The VG Resource

A tutorial for extracting files from WiiWare games (*.wad files).

Note: Only WiiWare games will work with this method; VC games will not work.

Programs Needed
ShowMiiWads (Wiki)

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Step 1: Grab a Wad.
Find a WiiWare game you want to rip, and acquire the Wad for it. I'm not linking anything; you'll need to obtain them yourself.

Step 2: ShowMiiWads First Time Usage
With your newly acquired Wad file on hand, start up ShowMiiWads. You will be greeted by a message box.


This message warns that using/installing modified Wad files onto a Wii can cause bricking, so use with caution. Click the Accept radio button, and continue.
*Note* - If you do not change the selection, and just press OK, most of the program's tools will be disabled. To fix this, delete the "ShowMiiWads.cfg" file, which is in the same directory as the program.

You should now see this:


Step 3: Generate the key
This step is necessary to extract the game(s), and is a one-time step. Navigate to the "Tools" menu, and click on "Create Common-Key".



Type in the code that is displayed, and hit OK. You will now be able to extract the games.


Step 4: Adding Games
Navigate to "File", and choose "Open Folder". Select the folder where your Wad file(s) reside. Upon clicking OK, you should now see the game(s) you have.
Step 5: Extract the Game
To extract the files of a game, right click on it. Select "Extract -> To Folder".


Choose a folder, and hit OK. There will now be a new folder created, with the title being that of the game that was extracted.

As you can see, all we have are a lot of .app files, and some other files. Let's extract the app files now.

Step 6: Extract the .app files
*Note* Some of the .app files are in a different format, and therefore will not extract. This is okay.
Back in the ShowMiiWads program, bring up the "Tools" menu again, and select "Unpack U8 Archive".


The .app file that you will want will, in most cases, be the largest one. Find the largest file, and start by extracting it first. If it contains what looks like game files (models, sounds, etc.), then you should not need to extract the other .app files.


If the file extracted successfully, a message will pop up telling you so. Extracted files will be placed in a folder titled " *filename.app*_app_OUT "


Open the folder, and you will see the contents of the extracted app file.
Congratulations, if you can see files, you have successfully extracted the WiiWare game's files!


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Other Notes
Some files inside the .app archive may be compressed, and will require further decompression to be used.

You should PM this to Dazz and maybe he'll put it up in the tutorials section of the website (because we could use some, for sure)

Sorry for the bump, but I extracted things from Pokemon Rumble and all the files are (whatever).arc.cx. What is the .cx? Renaming the file extension doesn't seem to do anything. What can I do about it?

I have everything extracted and decompressed from this game and I will start a ripping project eventually.

(06-17-2012, 04:13 PM)Mighty Jetters Wrote: [ -> ]I have everything extracted and decompressed from this game and I will start a ripping project eventually.

nom nom, rumble rigght? You still have to make a list....

Yeah I do, I'm just not ready yet. I'll let you know!

How do I extract the .ash file from the my pokemon ranch files?

Could you please send me one of the files so that I can check? The Wii uses many different data storage methods and it would be easiest if I could check it against all of my tools in one go.

(05-24-2013, 03:03 PM)John2k4 Wrote: [ -> ]Could you please send me one of the files so that I can check? The Wii uses many different data storage methods and it would be easiest if I could check it against all of my tools in one go.

Here you go the pii.arc.ash from My Pokemon Ranch: http://www.mediafire.com/?y3zpe4sh434m9d8

(06-17-2012, 04:13 PM)Axle the Red Wrote: [ -> ]I have everything extracted and decompressed from this game and I will start a ripping project eventually.

How did you extract the files from the pokemon rumble .arc.cx file?

There are a couple versions of the ntcompress.exe file. Since it's a part of the official RVL SDK, I don't think I can upload it here.

That ASH file is giving me problems - my arc program is crashing every time I try to input the file. Looking at the header, it definitely seems to be an ASH archive, but I don't have other ASH files to compare it with and see what might be breaking things. I need to look further into it or maybe this needs to be ripped with a 3D printscreen tool.

(05-29-2013, 04:58 PM)John2k4 Wrote: [ -> ]There are a couple versions of the ntcompress.exe file. Since it's a part of the official RVL SDK, I don't think I can upload it here.

That ASH file is giving me problems - my arc program is crashing every time I try to input the file. Looking at the header, it definitely seems to be an ASH archive, but I don't have other ASH files to compare it with and see what might be breaking things. I need to look further into it or maybe this needs to be ripped with a 3D printscreen tool.

You can upload it to mediafire. I tried to use the ash.exe but when I open the ash file with it, it crashes for me.

(05-29-2013, 04:58 PM)John2k4 Wrote: [ -> ]There are a couple versions of the ntcompress.exe file. Since it's a part of the official RVL SDK, I don't think I can upload it here.

That ASH file is giving me problems - my arc program is crashing every time I try to input the file. Looking at the header, it definitely seems to be an ASH archive, but I don't have other ASH files to compare it with and see what might be breaking things. I need to look further into it or maybe this needs to be ripped with a 3D printscreen tool.

What about this pii_1-151_387-492.arc.cx from Pokemon Rumble? How do I extract it? Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/8q0xsx...492.arc.cx

I already have all the Pokémon Rumble Pokémon extracted, if that's what you're after -- if you're willing to start up a project thread I will PM you the files to start it with.
I was writing up a list of which files contained which Pokémon and never finished but... maybe if you give me a couple days I can work on the list. I will also ask a friend of mine to help me decompress the rest of the game's files, too.

Which converter was it, Axle?
(I have too many of them in my Wii folder..)