problem old firmware version

[Barracuda-78]

I'm having trouble rebuilding the MLC and SLC with a very old version of the Wii U firmware. In the two most recent versions, the LED stays solid purple and doesn't create a wafel.txt file on the SD card. With the first version, it blinks orange upon startup and creates the Wafel.txt file, but doesn't rebuild anything.
Could this be implemented for those of us on an older firmware version?

[jan-hofmeier]

Try this with only the OSv10 title in the wafel_install folder: https://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-u-blinking-blue-light-no-image.640588/post-10259653

After that try installing the other titles

[Barracuda-78]

Yes, I did it several days ago and I got no results... I also eliminated MLC and scfm and I get no results either...

[GottaCodeNow]

Wonderful! The piece of info I was looking everywhere for and finally found here (and in that link to that specific part of a thread in a GBATemp conversation).

This particular Wii U had a dead Hynix eMMC chip that I gave the whole NAND-AID treatment to. Used "Paid the Beak" to get isfshax installed and run the minute menu (so nice to not have to do deFuse again). But started to lose confidence in my solder job when rebuilding the MLC was never getting anywhere (purple never changing to blinking blue, no wafel_setup_mlc.log file being created). So I thought I'd try doing a RedNAND install with a fresh MLC build, because then the NAND-AID and dead eMMC chip don't come into play. But, same result as before.

I kept seeing this one concerning line that seemed more of an observation than a declaration that it was indeed the problem:

"ancast: IOS image might not be 5.5?"

Well, that was the problem. I didn't have the history behind this unit, which was in pretty good shape, but I'm guessing the guy hadn't powered it on for years and years and when he did, it didn't work any longer. Hence, probably was on a fairly old version of the OS and had never been updated (or at least, not for many years).

So, onto the solution. I'm not sure the difference between wafel_setup_mlc.ipx and wafel_install.ipx, but I just left them both in the wiiu/ios_plugins/ folder, along with 00core.ipx and 5isfshax.ipx files. I had the single "tmp_0005001010004009" folder in the wafel_install folder. Then I used the 4th option in the minute menu:

"patch (sd) and boot sdmc:/ios_orig.img redNAND"

Finally got a blinking blue light that quickly turned into a solid blue light! (For anyone unfamiliar with the process, when in the minute menu, it's a purple light that I suspect is an extremely rapidly flashing of red and blue lights that then appears as a somewhat-though-not-totally solid purple light). If the setup of the MLC works correctly, when the screen reaches the line "Jumping to IOS... GO GO GO," soon after that purple will change to a sort of slow blue blinking light--distinct blue, different than the purple--and eventually, hopefully, turn to solid blue when it has finished)

Then populated the wafel_install folder with all 57 folders (included the SLC apps, which obviously needed updated, too) and ran the patch again. Blinking blue light for a longer time this time (I think it was maybe 15 to 20 minutes, though not sure because I was off doing other things during the process). Then I removed the wafel_setup_mlc.ipx and wafel_install.ipx files from the wiiu/ios_plugins/ folder and this time chose the second option:

"patch (sd) and boot IOS redNAND"

And...voila! I got to the Wii U loading screen and was able to sync a gamepad and do all the initial setup. I'm sure now I can go back and do the same with the NAND-AID/Micro SD card now and I should be good. It was all about having an older version of the OS and needing to update the SLC to the title 00050010-1000400A (which is OSv10 and which, after booting the Wii U successfully and getting to the settings, showed up as ver. 5.5.6).

Anyway, I wanted to document my experience here before I forgot what ended up working and provide more details to anyone else who might run into this same issue. This is my third Wii U eMMC NAND-AID repair, but the first time I encountered this particular issue.