Wii broken?

[demon angel]

What a frustrating few days with this console!
I got this console second hand with 2 games and its in excellent condition etc.

On Sunday[day 2 of ownership] i accidentally pulled the power from the wall socket and the machine did not switch back on.
It was as dead as a dreamcast and only after leaving the console completely unplugged for two hours did the lazy console decide to wake from its slumber.
Yesterday i got a disc read error on my wii and after a power off the problem vanished.

To my horror today after getting hold of mario kart the wii did this to me a further 5 times.
Eventually i got it to work and all was fine.
I have googled this problem to death and do not believe it to be the laser because when it loads, its fast and never skips a fmv or freezes.
When it does fail on me, its from a cold start.
It isn't a modded console[yet] so the laser should be virginal as the guy hardly used this console[i know him]

This problem does not seem common in SA as i could not find a similar topic in google SA.
If my worst fears are realized and the laser is buggered how much is a new laser?

I thing perhaps the laser is full of dust?
I need help with theories...

 

[Retro]

Softmod the Wii, then you can play the games from a external harddrive. Problem solved with the faulty laser and it loads faster.

 

[demon angel]

I am gonna softmod it as soon as i get my sd card.
So you reckon it is the laser?
Nintendo are renown for hardware quality and the laser has not been used much.
I just found a topic that suggests i turn the wii horizontally.
Sounds crazy but perhaps it might work.

 

[maestro_za]

Actually a faulty laser is the most common problem on the Wii, followed by Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adapter failure.

The fact that there is a power issue also points to the internal power unit (blown fuse). Can you borrow an AC adapter from a friend and see if it runs ok?

The common practice is to chuck a broken console and buy a new one or get a swap out unit. *sigh*

 

[demon angel]

Actually a faulty laser is the most common problem on the Wii, followed by Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adapter failure.

The fact that there is a power issue also points to the internal power unit (blown fuse). Can you borrow an AC adapter from a friend and see if it runs ok?

The common practice is to chuck a broken console and buy a new one or get a swap out unit. *sigh*

Ag no man,this is not what i wanted to hear!Is a laser replacement expensive?This friggin console is second hand so i cannot exactly get a replacement.I am a purist and do not want to bypass the problem.

 

[maestro_za]

When you dislodged the power, the DVD-ROM also took a knock. The drive mechanism is very sensitive!

I charge R700 (part & labour) for a replacement Wii laser.

The unit needs to be tested first (drive mechanism alignment + a test laser unit installed) ... if problem is solved then a laser replacement it is.

You can send a PM for more info.

I'm off ...

 

[demon angel]

Thanks maestro,i will do exactly as you say.I reckon i did cause this as the console was fine before the console not powering incident.I had no idea the console was so delicate.I will test the machine for 48 hours.And pm you if it still buggers around.

 

[gregmcc]

Don't know too much about the wii's but it sounds more like a power issue than a laser issue. As maestro says the lasers are very sensitive. a hard knock or a drop is enough to destroy the laser.

Sounds more like a power adapter problem though if its not even powering up.

If it is a laser problem then unfortunately its expensive to replace (its expensive on all the consoles

 

[matewis]

Sometimes the power brick can stop working. You need to leave it unplugged for about 1/2 hour, what u did, and it should be fine again.

The rest sounds a bit more problematic.

 

[demon angel]

Power brick is fine.
I only had a bad shutdown and since then its fine.[A fuse replacement is cheap anyways]
I just purchased an SD card to soft mod my wii.
This will enable me to install a homebrew media player.
I bought a fluid less dvd lens cleaner to use once my wii has been soft modded.
My problem is with dual layer discs!
The laser is very fussy at reading these,especially if the wii is exposed to second hand smoke and dust.[Previous owner and me have this problem]
After googling i discovered this is a very common problem and nintendo will clean your wii's laser for free.
I believe it is dust and will update later pending my wii soft modding.
Fingers crossed.....

 

[demon angel]

Damn!homebrew cd player does not exist,because wii cannot play cd's.
I put the lens cleaner in anyways and let the wii spin it a few times.
I will check and see if this makes a difference

 

[maestro_za]

^^^

Doesn't play DVD either although people have come right with DVDx.

Nintendo didn't want to pay royalties for the codecs ... cheap punks

 

[demon angel]

^^^

Doesn't play DVD either although people have come right with DVDx.

Nintendo didn't want to pay royalties for the codecs ... cheap punks

I am happy to announce that the wii is read error free!I borrowed that special screw driver,opened the console and removed the metal plate.Finally i found the laser and cleaned it.I have tested the games constantly and have not had another read error!By the way,homebrew for wii really changes my opinion on the wii.With all those lovely apps,the machine is a very capable little bugger.