I have looked and looked but I can't find any info on installing homebrew on a wii with FW4.0 that has a drivekey installed.... any help? links to where I can install software?
No, there isn't an easier way even if you have a modchip. You used to be able to load it via DVD (as I did) prior to System Menu 3.3, but no longer. Bannerbomb might be the easiest method now.