Difference between revisions of "Wii Startup Discs"

From Rare Gaming Dump
(needs more done but i cant rn)
Line 19: Line 19:
 
}}
 
}}
  
The '''Wii Startup Disc''' is a disc which was used to install the initial retail version of the [[Wii System Menu]] and various channels and [[IOS]] versions onto an early Wii system which did not have this software pre-installed with [[122E]].
+
The '''Wii Startup Disc''' ([[GameID]] 'RAAE01') is a disc which was used to install [[Wii System Menu]] 1.0 and other software (including the basic Wii Channels) onto first-run Wii systems which were manufactured before this software was finished development. These early Wii systems ran a barebones System Menu which existed solely to launch the Wii Startup Disc.
  
The Wii Startup Disc was leaked on September 2, 2020, as a part of the [[Zammis Clark Breach]].
+
The Wii Startup Disc was long considered 'lost' after multiple Wii consoles with the barebones menu installed surfaced; while a physical disc still has not been found, the master partition data for the disc was released as part of the [[Zammis Clark Breach]].
  
The leaked startup disc is v0; a Nintendo release spreadsheet from the [[CIS-004]] dump reveals an additional v1 revision which has not been found; the difference between the two is unknown.
+
The Wii Startup Disc consists only of an installer program and a few WAD files, with the installer program being almost identical to the System Menu stub found on Wiis which asked for the disc.
  
The disc's program is nearly identical to that of the [[Startup Disc Menu]].
+
==Origin & Distribution==
 +
Nintendo has not officially released any information about the Wii Startup Disc, but it is believed that it was created due to Wii production (which started around July 2006) outpacing the development of the Wii Menu and preinstalled channels. As such, in August 2006 (according to build dates) Nintendo quickly built a barebones System Menu to launch this disc, then preinstalled it on the initial batch of Wiis produced (the exact number is unknown). These Wiis were primarily used for store demo kiosks, although some were also released to consumers along with later-run launch day units which already had the software preinstalled.  
  
==Origin==
+
How the disc itself was distributed remains unclear; there is conflicting information ranging from the disc being included with Wii kiosk packages for stores, the disc being held only by Nintendo representatives who would personally visit stores to install the disc, and the disc being distributed in the box of some regular retail Wii consoles on launch day. As such, it is unknown how many (if any) of the physical Startup Discs were released outside of Nintendo, and not even a picture of one has surfaced 14 years later.  
The final version of the [[Wii System Menu]] had not yet been created as of August 2006, and by the time it was scheduled to be ready in October 2006, it would be too late to preinstall it on newly produced Wii consoles for shipment to retail stores for use in demo kiosks as well as early retail units, as these units would have needed to start the firmware flashing phase of their production earlier in order to meet demand. As such, the [[Startup Disc Menu]] was created and preinstalled on all Wiis being produced at that time, until the backlog was caught up with. This menu would only accept this disc and certain other repair discs; further information is available on its page. While this menu was originally intended to be deployed to all launch day Wii consoles, ultimately production scaled as such that the vast majority of consoles which had the menu installed were shipped as store kiosk demo consoles, either along with the disc or to have the disc installed on them by a Nintendo representative. (It is theorized, but not known, that the disc was only included with the system package for store kiosks in rural areas, such as central Indiana.)
 
  
However, this plan did not go completely as written; many consoles were shipped at launch day with the menu installed but without the disc, and a very small subset of consoles were shipped both with the menu and the disc. It is from the former of these types of consoles that the NAND dump containing the Startup Disc Menu has been obtained from, and the latter where the uid.sys listing has been obtained from.
+
Some launch-day Wiis asked for the disc but did not include it, while others (allegedly) included the disc in the packaging. Since the disc was mentioned in the list of contents on some early Wii boxes (in place of 'Wii Sports Disc') and was also mentioned in an early version of the "Wii Terminology" document for publishers (although was silently removed shortly thereafter), it is likely that the disc was either sent out to consumers or plans to do so were cancelled at the last minute.  
 
 
It is also notable that early versions of the retail Wii box listed the Startup Disc on their contents; certain launch day Wii boxes listed it, others did not and listed the Wii Sports Disc instead. This appears to have no relation to the actual contents of the box.
 
  
 
==Starlight version==
 
==Starlight version==

Revision as of 07:52, 9 September 2020

Wii Startup Disc
Startupdisc002.png
An image of what the Startup Disc might have looked like, ripped from the Startup Disc Menu.
Disc Internal NameWii Startup Disc
Disc IDRAAE01
Disc IOSIOS9
Disc Release DateExact date unknown, somewhere around October/November 2006
Disc Build DateOctober 7, 2006
Disc ApploaderOctober 7, 2006

The Wii Startup Disc (GameID 'RAAE01') is a disc which was used to install Wii System Menu 1.0 and other software (including the basic Wii Channels) onto first-run Wii systems which were manufactured before this software was finished development. These early Wii systems ran a barebones System Menu which existed solely to launch the Wii Startup Disc.

The Wii Startup Disc was long considered 'lost' after multiple Wii consoles with the barebones menu installed surfaced; while a physical disc still has not been found, the master partition data for the disc was released as part of the Zammis Clark Breach.

The Wii Startup Disc consists only of an installer program and a few WAD files, with the installer program being almost identical to the System Menu stub found on Wiis which asked for the disc.

Origin & Distribution

Nintendo has not officially released any information about the Wii Startup Disc, but it is believed that it was created due to Wii production (which started around July 2006) outpacing the development of the Wii Menu and preinstalled channels. As such, in August 2006 (according to build dates) Nintendo quickly built a barebones System Menu to launch this disc, then preinstalled it on the initial batch of Wiis produced (the exact number is unknown). These Wiis were primarily used for store demo kiosks, although some were also released to consumers along with later-run launch day units which already had the software preinstalled.

How the disc itself was distributed remains unclear; there is conflicting information ranging from the disc being included with Wii kiosk packages for stores, the disc being held only by Nintendo representatives who would personally visit stores to install the disc, and the disc being distributed in the box of some regular retail Wii consoles on launch day. As such, it is unknown how many (if any) of the physical Startup Discs were released outside of Nintendo, and not even a picture of one has surfaced 14 years later.

Some launch-day Wiis asked for the disc but did not include it, while others (allegedly) included the disc in the packaging. Since the disc was mentioned in the list of contents on some early Wii boxes (in place of 'Wii Sports Disc') and was also mentioned in an early version of the "Wii Terminology" document for publishers (although was silently removed shortly thereafter), it is likely that the disc was either sent out to consumers or plans to do so were cancelled at the last minute.

Starlight version

It has been discovered that there was a development-signed version of the Startup Disc, used as part of the initial factory setup of Starlight Fun Center Wiis.

Contents