Now that we have The Homebrew Channel available to us, we can install a few niceties that can breathe a little life back into the unsupported mid-aughts console. First among these, we’ll need the ability to run custom firmware for the Wii (referred to as IOS). To do this, we’ll need the dx2 cIOS Installer. Download the application, unzip the archive, and place it in the apps folder of the SD card. Once the SD card is in the Wii, you can run the installer from The Homebrew Channel.
Install custom firmware on the Wii
Once the application loads, press A to continue, then match the settings as seen below:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 57
Select cIOS slot: 249
Select cIOS version: 65535
Press A twice to install, then press A again to install the next cIOS:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 56
Select cIOS slot: 250
Select cIOS version: 65535
Again, press A twice to install, then press A again to install the final cIOS needed:
Select cIOS: v10 beta52 d2x-v10-beta52
Select cIOS base: 38
Select cIOS slot: 251
Select cIOS version: 65535
Press A twice to install, then B to exit once completed.
Install USB Loader GX through Homebrew Browser
Download Homebrew Browser and place on the SD card like with the previous apps. Back on the Wii, launch The Homebrew Channel and select Homebrew Browser. At the very least, you’ll want to install USB Loader GX, Wii Mod Lite, and Nintendont. USB Loader GX is a full-fledged system menu replacement for Wii (and can be launched at boot through Priiloader) that will launch backup titles from a USB hard drive as well as install games to the hard drive. Wii Mod Lite will let you install custom channels to the system menu. Nintendont works inside USB Loader GX to handle launching GameCube games. Both apps are listed under the “Utilities” heading and should be at the very top (sort by popularity). Once the apps are installed, you can exit the Homebrew Browser.
A few notes about using USB Loader GX
USB Loader GX can be launched from the Homebrew Channel or through Priiloader. To launch from Priiloader, you’ll have to point the “Installed File” setting to the application and set the auto boot to “Installed File”.
The loader takes a few seconds longer than the stock Wii system menu to load because it’s checking for a USB hard drive. Also: make sure to use a USB hard drive. Flash drives tend to not work with USB Loader GX.
If a game does not load from the hard drive, try using a different cIOS. Select the problematic game, then click “Settings”. Click “Game Load”, then “Game IOS”. Enter the IOS you wish to try (249, 250, or 251), then click “OK”. Return to the banner screen and attempt to load the game. If the game doesn’t load, rinse and repeat. GBATemp has a pretty extensive compatibility list available here.
Installing USB Loader GX as a channel
If you prefer to keep the stock system menu on the Wii, you can still easily load USB Loader GX as a channel (saving you the step of having to go through The Homebrew Channel to launch). To do this, you’ll need to install the forwarder WAD. Download the WAD from the website and drop it in a folder called “wads” on your SD card. From The Homebrew Channel, launch Wii Mod Lite. Use the D-pad to select “WAD Manager”, then navigate to the wads folder on the SD card. Highlight the WAD file that you want to install and press A twice to install. Once installed, use the HOME button to return to the system menu. USB Loader GX will now appear as a channel!