Wii Startup Discs
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 An image of what the Startup Disc might have looked like, ripped from the Startup Disc Menu. | |
| Disc Internal Name | Wii Startup Disc |
|---|---|
| Disc ID | RAAE01 |
| Disc IOS | IOS9 |
| Disc Release Date | Exact date unknown, somewhere around October/November 2006 |
| Disc Build Date | October 7, 2006 |
| Disc Apploader | October 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
- Wii System Menu 1.0
