"). Could it be because I have a pal wii? does this only work for ntsc wiis?

edit: just to make sure: I used the mios v4 from the pal version of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. could there be a difference between the mios v4 from the ntsc version and the one from the pal version? and if so, would installing the mios v4 from the ntsc version brick my wii? and sorry for asking so many questions at once :-)

[hawkeye2777]

does the action replay 1.14 count as old action replay? because I uninstalled mios v5, then installed mios v4 and my action replay still doesn't work on my wii (it says: "disc could not be read"). Could it be because I have a pal wii? does this only work for ntsc wiis?

edit: just to make sure: I used the mios v4 from the pal version of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. could there be a difference between the mios v4 from the ntsc version and the one from the pal version? and if so, would installing the mios v4 from the ntsc version brick my wii? and sorry for asking so many questions at once :-)

1. Yes, 1.14 is still the good old AR.
2. It should work for any region, what region is your AR disc?

[LinkFan18]

2. It should work for any region, what region is your AR disc?

my AR disc is also from the pal region

[Hells Guardian]

Folks I'm just going to toss this out there. it's advised that you simply revert to system menu 3.2 as it's more compatible with many hacks and much less locked down. the downgrade proccess is extremely easy and simple and if you follow the instructions and know what you are doing the chance of a brick are slim to nothing. With system menu 3.2 you can also use starfall which can put in place a peminant hack to bypass all disk update checks. its much easier than having to load gecko os ALL THE TIME.

[nensondubois]

How ?

[stickman]

and if i do this, it won't ever update from a disk? that's awesome!

[nensondubois]

I accidentally upgraded when I got AC:CF does that matter?

[stickman]

i'm sure that it can be downgraded easily. HG posted a tutorial (a link to it) somewhere in the boards on how to do this

[hawkeye2777]

It has come to my attention that It's quite simple to downgrade the wiis firmware to allow greater controll of the wii. System menu 3.2 is the most advised as it allows access to starfall........ It's useful to allow one to recover from a partial system brick.

anyone who would like further info please visit this link.

3.1-3.4 Twilight/Downgrade/Gamma Tutorial - GBAtemp.net

It's meant as a tutorial on installing the backup loader for the wii but it's the most detailed downgrade instructions I've ever seen. If you wish to attempt this please be sure to register over there and thank EOC for his exccelent guide. Thats the only reason I plan to register there when I get around to it........ lol cuz quite frankly don't find the pages all that apealing. None the less it's great that this is possible. also note that the tools used for this are also the best way to upgrade to 3.2 if using an older sm. If i'm not mistaken Nintendo will go straight to the latest firmware when updating through them......... So you can use this to install 3.2

See quote above.

[nensondubois]

Way too much work needed for someone lazy like me. The only thing I need to know is after updating with the Animal Crossing City Folk update, will I still be able to use my HBC and Gecko OS?

[stickman]

of course if it wasn't deleted with that update. if the channel is still there, then you are good. if not, there is a way to reinstall it with the new firmware

[nensondubois]

I didn't update the HBC because it said scam warning.

[stickman]

it just warns people that you shouldnt buy homebrew because it is free anywhere else. if you need to update, go for it, if not, then don't. (i didnt update mine)

[nensondubois]

So I might downgrade and make new disk updates obsolete.

[stickman]

that works as well...

[Hells Guardian]

While yes it is quite a bit of work it does work great. You have to be running system menu 3.2 for Starfall to function properly. It is also advised for anyone who is using imports and such as that so as to help avoid/fix a semi brick. Starfall can patch the system so that holding y on the first GC controller will boot into the recovery menu. It can also patch the system to disable all region restrictions and other such nonsense. It's very much advised that if you are doing anything involving tampering with the nand flash or any other risky tasks that you downgrade to system menu 3.2 and install the starfall patches. Even if you are not doing such things the patches are quite nice. Yes you can also use the downgrader to upgrade to 3.2 if need be. (I personally did this so I can say that the downgrade method works and I also used it to upgrade so yes it does work. Quite well I might add. None the less if anyone needs the files for this task I can upload an archive to rapidshare for a bit for you.

[hawkeye2777]

Luckily, I still have lovely 3.2.

I'll probably install Starfall soon, as well as put a copy of the Twilight Hack on mai Wii; in case anything bad happens.

Also guys, I've heard that removing the Health Warning is bad, so you may want to reconsider installing that patch w/ Starfall. Really, only the last 3 options are the best to install. Region free is handled by Gecko OS for the most part (Rebooter version).

[Hells Guardian]

true true. on the other hand it is nice to have such options there from the get go. FYI there is a project in work known as CSM aka custom system menu. This customized system menu will feature a large number of hacks already in place. It's bassically a replacement for the Standard Nintendo Firmware. It's likely to be released sometime within the next few months. I'll post what info I can get for you all to review at a later time.