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How to Install Homemade Wii Channels With an SD Card

The Nintendo Wii allows you to play video games in an new way---by using the motion of your hand to control the action on the screen. You can apply this great feature to all your favorite old games by installing a Wii Homebrew channel on your Wii console. Basically, a Homebrew channel allows you to run programming other than what Nintendo provides for you, including emulators for old, out-of-print games. With a little work, you can turn your Wii into an archive of video game history in your own living room.

Things You'll Need

SD card (max 2GB)
SD card reader
Copy of "Zelda: Twilight Princess"
Internet access

Instructions

- 1
  Download the Twilight Hack, Homebrew Channel and Homebrew browser files. You can find links to the most recent versions in the resources section of this article. Unpack the files on your computer.
- 2
  Put your SD card into the SD card reader for your computer. Format the card by clicking on "Start." Then click on "My Computer" and right-click on the SD card drive and select "Format." Click "OK" to format the card. You will delete all data on the card by doing this.
- 3
  Copy the necessary files to your SD card. From the Twilight Hack folder on your computer, copy the "Private" folder to the SD card. From the Homebrew Channel folder on your computer, copy the "boot.dol" file and "wiiload" file to the SD card. Create a folder on the SD card called "Apps." From the Homebrew browser folder on your computer, copy the "homebrew_browser" folder (with all its contents) to the apps folder on your SD card.
- 4
  Insert Zelda: Twilight Princess into your Wii console. If you don't own this game, you can rent it for the purpose of performing this hack. You do need to have booted the game once and saved a file before starting this process, however. Go into the data management interface on the Wii under the settings menu and delete your old save file (if you want to keep your progress in the game, back it up to the SD card first). Then copy the save game file from the SD card to the Twilight Princess directory on the Wii. You will use the TwilightHack0 if the code on the bottom of the disc reads 0A-0 and TwilightHack2 if the code reads 0A-2.
- 5
  Go back to the main Wii screen and start Zelda: Twilight Princess. Select the save file you just copied from the SD card. When the game loads immediately, walk backward and the Homebrew Channel loader will start. Follow the on-screen instructions.
- 6
  Use the Homebrew Browser to find other apps you wish to use including emulators, media players and out-of-print games. All Homebrew content will be loaded to the SD card. Have fun with your Homebrew channel-equipped Wii.

Wii Games