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Nintendo shoots themselves in the foot with System Menu 4.2

GFLPraxis

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
Nintendo released on, IIRC, Monday, System Update 4.2.

System Update 4.2 seems to, as far as anyone has been able to tell, perform a minor inconsequential update to the Shop Channel, and adds no new features to the Wii.

It also:

* Searches for and deletes Homebrew Channel, DVDX, and BootMii if installed.

* Overwrites IOS249, 250, and a few others with "stub" placeholders. For those not aware, these are the install points of cIOS, a piece of custom software used to launch homebrew applications that run game content (for example, apps to run burned games or games backed up to a hard drive).

* Replaces a part of the Wii bootloader known as boot2 with a new one that also searches for and deletes homebrew channel, DVDX, and BootMii if installed.
This makes it the first update from Nintendo to EVER touch the bootloader.

* Makes inconsequential updates to several IOS's (basically, drivers/APIs), to make sure that any hacked ones are overwritten.

* Is required to use Shop Channel further.

Essentially, it is an update that tampers with very significant parts of the Wii OS and does nothing except delete homebrew. It barely effects the homebrew crowd, as most of them didn't update, and within two days there are already multiple workarounds.

A) A homebrew Updater that grabs all of the updated files from the Nintendo server EXCEPT the new bootloader and homebrew deleter and new IOS placeholder stubs, allowing you to update all the necessary files without losing homebrew and still use the Shop Channel.

B) Two other methods of installing Homebrew, using a hacked Indiana Jones savegame or a Brawl savegame, have been released and are not stopped. These can be used to downgrade the necessary parts to reinstall homebrew.

C) The homebrew channel deleter is extremely primitive and simply searches for the Homebrew Channel, DVDX, and BootMii's titleID's. All the developers need to do is release another version with a different titleID, and the apps continue to function correctly.

D) As yet, there is no real loss in simply NOT UPDATING. The inability to access the Shop Channel is a loss, but if cIOS is installed, one can pirate virtual console games with ease; which means this will simply encourage legal homebrew users who are afraid to update to pirate games since they can no longer buy them.



So, the homebrew crowd is not effected at all.

How about regular users?

Reports are already coming in of unmodded, launch Wiis being bricked by the update, due to a faulty installer on the bootloader updater. Those affected are being charged $80 to fix the issue by Nintendo. From Nintendo's own support boards:

http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins...thread.id=29914&view=by_date_ascending&page=1


GGs, Nintendo. That's what you get. Hopefully they catch on and at least fix the Wiis for free.


Homebrew FTW.

For now, do not update if you use homebrew. I would actually recommend not updating even if you do not use homebrew, if you are out of warranty, until Nintendo starts repairing this for free.

EDIT:
Nintendo is fixing them free now.
http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=wii_tech&thread.id=29992
 
Dang, that sucks. Thanks for the heads up -- don't think I'll be upgrading to it anytime soon!
 
I have an unmodded Wii but after this I won't be updating. The issue however is that clearly you need the update to run the wii most of the time, no?
 
UPDATE:

Looks like Nintendo has pledged to fix them free of charge.
http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=wii_tech&thread.id=29992

Hello,

Some of you have reported problems with your Wii console after updating to the Wii System Menu 4.2. The symptoms most people are describing usually occur when the Wii has been modified. However, some of you also mention your system has never been modified.

We'd like to help get your system working properly again. If you're experiencing problems with your Wii console after downloading Wii System Menu 4.2, and you believe your system has not been modified, please give us a call. If we find that you have a normal system and the update caused your system to not work, we'll repair it at no charge.

Please call our Customer Service Department at your earliest convenience, 1-800-255-3700. We are open 6 AM to 7 PM, Pacific Time, 7 days a week.

Thank you,
NOA_Tech_Jane
Click to expand...



I'd back up savegames to be safe, but at least if something happens Nintendo'll fix it.

jessica. said:
I have an unmodded Wii but after this I won't be updating. The issue however is that clearly you need the update to run the wii most of the time, no?
Click to expand...

No, you don't at all. I'm still on 4.0, I never updated to 4.1.

Games that are released starting next month will probably come with 4.2 on the disk and try to update you before they run, however.
 
^ well to be honest, when I went to BB to buy a game the girl there told me to hack my Wii. She was pretty awesome actually, I just have not had the time to look into how to do it.
 
Wow, sounds pretty awesome. xD

I highly recommend hacking your Wii. It's great. Mine runs games off a hard drive; you can pop a game into the drive, rip it to the external HD, and then run them straight from there with half the load time. You can also modify games and use cheats; for example, custom music and textures in Smash Bros, and even game engine mods like Brawl+, and unlimited replay length instead of 3 minutes.
 
I only ever update the Wii OS if I have to. Since I don't deal with WiiWare or the shop in general I'm at the mercy of forced updates from discs.
But on the other hand I don't like all the hacking hoohaw. I'm a fan of just sitting down after a busy day and playing home consoles, or putting on a DVD. It's like with the PSP now. I can't play the new games because I'd have to upgrade to an official firmware, but then I'd lose my PS1 rips, emulators and homebrew (CAAAVE STOOORY, Powder, Doom, Herectic) and I'm very not prepared to do that!
 
Thanks for the head's up. I just took a look around the Wii forums, it seems that almost everyone (modded or not) is having one issue or another. Good job, Nintendo.
 
I don't use my Wii for anything at all, so I'm not updating. Once when I updated, I think it was 4.0 it told me that "system files are corrupt", so I called Nintendo's support and the guy there basically said right to my face that I was using homebrew, which I have never used. Anyway the problem went away when I started my Wii without any discs or SD cards, and since then it has only crashed once...
 
I had my wii mod chipped when wiikey first came out, since then homebrew made it easier for me to run imported games and usbloaderGX & gekko region free even more so as I can make the console bypas region altogether.

I have no interest in WiiShop anyway (over priced emulated games) so I will not be upgrading to 4.2 at all.
 
Thank goodness I didn't update(I almost too) because if the Wii goes down then thats it...I wouldn't attempt to get it fix because it will still cost me money to ship it and customs would hit me too hard.

Guess I'll wait until they fix this.



Bless
 
I haven't updated yet but....

So Nintendo wants to prevent hackers, so they release an update that bricks Wiis, hacked or not.

wtf?
 
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