Not sure if this is in the correct section or not so feel free to move it. I recently acquired a PSP (phat 1003 running ofw 2.00) for next to nothing (£4) due to the fact that the UMD drive isn't working. I'm not really arsed about the UMD drive as I only want to use it to run a Mega Drive emulator, but I want to know if this fault will affect me being able to install custom firmware? I don't want to waste money on a pandora and MMS if it's not going to work. I've tried hooking it up to my PC already and it won't let me connect it. The PC keeps saying that I need to format the disk, but If I format it using the PC it loses all the files that should be there. There's nothing wrong with the memory stick or the USB cable as both work and connect fine when used in my PSP Slim. So if I buy a Pandora battery and a Magic Memory Stick, what are the chances that I will be able to get this PSP running an emulator?
Pandora will work regardless. You can try using the old methods of installing/downgrading to 1.5 then upgrade to 3.52 M33-4 and then to 5.00 M33... If you wish to take that route If you need help with doing the non-pandora method I can guide you As for the MS not reading...I have no idea on that one...
Do I need to be able to connect my PSP to the PC to do it the "old way"? If so, I need to work out whats up with the MS connecting first, and I really don't have a clue what's up with that....
No need for a pandora with your currant firmware. The "old way" = the cheap way. I recently aquired a psp under the impression that it was low firmware but it turned out to be over 3.5 meaning i'd need a pandora battery which im a bit loathed to buy so it has sat unused since purchase.
There is no need for Pandore up to 5.03 OFW, only after that you need one at the moment. Also, maybe the MS reader of the PSP is broken as well if the MS works fine on your Slim. Does the PSP recognize the MS correctly? You only need a few files on the MS to install a CFW, so yes, the UMD drive will be no issue, just the MS needs to be working propperly.
Why would you buy a pandora battery and a magic memory stick when you can just make your own in a few minutes time?! Does the PSP itself seem to read the memory stick alright? Can you browse to the stick through the XMB and interact with the files? I don't quite understand why you are so opposed to just reformatting the memory stick. there should be nothing on it that is in any way necessary for the PSP itself to run and it doesn't seem like you would care about save files as the UMD drive does not work anyway. You might also consider mounting the ms through an external card reader and seeing if that works any better. *edit* reread you first post and I'm assuming that this memory stick was originally used in the slim and has data that you would like to keep. In that case why not just transfer everything off of it and then try a reformat and see if it makes a difference.
You can use an external reader to format your stick and deal extreme has really cheap, like $12, pandora's batteries. Anything you need is on the flash0 in the battery you can make a copy of your stick on the PC and as long as you can make it to service mode you can come back from semi-bricks. Go to pspiso.com for guides and stuff. As long as your psp boots you're ready. There is absolutely no reason to have a UMD drive period
Oh? On another note I totally forgot about the 5.03 OFW ChickHEN method of installing custom firmware... you can take that route and not have to go through the extra steps involved in the old way. ( I'm still set in my old ways I suppose :110: )
PSPdemon: Nice collection Yeah, you can just upgrade to 5.03 (not higher), run ChickHEN and flash w/e you like from there. Quite easy.
I have no problem in formatting the stick, I've already backed up any safe info that was on that stick. My problem is, when I reformat the stick using the PC then the PSP won't read it. When I reformat the stick using my PSP (all works fine then on the PSP) my PC won't read it. I've now tried two more sticks, all originals BTW, and I keep getting the same connectivity problem but all 3 sticks seem to work fine on the PSP (pictures, music, game saves all appear fine). I'm gonna strip it down and see if I can find anything wrong with it, time to dig out ye olde multimeter...
Good luck with that :S Although to do the pandora method you either need a spare battery or a psp that already is homebrew enabled! I prefer the pandora method although I can't find any decent resources on how to make one. (Aint done it in ages!) The 5.03 downgrade method does work although its a little patchy it can work first time or 1000'th time which is what I find quite annoying. BTW: @PSPDEMON, whats the best game for the psp I can buy!
I'd rather keep my collection new and sealed rather than using a lame format like UMD. You ever wonder why the PSP2 isn't going to have an optical drive?
