Questions about USB Gecko

[bloed38]

1. Is USB Gecko, Ocarina, or Homebrew Channel Illegal?
2. Will my Wii get bricked?
3. Can my Wii get bricked?
4. Do I need USB Gecko to install Homebrew or Ocarina?
5. What tools would I need? (SD Card Writer?)
6. I am good with the computer, but not good with hacking. Would someone like me be able to do this?
7. Will I need to work with some kind of scripts?
8. Where can I get USB Gecko?
9. How easy is it to install?
10. Lastly, are there any negative outcomes of using these? I have heard that my wii channels can be deleted. If so, will turning off my WiiConnect stop this? How can I stop this?

Thanks,
Bloed38 :beer

[James0x57]

1 No.
2 Not using the items in #1 it wont.
3 Yes.
4 No.
5 Just the SD Card and reader for your computer.
6 To use codes? Yeah, anyone can. To hack, you need the USB Gecko. Also watch Foxx's video (just search if you don't see it).
7 No.
8 At the top of this page it says "buy" that'd be a good place to start.
9 I forgot you had to install it. (that easy)
10 You could kill your cat. But I'd say to just not update your Wii unless you hear elsewhere that it's fine.

You're welcome.

[bloed38]

Thank you, James

[ihaveathumb]

10 You could kill your cat.

That happened to me last week.  It was horrible!!!! :cry

[bloed38]

Also, anyone that can answer this,
What advantages does buying a USB Gecko have? You say that I only need a SD card reader and SD card, so why would I bother to buy USB Gecko???

[Nuke]

if you just want to cheat you don't need a USB Gecko. USB Gecko is a more a developers and hackers tool for programmers, hobbyists. If your a programmer then its a handy tool to have, as you can use it for many things like debugging, uploading code.

If you want to create codes or learn how to do so, then you don't need one.

If all you want to do is playback other peoples codes with ocarina, then all you need is an SD card and an original copy of Zelda Twilight Princess (launch pad to install the HBC).

[bloed38]

Thank you, Nuke. That answered my question perfectly.
So as I understand, only USB Gecko can get my Wii bricked. Correct? I can use Ocarina without having to turn my WiiConnect off?

[memorris]

Thank you, Nuke. That answered my question perfectly.
So as I understand, only USB Gecko can get my Wii bricked. Correct? I can use Ocarina without having to turn my WiiConnect off?

bloed38
3. Can my Wii get bricked?

James0x57  
3 Yes.

me
3 .If you do stupid things with it yes


The USB Gecko can NOT brick Wii's

bloed38
I can use Ocarina without having to turn my WiiConnect off?

Try it let me now lol. :lol

[sean.aaron]

I just wanted to confirm what appears to be true from the FAQ:

Can I use USB Gecko to run Homebrew code without any other modifications to my system?  I'm hoping to use it to recover my Wii from a semi-brick state and would prefer not to use a modchip -- especially since I don't even know if that would work.

[Nuke]

This is the only recovery solution I have publicly heard of and requires a mod chip.

http://hackmii.com/2008/05/semi-brick-fix-discs/

You can run homebrew code by just using Zelda Twilight Princess, you don't need a USB Gecko to do so. But i don't know about homebrew software which can fix bricking as I have never really looked into this.

But if you Wii still boots games, then you can boot code from Zelda. check //www.wiibrew.org for more info on the Zelda TP hack

[111]

I just wanted to confirm what appears to be true from the FAQ:

Can I use USB Gecko to run Homebrew code without any other modifications to my system?  I'm hoping to use it to recover my Wii from a semi-brick state and would prefer not to use a modchip -- especially since I don't even know if that would work.

sean.aaron, are you still referring to the issue that you encountered when using the AnyRegion Changer?  If so, you will probably either need to try a drive chip, send it into Nintendo for repair, or get a Japanese version of Twilight Princess, and hope that it works.  However, if Nintendo finds that you modified your settings in this manner, they may charge you a certain amount for repair.

I believe that you said that you have the 3.3 firmware, so the Freeloader wouldn't be an option.

[sean.aaron]

My Wii still boots fine, but I cannot boot Wii software; only Japanese Gamecube games.

Am I misunderstanding how USB Gecko works?  I thought you just plug in the device, connect your PC and then use the GeckoOS interface on the PC to load Homebrew on it?  This guide seems to suggest that is the case.

That's all I'm trying to get confirmed.  If so, then I should be able to use it to run AnyRegionChanger again and revert the settings; I didn't do anything other than change Game Region and Video mode, so it shouldn't be too serious.

If the Japanese Twilight Princess boots, then this won't be necessary, but I have a suspicion it won't as Wii games seem to check both Game Region flag and the Area flag for the system (if I understand correctly), but I didn't change the Area because I didn't want to do a wholesale replacement of my Wii firmware.

[111]

Yeah, from what you said, I don't know whether or not the Japanese version of Twilight Princess would boot.  However, you would need something like the Homebrew Channel, or another homebrew application with USB Gecko support, in order to use the USB Gecko.  It's not as simple as just plugging the device into your Wii, and running homebrew applications through the PC.

[sean.aaron]

This is the only recovery solution I have publicly heard of and requires a mod chip.

http://hackmii.com/2008/05/semi-brick-fix-discs/

Well, having read up on this it looks like this just updates the firmware; unless the "update" completely overwrites what I've already got, I don't know that this would fix it, but I guess it's the best bet!

Next time I think of running a hack that has no documentation as to how it actually works, I think I'll have to stay away from it.  The results for Mr. Driller Drill Land have been outstanding however as just running region-free doesn't help.  

Does GeckoOS actually cause the game to think it's running on a local system, i.e., would Mr. Driller Drill-Land actually use and update save game data?  I have a Gamecube I modded with a XenoGC and whilst the game would boot, it wouldn't load a save because it would check for the system region -- region-free wasn't good enough.  I guess AnyRegionChanger would be good for just that game, then...

[sean.aaron]

Yeah, from what you said, I don't know whether or not the Japanese version of Twilight Princess would boot.  However, you would need something like the Homebrew Channel, or another homebrew application with USB Gecko support, in order to use the USB Gecko.  It's not as simple as just plugging the device into your Wii, and running homebrew applications through the PC.

Damn, the guide I linked to didn't seem to imply that; re-reading it I guess "having GeckoOS" loaded and running means on the Wii itself.  *sigh*

Well, fingers crossed, but I guess I might end up doing surgery on my Wii after all...