XWhiite Linux Wii

XWhiite Linux
XWhiite Linux
	File:Xwhiitelinuxwii2.jpg
General
Author	bertjan
Type	Operating systems
Version	0.2
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2008/12/02
Links
	Download
	Website

XWhiite is a version of Whiite with the X.Org environment successfully implemented. It uses kernel 2.6.27b and includes some applications such as Firefox. The installation process uses the "whiite" method, and it has been updated to version 0.2. XWhiite was created by bertjan and last updated on December 2nd, 2008.

Keep in mind, the Wii's specs are limited with only 88MB of RAM, 3MB of VRAM, and a 729MHz single-core CPU, so performance may not be optimal.

User guide

How to setup

The following guide is based on XWhiite 0.2 with Wi-Fi in 2020 tutorial written by VMHoss.

Preparation:

Download this and unzip it on your PC. Insert a SD card (FAT16) (SDHC >4GB) into the slot on the same PC.
Follow this guide if your Wii hasn't been homebrewed/hacked yet.
Install BootMii.

Step 1:

Copy the "BOOTMII" (not case sensitive) folder to your desktop when you've finished with the previous step.
Copy the "apps" folder from the "apps" ZIP inside the Wii Linux ZIP to the SD card.
Unzip the Wii Linux ZIP file into the root of a FAT32-formatted USB pendrive.
Delete the "apps" ZIP in the root. Get a USB (wired) keyboard.
(Mouse is not required, but if you're not comfortable with a WiiMote as a pointer, get an optical USB (wired) mouse.)
Insert the SD card in the SD slot in the Wii, and slot the USB flash drive into the "usb0" USB slot.
"usb0" is located at the right USB slot at the back of the Wii, or if you're using a horizontal Wii, it's located at the bottom, below the other USB slot.
If you're still confused, find the red square outlining the slot here:

Step 2:

Boot the Wii up. Start the Homebrew Channel. Start the application "whiite-linux-installer-BETA1".
Use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate, and use ENTER to accept.
Select "ok" FAT allocation recommended: 256MB Select "ok" to everything.
Wait a very long time. (remember the "Select OK to everything") The application has a built-in screensaver, which is pure black.
To get out of the screensaver, press ENTER. Still wait. When it says it's done, it will reboot.

Step 3:

Eject the SD card out of the Wii. Get this file. Doesn't matter if it's PAL.
Insert the SD card into the PC.
Find the "BOOTMII" folder and replace the "ppcboot.elf" with the "mikep5-zImage-2.6.32.mini.576i(PAL).elf" by first deleting ppcboot and then renaming the mikep5 elf to "ppcboot.elf".

Step 4:

Eject the SD card out of the PC, then insert it in the Wii. Run the Homebrew Channel.
Press the HOME button, then select the "bootmii" button. This will boot Wii Linux.
Wait a minute or two, and when the Wii shows a GUI that includes green or checkered B/W pixels, wait until XFCE (the GUI) shows a start menu.
Select the power button on the start menu on the bottom, then press "log out" It will log out. When the countdown starts, press ENTER on the keyboard. log in with these credentials:
- Username: root
- Password: whiite
Then type in "startxfce4" and press ENTER. It will boot Debian 4 (etch) as the root account, granting you full access to the system.

WiFi configuration

Open a Terminal (Xterm) window and do this:

cd /home/wii/
dpkg -i *.deb

After that has completed, move on to this:

cd /

tar -xzvf /home/wii/openfwwf-5.2-bin.tar.gz

Close the Terminal window and open another one after it's done.

nano /etc/network/interfaces

Make sure it looks like this:

auto wlan1 iface wlan1 inet dhcp
         wpa-ssid YOUR_ROUTER_NAME_GOES_HERE
         wpa-psk YOUR_WIFI_PASSOWRD_GOES_HERE
         wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
         wpa-pairwise TKIP CCMP
         wpa-group TKIP CCMP
         wpa-proto WPA RSN
        wpa-ap-scan 1
         wpa-scan-ssid 1

Edit the "YOUR_PASSWORD" to your WIFI password.

Edit the "ROUTER_NAME" to your WIFI name.

Then save it by CTRL+X then pressing Y. You now have a Wii Linux machine that can be used as a low-performance PC or as a web server.

Additional stuff

You can get a lot of applications for the PPC build of Debian 4. Get them with Synaptic Pachage Manager, found in the (system) tray in the (apps) menu in the XFCE menu.

GIMP works like a charm on the Wii with resolutions under 1920x1080.
Audacity also works fine, unless if you want a newer build of it.
Blender3D is availble, but it only works with OpenGL drivers. The Wii has X11 drivers, and NO, I haven't found the OpenGL drivers yet.
Any application without OpenGL support should work fine.
Python IDLE 2.5 has a working TURTLE module.
You can also get XFCE themes.

To get XFCE themes, you will need a laptop or PC that can read ext3 filesystems. If you're using Windows, you can use DiskGenius or Diskinternals Linux Reader. Browse through the XFCE-LOOK website for maximum compatibility. Then, copy the theme folder to the /usr/local/share/themes/ directory on the SD card. Insert the SD card into the Wii and boot Linux. Log in as root, go to the settings manager of XFCE, click on "user interface," and select a theme. Good luck!

Screenshots

Media

Linux on a Wii? - Wii Linux Installation and Testing (Xorg/Whiite) 2020 (DerNuntius)

External Links