Warning

This tutorial is only for advanced users and has a serious risk of bricking the console. Make sure you read it completely before executing any step and that you understand every step and its implications.

While not strictly required, it is still recommended to install ISFShax, before soldering NAND-AID. In case something goes wrong, this then gives more options to troubleshoot the problem.

What is this for?

If you are encountering Error Code 160-0103 "There is a Problem with the system memory" or your Wii U is freezing at bootup it is likely that the eMMC Chip is failing.
This tutorial goes into fixing this Error 160-0103, by cloning your MLC to a SD card and fixing corruptions while doing so. This can become useful if the MLC (eMMC) chip is hardware damaged.

Please note: There are other possible causes for the 160-0103 error (like a CBHC brick).
Also we found other ways to fix this problem. To find the the procedure which is right for you follow the Ultimate Wii U Troubleshooting Guide
In short the other options are:

• Reinstalling the system on a clean SD card. It works without dumping the MLC and spares you the manual process of fixing all the errors by hand and gives you a 100% clean system: https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-upgrading-rebuilding-wii-u-internal-memory-mlc.636309/ (You need to install ISFShax first, before you solder NAND-AID! Also you'll loose all data)
• Using the front SD slot as a replacment, so you don't even have to solder: https://gbatemp.net/threads/fixing-...-soldering-using-rednand-with-isfshax.642268/

NOTE: In case you can't boot the recovery menu anymore, there is the option of dumping the eMMC using a Cardreader connected to the big pads on the NAND-AID. Else you can use defuse to rebuild a completely fresh MLC instead, so head over to https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-upgrading-rebuilding-wii-u-internal-memory-mlc.636309/

NOTE²: In case you get a purple LED but no screen output you might still be able to use the recovery menu blindly. TODO: Give exact steps for this.

Prerequisites

Use this fork of the recovery menu.
Use this fork of wupclient.

Before beginning use the recovery menu to dump the syslogs, then search all the .log files for MEDIA ERROR and DATA CORRUPTION.

Only errors concerning the dev:mlc01 are relevant. Here the example for such an error:

10:48:16:325: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-2228230, cmd:11, path:(null)

Errors concerning the optical disc drive (dev:odd01) can be ignored. Here is such an example, that can be ignored:

10:48:16:325: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:odd01, err:-2228230, cmd:11, path:(null)

A media error on mlc01 means the eMMC itself noticed it can no longer retrieve the data error free and indicates a failure of the eMMC.

In case you find a MEDIA ERROR show us the log file, please, so we can add it to https://hackmd.io/d12Fq9g-QlCjN2HJp7Yvew. It's fine to DM the log to @SDIO, @Lazr1026 or me in case you're concerned about the serial number.

In case you find DATA CORRUPTION only this might or might not be a damaged eMMC. It's recommended to show us the logs, too, so we can analyze them more deep. DATA CORRUPTION means the file system of the Wii U detected that a file is corrupted. That could be caused by either a bad eMMC chip or if a write got interrupted (e. g. power loss during save)

Required Knowledge

WARNING: Before you begin, doing anything to mlc/emmc, you need to understand a few core concepts. Make sure to read carfully and be aware of the implications, or you can seriously mess things up, loosing all data. If that happens you need defuse as descibed here.

The Wii U has not just one internal storage, but it has 3:

• SLCCMPT: Holds all the vWii stuff, the system, the saves, the WiiWare tiles, we don't care for it in this tutorial.
• MLC: Is where all your userdata goes, like games, saves, your accounts and it also hold the system applications. It's also called eMMC and what this tutorial is about.
• SLC: Holds the second stage bootloader (boot1), the core Operating Systems (IOSU and CafeOS), the tickets for the installed titles (eShop and system apps), and some config files. Besides that it holds a file "scfm.img".
  This file is used as a block level write cache for the MLC. This means part of the MLC state resides in this file. They need always to be treated as one, if you restore one, you need also to restore the other. If they don't match, because you restored an older version of the mlc for example, the filesystem on top of them will become inconsistent and there will be no way of fixing that. You would either have to restore an older backup of both the SLC and the MLC or you would need to format the MLC. Both are things we try to avoid here.

You always have to carry the current state of the MLC forward.

What you can do: Read the dying eMMC to an Image, then clone it to a SD card and then use the SD card in place of the eMMC, without turning the console on in between.
You could then also read back the state of the current state of the SD card and flash it back to the eMMC and then run off the eMMC again. But only if you don't turn on the Wii U between the read and the swap.

What you can not do: Read the eMMC to an image, then use the console and then replace the eMMC by an SD card with that older image. Because then the SD won't have the current state.
You also can't flash an Image to the SD, use it for a while and then flash the image back a second time.

Where to get a NAND-AID from?

It's always a good idea to ask if someone near you has one. They might be willing to sell it for cheap.
Else here are some available for 3 € : https://gbatemp.net/threads/637225/

If that doesn't work for you you can also go to some PCB manufacturer like https://jlcpcb.com and let them do the printing. This is around $30 for 5 PCBs, so you could resell 4 to other users. The gerber file is available here and the important options are a thickness of 0.6 mm and castellated holes.

Dumping old MLC

Now that you confirmed it's really a hardware damaged MLC it's time to replace and fix it:

1. Use the recovery menu to dump OTP + SEEPROM.
   
   
2. Dump MLC + SLC from within the recovery menu. Turn your Wii U off by pulling the power cable and don't turn it back on until you replaced the eMMC with the SD card.
   
   
   
   Note: Errors while dumping SLC are harmless and I would be surprised if you get no errors on MLC as it's hardware damages after all.
   
   
3. Merge the dump on the PC, for Windows use copy /b mlc.bin.part01 + mlc.bin.part02 + (...) + mlc.bin.part15 mlc.bin. For linux or mac os x use cat mlc.bin.part* > mlc.bin
4. Write the MLC dump onto a SD card with the same size of your MLC. So for a 8 GB unit use a 8 GB card and for a 32 GB console use a 32GB card (64GB won't work). 8 GB units can also use 16GB cards, but only 8GB will be usable.
   We currently recommend SanDisk Max Endurance cards for this but other cards have been used, too. Choice is yours.
   On Windows you can use Win32DiskImager or Etcher to write the mlc.bin to the SD card.
   On Linux you can use: dd if=mlc.bin of=/dev/XXX bs=1M status=progress Replace XXX with the name of the block device if the sdcard. You can use lsblk to figure out the name. Also make sure the sd card isn't mounted. Optionally to improve the performance, you can try to run blkdiscard -f first (before the dd) on the SD and then add the conv=sparse option to the dd command.

Soldering NAND-AID

1. Cut the CLK line (R26) - using a scalpel or an x-acto knife - to disable the eMMC.
   
   
   
   
2. Install the NAND-AID and insert the SD. For soldering the NAND-AID it's recommend to first solder the big GND VIA. Since v3.0 you'll see a uncovered VIA on the Wii Us motherboard through this GND hole. This VIA is GND, too, so it doesn't matter if you short with it. Also since v3.0 there's a GND arm right nex to the hole in case you want to solder an alternative GND connection instead.
   
   The board will suck lots of the heat away, so you need some patience and really need to make sure the solder properly flows. Check that the connections really holds, before you move on to the rest. To make soldering easier, you should first tin the GND pad on the board, so it has fresh solder and preheating the board also helps.
   
   After GND solder the data connections to the pads/resistors on the board.
   
   Add the wire for 3V3. Then add the SD slot and after that the capacitor. Also short the DSB pads, which shorts the eMMC CLK to GND. If you ever want to access the eMMC again, you need to open the DSB jumper again.
   
   
   
   
   
   NOTE: On some old board revisions there's a capacitor in the way. It's save to just remove it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   NOTE²: In case you're kind of a patchwork person you can also use a microSD to SD adapter and a capacitor instead of the NAND-AID. How to do this is out of scope of this tutorial through, so you are a bit on your own. See this post for more details: https://gbatemp.net/threads/using-n...0103-system-memory-error.636361/post-10213230
   
   
   
   
   
   
   TODO: Show adapter installed into a Wii U.

Repairing the corruption

1. Boot to the recovery menu again, then start the network and wupserver.
   
   
   
   TODO: Add how to add network config to the SD card
   
   
2. Run MLC Checker from recovery and inspect your mlcchecker.txt log.
   • For corrupted files inside of /vol/storage_mlc01/usr/title/ use wupservers delete_title() option, so for example delete_title("/vol/storage_mlc01/usr/title/00050000/1010ED00").
   • For corrupted files inside of /vol/storage_mlc01/sys/title/ use the Install WUP option to reinstall the corresponding system title. It's recommended to do this as a last step. Also some titles might not interrupt the boot, so you could even reinstall them with NUSspli as a very last step.
   • For corrupted folders: These can't be deleted but we have to move them. Even if moved, these still crash a factory reset (so don't do one) The only way to get rid of them is a reformat (see https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-upgrading-rebuilding-wii-u-internal-memory-mlc.636309/ ) TODO: Add how to move them while keeping quotas in mind. In case these folders where in /vol/storage_mlc01/sys/ the corresponding title needs to get reinstalled afterwards.
   • For corrupted files at other subfolders in /vol/storage_mlc01/usr/ it should be save to delete the files (with wupclients w.rm()], so for example w.rm("/vol/storage_mlc01/usr/save/00050000/1010ed00/user/80000002/userdata.dat"). This might damage savefiles and stuff through, so always make sure that you know what you're deleting and how to fix the result then (for example by deleting the games save from data management). In case you are unsure ask before doing something stupid!
   • For other corrupted files in /vol/storage_mlc01/sys/ ask us what to do!
   Lastly run flush_mlc() in wupclient.
   
   
3. Run the MLC Checker again to see if you missed anything.

Your Wii U should now work normally again.

Bonus: Work around factory reset crash loop

There are some rare cases where users tried a factory reset while having corrupted folders. This results in a crash loop.

To break out of this loop you first have to install NAND-AID and fix the corruptions as told above. After that use wupclients delete_title() function to remove all titles from /vol/storage_mlc01/usr/title/. Lastly select Set Initial Launch from the recovery menu and then select 0 - Initial Setup.

See also

https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-i-fixed-160-0103-system-memory-error.626448/
https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058305084/my-wii-u-it-met-with-a-terrible-fate
https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-upgrading-rebuilding-wii-u-internal-memory-mlc.636309/

Thanks

@SDIO For figuring anything out, doing all of the hard puzzling and coding night and day to make this possible
@GaryOderNichts For the recovery menu
@Nandster For the pictures as well as for documenting the whole process over at boards.ie
@Voultar For the NAND-AID PCB design
@skawo For providing an earlier Tutorial, we take some passages from

 

[V10lator]

Not sure but it could indeed be that the SLC is fine and the corruptions stem from crashes. We probably see no MLC errors in the logs cause the factory reset whiped them.

Anyway, this is Just brainstorming with SDIO. Just do what he says, he's expert in debugging and fixing such issues.

 

[ferna182]

Can you check what manufacturer your MLC is?

If you have another SD that you are willing to format, then you can do the format redNAND and see if it reports errors during the the MLC cloning.

Hynix. I do have another sd card, in fact I have one that I bought a while ago specifically preparing for this, a 32gb "max endurance" or whatever is called, SanDisk.

I'll give that a try probably next week and report back.

 

[SDIO]

So my guess is that the scfm.img on the SLC corrupted. That would explain why you got crashes and not only the normal errors when dumping through the recovery, as that is reading through the scfm and scfm was most likely crapping out.
The SLC Checker in the recovery isn't reading the scfm.img, as that would still be locked by scfm, so you wouldn't see the error there.
To confirm that the eMMC is fine I suggested the format redNAND, as that would read each eMMC block, without going through scfm. If the eMMC were failing we would expect errors there, if not, it is probably fine. But especially since that is a Hynix doing the check is probably a good thing. The 32GB card would be to small for the format redNAND. But I can add an option to minute to just do the reading of the eMMC to check it, so you don't have to buy another card.
Of course you can still use NAND-AID to replace it with an SD card, even a bigger one (but for more than 64GB ISFShax needs to stay installed). But keep in mind, that if you break it to the point that neither the eMMC nor the SD is detected anymore redNAND will also stop working.

To confirm that the scfm.img is bad I suggest you use nandBinCheck: https://github.com/koolkdev/wiiuqt/releases/tag/v0.2 and run it agains your SLC.raw. And hmac error against the scfm.img would be expected, but not ecc errors. (but now I am not sure if it wouldn't stop the scfm.img check because of the hmac error, maybe I have to patch it.

If we confirmed that the eMMC is fine and only the scfm.img is corrupted, we can just delete the scmf.img and erase the eMMC using minute and then rebuild a fresh MLC on it. But it is important to not touch the eMMC until we did the test read to make sure it is fine. After the erase all the errors would go away.

 

[ferna182]

So my guess is that the scfm.img on the SLC corrupted. That would explain why you got crashes and not only the normal errors when dumping through the recovery, as that is reading through the scfm and scfm was most likely crapping out.
The SLC Checker in the recovery isn't reading the scfm.img, as that would still be locked by scfm, so you wouldn't see the error there.
To confirm that the eMMC is fine I suggested the format redNAND, as that would read each eMMC block, without going through scfm. If the eMMC were failing we would expect errors there, if not, it is probably fine. But especially since that is a Hynix doing the check is probably a good thing. The 32GB card would be to small for the format redNAND. But I can add an option to minute to just do the reading of the eMMC to check it, so you don't have to buy another card.
Of course you can still use NAND-AID to replace it with an SD card, even a bigger one (but for more than 64GB ISFShax needs to stay installed). But keep in mind, that if you break it to the point that neither the eMMC nor the SD is detected anymore redNAND will also stop working.

To confirm that the scfm.img is bad I suggest you use nandBinCheck: and run it agains your SLC.raw. And hmac error against the scfm.img would be expected, but not ecc errors. (but now I am not sure if it wouldn't stop the scfm.img check because of the hmac error, maybe I have to patch it.

If we confirmed that the eMMC is fine and only the scfm.img is corrupted, we can just delete the scmf.img and erase the eMMC using minute and then rebuild a fresh MLC on it. But it is important to not touch the eMMC until we did the test read to make sure it is fine. After the erase all the errors would go away.

I have bigger sd cards that I can format if needed, that wouldn't be an issue. I bought this card back when it wasn't clear that a storage upgrade might even be possible so I just bought a 32gb one just to be covered. Now that upgrades are possible, I might throw in a bigger one if I manage to confirm that indeed the emmc is indeed broken.

I'm at my parent's for christmas right now so I'll definitely give that a try when I get back to my place. I sorta assumed the worst based on the console's behavior and the chip being a hynix, but it's nice to see that there might be a chance after all... luckily I didn't mess with the hardware yet.

FWIW I never got any specific memory errors, like codes or anything... My system never crashed and the problem only surfaced when I attempted to dump it in preparation for homebrewing it back then... That is as far as I got. I executed the hack, tried to dump it and did not go past it because I wasn't able to dump the nand. Then I tried the Factory Reset and if I remember correctly the system just crashed. I reseted it after like an hour or two and then it booted up on the system recovery screen but again, crashed after a few seconds. No specific errors. The theory back then was that the chip was probably (maybe) broken on a part that didn't contain any system data and it wasn't until I tried to delete it that the system crashed... But that might just be wrong.

We'll see... Thanks for all the detailed information!

 

[SDIO]

If you got the error with the nanddumper on the MLC, then there is probably a problem with the eMMC, as there doesn't read through the scfm

 

[ferna182]

If you got the error with the nanddumper on the MLC, then there is probably a problem with the eMMC, as there doesn't read through the scfm

I was able to run nandBinCheck against SLC.RAW and yeah scfm.img does appear to be bad... I'll attach the output.

Should I just delete it with minute and format the emmc?

 

[SDIO]

No the SLC looks fine, the hmac error is on scfm.img is expected. So not sure where these slc errors in the log came from.

Did you dump the mlc with the recovery? If so please share the log from that dump.

Don't erase or format the eMMC yet, we first need to to make sure if it is faulty.

 

[ferna182]

No the SLC looks fine, the hmac error is on scfm.img is expected. So not sure where these slc errors in the log came from.

Did you dump the mlc with the recovery? If so please share the log from that dump.

Don't erase or format the eMMC yet, we first need to to make sure if it is faulty.

I did, yes... here it is. I dumped it with restore before even downloading minute. Took around 9 hours, maybe even more. Had to leave it overnight

 

[SDIO]

Lots of 0xFFFCFFBF = -0x30041 = MediaError. So yeah the eMMC is bad.

Post automatically merged: Dec 26, 2023

Since you were in a factory reset anyway and already have ISFShax installed, I would suggest, you follow this tutorial Upgrade Wii U Internal Storage / replace failing eMMC to replace it with an SD and set it up fresh. As a good measure you can also delete scfm.img in the process

 

[ferna182]

Lots of 0xFFFCFFBF = -0x30041 = MediaError. So yeah the eMMC is bad.

Well... I was ready for that diagnostic anyway lol... Good thing to 100% confirm it though... I'll play around with the restore options just to see what happens but ultimately I'll go the emmc replacement route.

Thanks for all your responses! really appreciate it. Learned a lot this past 48 hours.

 

[SDIO]

you can erase the eMMC and delete scfm.img and then rebuild it and it will probably work, the question is just how long, before it forgets again

 

[ferna182]

Ok so yeah, system booted just fine after formatting and rebuilding. I'm now running off the actual original nand... I'll run it like this for a while and see what happens... I will avoid using the nand as much as possible though, I'll install the games to an external usb device and hope it doesn't break lol...

 

[SDIO]

I think it will work again for a few months or years. But when you get it the next time from storage after forgetting about it for years, it's brobably broken again.

 

[ferna182]

@SDIO Yeah that didn't take long. I was already having some random problems here and there so I just said "screw it" and installed the nand aid. I used the 32gb card I had for this and luckily no part of the process complained. I will probably upgrade it later on when I get a bigger "endurance" card, right now the only ones I have that are bigger than 32gb are "regular" sd cards and from what I've seen online, apparently the wiiu eats those.

Anyway, the process was honestly very painless, ironically enough the part that gave me the most trouble was the stupid gnd via, which I thought was going to be the most trivial part lol. I was very scared of those points going to the emmc but honestly with a thin tip it was somewhat easy to deal with. Where I did screw up though was the CLK trace... While I did cut it, and confirmed with a multimeter that I did indeed cut it, I managed to bridge it again when soldering the nand aid so I had to very carefully break the connection again, with the board installed. Luckily this wasn't too bad either. The sd slot was very easy and the capacitor was a bit of a challenge, I never actually soldered one of these before.

Anyway, I'm happy with the result. It was actually a lot of fun doing it, I really enjoy these projects lol.

I said it before but thanks again to everyone making this possible. I really appreciate how well documented everything is and how active and responsive the community is.

 

[SDIO]

Yes that was also my experience. The GND plane just sucks a lot of heat, but preheating the board with some hot air helped. I also had the clk trace reconnect. But removing the CMD resistor should have the same effect.

Glad it worked so smooth for you. If you plan to keep ISFShax you can also use your 500GB card. As the card is much bigger, it should also be able to sustain some writes (more cells to spread the writes over). But a endurance card is probably the saver bet in the long term

 

[W1ldCh1ld]

Hello everyone! New to this forum, but I've been capturing information on the 160-0103 error my Wii U (32GB, Windwaker HD edition) started to throw early in 2022. At the time, the "messaging" was around the console not having been powered-up for a long time (it was in storage for 2-3 years before I plugged it again). I was able to fix the 2 titles (Wii U Sport and Windwaker HD) by re-downloading them, but the download was difficult. Hung up several times for both titles before I could fully download them, then no error for the past year until recently when it appeared again with the Mii editor.

Now there's a lot more information about the problem!

Here's what I've done until now:

• Already had a few Raspberry Pi Picos laying around, used UDPIH to boot the recovery_meny.
• Dumped the system logs. I found at least the following errors in different log files:

00:00:51:262: FSA: ### DATA CORRUPTION ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-1245211, cmd:11, path:(null)

00:00:40:159: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-2228230, cmd:11, path:(null)
00:00:40:184: MCP: preload of '/vol/storage_mlc01/sys/title/00050010/1004c100/code/ply.rpx' not completed, err -196673

(This one is from last year, seems to be related to one of my re-installation attempt (0005000010143500 matches Windwaker HD):
00:20:49:101: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-2228230, cmd:12, path:(null)
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Installation Failure detected
 - Error value: -196673
 - Package:
   </vol/storage_mlc01/usr/packages/title/0000000000000020/0005000010143500 (/vol/storage_mlc01)>
 - Title:       00050000-10143500 (0x0000)
 - AppType:     80000000
 - Platform:    Cafe
 - Target dev:  mlc01
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Installation failure log will be stored with error code '162-0000'

• Looked at the System Information: eMMC flash chip is a Hynix (32GB)
• Then I grabbed the recovery_meny version from this post and:
  • Dumped OTP + SEEPROM
  • Dumped SLC + MLC on a 64GB MicroSD card. Info from the screen:
    • slc = 536870912/536870912, res 000000000, error 2140
    • slc_result = -196635
    • mlc = 31205621760/31205621760, res 00000000, errors 1363, bad sectors 1363
    • mlc_result: -196673
    • slc = 536870912/536870912, res 000000000, error 2140 (seems to have dumped again after mlc)
    • slc_result = -196635
• Shut the console down by pulling the power cable. I read that I should NOT power it on again until the dump has been copied into a fresh media and installed into the console.
  • Then corruptions can then be fixed by re-installing the titles.

From the look of it, the eMMC flash chip is failing and I'm interested in fixing the console. I have a few questions.

• Where's the best place to ask for a nand-aid kit? I'm getting an error when trying to open the thread, from I assume V10lator, listed in the original post (my account might be too new).
• About soldering the nand-aid, I only have a 25W soldering iron at the moment. I stumbled upon a ground plane in the past that was sucking too much heat for the iron to melt solder. I guess this might happen here for the GND connection?
• Is there anything that can be done on a computer to analyze the MLC dump for corruption and see how much I will need to fix after?
• I have several purchased Wii Virtual Console titles that were transferred into this Wii U. If any of them is corrupt, any way to recover them?
• Same question for the Wii U purchased titles, possible to re-download them if any of them is corrupted with the Wii U shop closure?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SDIO]

Hello everyone! New to this forum, but I've been capturing information on the 160-0103 error my Wii U (32GB, Windwaker HD edition) started to throw early in 2022. At the time, the "messaging" was around the console not having been powered-up for a long time (it was in storage for 2-3 years before I plugged it again). I was able to fix the 2 titles (Wii U Sport and Windwaker HD) by re-downloading them, but the download was difficult. Hung up several times for both titles before I could fully download them, then no error for the past year until recently when it appeared again with the Mii editor.

This is interesting. You used the Wii U and the Mii Maker corrupted while you used the Wii U over the last year? Or did you just not use it since then and only now noticed that it also corrupted?

Now there's a lot more information about the problem!

Here's what I've done until now:

• Already had a few Raspberry Pi Picos laying around, used UDPIH to boot the recovery_meny.
• Dumped the system logs. I found at least the following errors in different log files:

00:00:51:262: FSA: ### DATA CORRUPTION ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-1245211, cmd:11, path:(null)

00:00:40:159: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-2228230, cmd:11, path:(null)
00:00:40:184: MCP: preload of '/vol/storage_mlc01/sys/title/00050010/1004c100/code/ply.rpx' not completed, err -196673

(This one is from last year, seems to be related to one of my re-installation attempt (0005000010143500 matches Windwaker HD):
00:20:49:101: FSA: ### MEDIA ERROR ###, dev:mlc01, err:-2228230, cmd:12, path:(null)
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Installation Failure detected
 - Error value: -196673
 - Package:
   </vol/storage_mlc01/usr/packages/title/0000000000000020/0005000010143500 (/vol/storage_mlc01)>
 - Title:       00050000-10143500 (0x0000)
 - AppType:     80000000
 - Platform:    Cafe
 - Target dev:  mlc01
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Installation failure log will be stored with error code '162-0000'

• Looked at the System Information: eMMC flash chip is a Hynix (32GB)
• Then I grabbed the recovery_meny version from this post and:
  • Dumped OTP + SEEPROM
  • Dumped SLC + MLC on a 64GB MicroSD card. Info from the screen:
    • slc = 536870912/536870912, res 000000000, error 2140
    • slc_result = -196635
    • mlc = 31205621760/31205621760, res 00000000, errors 1363, bad sectors 1363
    • mlc_result: -196673
    • slc = 536870912/536870912, res 000000000, error 2140 (seems to have dumped again after mlc)
    • slc_result = -196635
• Shut the console down by pulling the power cable. I read that I should NOT power it on again until the dump has been copied into a fresh media and installed into the console.
  • Then corruptions can then be fixed by re-installing the titles.

Yes the eMMC is certainly failing. And yes the dumper in the recovery does two slc dumps, since the slc dump mechanism there isn't that reliable.

• Where's the best place to ask for a nand-aid kit? I'm getting an error when trying to open the thread, from I assume V10lator, listed in the original post (my account might be too new).

I think @Lazr1026 also has some NAND-AIDs again, since she is in USA, she would be closer to you then @V10lator from Germany. So they can just contact you via PM, since you are lacking the number of posts for that.

• About soldering the nand-aid, I only have a 25W soldering iron at the moment. I stumbled upon a ground plane in the past that was sucking too much heat for the iron to melt solder. I guess this might happen here for the GND connection?

I guess that should still work. Leaded solder has a lower melting point. You can use a Hairdryer to preheat the area as much as possible and then just give it time with the soldering iron to melt properly, so it really connects to the GND pad.

• Is there anything that can be done on a computer to analyze the MLC dump for corruption and see how much I will need to fix after?

You can use wfs-extract and see what errors that shows you: https://github.com/koolkdev/wfs-tools
Depending on the corruption you might consider, just rebuilding the MLC from scratch instead of fixing the old one: https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-upgrading-rebuilding-wii-u-internal-memory-mlc.636309/ You can even upgrade to 64GB if you do the rebuild.

• I have several purchased Wii Virtual Console titles that were transferred into this Wii U. If any of them is corrupt, any way to recover them?

You mean titles you bought using the Shop Channel (not the eShop) on the Wii / vWii? Theses shouldn't be affected by the corruption, as they are not stored on the MLC, but the SLCCMPT. If any of them corrupted in another way, you might be able to still download the wad from the NUS and install them with a wad manager, since your vWii should still have the ticket.

If you mean Wii Games, you downloaded from the eShop to the Wii U side, then you can just reinstall them from the eShop.

• Same question for the Wii U purchased titles, possible to re-download them if any of them is corrupted with the Wii U shop closure?

Yes, you can just download them again from the eShop. Same for corrupted DLC. And updates will automatically be reinstalled if you delete them.

 

[W1ldCh1ld]

This is interesting. You used the Wii U and the Mii Maker corrupted while you used the Wii U over the last year? Or did you just not use it since then and only now noticed that it also corrupted?

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I just did not use it and only now noticed it's also corrupted.

Yes the eMMC is certainly failing. And yes the dumper in the recovery does two slc dumps, since the slc dump mechanism there isn't that reliable.

I think @Lazr1026 also has some NAND-AIDs again, since she is in USA, she would be closer to you then @V10lator from Germany. So they can just contact you via PM, since you are lacking the number of posts for that.

Thanks! I'll try to reach out to them directly.

I guess that should still work. Leaded solder has a lower melting point. You can use a Hairdryer to preheat the area as much as possible and then just give it time with the soldering iron to melt properly, so it really connects to the GND pad.

Good idea. Worst case I get a better iron. Might need a finer tip anyway.

You can use wfs-extract and see what errors that shows you: <edited to allow posting>
Depending on the corruption you might consider, just rebuilding the MLC from scratch instead of fixing the old one: <edited to allow posting> You can even upgrade to 64GB if you do the rebuild.

Thanks for this info, I'll look at it. That's what I also wanted to validate before purchasing the target microSD card (32 GB or 64GB).

You mean titles you bought using the Shop Channel (not the eShop) on the Wii / vWii? Theses shouldn't be affected by the corruption, as they are not stored on the MLC, but the SLCCMPT. If any of them corrupted in another way, you might be able to still download the wad from the NUS and install them with a wad manager, since your vWii should still have the ticket.

Yes, from the Wii Shop Channel at the time.

If you mean Wii Games, you downloaded from the eShop to the Wii U side, then you can just reinstall them from the eShop.

I don't think I have any of those.

Yes, you can just download them again from the eShop. Same for corrupted DLC. And updates will automatically be reinstalled if you delete them.

Ok! Good to know. I thought the eShop shut down meant that already purchased titles were not downloadable anymore.

 

[SDIO]

No you just can't buy new stuff from the eShop. Downloading already purchased things still works

 

[W1ldCh1ld]

Just ran wfs-extract. Seems to show corrupted files for most of the titles except for those that I was able to re-install from scratch last year. 110 errors. No error about corrupted folder.

NAND-AID is in the mail, thanks @V10lator! microSD card as well (Samsung Endurance Pro, ordered a 32GB and a 64GB).