PlayStation 2 FMCB Without SwapMagic?

I have two PlayStation 2s. One fat, and the other, slim. The slim is compatible with FMCB according to what I've read. I want to know if there is anyway to install FMCB on the memory card without having the SwapMagic disc? I'm willing to tear open my fat PS2! Is there anyway to load the disc needed to install the softmod into my memory card without having the $30 SwapMagic disc?

 

Memory Card USB Adapter, drag the files over through Windows. Done.

 

The adapter is more expensive than SwapMagic :'(

 

^^ aside the mc adapter (and i have one, was bloody expensive) there's the '007 nightfire' hack, did a search on youtube and got some results. (do a search yourself, may get more?)

^^ never liked the idea of the potential damage this could do, i didn't use this method...(and swapmagic is DESTRUCTIVE to the laser assembly with extended use)
use at own risk! :smile-new:
[edit]
swapmagic search results:

 

If you have an action replay (with or without media player built in), you can use that.
If you have a network adapter and IDE HDD, you can use that with a premade image which will boot uLaunchELF on startup (its floating around here somewhere, cant check right now).
Else youre stuck with buying a swapmagic set, AR disc, MC adapter or network adapter and HDD ._.

 

IIRC I had success with MGS3 and the game swap trick. Been a while though so couldn't help you with any details.

 

I had success using Medal of Honor:Vanguard also with the swap trick.Was easier than 007 and the final cost was....around 2 bucks.

 

Just buy the Swap Magic. It's a very useful tool nonetheless.

 

Do the swap trick, only takes a few mins and no additional purchasing necessary. I did mine with 007. Here's a simple overview, there's more detailed guides and youtube videos out there.

 

Just ask someone to make a memcard for you?

there are plenty of people who do it for cost of postage.

 

I may do it if I knew where mushroom kingdom was

 

I will mod a MC for you I'm in Aus

 

I don't think that anybody has brought up this in AssemblerGames before: when FMCB is installed onto a memory card, the memory card is not modified. And it's definitely not hacked either.

Likewise, when FMCB is installed by somebody, the user has not hacked the PlayStation 2. FMCB is not a hack (nothing get hacked), not a modchip (yea, I've seen some people calling it a modchip) and definitely not a "soft mod". It's an exploit.

It doesn't involve exploiting a glitch in the boot ROM, but the boot ROM's updating mechanism. That updating mechanism was meant for Sony to ship a newer OSD to end-users, for adding functionality (e.g. HDD OSD) or fixing problems (the Protokernel EE kernel update). It was definitely not built with the intent of allowing unlicensed developers to run unlicensed code.

It's in this thread: http://psx-scene.com/forums/f153/unofficial-fhdb-1-93-noobie-package-obt-119562/

At the end of the thread, I've also uploaded a new, prototype installer that doesn't involve disk imaging (no need to use WinHIIP to scan and repair the filesystem, and definitely hack-free). So that's another alternative to disk imaging.

 

It is a soft mod. It's also a hack.

Duuuuuh

 

I would categorize FMCB to softmod.

 

Will you two explain to me then, what exactly was modified in software?

I view hacks (as in, tools) as things that are built with the intent of getting things done "by force" (hacking). FMCB works along the design of the update mechanism (it sits on a memory card as an update, which gets loaded like a legitimate update), so what gets hacked?

 

The update process has been hijacked to load stuff its not intended to. This is the "hack", making things do things they were not intended for.

Soft mod is a catch all term for things done in software these days, doesnt actually need to be any "modification".

I would agree that FMCB falls into the currently used definition of a softmod. Whether or not that definition in its current use is correct would be another discussion.

 

It isn't even hijacked. The mechanism loads FMCB without any modifications at all, from the first step to the end of it all.

Unless by "hijacked", you were referring to the fact that it is exploited for another purpose... which Sony didn't intent (like written above, for running unlicensed code). But in that case, how would a "hack" differ from an "exploit"? Unless you mean to say that an exploit can be considered a hack too. But I simply find that weird because I've been trying to avoid making my work hack'ish, after many developers worked around problems by real hacks in the SDK (which gave results without actually solving anything).

You could say that I've always been trying to distinguish between system designs that go against the design of the host system, and other systems that were designed to work hand-in-hand with the host system (without forcing it to do things that it wasn't able to do). My emphasis has always been on the "by force" part.

I never wanted to put FMCB on the same level as stuff like the independence exploit, since the latter was designed to force (via abusing the lack of error-handling code in there) the PS1 driver to run unlicensed code.

Very well. If you put it in this way, then I have to agree with you. >_>
Nowadays, I see that a lot of terms are used with little regard to their actual meanings.

 

Well you could argue that the update system was never intended to run FMCB. You are "exploiting" the lack of security in this area. The fact you do not have to force it, doesn't mean it was intended to do what you are doing. You found a weak link in the boot process and exploited it for your own needs.

Its like if I leave my front door unlocked and you steal all my stuff. Its still entering without permission and stealing my shit

And dont get me started on usage of terms.... the Wii ones used to drive me crazy - brick, semibrick, full brick, etc.

 

FMCB is an exploit. Softmod means MODified system software and doesn't require any hardware modification. This isn't the case, because nothing is changed inside your PS2.

For semibrick - first time i've heard it years before Wii or any console with flash memory. It just means hardware (usually with damaged firmware) that isn't fully operational, like a laptop with damaged BIOS which can boot from HDD and work but you can't enter setup or boot from CD/USB/whatever, or MP3 player that only works as FM radio because of damaged firmware.