cIOS

For support in English, ask for help at Nintendo Homebrew on Discord.

While cIOS has largely been supplanted by AHBPROT, which gives complete hardware access, it still has useful applications. For example, this enables the functionality of USB loaders like USB Loader GX and WiiFlow, alongside other pieces of homebrew like SaveGame Manager GX. You can skip this process if you want, but generally it extends your Wii with little to no downsides.

If you have a Wii mini, use this guide for cIOS instead. Attempting to install other cIOS on a Wii mini will not work.

Requirements

Ensure that if you are using an SD card, the lock switch is in the unlocked position, otherwise you will not be able to select the correct options in the installer.

Instructions

Section I - Downloading (Only required if your Wii doesn’t have Internet)

If your Wii has an Internet connection, you may skip this section.
However, If you encounter any errors like tcp_read timeout and net_gethostbyname failed:, this will allow the Wii to skip the downloading step.

If you are not on Windows, you may download & run this script, and it will download the WAD files for you.

  1. Power off your console.
  2. Insert your SD card or USB drive into your computer.
  3. On your computer, download NUS Downloader.
  4. Copy all files from the NUS Downloader .zip to a folder on your computer.
  5. Run NUS Downloader.exe.
  6. Navigate to Database > IOS > IOS38, then select v4123.
    • Ensure that “Pack WAD” is checked.
    • Don’t check “Patch IOS”. That is the cIOS Installer’s job.
  7. Click Start NUS Download!.
  8. Repeat the above steps for IOS56 v5661, IOS57 v5918 and IOS58 v6175.
  9. When the process is complete, there will be a folder named titles in the same folder as the NUS Downloader.
  10. Open the titles folder and navigate through them until you locate the four WAD files you downloaded.
  11. Place each WAD file on the root of your SD card or USB drive.
    • This must be the same device containing the d2x cIOS Installer.

The WAD files should be on your SD card like this: offline IOS files

Section II - Installing

If d2x-v11-beta1 isn’t showing up, try select the cIOS base first, then check again. This can also happen if your SD card is locked.

On each cIOS that you try to install, you will first be shown a grid of active IOS on the Wi. Simply press A again, and it will install. Then, you will be shown a results screen, just press A as well and go to the next cIOS.

  1. Copy the apps folder in the d2x-cios-installer .zip to the root of your SD card or USB drive.
  2. Reinsert your SD card or USB drive into your console.
  3. Power on your console.
  4. Launch the Homebrew Channel.
  5. Launch d2x cIOS Installer from the list of homebrew.
  6. When asked what IOS you would like to use, select IOS 58.
    • This should work in nearly all cases.
  7. Now, you will install individual cIOS from 248-251. The exact settings needed are listed below.

    • cIOS 248 Installation

        Select cIOS <d2x-v11-beta1>
  Select cIOS base <38>
  Select cIOS slot <248>
  Select cIOS version <65535>

      Install cIOS 248

    • cIOS 249 Installation

        Select cIOS <d2x-v11-beta1>
  Select cIOS base <56>
  Select cIOS slot <249>
  Select cIOS version <65535>

      Install cIOS 249

    • cIOS 250 Installation

        Select cIOS <d2x-v11-beta1>
  Select cIOS base <57>
  Select cIOS slot <250>
  Select cIOS version <65535>

      Install cIOS 250

    • cIOS 251 Installation

        Select cIOS <d2x-v11-beta1>
  Select cIOS base <58>
  Select cIOS slot <251>
  Select cIOS version <65535>

      Install cIOS 251

Continue to Open Shop Channel Installation Now that your Wii has adequate brick protection, you can install the Open Shop Channel, a trusted repository for homebrew that can be accessed both on and off the Wii.