Wii 4.3 Update out, just removes homebrew

pslong9

http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board?board.id=wii_tech

Users are reporting on Nintendo's Tech Forums that the update is causing some Wii's to stop working. This is supposedly happening to some non-hacked Wiis. I personally updated and didn't have any problems, but I haven't actually run anything on it since then (will be testing tonight). The problem is reportedly with the boot2 file.

So, if you have a non-hacked Wii and haven't updated to 4.2 yet, it's suggested that you don't until Nintendo figures out their shit.

maximumzero

Anecdoteally I updated yesterday morning after waking to the blue glow, and no issues thus far.

Bartholamue

I unfortunately did but I haven't ran anything either.

Dodge Aspen

Oh shits. I updated. Haven't done anything since, though. I was gonna download Arkanoid today. Now I'm scared.

LewieP

There isn't really any reason to update anyway, this update does nothing other than (fail to) block homebrew.

Details here:
http://hackmii.com/2009/09/silly_games/

seasleepy

We updated yesterday, and while it didn't brick our (un-hacked) Wii, we're having new issues connecting to the network (particularly on the Internet Channel, where absolutely nothing would go through).

maximumzero

LewieP wrote: »

There isn't really any reason to update anyway, this update does nothing other than (fail to) block homebrew.

Details here:
http://hackmii.com/2009/09/silly_games/

Well, if you don't update now I'm sure New Super Mario Bros. Wii will take care of that anyway.

Brainiac 8

I haven't updated it yet, as I'm currently interwebless at home...but I'm sure I'll have no problems once I do.

Voth

I updated and don't have any issues. Well, I have issues just not with my Wii.

ArcSyn

If it does brick your Wii, does Nintendo replace it? Even if out of warranty?

Ashcroft

Luvky for me I haven't turned on my Wii since House of the Dead Overkill came out.

The_Spaniard

ArcSyn wrote: »

If it does brick your Wii, does Nintendo replace it? Even if out of warranty?

Think about that for a minute.

UncleSporky

The_Spaniard wrote: »

ArcSyn wrote: »

If it does brick your Wii, does Nintendo replace it? Even if out of warranty?

Think about that for a minute.

Are you implying that they won't replace it even if it's out of warranty? Because that doesn't apply here, it's a system update causing a problem, not hardware failure.

Obviously if this just occurred nobody knows what Nintendo's response will be. And despite them not having made any official statement I think it is also obvious that they will fix it free of charge if it causes problems as described.

LewieP

maximumzero wrote: »

LewieP wrote: »

There isn't really any reason to update anyway, this update does nothing other than (fail to) block homebrew.

Details here:
http://hackmii.com/2009/09/silly_games/

Well, if you don't update now I'm sure New Super Mario Bros. Wii will take care of that anyway.

Nintendo actually haven't been requiring people update to the latest system menu actually.

Like, Wii Sports Resort came out about 3 months after SM 4.0, but it only has 3.4 on the disc.

Akatsuki

Of course this could also be a case of Wii 4.2 Update Reportedly Bricking Reporedly Non-Hacked Wiis.

THEPAIN73

Oh shit... I haven't tried it.

Will need to see if it's cool when I get home.

Ohshitohshitohshit...

travathian

Akatsuki wrote: »

Of course this could also be a case of Wii 4.2 Update Reportedly Bricking Reporedly Non-Hacked Wiis.

Reportedly there are a dozen or so people who have had problems out of the MILLIONS of Wii owners.

OP fail.

pslong9

travathian wrote: »

Akatsuki wrote: »

Of course this could also be a case of Wii 4.2 Update Reportedly Bricking Reporedly Non-Hacked Wiis.

Reportedly there are a dozen or so people who have had problems out of the MILLIONS of Wii owners.

OP fail.

Actually, the main source for the information in the first post is from one of the homebrew sites. I don't know what the rules are about linking to it, and I'd rather not risk getting banned over it, so I linked to Nintendo's official forums instead. Here's the relevant text from the site:

I’m surprised that they took the bold move of pushing an updated boot2 — I guess all of the cool kids are doing it these days. Their boot2-updating code (ES_ImportBoot) is not well-tested; they’ve never updated boot2 on retail consoles before, and in our testing we discovered that it often fails to write out ECC data for the new version of boot2 that it writes. We should expect to see some number of bricked Wiis from this; the code is so buggy that we decided to write our own

This seems to be validated by the reports on Nintendo's forums.

So, yes, there are issues with the update. It's only affecting a very small number of people, yes, but it's affecting them nonetheless.

Hidden

http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=wii_tech&thread.id=29914

I am Evilbehtty in this topic on the Nintendo forum. I find it funny I stumble across the same topics here.

Yes, my system is bricked due to some unknown error that caused the install to freeze. Reset would not work. Power down would not work. The wiimote was unresponsive. So the only thing to do after 8 hours of waiting for it to try and finish was pull the plug.

Here is a quote from someone:

System Menu 4.2 updates boot2 to boot2v4. Now, whereas in most updates the software updated consists of IOS, default channels, and the menu itself, 4.2 is updating the bootloader.

This was, in my opinion, irresponsible of Nintendo.

boot2 is part of the bootloader; the first thing the Wii loads is boot0, which loads boot1, which loads boot2. boot2 loads the System Menu.

If there is the slightest error during installation of the new version of boot2, the Wii will have a corrupt bootloader. There is little that can be done to save it short of directly reprogramming the NAND, because the Wii crashes before it can load any software. This include's Nintendo's repair disc(s). Basically, you'll probably get a new console if you send yours in after it bricks installing 4.2.

Furthermore, the code used to update boot2 is spotty. At the very least, before putting something like this out, the boot2 update code should have been reworked so that it would be less likely to fail- and, better yet, so that it would have a failsafe of some sort.

Essentially, bricks are because Nintendo updated the bootloader, which is something that should be left alone, with poor update code.

It's rather more complex, really, but this is simplified so that anyone who needs to can understand.

Nintendo should reimburse any purchased titles lost through these bricks, and cover the replacement for free.

SteevL

Updated it the other day, but shut the system off afterward. I guess I'll have to test it out later.

UncleSporky

The bricking is apparently just if it fails mid-update, from the single report I've seen. The other report is of certain discs not reading anymore which is not the same as bricking and should be fixable.

Dsmart

A brick would probably be better at propping up my coffee table

Brainiac 8

You're so witty.

maximumzero

Dsmart wrote: »

A brick would probably be better at propping up my coffee table

Well yeah, a brick has more mass.

Vegan

LewieP wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

LewieP wrote: »

There isn't really any reason to update anyway, this update does nothing other than (fail to) block homebrew.

Details here:
http://hackmii.com/2009/09/silly_games/

Well, if you don't update now I'm sure New Super Mario Bros. Wii will take care of that anyway.

Nintendo actually haven't been requiring people update to the latest system menu actually.

Like, Wii Sports Resort came out about 3 months after SM 4.0, but it only has 3.4 on the disc.

Excuse my ignorance (I literally just got my Wii today) but it is something I've been wondering... If I buy a game that does have the latest system menu on the disc, do you HAVE to install it? Does it even tell you that it's doing it?

Glenn565

Vegan wrote: »

LewieP wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

LewieP wrote: »

There isn't really any reason to update anyway, this update does nothing other than (fail to) block homebrew.

Details here:
http://hackmii.com/2009/09/silly_games/

Well, if you don't update now I'm sure New Super Mario Bros. Wii will take care of that anyway.

Nintendo actually haven't been requiring people update to the latest system menu actually.

Like, Wii Sports Resort came out about 3 months after SM 4.0, but it only has 3.4 on the disc.

Excuse my ignorance (I literally just got my Wii today) but it is something I've been wondering... If I buy a game that does have the latest system menu on the disc, do you HAVE to install it? Does it even tell you that it's doing it?

If you don't have homebrew installed you have no choice but to install it if you want to play the game. If you have homebrew there are ways around the check.

There will be a prompt before you load the game up telling you to update.

FuriousJodo

I'll probably update mine for the heck of it since I live across the street from Nintendo anyway.

Xenogears of Bore

This is mainly an issue of homebrewers trying to defend their position by vilifying the official updates.

Oh I'm sure most of the people complaining about it on upstanding forums aren't dirty fucking thieves and just love having all their games on a nice big external hard drive, or love their homebrew media players and not dirty fucking thieves downloading gigantic torrents of all the best Wii games, emulators, roms, wiiware titles, and whatever else they can get a hold of, for trial purposes only, mind.

Truth be told bricking during firmware updates is an infrequent problem that has been reported on all major systems this gen, but in very, very small amounts.

Vegan

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

This is mainly an issue of homebrewers trying to defend their position by vilifying the official updates.

Oh I'm sure most of the people complaining about it on upstanding forums aren't dirty fucking thieves and just love having all their games on a nice big external hard drive, or love their homebrew media players and not dirty fucking thieves downloading gigantic torrents of all the best Wii games, emulators, roms, wiiware titles, and whatever else they can get a hold of, for trial purposes only, mind.

Truth be told bricking during firmware updates is an infrequent problem that has been reported on all major systems this gen, but in very, very small amounts.

Don't make me post pictures of my video game collection. Two very full bookcases will tell you that I pay for every game that I play. Usually second-hand, but nevertheless it's all above-board.

That said, I do agree with you. It's funny seeing the term "backup copy" used exclusively on forums that are obviously about modding your system to play pirated games.

Xenogears of Bore

Funny thing is, neoGAF is the one place on the internet where I'd say the majority of the people posting in the homebrew threads aren't DFT pretending to be honest hombrewers. I guess here too, but that's mainly because the only time the homebrew threads show up is when some cool new freeware app comes up, and not for emulators and new disc loaders and work arounds.

I lurk over at neoGAF and it is funny as hell when someone slips up in the homebrew threads and gets banned on the spot.

sethsez

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

This is mainly an issue of homebrewers trying to defend their position by vilifying the official updates.

Oh I'm sure most of the people complaining about it on upstanding forums aren't dirty fucking thieves and just love having all their games on a nice big external hard drive, or love their homebrew media players and not dirty fucking thieves downloading gigantic torrents of all the best Wii games, emulators, roms, wiiware titles, and whatever else they can get a hold of, for trial purposes only, mind.

Truth be told bricking during firmware updates is an infrequent problem that has been reported on all major systems this gen, but in very, very small amounts.

It really sucks that hacking a system allows piracy, because it's nice to have the extra functionality but people always assume you're a pirate if you've got a hacked system. I modded my original Xbox for the additional media player functionality and region-free DVD playback, but whenever someone sees the thing they assume I did it to get Halo for free or something.

I mean, it's understandable, and I do know that it's why most people mod their systems, but it does suck for the rest of us.

urahonky

I updated yesterday and spent about 4 hours playing Metroid Prime 2 and Dokapon Kingdom (fucking hell that game will make you upset), so it's okay for me.

Other than homebrew people and the small blurb from the Nintendo forums is there any official word on this? (not calling you out pslong, I promise!)

slash000

maximumzero wrote: »

Dsmart wrote: »

A brick would probably be better at propping up my coffee table

Well yeah, a brick has more mass.

More mass, perhaps, depending on the brick. Definitely more dense, which would certainly be helpful in maintaining the stability of the coffee table, assuming the proper volume, as it would be less likely to be easily moved by extraneous forces exerted on the table (and thus the brick upon which it rests). However, the size of the brick would certainly be an important factor, as you'd have to consider how well the brick, larger or smaller,would be able to maintain the coffee table as level as possible compared to the other non-propped sides of the table.

pslong9

urahonky wrote: »

I updated yesterday and spent about 4 hours playing Metroid Prime 2 and Dokapon Kingdom (fucking hell that game will make you upset), so it's okay for me.

Other than homebrew people and the small blurb from the Nintendo forums is there any official word on this? (not calling you out pslong, I promise!)

Other than the post from the administrator on the forums, no. My (completely non-technical) guess is that people who are having problems end up having some interruption in their internet connection during the update, which causes the update to hang. The people, annoyed with the hang, restart the Wii, and that corrupts the boot2 file, which is being modified as part of the update, but is vitally important in the startup, leading to a bricked Wii.

I posted this based on what I was reading at NeoGAF earlier today. It looks like it's much ado about nothing, but the fact remains that, unlike the other updates, this one modifies a critical system file. If, on the very slim chance, something does go wrong, bricking the Wii is certainly possible.

The vast majority of users (myself included) seem to have had no problems, though.

Vegan

sethsez wrote: »

It really sucks that hacking a system allows piracy, because it's nice to have the extra functionality but people always assume you're a pirate if you've got a hacked system. I modded my original Xbox for the additional media player functionality and region-free DVD playback, but whenever someone sees the thing they assume I did it to get Halo for free or something.

I mean, it's understandable, and I do know that it's why most people mod their systems, but it does suck for the rest of us.

I've gotten SO much use out of my softmodded oXbox with XBMC and I'm pretty sure I don't even utilize 10% of its functionality.

I would never go so far as to buy chips, open cases, and do some soldering. I'll softmod because it's generally free or extremely cheap to do, so why not? Might as well add nifty features to a device that you own if you can.

Bartholamue

pslong9 wrote: »

Other than the post from the administrator on the forums, no. My (completely non-technical) guess is that people who are having problems end up having some interruption in their internet connection during the update, which causes the update to hang. The people, annoyed with the hang, restart the Wii, and that corrupts the boot2 file, which is being modified as part of the update, but is vitally important in the startup, leading to a bricked Wii.

That would make sense.

My system seems to be fine, as I played Metroid Prime (GC) on it for like an hour and was able to navigate the menu alright.

Ferquin

FuriousJodo wrote: »

I'll probably update mine for the heck of it since I live across the street from Nintendo anyway.

I, too, can go to the Customer Service desk in person. Isn't it just awesome?

Htown

Bartholamue wrote: »

pslong9 wrote: »

Other than the post from the administrator on the forums, no. My (completely non-technical) guess is that people who are having problems end up having some interruption in their internet connection during the update, which causes the update to hang. The people, annoyed with the hang, restart the Wii, and that corrupts the boot2 file, which is being modified as part of the update, but is vitally important in the startup, leading to a bricked Wii.

That would make sense.

My system seems to be fine, as I played Metroid Prime (GC) on it for like an hour and was able to navigate the menu alright.

Yeah apparently as long as your update actually completes and sends you back to the regular Wii screen afterwards, you're fine. The danger is being overblown on this, I think.

The update will just remove all your homebrew, if you have any. Also there are reports that this update has fixed an annoying glitch in The Conduit's multiplayer.

The funny thing is that that Wii hackers have already released the new version of the homebrew channel to counteract the update.

harvest

Htown wrote: »

Bartholamue wrote: »

pslong9 wrote: »

Other than the post from the administrator on the forums, no. My (completely non-technical) guess is that people who are having problems end up having some interruption in their internet connection during the update, which causes the update to hang. The people, annoyed with the hang, restart the Wii, and that corrupts the boot2 file, which is being modified as part of the update, but is vitally important in the startup, leading to a bricked Wii.

That would make sense.

My system seems to be fine, as I played Metroid Prime (GC) on it for like an hour and was able to navigate the menu alright.

Yeah apparently as long as your update actually completes and sends you back to the regular Wii screen afterwards, you're fine. The danger is being overblown on this, I think.

The update will just remove all your homebrew, if you have any. Also there are reports that this update has fixed an annoying glitch in The Conduit's multiplayer.

The funny thing is that that Wii hackers have already released the new version of the homebrew channel to counteract the update.

There was apparently barely anything to change, anyway. Seems that Nintendo had just blacklisted the text ID strings of a couple homebrew apps, so the coders just changed those strings.

Lord Yod

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

This is mainly an issue of homebrewers trying to defend their position by vilifying the official updates

I actually really like having a goddamn DVD player on my Wii.

LewieP

Yeah, USB loaders are fucking awesome. It's basically the same functionality as installing 360 games to the hard drive, but not needing to have the disc in. Shorter load times is nice, and not having to stand up to swap discs is how god intended us to game. It is really easy to install games to a hard drive too, just stick the disc in, press "Install" then go make a sandwich.

I also move around a lot with my Wii, so it is nice to not have to carry a big DVD rack with me.

ScummVM Wii is incredible too. I prefer it to playing those games on the PC.