How-To: Hack Your PSP the Easy Way
Posted 08/04/09 at 11:41:46 PM by Alex Castle
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For as long as Sony’s PlayStation Portable has been on the market, it’s been a juicy target for hackers. With burly hardware (for a handheld) and a gorgeous screen, it just begs to play homebrew, and lots of PSP owners have cracked their devices to do just that. Unfortunately, Sony has had other plans for their handheld, and has released dozens of firmware updates and several hardware revisions to make it harder to hack the PSPs handheld.
As such, there’s no one hack that works on all PSP, and in fact some PSPs are completely unhackable. There is, however, one fairly easy method that works on most consoles, which is what we’ll illustrate in this article.
Is my PSP hackable?
This hack, which doesn’t require any hardware modification, has two limitations:
1) It doesn’t work on 3000-Series PSPs. If you’re not sure which hardware-revision your PSP is, check the sticker on the bottom, it should say something like “PSP-1001”. If the number following “PSP” starts with a 3, you’re out of luck. Unfortunately, no one has developed a hack which works on 3000-series PSP, so you’re pretty much boned if you have one.
2) If you have a firmware installed that’s more recent than version 5.03, this hack won’t work. To check what firmware is installed on your PSP, turn it on and go to Settings->System Settings->System Info. If your firmware version number is greater than 5.03, you can't use this method to hack your PSP. There is a way to hack more recent firmware, but it’s significantly more difficult, involves modifying hardware, and is beyond the scope of this article. If you want to know how to do it, do a web search for “Pandora’s Battery.”
So how do I do it already?
First, plug in the PSP and make sure that it’s fully charged. This is vital because you’ll be screwing with the firmware on the device, and losing power and shutting down during a firmware flash is one of the quickest ways to brick your precious handheld.
Next, make sure that you have a large enough memory stick to run the hack. You need at least 512 MB of space on your memory stick to perform the hack, but if you want to load it up with homebrew apps, you'll need more space than that. If you're looking to upgrade from the dinky memory stick included with most PSPs, you can get a 4 or 8 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo off of Amazon on Newegg for around $15 or $30. If you do get a new memory card, you need to format before beginning the hack, which you can do by inserting it into the PSP and selecting Settings->System Settings->Format Memory Stick.
Now, if your firmware is any version below 5.03, you need to upgrade to the official 5.03 Firmware. To do this, first download the 5.03 firmware update here. Next, plug your PSP into the computer, and turn on USB mode from the Settings Menu. Now, on your computer, access the PSP like you would a USB drive, and place the file EBOOT.PBP that was in the file you downloaded earlier into the folder /PSP/GAME/UPDATE/. Make the UPDATE folder if you have to.
Now disconnect the PSP from the computer. In the Games menu, select Memory Stick, then choose to run PSP Update ver 5.03. You will have to agree to some terms of service and such, and then the PSP’s firmware will be updated to version 5.03. As with any firmware update, it’s absolutely vital that you not screw with the PSP while this is going on, or you will ruin it.
For the next steps, which will install custom firmware on your PSP, you will need a couple of files, all of which are contained in this archive http://thesdf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=489.
Dead Link = Bad article
Submitted by DrMonsterComputer on Wed, 08/26/2009 - 8:23am
I have been a long time reader and a Short time site member, however this article upsets me. I generally hold off on doing stuff like this till maxPC does it. but this article is just not cool. I started following the guide and all was going well untill i got to the link to finish up the mod.
http://thesdf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=489 = dead link.
this kind of irritates me but since this article seems strait forward i attempted to google seek the file. i managed to find the version of recovery flasher that was used here, however the black psp menu only gives me the option to install 3.47 cfw, not the 5.0 m33. at this point i started going ok... well maybe the package that was at the link that didn't work had 5.0 in it instead of the 3.47... and sure enough there is a file for the 5.0 m33 however it's a psp interface patch (launchable from the psp game menu) which seemed odd but ok. i ran it and it stuck at unpacking please wait for like 45 min... so that didn't work.
it would be nice if a mirror or something was available for the file that should be available but isn't as i would like to finish this mod. Any sugguestions would be welcome.
Submitted by dylanwinn on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 11:46am
The pandora's battery hack is the easiest and safest way to hack any PSP (except the 3000 or GO). It requires no hardware modification (if you buy the battery or have a friend with a hacked PSP make one) and takes just a few minutes. Nothing can possibly go wrong either, as the Pandora's battery is also an unbricking tool. ChickHEN should only be used on the PSP-3000, as there is an experimental version that works.
Archive link
Submitted by Kenny987654321 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 1:47pm
The link at the bottom of the first page is broken. Please repost to archive! Much appreciated.
Submitted by colinjm0517 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 1:22pm
Does anyone know how to hack a PSP-1001 series with firmware 5.51 on it? Pandora's battery doesn't seem to work.
Windows 7 is the King of all OSes
All 1000 series are hackable
Submitted by Pentium 0 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 2:24pm
All 1000 series are hackable via the pandora method. Did you obtain or make a pandoras battery? Just follow the steps I outlined below.
Submitted by Hutif on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 9:03am
I hacked my Fat PSP about a year and a half ago. I mostly only use it for GameBoy emulators these days. And NES, of course. Playin Killer Instinct in the park...
I always liked...
Submitted by Devo85x on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 8:11am
I never had a PSP, but my friend had a custom version of Windows XP that he put on his... never knew where he got it but I know he downloaded it from somewhere (no offense to him, but he isnt good enough at it to make it himself)
Submitted by Pentium 0 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 10:12am
Yes you can use the Bochs x86 emulator to run windows :)
Submitted by dgourd on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 7:02am
If you have an unhackable PSP, it wont stay that way. What I did was not do anymore official updates from sony. Eventually, a version equal or higher to your current version will be hacked. So then update to the hackable version and use the hack.
Last time...
Submitted by jamesrascal on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 10:38pm
Last time i made an attmet to install a custom fremwhere on a psp i eneded up bricking it. So I know have a briked psp that does nothing, The worst part is i have no idea on how to unbrick it to restore it back so that i can use it.
Any ideas?
Submitted by Pentium 0 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 10:35am
If its a 2000 series, heres what you do: download this program here: http://thepcreport.net/downloads/hack-your-psp/rains-ultra-light-mms-maker/ and the 5.00 firmware here: http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1568 if its not included with the previous.
Next, run the software and make a magic memory card. if you dont have a card reader, that is a problem :)
Then comes the fairly easy harware mod. Take out you battery and split it open with a guitar pick or something. Nothing sharp because you could puncture the lithium which=very bad.Bend back the circuit board and use a razor or somehing to cut the"19" trace circled in blue here: http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/msw1382/slim.jpg
Now put the battery back together and insert the memory stick into your psp. Then put the battery in. The psp should boot into service mode and give you the option to install M33 CFW :) if not, you may have to try booting with the L trigger deppressed. when your done just take the battery out and draw over the cut you made with a mechanicle pencil to make it normal again.
If its a 1000 series making the pandoras battery is more difficult so refer to post #4 in this guide: http://www.psp-hacks.com/forums/f133/the-hack-your-psp-mega-thread-t227349/#post1084298
or you can buy one on Dealextreme or something for under 10 bucks.
goodluck
Submitted by jhonka232 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:58am
I can unbrick it for you man. Pandora's Battery Doesn't only hack PSP's but also unbricks them! If you live near Detroit i can unbrick it 4 u. Email me at albibo23@gmail.com
Submitted by Pentium 0 on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 8:56pm
Ahh the how-to ive been waiting for. Couple things though:
1. The 3000 series has been hacked! (see below link)
2. You can unbrick your psp! (if you have a series 1 or 2000) all you need is to make or buy a pandora's battery and a magic memory stick. I have no idea about the 3000 series as I havent been following its progress.)
3. This is a much more comprehensive guide:
http://www.psp-hacks.com/forums/f133/the-hack-your-psp-mega-thread-t227349/
This guide is good for people who don't wanna dive in head first though.
Personally, i have a 2000 series so I hacked it by cutting a trace in the batttery and using a magic memory card. Its completly foolproof. Cutting the trace put the psp in service mode. This allows you to install the custom firmware and when your done: all you do is draw over the cut trace with a regular lead pencil! This method is of course easier but the other method is useful for unbricking and also hacking other psps without a pc.
Submitted by jhonka232 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 7:00am
U cut the pin? Lol i saw that guide... I was too scared... So i waited for wololol to make us this great hack!
Submitted by Pentium 0 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 10:38am
no i cut the trace which is much, easier circled in blue here: http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/msw1382/slim.jpg
Submitted by dgourd on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:59am
They found a TIFF exploit on the PSP 3000. I used it on my PSP PHAT and it worked well.
Also, some games can be forced into a buffer overflow which puts the PSP in service mode to.
Submitted by blake on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 8:45pm
nice guide but if you have a slim i would recommed using pspident to find out what motherboard you have because flashing a cfw to a slim with a ta88v3 motherboard will brick it
you can find pspident at this link http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1725
if it says you have a ta88v3 motherboard do not flash the cfw
you can run homebrew on a slim(ta88v3) and even on 3000 models(ta90v2) by using CFEnabler v3.60
find it here http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1734
both of them should come with a read me
Submitted by jhonka232 on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:53am
Blake is soooo right. Not all Slims are hackable and all 3000's are hackable. You can still run "Custom Firmware" with a Custom Firmware Enabler for you unlucky 3000 and 2000 ta88v3 users. It can be downloaded here: http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1734 . Just download it, extract it, then copy to the root of your Memory stick. Then install ChickHEN. When you boot into 5.03 ChickHEN R2 then run Custom Firmware Enabler by scrolling to the game section on the XMB. If you have upgraded past 5.03 firmware, and have a PSP Phat or Slim you have to use Pandora's Battery. I have one and will hack PSP's in the Detroit area! Email me at albibo23@gmail.com
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