If you are going to modify your Nintendo Wii by adding a modchip, then you are going to want to know how to take the console apart and access the DVD drive and it's board.

Here is a detailed guide on how to disassemble your Nintendo Wii. If you are following this guide and you have any questions then please feel free and I will try my best to answer them.


Requirements

• Tri-Wing screwdriver with a fairly thin, long neck
• Small Phillips screwdriver
• A container to hold all the screws and pieces of plastic
• Stanley Knife to remove plastic feet

Preparation

During this installation anything could go wrong. You are best to backup all your saves and channels incase anything happens. During the installation you will have to remove the battery from the Wii console which means the clock will be reset, nothing else.

Make sure you have a nice tidy work area and you have all of the required tools ready.


Disassemble Step 1



The first step is to remove the cover from the GameCube controller and memory card ports. These should clip off easily as they are supposed to be removed if you use the console on on it's side, laying flat.


Disassemble Step 2



Remove the three black screws that hold the face plate of the GameCube compartment in place.


Disassemble Step 3



Carefully clip off the plastic cover from the GameCube compartment.


Disassemble Step 4



Unscrew the four screws under the plastic cover. On my console they were combination of Tri-wing and normal crosshead screws.


Disassemble Step 5



Turn the Wii upside down vertically and remove the screw that holds the battery in then remove the battery.


Disassemble Step 6



Peel off the three plastic covers on the bottom of the Wii. I used a stanley knife for this but a thin flat head screw driver should work aswell or you may want to use something else. This is depends on how much you are worried about damaging the plastic covers.


Disassemble Step 7



Unscrew the 4 screws from the bottom of the wii. Three that were under the plastic covers and one that is in the battery compartment.


Disassemble Step 8



Turn the wii on its side with the feet facing upwards and remove the two plastic covers and screws from the front of the console.


Disassemble Step 9



Turn the console upside down again with the battery compartment upwards. Remove the plastic foot at the front of the console and unscrew the screw underneath.


Disassemble Step 10



You should now be able to remove the face plate from the Wii. Do it carefully and unplug the cable inside to remove the plate completely.


Disassemble Step 11



Turn the wii on its side again with the feet facing upwards. Remove the two plastic feet at the rear of the console and the screws that are under them. These are buried quite deep and are tri-wing screws on my console, this may be different on your console. Make sure you have a Tri-wing screwdriver with a long thin neck incase


Disassemble Step 12



You can now gain access to the internals of your wii by removing the outer shell.


Disassemble Step 13



Remove the inner metal shell if required. When I first took my Wii apart, the metal casing came away with the main casing so you may not need to do this step.


Disassemble Step 14



Remove the 4 washer screws which hold the DVD drive in place.


Disassemble Step 15



You should now be able to lift the DVD Drive from its mounts by gently lifting it as pictured above. Do not pull too hard as there are cables connected inside which you will remove in the next step.


Disassemble Step 16



Carefully disconnect the 2 cables inside. You need to lift the brown hatch before you can release the ribbon cable and again a small flat head screw driver will help you to remove the other cable.


Disassemble Step 17



The wii is now dissassembled!


Disassemble Step 18



If you need to access the reset button (CycloWiz installation requires this at time of writing) then additionally you need to unscrew the plastic bar from the front of the console. Unscrew the three screws which hold it in place and carefully unclip the bar from the side being careful not to damage the thin wires which pass through a small iincision in the bar.


I hope this guide was helpful and proves useful towards your goal whichever it may be. If required in future then this guide will be updated with a complete disassemle guide but for the moment, for most modchip installations, this is all that is needed.

If you spot any errors in this guide, have any suggestions or questions then please ask and I will try my best to answer them for you.