The Inclusive 4GB SD Card Workaround Solution for Wii!

[quote name='Chakal']Knoxximus, I'd like to know what the transfert times to your 2gb card is if you format it before hand. Slow transfert times might be caused by fragmentation of the data on the SD card. If the Wii has poor data management, it could be the cause of the delay.

With your 4gb card, you started fresh. You only copied thing to it, so the Wii just put the files one after the other. If your 2gb card had been used a lot before (adding and removing files), the fragmentation might be the cause

Please re-test your 2gb card with a fresh format.

Thanks[/quote]

Okay, but you do understand that the main point of all of this is that you are able to eventually max out a 4GB card on a system that does not officially support anything larger than a 2GB card, yes?

Oh, and I put a direct copy of my 2GB card onto the 4GB card at the outset, so the 4GB card did not just get data copied over from the Wii all neat and orderly like, BTW.
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Okay, but you do understand that the main point of all of this is that you are able to eventually max out a 4GB card on a system that does not officially support anything larger than a 2GB card, yes?[/quote]

Yes, that's fine, but the speed benchmark might be wrong.

I don't question the size upgrade but the speed gain.
 
After a fresh format, I left the card empty and inserted it into the Wii. This time, Mega Man 9 took 3 min and 22sec....a savings of 1 minute. So maybe fragmentation did have something to do with that. But still, horrendous. Also, I could have miss read the stop watch by a minute, since it is not digital. I will adjust my official times for this card by 1 minute for the margin of error, since the seconds were indeed dead on.

On a another note, a freshly formatted 2GB card is recognized by the Wii as having 15466 blocks available...this further solidifies my photographic proof in the OP, as that shows 16108 blocks available WITH data already on the card.

So there you go....please 5-star me while you're at, will ya?;)
 
Hey, I think I found a site, for a homebrewer working on a usb sdhc mass storage workaround using the wii's usb ports. I've only read some of the info, but it seems he's got an beta release, which is dated from may 08.

Read this 1st to get the info on the wii usb mass storage workaround:
http://svenpeter.blogspot.com/2008/04/reading-data-on-wii.html

Read this to get the link to the homebrew elf program at the very bottom of the page:
http://svenpeter.blogspot.com/2008/05/usb-storage-status.html

Read this update to the homebrew:
http://svenpeter.blogspot.com/2008/05/usb-storage-status-11.html

I haven't seen how much it can do but from what I've read it can read usb sd(hc) with the right usb sdhc reader attached to the wii usb ports. Hopfully someone with a lot more powerpc assembler knowledge can help the guy out who's running this little homebrew.
 
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[quote name='slowpoke2']Hey, I think I found a site, for a homebrewer working on a usb sdhc mass storage workaround using the wii's usb ports. I've only read some of the info, but it seems he's got an beta release, which is dated from may 08.

Read this 1st to get the info on the wii usb mass storage workaround:
http://svenpeter.blogspot.com/2008/04/reading-data-on-wii.html

Read this to get the link to the homebrew elf program at the very bottom of the page:
http://svenpeter.blogspot.com/2008/05/usb-storage-status.html

I haven't seen how much it can do but from what I've read it can read usb sd(hc) with the right usb sdhc reader attached to the wii usb ports. Hopfully someone with a lot more powerpc assembler knowledge can help the guy out who's running this little homebrew.[/quote]

Nice, but the main point of this thread is that the solution I've outlined is relatively simple and does not involve modding or homebrew of any sort....anyone who is online reading this can get a 4GB card to work on their Wii!:bouncy:
 
True, I'm just giving out this info for those who want to use the higher capacity sdhc cards, u know the "geeks and otaku" out there who always wants more space, more speed, more power *Imitates Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor grunts*, hehe. Also, using a homebrew app that plays mp4/mov/avi's would make it worth your while to put that 700mb pron/anime/etc onto your sd, muahaha.
 
[quote name='eliter1']Been there, done that. I love watching movies on my Wii because it is not nearly as loud as my 360.[/quote]
How I have looked for way to do this but they only thing I found had poor quality, bad frame rate and skewed the image.
 
Yeah I think your card choice may have been a factor in your transfer speed Knoxximus, I transferred over 2 Wiiware games to my SD card today (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Wild West Guns, both of which are about 300 blocks) and they only took around 3 minutes each.
 
[quote name='Kaijufan']Yeah I think your card choice may have been a factor in your transfer speed Knoxximus, I transferred over 2 Wiiware games to my SD card today (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Wild West Guns, both of which are about 300 blocks) and they only took around 3 minutes each.[/quote]

Yeah, I'm aware of that now, and have revised my OP. But the MAIN point I hope to get across is that you can use a 4GB card in it's ENTIRETY on a non-modded Wii, which is nice, considering cards larger than 2GB are not officially supported.

*exhales*

And, if you did use the 4GB card, you would have saved approx a minute and a half per 300 block title, as Sin & Punishment, a 287 block title, only took a little over a minute to transfer.

Thanks for the heads up though!:bouncy:
 
Great testing, thanks for doing this. I had posted over at GoNintendo's forums asking if anyone had tried this as I read that review on newegg too. I'm glad someone had the resources and the initiative to test it out. I was debating between the Transcend 2 GB and 4 GB, based on whether I wanted to play around with maximizing the 4 GB or not. I imagine this will be nice for GHWT when it comes and the speed will help with whatever file transferring takes place with DLC.

Again, thanks. I didn't even read the speed part of your post because that's relative to the speed of your card and I recognized that wasn't the point of your post anyways. The size was. A great find, not to be diminished by irrelevant information like that.

Kudos!
 
[quote name='dakranii']Great testing, thanks for doing this. I had posted over at GoNintendo's forums asking if anyone had tried this as I read that review on newegg too. I'm glad someone had the resources and the initiative to test it out. I was debating between the Transcend 2 GB and 4 GB, based on whether I wanted to play around with maximizing the 4 GB or not. I imagine this will be nice for GHWT when it comes and the speed will help with whatever file transferring takes place with DLC.

Again, thanks. I didn't even read the speed part of your post because that's relative to the speed of your card and I recognized that wasn't the point of your post anyways. The size was. A great find, not to be diminished by irrelevant information like that.

Kudos![/quote]

Thanks man. I glad SOMEBODY finally got the point!

I've also trimmed the OP a bit and deleted the irrelevant info. Bottom line is, DOUBLE THE OFFICIAL STORAGE CAPACITY and GOOD TRANSFER SPEEDS.:bouncy:
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Thanks man. I glad SOMEBODY finally got the point!

I've also trimmed the OP a bit and deleted the irrelevant info. Bottom line is, DOUBLE THE OFFICIAL STORAGE CAPACITY and GOOD TRANSFER SPEEDS.:bouncy:[/quote]

I glad your post has started to get people to notice that 2GB isn't the limit on SD cards for the wii. I made an spreadsheet on some of the formatting data for what the Wii can read properly and what it has issues with different size partitions.
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=99545
-FTen
 
[quote name='ften']I glad your post has started to get people to notice that 2GB isn't the limit on SD cards for the wii. I made an spreadsheet on some of the formatting data for what the Wii can read properly and what it has issues with different size partitions.
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=99545
-FTen[/quote]

Hey man! I saw your spreadsheet and info while I was figuring this whole thing out. That was what I was referring to when I was debating with another poster about how the method I detailed actually allows you us use the whole 4GB's, as opposed to formatting a 4GB card into a 2GB card.

The concept is similar though, although the way you accomplished it was to actually turn it into a 2GB card. This method allows you to eventually unpack the 'pad' data as needed until you actually reach the 4GB ceiling.:bouncy:

Good to see you though! I guess this post is really making the rounds!:applause:
 
I am thinking about buying the 4GB card and giving it a try. However, I hesitate when I see the Newegg reviews where people say they couldn't even get their computer to recognize it in their card reader. If my card reader does not recognize it then I would not be able to properly format it. It probably depends on your card reader. Some probably read it and some don't. Most likely if it didn't read it would be a firmware issue on your individual card reader.
 
It's pretty ridiculous that a $250 GameCube can't even support SDHC cards, I didn't know that the Wii lacked SDHC support until reading this thread
 
[quote name='Clarke']What's with the total off topic posting on Kotaku?[/quote]

Well, if I hadn't, you would have never posted here, now would you?

If trying to increase awareness of something that could benefit a lot of people who complain about the Wii's (non-homebrew) allowable storage space is a crime, then I am guilty as charged.

I did it in a thread about a freaking Wii lens cleaner, for crissakes.

You'll get over it.:)
 
[quote name='Strell']Uh huh.

SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity, SD 2.0) is an extension of the SD standard that appeared in June 2006.

Considering the Wii was probably being manufactured at that time OR before it, I doubt they could have fit it into the innards of the machine.[/QUOTE]

I initially thought it wasn't possible for an SD device to read SDHC cards, but I recently bought a refurbished SanDisk MP3 player that had an SD slot. It "officially" only supports SD cards and it was originally made in 2006. The Rockbox open source firmware on the same hardware will allow the player to use SDHC cards. So for at least some hardware, it is possible for a firmware update to allow an SD device to read SDHC cards. SD and SDHC use the same physical form factor, so it is possible that a firmware update MIGHT (I stress MIGHT) allow for SDHC cards to work on the Wii.
 
Here are a couple of files that should make your padding of the SD cards easier

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rk8idm

This is an app called creatfil.exe from the NT4 resource kit that creates any size dummy file for you by basically just making a text file with a bunch of spaces in it.

To use the application you copy the exe to the folder where you want to create the dummy files, open a command prompt to that folder and type 'creatfil.exe filename size'

- example C:\createfil.exe dummy.txt 1024 (this will create a 1 MB text file of nothing)

To make the process easier I've included a quick batch file we use on our Exchange servers here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jsqpoi

I've modified it so that it will create 10 100MB files whereever you execute it.

Create a new folder on your SD card
Copy both creatfil.exe and whitespace.bat to the new folder
Double click on whitespace.bat

Whenever you need more space you can just delete one or more of the dat files the whitespace batch file created. You can edit the batch file to have it create as many files of whatever size you need.

Hope this helps.

edit: here is a snazzy VBS script that will ask you how much space you need to fill and how big you want the dummy files. Much easier than my batch file.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/j5fl4j

Instructions!

1.) Create a new folder on your SD Card

clipboard01xl8.jpg




2.) Name it Dummy Files

clipboard02me2.jpg




3.) Copy the creatfil.exe and createfile.vbs files to the Dummy Files folder

clipboard03ni0.jpg




4.) Double-Click the vbs file, and enter the amount of whitespace you wish to create

clipboard04jh9.jpg




5.) Click Ok, and now enter how many files you wish to create

clipboard05yf9.jpg




6.) Click Ok, and now enter the FULL PATH to the folder on your SD card (example - F:\Dummy Files)

clipboard06ya0.jpg




7.) Click Ok one last time and you should see a black command window pop up and creatfil.exe will start making your whitespace files. After it is done, you should have your whitespace files and a batch file in your Dummy Files folder that you can run again anytime to recreate the files.

clipboard07nv5.jpg
 
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[quote name='tripredicus']Here are a couple of files that should make your padding of the SD cards easier

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rk8idm

This is an app called creatfil.exe from the NT4 resource kit that creates any size dummy file for you by basically just making a text file with a bunch of spaces in it.

To use the application you copy the exe to the folder where you want to create the dummy files, open a command prompt to that folder and type 'creatfil.exe filename size'

- example C:\createfil.exe dummy.txt 1024 (this will create a 1 MB text file of nothing)

To make the process easier I've included a quick batch file we use on our Exchange servers here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jsqpoi

I've modified it so that it will create 10 100MB files whereever you execute it.

Create a new folder on your SD card
Copy both creatfil.exe and whitespace.bat to the new folder
Double click on whitespace.bat

Whenever you need more space you can just delete one or more of the dat files the whitespace batch file created. You can edit the batch file to have it create as many files of whatever size you need.

Hope this helps.

edit: here is a snazzy VBS script that will ask you how much space you need to fill and how big you want the dummy files. Much easier than my batch file. http://www.sendspace.com/file/ebv9vk[/quote]


This. THIS is AWESOME!:bouncy:

However, please check out your custom script. I know nothing about such things, but I do know that when I click on it, unlike the one that spits out 100MB space files with the DOS prompt/window open, the custom scripts window doesn't stay open nor does any space filler files appear.

If you can nail that down, I will be more than happy to add this to the OP!

PM'd also.
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']This. THIS is AWESOME!:bouncy:

However, please check out your custom script. I know nothing about such things, but I do know that when I click on it, unlike the one that spits out 100MB space files with the DOS prompt/window open, the custom scripts window doesn't stay open nor does any space filler files appear.

If you can nail that down, I will be more than happy to add this to the OP!

PM'd also.[/quote]

My bad, I should have taken a look at the code before uploading. It was referencing a path to the creatfil.exe which didn't exist on your system so it couldn't create the files.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/j5fl4j

Here's an updated version of the VBS, the old link has been deleted. I'll update my original post with this and how to use the vbs, since I debugged it and know it's working.
 
[quote name='tripredicus']My bad, I should have taken a look at the code before uploading. It was referencing a path to the creatfil.exe which didn't exist on your system so it couldn't create the files.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/j5fl4j

Here's an updated version of the VBS, the old link has been deleted. I'll update my original post with this and how to use the vbs, since I debugged it and know it's working.[/quote]
:applause:
You stack 'em, I'll rack 'em!
 
[quote name='tripredicus']Here are a couple of files that should make your padding of the SD cards easier[/quote]Ha, beat me to the punch. I was going to post up basically the same thing today. :)
 
[quote name='Chakal']Knoxximus, I'd like to know what the transfert times to your 2gb card is if you format it before hand. Slow transfert times might be caused by fragmentation of the data on the SD card. If the Wii has poor data management, it could be the cause of the delay.
[/quote]


Fragmentation is a problem with hard drives where the head needs to seek back and forth, seek times are near instantaneous with an SD card, so even extreme fragmentation won't affect transfer times.

Its much worse with old slow-seeking media like floppies and zip disks.
 
I'm confused. Reading this, it seems my SDHC card doesn't actually work? I put it in my Wii and saw it detected a card. I didn't actually try to add anything to it...
 
[quote name='Kayden']I'm confused. Reading this, it seems my SDHC card doesn't actually work? I put it in my Wii and saw it detected a card. I didn't actually try to add anything to it...[/quote]

Well, give it a go! Who knows?:)
 
I can confirm that this process works. Now, I didn't have the speed issues that Knoxximus was reporting (I was using the Wii-branded SanDisk 2.0 GB SD card), but that's not really the point.

It does appear that I will be able to use all of the available space on the 4.0 GB card (about 3.72 GB, as stated by Knoxximus).

Now, I don't have 2.0 GB worth of data (yet), but the memory blocks available seems to confirm that I will be able to use everything... if not, then I have another 2.0 GB memory card (which was purchased for a fraction of what my original one was).

So far so good... thanks Knoxximus.
 
[quote name='Solofire']I can confirm that this process works. Now, I didn't have the speed issues that Knoxximus was reporting (I was using the Wii-branded SanDisk 2.0 GB SD card), but that's not really the point.

It does appear that I will be able to use all of the available space on the 4.0 GB card (about 3.72 GB, as stated by Knoxximus).

Now, I don't have 2.0 GB worth of data (yet), but the memory blocks available seems to confirm that I will be able to use everything... if not, then I have another 2.0 GB memory card (which was purchased for a fraction of what my original one was).

So far so good... thanks Knoxximus.[/quote]

Thanks for the vote of confidence man!:applause:

I also have had no issues since I've done this trick. I downloaded Tetris Party, World of Goo, and Mana today and dumped them all to the SD and still have over 15,000 blocks remaining, plus about 1.5GB's of 'filled space' waiting to be tapped into. Works like a charm!

Have you noticed that your transfer time have improved at all? Which 4GB card are you using?
 
I'm using the Transcend 133x card that you are using (it seemed to be one of the cheapest best ones... if that makes sense). Transcend had another card that was 150x, but I didn't feel the difference in price was worth it.

I have not done any empirical timing tests. I'll get back to you on that (since it seems that's what a lot of people are most curious about).
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Have you noticed that your transfer time have improved at all? Which 4GB card are you using?[/quote]

I'm using the Transcend 133x card that you are using (it seemed to be one of the cheapest best ones... if that makes sense). Transcend had another card that was 150x, but I didn't feel the difference in price was worth it.

I have not done any empirical timing tests. I'll get back to you on that (since it seems that's what a lot of people are most curious about).
 
[quote name='Solofire']I'm using the Transcend 133x card that you are using (it seemed to be one of the cheapest best ones... if that makes sense). Transcend had another card that was 150x, but I didn't feel the difference in price was worth it.

I have not done any empirical timing tests. I'll get back to you on that (since it seems that's what a lot of people are most curious about).[/quote]

Yeah, I didn't think that extra 12x was worth the extra 20 or so bucks either.:lol:
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Have you noticed that your transfer time have improved at all?[/quote]

So, I did some timing tests...

Test setup: My Wii only had the required channels (Disk Channel, Mii Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Photo Channel 1.1, Forecast Channel, and News Channel). This meant that there were 1800 free blocks for channels. Before every test, my Wii was reset to this state.


I tested 4 of my largest channels:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 272 blocks
  2. Sin & Punishment - 287 blocks
  3. Paper Mario - 249 blocks
  4. Internet Channel - 232 blocks
119088-2-1.jpg


With my old card, a 2.0 GB SanDisk Wii-branded Card:


Transfer from Wii to SD card:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 1 min 16.81 sec
  2. Sin & Punishment - 1 min 29.10 sec
  3. Paper Mario - 5 min 8.95 sec*
  4. Internet Channel - 1 min 21.92 sec
* I ran this multiple times, and this is the average.


Transfer from SD card to Wii:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 57.95 sec
  2. Sin & Punishment - 1 min 2.17 sec
  3. Paper Mario - 53.43 sec
  4. Internet Channel - 1 min 1.9 sec
51-WS6LiltL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


With my new card, a 4.0 GB Transcend 133x SD Card:


Transfer from Wii to SD card:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 55.52 sec (28% faster)
  2. Sin & Punishment - 59.49 sec (33% faster)
  3. Paper Mario - 56.34 sec (91% faster)
  4. Internet Channel - 58.91 sec (28% faster)
Transfer from SD card to Wii:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 51.21 sec (12% faster)
  2. Sin & Punishment - 54.48 sec (12% faster)
  3. Paper Mario - 45.33 sec (15% faster)
  4. Internet Channel - 1 min 0.60 sec (2% faster)
Just for fun:


Wii Shop Channel to Wii:
  1. Y's Book I & II - 4 min 44.86 sec
  2. Sin & Punishment - 3 min 52.34 sec
  3. Paper Mario - 2 min 34.41 sec
  4. Internet Channel - 2 min 10.32 sec
 
^ So in conclusion, I wasn't crazy? ;)

Oh, and if you don't mind, I will replace my SD card pic with the one you have...no advertising on it.:D

EDIT: I've also updated the OP with your data and credited you accordingly, if you don't mind.

Thank you for taking the time out to do this!! :applause:

Oh, and I bet the 1st time you did Paper Mario with the 4GB, you FREAKED THE PHUCK OUT!! :lol::lol:
 
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Ok I might consider doing this if it makes switching games back and forth pretty easy..as it won't be as painful.

I can't transfer my games from SD card to new SD card, right? I'm going to have to load as many onto my Wii THEN transfer them to the new SD card, right?
 
[quote name='lilboo']Ok I might consider doing this if it makes switching games back and forth pretty easy..as it won't be as painful.

I can't transfer my games from SD card to new SD card, right? I'm going to have to load as many onto my Wii THEN transfer them to the new SD card, right?[/quote]


Did you read the part in the OP about making a copy of your old Wii SD on your PC, then dragging it to the 4GB SD after the format?:drool:

This was one of my main points, people! More space AND improved transfer times!!

...not yelling at you, lilboo, just venting some frustration at most naysayers on the net.
 
I can't get this to work to save my life. I followed the directions exactly (even ordered the exact SD card) and my Wii will not recognize the card! I reformatted after the first attempt and tried to see if the Wii would recognize it straight off the format (like you say), and still nothing. Am I doing something wrong in the format process. What options exactly should I be selecting in the SDformatter? I'm assuming either one "FULL FORMAT" options should do the trick. I have a launch day Wii- are you sure that the tech to recognize larger cards would be in a launch system? Let me know what you think!
 
[quote name='treydfleming']I can't get this to work to save my life. I followed the directions exactly (even ordered the exact SD card) and my Wii will not recognize the card! I reformatted after the first attempt and tried to see if the Wii would recognize it straight off the format (like you say), and still nothing. Am I doing something wrong in the format process. What options exactly should I be selecting in the SDformatter? I'm assuming either one "FULL FORMAT" options should do the trick. I have a launch day Wii- are you sure that the tech to recognize larger cards would be in a launch system? Let me know what you think![/quote]

Settings:

Click 'Options"

Format Type = FULL (Erase ON)

Format Size Adjustment = ON

It'll take like 3-5 minutes to format with these settings. Give it a go and report back! :bouncy:

EDIT: Also make sure that the little slide lock of the SD is not in the 'LOCK' position.
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Settings:

Click 'Options"

Format Type = FULL (Erase ON)

Format Size Adjustment = ON

It'll take like 3-5 minutes to format with these settings. Give it a go and report back! :bouncy:

EDIT: Also make sure that the little slide lock of the SD is not in the 'LOCK' position.[/quote]

Not to contradict, but I looked up the manual for the formatter to see what all the options were. In the end, I decided to do a Format Type = QUICK, and Format Size Adjustment = OFF. These are the defaults, and the formatting takes about 2 seconds. Everything else worked as advertised.
 
[quote name='Knoxximus']Did you read the part in the OP about making a copy of your old Wii SD on your PC, then dragging it to the 4GB SD after the format?[/quote]

The other nice thing about transfering the Wii private folder from your PC to your SD card is that it organizes your channels by system (not necessarily alphabetically). As a semi-anal retentive person, this was a fantastic side-effect.
 
[quote name='Solofire']Not to contradict, but I looked up the manual for the formatter to see what all the options were. In the end, I decided to do a Format Type = QUICK, and Format Size Adjustment = OFF. These are the defaults, and the formatting takes about 2 seconds. Everything else worked as advertised.[/quote]

Nice work again, Solofire...I will update the OP with this info.

@ treydfleming

If you haven't yet, I'd say try it Solofire's way since it is MUCH faster...if that doesn't work, then try it the way I outlined it. Either way, both ways worked for Solofire and myself, so at least one of them should work for you.
 
Success! I tried the original post way and plugged it into the Wii every step of the way to try to pin point the prob... only there was no problem this time. Nice. I just want to thank you for finding this and putting up with all the naysayers. I for one will be downloading a slew of WiiWare titles that I had been putting off until Nintendo's "storage solution." This will work for now, and I thank you!
 
[quote name='treydfleming']Success! I tried the original post way and plugged it into the Wii every step of the way to try to pin point the prob... only there was no problem this time. Nice. I just want to thank you for finding this and putting up with all the naysayers. I for one will be downloading a slew of WiiWare titles that I had been putting off until Nintendo's "storage solution." This will work for now, and I thank you![/quote]

YAY!!:applause:

Another satisfied customer. :cool:
 
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