Me, My Wii, and My Wii Being Fucked Up Take 2

apotheos

I need some corroborating opinion on this scenario.

My original Wii developed the nefarious video card rot that has been going around. Nintendo sent me a new Wii, and I sent them mine back.

However, this one seems to have a problem with being in a coma. When I return to it after a period of time - say, overnight - it will not turn on from the remote. The light is yellow when this happens, and hitting the power button on the Wii ALSO will not turn it on.

If I unplug it and plug it back in the light goes red, and then the remote and the power button work.

If I turn off the Wii with the remote the light goes yellow, and if I turn it on within a short period of time it will work. It is only after a lengthy down-time that the coma seems to set in.

So.
1) Anything else you think I can try? There isn't some secret super setting related to wake-on-wiimote-input is there?
2) My new Wii is pretty fucked, isn't it? The inability of the actual power button to work is a pretty clear indication of that, right? I mean, there is no reason that should ever not work, right?

mntorankusu

This happened to mine yesterday. It had been off for about 4 or 5 days.

victor_c26

It seems like a type of standby mode, did you try holding the power button for a few seconds to see if that worked?

Heir

victor_c26 wrote: »

It seems like a type of standby mode, did you try holding the power button for a few seconds to see if that worked?

Mine did this after I kept it off for a week. I ended up having to hold down the power button for what seemed like an eternity...probably 5 seconds or so.

I would imagine that Apo tried that though.

mntorankusu

victor_c26 wrote: »

It seems like a type of standby mode, did you try holding the power button for a few seconds to see if that worked?

I tried it when it happened to me. I tried the following things before unplugging it:

Pressing the power button on one of my remotes.
Pressing and holding the power button on one of my remotes.
Both of the above with both of my remotes at the same time.
Pressing the power buttons on both of my remotes in alternating succession.
Pressing the Wii's power button.
Pressing and holding the Wii's power button.
Rapidly pressing the Wii's power button.
Rapidly pressing the Wii's power button in sequences of Morse Code.
Cussing while doing all of the above.
Insulting while doing all of the above.
Threatening while doing all of the above.

victor_c26

Well, that eliminates that then.

TheMorningStar

Did you try making rude gestures at it?

mntorankusu

TheMorningStar wrote: »

Did you try making rude gestures at it?

That's what I would have done if unplugging it hadn't worked.

The Dude With Herpes

I can't say. I had the graphic card problem too, and I don't leave it in standby anymore because of it. I had to send mine in though because I didn't want to lose my VC games. Oddly, they still just replaced the console but transfered all my crap.

It's annoying though because I have a dozen or so Mii's made and I can't edit them now, it says you can't edit Mii's you didn't create. This I'm sure is because of the transfer. I can create new ones fine.

Have you tried just leaving the Wii totally off all the time (red LED)? Mine works fine turning on from the controller in this mode.

Paul_IQ164

Hello. I just now noticed that while my Wii is plugged in, there's no power LED on at all. In fact, I noticed this a while ago but I didn't think anything of it because I'd just plugged it back in after being away for a weekend and wasn't particularly expecting it to go on, and I'd not tried to play it since. Anyhow, it appears to be completely dead to the world. Any ideas?

AbsoluteZero

Hmm. I always hold my power button for 3 seconds, on the remote or on the Wii itself.

The only time my remote's power button wouldn't turn the Wii on, was when the remote somehow got unsync'd with the console... but the power button on the console itself still worked.

I have never heard of this before. Talk to Nintendo, I guess.

I wonder why these problems with the Wii keep popping up? Seems like the console should have had a lengthy QA testing period.

AbsoluteZero

Paul_IQ164 wrote: »

Hello. I just now noticed that while my Wii is plugged in, there's no power LED on at all. In fact, I noticed this a while ago but I didn't think anything of it because I'd just plugged it back in after being away for a weekend and wasn't particularly expecting it to go on, and I'd not tried to play it since. Anyhow, it appears to be completely dead to the world. Any ideas?

Have you tried turning it on?

If there is no light on at all, it is more likely the Wii isn't receiving power. Check your plugs. Try plugging something else into the same outlet to see if the outlet is working.

paco_pepe

why ive heard so many horror wii stories? the card melting, the freezing, the controller issues, the bricking, the internet woes, did nintendo cheapened out on the wii??

Gennenalyse Rueben

Wait, wait. Video card rot? Can somebody tell me about this problem? This is the first I've ever heard of it and suddenly I'm worried. How widespread it this?

The Dude With Herpes

Well, I think they'd be "horror" if Nintendo had crappy support. But what I think anyone who's dealt with them will tell you is that they're as friendly as can be, don't ask too many questions and are more than happy to fix whatever is wrong.

But as far as a lot of the systems crapping out, I don't think it's any different than the 360 was at launch, and probably not any different than the PS3 there's just less of them in peoples hands.

So, I dunno. I don't think it's that big of a deal. I wasn't really even annoyed when my graphics card died. Of course I currently just have a few VC games and mostly play Sports with my wife and friends, so it wasn't a huge loss for a couple weeks.

Rust

It has something to do with keeping WiiConnect24 on while the system is off. If it's in that state - where the light is orange - then the system is still idling and gradually heating up, but the fan isn't running so the heat is never dispersed. After extended periods in this state (i.e., keeping it off, rather than actually playing it so the fan can run), the Wii itself can be damaged.

I dunno if your Wii's been permanently ganked, but it'd be a good idea to turn off WiiConnect along with the console itself so it can get a chance to cool.

Guek

its happened to me once. grr...

Sci-Fi Wasabi

I also noticed that a while back, for a day or so, my controllers were be completely unresponsive. re-syncing the remotes has no effect. I simply could not get any remotes to connect to the system at all. I tried change of batteries, trying different remotes, everything.

Then for no reason, it worked perfectly the next day.

SyHopeful

Rust wrote: »

It has something to do with keeping WiiConnect24 on while the system is off. If it's in that state - where the light is orange - then the system is still idling and gradually heating up, but the fan isn't running so the heat is never dispersed. After extended periods in this state (i.e., keeping it off, rather than actually playing it so the fan can run), the Wii itself can be damaged.

I dunno if your Wii's been permanently ganked, but it'd be a good idea to turn off WiiConnect along with the console itself so it can get a chance to cool.

If that is the case, then that's a pretty serious design flaw, since WiiConnect24 was designed specifically to be on all the time. I hope I have no problems with mine.

UncleSporky

Yeah, I always unplug the Wii when not in use (same for the slimline PS2). I hate having them always on. I trade off the instant power-on with the remote for the certainty that the thing won't overheat when I'm not playing.

Gennenalyse, here's the Wii video card rot thing. I wouldn't worry too much as it doesn't seem very widespread, but I take no chances and always uplug the damn Wii. If you guys are worried about these sorts of problems, I advise you do the same.

AbsoluteZero

UncleSporky wrote: »

Yeah, I always unplug the Wii when not in use (same for the slimline PS2). I hate having them always on. I trade off the instant power-on with the remote for the certainty that the thing won't overheat when I'm not playing.

Gennenalyse, here's the Wii video card rot thing. I wouldn't worry too much as it doesn't seem very widespread, but I take no chances and always uplug the damn Wii. If you guys are worried about these sorts of problems, I advise you do the same.

You don't have to unplug it. Just hold the power button on the console until the light turns red.

I do that every time I leave home for a few days.

Zek

The yellow light means it's in standby. If you turn WiiConnect24 off, it will go straight to red every time. Try that and see if it still happens.

mntorankusu

UncleSporky wrote: »

Yeah, I always unplug the Wii when not in use (same for the slimline PS2). I hate having them always on. I trade off the instant power-on with the remote for the certainty that the thing won't overheat when I'm not playing.

Gennenalyse, here's the Wii video card rot thing. I wouldn't worry too much as it doesn't seem very widespread, but I take no chances and always uplug the damn Wii. If you guys are worried about these sorts of problems, I advise you do the same.

I'll take my chances, at least until my warranty is up.

I'm not going to worry about leaving a system on where one of the features is that it's always on. If it overheats and stops working, that's Nintendo's problem, and they'll be the ones dealing with it.

LogicalHarm

Not meaning to jack the thread but I updated my Wii and had the voting channel but when I turned it on again its not there I've already tried reupdating but its still not there. I have no idea what to do now...

Re: nholder

LogicalHarm wrote: »

Not meaning to jack the thread but I updated my Wii and had the voting channel but when I turned it on again its not there I've already tried reupdating but its still not there. I have no idea what to do now...

Go to the Wii Shop and hit all up on the Wii Hardware section, try to redownload it from there. If that doesn't work, then no fucking clue man.

apotheos

So I don't really know how long it needs to sit in standby before the remote no longer turn it on, but I tried it again after I came home this afternoon and it still wasn't working. However, I note that if I hold the power button on the front of the Wii it does go to red (I still can't turn it on with the power button from yellow) and once in Red it responds as normal to remote and the power button.

I'll wait until I get confirmation from Nintendo that they've recieved my first defective Wii before I call up and see what they want to do about this.

Trevor

Looks like this was more widespread than I thought. I thought it was just me. Either way, I got a new Wii in the mail with all my stuff on it and then I went out and bought a fan that plugs into the back and am running it upright from now on. I think I'll still do the Wiiconnect24 thing, but I'm not positive.

homeobocks

Are framerate slowdowns in Wii Sports that last a couple seconds normal, or indicative of an internal problem?

shutz

One thing I haven't seen yet in this thread that could be a factor:
(note, I'm one of those unlucky ones who doesn't have a Wii yet, so your whining about "minor" problems with your Wiis is very frustrating for me!)

I've found that some pieces of electronics I've had in the past would refuse to turn on after being off for a while, until I unplugged them for a time (sometimes, 15 seconds would do it, other times, I would need to leave the thing unplugged overnight...) then plugged them back in and turned them on.

I believe this could be due to abnormal spikes and valleys in the current that comes from your electrical outlets. You really should be using a quality surge-suppressor for all your valuable electronics (not the kind you can buy at the dollar store... but it doesn't have to be Monster cable either. Something in the 15-30$ range should be sufficient.) For some places that have really bad wiring or even more fluctuations in the current that comes into their home, it might even be a good idea to invest in a good UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that has an internal battery. This COMPLETELY isolates your electronics from bad electricity, although it's not cheap.

I've been tempted to get a UPS for my LCD HDTV, because sometimes, the backlighting doesn't turn on (or it flashes on for a split-second before turning off) and I then need to turn it off then on again. I'm thinking it's because the light in there needs some high voltage to turn on (probably fluorescent tubes) and sometimes, the outlet doesn't provide enough power for the lights to light up. (The second time, a charge is already accumulated in the transformer or capacitors that power the light.) Anyway, I'm no expert, I'm just hypothesizing based on my limited knowledge.

rayofash

shutz wrote: »

I've found that some pieces of electronics I've had in the past would refuse to turn on after being off for a while, until I unplugged them for a time (sometimes, 15 seconds would do it, other times, I would need to leave the thing unplugged overnight...) then plugged them back in and turned them on.

I believe this could be due to abnormal spikes and valleys in the current that comes from your electrical outlets. You really should be using a quality surge-suppressor for all your valuable electronics (not the kind you can buy at the dollar store... but it doesn't have to be Monster cable either. Something in the 15-30$ range should be sufficient.) For some places that have really bad wiring or even more fluctuations in the current that comes into their home, it might even be a good idea to invest in a good UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that has an internal battery. This COMPLETELY isolates your electronics from bad electricity, although it's not cheap.

This is the first thing I thought as well. I use a surge protector for everything and have never had any problems like this.

But, don't power supplies normalise the current? If it were a computer i'd say the Wii either had over-heating problems, mother board problems, memory problems, or a power supply problem.

apotheos

I have a mediocre power strip next to the TV. The old Wii was plugged into it. The new Wii is not because its all full.

I will investigate this possibility.

Minute

So, I was wondering, what video card rot is being referred to in the first post? This is the first I've heard of a video card problem so I'm slightly concerned.

mntorankusu

Minute wrote: »

So, I was wondering, what video card rot is being referred to in the first post? This is the first I've heard of a video card problem so I'm slightly concerned.

If the system gets too hot, the video hardware can be damaged and the output corrupted, in the form of a bunch of little dots all over the screen.

UncleSporky

Minute wrote: »

So, I was wondering, what video card rot is being referred to in the first post? This is the first I've heard of a video card problem so I'm slightly concerned.

I posted it on the first page

AbsoluteZero

apotheos wrote: »

I have a mediocre power strip next to the TV. The old Wii was plugged into it. The new Wii is not because its all full.

I will investigate this possibility.

It could be... but I have a feeling your standby mode is just fucked.

mausmalone

apotheos wrote: »

I need some corroborating opinion on this scenario.

(snip)

So.
1) Anything else you think I can try? There isn't some secret super setting related to wake-on-wiimote-input is there?
2) My new Wii is pretty fucked, isn't it? The inability of the actual power button to work is a pretty clear indication of that, right? I mean, there is no reason that should ever not work, right?

1) My Wii occasionally does this. It's a syncing problem between the remote and the console. I've found taking one of the batteries out of the remote for a second usually fixes it for me.

2) Depends on how frequently this happens. It's happened twice for me since I got mine at launch. If it's happening more frequently for you you may want to call them up again and bitch.

mntorankusu

mausmalone wrote: »

apotheos wrote: »

I need some corroborating opinion on this scenario.

(snip)

So.
1) Anything else you think I can try? There isn't some secret super setting related to wake-on-wiimote-input is there?
2) My new Wii is pretty fucked, isn't it? The inability of the actual power button to work is a pretty clear indication of that, right? I mean, there is no reason that should ever not work, right?

1) My Wii occasionally does this. It's a syncing problem between the remote and the console. I've found taking one of the batteries out of the remote for a second usually fixes it for me.

2) Depends on how frequently this happens. It's happened twice for me since I got mine at launch. If it's happening more frequently for you you may want to call them up again and bitch.

If it were a syncing issue then the power button on the console would still work.

mausmalone

mntorankusu wrote: »

mausmalone wrote: »

apotheos wrote: »

I need some corroborating opinion on this scenario.

(snip)

So.
1) Anything else you think I can try? There isn't some secret super setting related to wake-on-wiimote-input is there?
2) My new Wii is pretty fucked, isn't it? The inability of the actual power button to work is a pretty clear indication of that, right? I mean, there is no reason that should ever not work, right?

1) My Wii occasionally does this. It's a syncing problem between the remote and the console. I've found taking one of the batteries out of the remote for a second usually fixes it for me.

2) Depends on how frequently this happens. It's happened twice for me since I got mine at launch. If it's happening more frequently for you you may want to call them up again and bitch.

If it were a syncing issue then the power button on the console would still work.

Oh, I see.. I glossed over that. Should've read more carefully.

ArcSyn

My Wii does the occasional "freeze up between channels right after you turn it on for a few minutes, then once it loads (if it does - rarely it totally freezes) it's totally fine and moves around quickly" problem that I'm debating calling Nintendo about.
If it's true they actually send you a Wii and then you ship yours back, I may do that just in the hopes of getting a new Wii that has some of the launch problems fixed. (Mine's a launch day Wii)

AbsoluteZero

ArcSyn wrote: »

My Wii does the occasional "freeze up between channels right after you turn it on for a few minutes, then once it loads (if it does - rarely it totally freezes) it's totally fine and moves around quickly" problem that I'm debating calling Nintendo about.
If it's true they actually send you a Wii and then you ship yours back, I may do that just in the hopes of getting a new Wii that has some of the launch problems fixed. (Mine's a launch day Wii)

Mine does that too, and I got mine February. I don't really think it's worth sending in, it just takes a while to get to a channel now and then. The Mii Channel is a top offender.

It is probably a software issue, rather than a hardware one, anyhow.

cloudeagle

Hm... so there's less of a chance of catching video card rot if the Wii is vertical, rather than horizontal?