MICHAEL'S ULTIMATE PSP FAQ THE ULTIMATE GUIDE ON YOUR PSP!!!!NOOBS AND NON NOOBS ALIKE!!! Table of Contents: A.Normal PSP questions B.Other PSP questions C.PSP debates D.Things to remember about the PSP A: Normal PSP questions
Question:
How do I know what my PSP firmware is?
Answer: Go to settings>system settings>system information>system software.
Question:
What is the highest firmare I can have right now?
Answer: The highest firmare out right now is 3.11. You can know emulate it with Devhook.
Question:
What does Devhook mean?
Answer: Devhook is short for Devicehook. Devhook was created by someone called Booster. Devhook lets you emulate higher firmwares on 1.50 so you get to keep all the homebrew and iso features and use a higher firmware.
Question:
How do I run Devhook on my PSP?
Answer: Here is the latest installation guide for Devhook emulating 3.03:
1) Download 3.03 Firmware Eboot 2) Download Devhook v0.52 + PSAR Dumper from C+D 3) Extract all Files 4) Move PSAR_Dumper2 and PSAR_Dumper2% to PSP/Game directory 5) Download PBP Unpacker 6) Install it on computer and run after installation and click “Open” 7) Navigate to the 3.03 eboot file and open it, then extract the files to any directory 8) Move the DATA.PSAR file to the root of your memory stick 9) Open up the extracted devhook folder and move dh, fbm and PSP into the root of your memory stick 10) Disconnect your PSP and run the PSAR dumper from your memory stick via the XMB and follow the on-screen instructions (press X to dump) 11) Connect your PSP to your PC and copy the newly created F0 folder (root of your memory stick) and move it to dh/303/ 12) Run Devhook v0.52 now and go down to flash install (uninstall the flash configuration if you have previously installed a previous firmware) and click install configuration (first option I believe). Hold O for a few seconds to confirm. 13) Now go to firmware and select 3.03 and boot up Devhook, good luck and have fun!
This will also work for other devhooks, you just have to get the different files. (Example: For 3.11 emulation, get Devhook 0.52.00.100, and 3.11 eboots, etc, etc.)
Question:
Help! When I turn on my PSP, it just turns off again. What's wrong?
Answer: Your PSP has encountered something called a brick. A brick is irreversible without a modchip. When your PSP gets bricked, it will not work anymore. Also, if you have a red screen, your PSP is also bricked. (This red screen doesn't apply while doing a downgrade.)
Question:
How does my PSP get a brick?
Answer: Your PSP encounters a brick when you are changing the flash0. When you are downgrading, upgrading or doing something like that, you can encounter a brick. If you put something on your flash0 and there isn't enough space, it will encounter a brick.
Question:
Where can a get a modchip, and how much does it cost?
Answer: You can buy it off of the internet. It cost $100 and it cost about $200 to get it installed, so it's $300 in total.(Modchips don't work with a Ta-082 motherboard, so if you have a Ta-082, don't buy a modchip)
Question:
Why would I want 1.50 firmware?
Answer: With 1.50 firmware, you can run something called homebrew. Homebrew is applications that you can't do with other firmware. You can also use something called custom firmware. You can run something called iso's, which are games that you can download without having to buy them.
Question:
How much homebrew can I use, and how do I put it on my PSP?
Answer: There is a ton of homebrew out there that you can use on your PSP. You can get limited homebrew if you have a small memory card. Putting homebrew on your PSP isn't very hard. There is normally a readme within the homebrew file that you have downloaded.
Question:
I want to get down to 1.50 firmware, but I don't know how.
Answer: To get to 1.50 firmware, you use something called a downgrader. Downgraders aren't always avaliable for all firmwares though.
Question:
What is the highest firmware I can downgrade?
Answer: Right now, the highest firmware that can be downgraded is 3.03. But you will need an unpatched version of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories to downgrade from 3.03. The highest firmware that can be downgraded without it is 2.80.
Question:
What firmwares can be downgraded?
Answer: Here is a chart:
1.50- No need to downgrade; there is a 1.50-1.00 though.
1.51- Upgrade to 2.00
1.52- Upgrade to 2.00
2.00- Yes, there is, using MPH downgrader.
2.01- No, go to 2.50/2.60 or 2.71
2.50- Yes, but requires GTA:LCS unpatched. Go to 2.71 if needed.
2.60- Yes, but requires GTA:LCS unpatched. Go to 2.71 if needed.
2.70- No, go to 2.71.
2.71- Yes, using the Easy Downdater or Easy Downgrader.
2.80- Yes, there is a downgrader.
2.81- No, upgrade to 3.03
2.82- ""
3.00- ""
3.01- ""
3.02- ""
3.03- Yes, but it requires GTA:LCS unpatched.
3.10- There is no current downgrader.
3.11- There is no current downgrader.
3.30- There is no current downgrader.
Question:
How do I know if my Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is unpatched?
Answer: If your game has the 2.00 update in it, it's unpatched. If it has the 2.60 update in it, it's patched. Another way to check is
here.
Question:
What are the risk if I downgrade?
Answer: Your PSP can get bricked from downgrading. Unfortunately, all downgraders have chancing of bricking your PSP.
Question:
What is this Ta-82 motherboard I keep hearing about?
Answer: A ta-082 can affect downgrading. But there are still downgrades for up to 2.80 on a ta-082 motherboard.
Question:
How do I know if I have a Ta-082 motherboard?
Answer:
Question:
What is custom firmware?
Answer: Custom firmware let's you keep all the homebrew features of 1.5 and all the features of another firmware. The latest custom firmware, 3.10 oe let's you download PS1 games and play them on your PSP. It also has many other features, too. You can also compress the PS1 games with 3.xx oe. Compressing them makes them smaller.
Question:
Can I go back down to 1.50 after upgrading to custom firmware?
Answer: Yes, you can using something called the recovery menu. It will let you go back to down to 1.50 if you feel like you need to. You can also recover from accidental bricks. (You can only install custom firmware with 1.50.)
Question:
What if I have 1.50 firmware and one of my games needs a higher firmware?
Answer: You are going to need custom firmware or an application called Devhook. Devhook is sort of like custom firmware. It let's you emulate a higher firmware so you can play those games that need higher firmware.
Question:
Would I rather have Devhook or custom firmware?
Answer: Custom firmware sounds like a better choice. With Devhook, you can just emulate the newest firmware that is out. With custom firmware, you get the recovery menu and with the latest custom firmware, 3.10oe-A, you can even play PS1 games on your PSP!
Question:
What does UMD stand for?
Answer: UMD stands for Universal Media Disk. UMD's can hold audio, games or even video. A UMD can hold up 1.8gb of space. UMD's are used for the PSP.
Question:
What else can my PSP do?
Answer: You can access the internet, view photo's, play music and video's. To access the internet, you need 2.00 firmware or higher. You can also use custom firmware or devhook to emulate 2.00 firmware.
Question:
How do you put music files onto a PSP?
Answer: It's easy. Get your music file and put it into the MUSIC folder in the root of your memory stick or in the MUSIC folder in the PSP folder. Example:ms0:/MUSIC/your file or ms0:/PSP/MUSIC/your file. The names of the folders must be in capitals.
Question:
Can I rip CD's and put that on my PSP?
Answer: Yes, you can but they will have to be in the right format to put them onto your PSP. Mp3's will work, but if they aren't already in that format, you will need a Mp3 converter.
Question:
Can I download albums and put them onto my PSP
Answer: Yes, you can. You can put the album file into your MUSIC folder and will show up as a group on the XMB. Again, make sure the files are in the right format. You are allowed to make one subfolder per group in the MUSIC folder.
Question:
What is the root of your memory stick?
Answer: When you connect your USB to your computer, the screen that first comes up when you open your PSP drive.
Question:
What does ms0 stand for?
Answer: ms0 simply stands for the root of your memory stick. MS stands for memory stick.
Question:
How do I put video files onto my PSP?
Answer: First of all, you need your video file. But it also has to be in the right format, which is typically Mpeg-4. To convert a non-mpeg-4 video file, you will need a video converter such as PSP Video 9. To put you video onto your PSP, make a folder called MP_ROOT in your PSP root. Inisde of this folder, make another folder called 100MNV01. Inside the 100MNV01 folder, you will put your mpeg-4 files there. They must be named M4Vxxxxx. (xxxxx represents any 5 numbers) Now you should be able to play video's on your PSP! If you have a firmware with 3.00, you can use the VIDEO folder. The VIDEO folder can be in the root of your Memory Stick, or in the PSP folder. The file name doesn't matter and it can be any MPEG-4 file. This is much easier than using the MP_ROOT folder.
Question:
How do I put photo's onto my PSP?
Answer: Make a PHOTO folder in either your root or the folder called PSP. Inside of the folder, you will put your pictures there. All you have to do is the drag the file into the PHOTO folder you made and you will be able to view it from the XMB under the photo section.
Question:
What is the XMB?
Answer: The XMB is the PSP home where you can access your games, music, photos, video's or your web browser. You can also view the settings from here. XMB icons are the pictures that represent the Game or Photo section, etc.
Question:
What happens when I format my memory stick?
Answer: When you format your memory stick, it deletes all the data off of your memory stick so that you will have nothing on it. It will also provide you with all of the necessary folders for putting files onto your PSP. To reformat your memory stick, go to Settings, (from the XMB) then go to Format Memory Stick. It will ask you if are sure you want to format your memory stick. Select yes and wait for a couple of seconds. Your memory stick is now formatted.
Question:
How come when I format my memory stick, I don't get all of the space?(Example: 32mb only says 30mb free space)
Answer: This is normal. There is only a certain amount of
useable space on your memory card, so don't be worried if you don't get all of the space.
Question:
Is there a way to fix this?
Answer: Sort of. Look
here to see how you can free up some more space.
Question:
How do I connect to the internet browser?
Answer: First of all, you need to set up a connection.(You will need a wireless connection or a wi-fi hotspot in your area) Go to Settings>Network Settings>Infrastructure Mode. Type in your connection name, and then scan for a network. If there are no networks, then you cannot connect to the internet. When you scan, pick the network with the largest signal strength. Then fill WEP key if there is one required. Put the Address Settings to easy, and then check to see if all of the settings are correct. Save your settings, then test the connection. The PSP will go to a screen with some settings for your network. Scroll to the bottom and it will say if the internet connection succeeded or failed. If it succeeded, then you can connnect to the internet. Go to Network(under the XMB)and then internet browser. You will then be in the browser. Type in the website you want to go to, then it will ask you what connection you want to use. Pick the one that you have just created and you will then be connected!
Question:
Can I use MSN on my PSP?
Answer: Yes, you can. Go to
the eBuddy website and then type in your e-mail address and password. You should know be on MSN.
Question:
My internet is very slow. How do I fix this?
Answer: Go to Settings>Power Save Settings>and make sure WLAN Power Save is turned off. You can also try moving around to get a better signal for you network.
Question:
When I try connecting to the internet, it says my WLAN switch isn't on. What do I have to do?
Answer: On the left side of your PSP, there is a switch. Turn that switch up and your WLAN switch will now be on.
Question:
What programming can you use on the PSP?
Answer: As far as I know not many, but you can learn a progam language called lua, which I suggest you learn. You will need 1.50 firmware or custom firmware to run this.
Question:
What are these emulator things I keep hearing about hearing about?Answer: Emulators let you play games from other systems on your PSP. It is like homebrew, but different. You can emlate N64, GBA and some other systems. You cannot emulate any new system such as a PS2. With custom firmware, you can run PS1 games.
Question:
What is the largest memory stick I can get?
Answer: You can get up to 8gig, but they are a risk to get. Here are the memory stick sizes available: 32mb,64mb,256mb,512mb,1gb,2gb,4gb and 8gb.
Question:
What is an iso?
Answer: An iso is just a PSP game that's not on a UMD. You can download iso's from some sites. Beware, it's illegal, and you cannot show other people iso sites publicly on our forums. Iso's can be up to 1.8gb in size.
Question:
What is the difference between an iso and a cso?
Answer: There isn't a very big difference. A cso is just an iso made smaller. It's basically a compressed iso, so don't be worried if you get a cso instead of an iso.
Question:
Do iso's have the whole game included with them?
Answer: Yes, iso's do include the whole game with the file. It would be like playing a game from a UMD.
Question:
What are dumpers and decrypters for?
Answer: A dumper and decrypter figures out the PSP firmware. When you run a dumper and decrypter, you will get the firmware dump of the dumper and decrypter's firmware.
Question:
I just downloaded some homebrew. How do I put it on, and how do I access it once it's on the PSP?
Answer: Inside the homebrew file, there is normally a readme file that tells you how to put the homebrew you just downloaded on your PSP. The readme file might also contain some other things about it. To access it, go to the Game section in the XMB. Go to the Memory Stick, and your homebrew file should be in there now.
Question:
An ISO I downloaded was too big to fit on my Memory Stick. What should I do?
Answer: You can try to find a "
ripped" version of the game. Ripped version are smaller than non-ripped versions. You could try to find a ripped version of the game, ask someone to rip it for you, or even try to rip it yourself. If you don't know what you are doing, you could just be wasting your time or messing up the file. You could try to find a CSO for the same game.
Question:
How do I enable the flash player?
Answer: First, you will have to have a higher firmware then 2.70. Go to Settings>System Settings>Enable flash player. You will need an internet connection to do this. If you says that the flash player is enabled already, then you don't have to do anything.
Question:
What are flash games?
Answer: Flash games are just the kinds of games that you can play on the internet for free.
Question:
How do I play flash games on my PSP?
Answer: Look
here.
B: Other PSP questions
Question:
How do I turn on my PSP?
Answer: On the right side of your PSP, there is a switch. Turn that up, and the light beside it will flash.(It's green.)Your PSP will now be on. Hint: Beside the power switch, it says power and below that, it says hold.
Question:
What company made the PSP?
Answer: Sony made the PSP. If you have never heard of Playstation, that is what Sony does. They made Playstation products.
Question:
What does PSP stand for?
Answer: PSP stands for Playstation Portable.
Question:
How do I open the UMD drive?
Answer: It's on the top of the PSP and it says open on it. Press that and the UMD drive will open.
Question:
How do I turn the volume up on the PSP?
Answer: Below the LCD screen, there are 2 buttons with the writing + and - on them. Between those buttons, there should be the word vol. The + is to turn up the volume and the - is to turn down the volume.
Question:
What does a PSP look like?
Answer:
Question:
Where do I put the memory stick?
Answer: On the left side of the PSP, there is a place that says Memory Stick Duo on it. Open that up. To take out a memory stick, push the memory stick down, but not too hard. It will pop up, and then you can take it out. To put in a memory stick, face the gold part at one end towards the PSP. Put the gold part in first. If you can't get it in, don't force it. You will have most likely put it in the wrong way.
Question:
How do I connect my PSP to my computer?
Answer: Well, first of all, you will need something called a USB cable that will fit into your PSP and your computer. On your computer, there should be a spot that seems like your USB will fit into. Plug one end of your USB into there. On the top of your PSP, there should be another place where you can plug in your USB. Plug it in there. Now turn on your PSP, and under the home menu, go to Settings and click USB connection. Your computer should now make a noise. Now access your PSP by connecting to the drive called Removable Disk.(your PSP drive letter here) You can know put files onto your PSP.
Question:
Where can I find my saved game data?
Answer: Under the Game section in your XMB, there is a place that says Saved Data Utility. Under that will be all of your saved game data. You can copy the files, or delete them. You can also find out information on the file. Press triangle when you are on a game save and those options will come up. If you want to access them when your PSP is connected to a computer, there is a SAVEDATA folder in the game folder. (Root/PSP/GAME/SAVEDATA)
Question:
What happens if my UMD drive doesn't read the disc?
Answer: Well it could mean a couple of things. One, it might mean your UMD drive it getting old. Two, the disc could be dirty. Three, your UMD drive might be broken. If your UMD drive is getting old, then you can't do anything. If the disc is dirty, than you can try cleaning it, but don't ruin it. If your UMD drive is broken, then you will have to get a new one.
C: PSP debates Debate #1: Custom firmware or Devhook? Custom firmware Pros of Custom firmware: 1. Don't always have to change firmwares.
2. Can play and compress PS1 games.
3. Has all features of 1.50.
4. Has a recovery menu.
Cons of Custom firmware: 1. Doesn't always have highest firmware available.
2. Can brick your PSP.
Devhook Pros of Devhook: 1. Let's you switch between firmwares easily.
2. Again, keeps features of 1.50.
3. Normally has highest firmware available.
4. Easy to use and install.
Cons of Devhook: 1. Have to change between firmwares often.
2. Sometimes bugs.
3. Can't play PS1 games.
Overall, who would win: Custom firmware sounds better partly because you can compress and play PS1 games, which might be really good for some people. On Devhook you have to switch firmwares, which could really start to annoy some people. With custom firmware, you might not always have the highest firmware, but it is often very stable and has some good features. Unless you really want a feature that comes with a higher firmware I would use
custom firmware This debate goes to Custom Firmware! Debate #2: Upgrading or Downgrading?(An obvious debate) Upgrading Pros of Upgrading: 1. There will be no bugs with the firmware.
2. Some games will need higher firmware.
3. Easy to do.
Cons of Upgrading: 1. No cool applications.
2. No homebrew/emulators.
3. No custom icons/fonts.
4. No special features on normal upgrade.
5. Can brick your PSP.
Downgrading Pros of Downgrading: 1. Get to run cool applications.
2. Get to play games from other systems with emulators.
3. Homebrew.
4. Custom Firmware and Devhook.
5. ISOs and CSOs.
6. Many hacks you can use.
7. You can customize your PSP.
8. With the Custom Firmware, PS1 games.
Cons of Downgrading1. Can brick your PSP.
2. Hard to do.
So, would I rather upgrade or downgrade? You would definetely want to downgrade. When you downgrade you can emulate higher firmwares so that means you can use homebrew and iso's and have the features of a higher firmware. This is a 1-sided debate. D: Things to remember about the PSP From the PSP instruction booklet: "Do not use the WLAN in crowded places, such as an airport. You may get in trouble for using there network. The WLAN on the PSP may also affect objects such as pacemakers."
Don't do something if you don't know what you're doing. You could just screw up your PSP and not be able to use it.
1.50 is the ultimate firmware for using homebrew.
Never upgrade.
Never tell someone else to upgrade.
Always ask other people about something first if you don't know what you are doing. It would be better than messing up your PSP.
Don't test things that aren't confirmed working on your PSP. It could brick your PSP.
Dropping the PSP could break it; so don't drop it.
Downgraders never have a guarntee of not bricking your PSP, so be careful.
BRICKS ARE BAD!!!!
Flashing your PSP can cause bricks.
Don't be afraid to ask someone if you need help with something; it's better than having to lose your PSP.
Don't limit yourself to just games when you have a PSP; it can do so many different things, it'd be a waste if you only used the PSP for games.
PIRACY IS BAD!!!! I will update this from time to time so that you will be able to get the most up to date information. Don't be too critical considering this is my first tutorial. You can suggest somethings that I have done wrong or somethings that I can add and I will change it. Hope this is helpful!
Links to other pages:
PSP video 9 website Official Modchip website Official Lua website pOWer's downgrading tutorial Zora 182's Lua thread 3.03 Firmware update 1.50 Firmware update 2.71 Firmware update (US) PBP Unpacker Devhook 0.52 3.10OE-A 
TWOOT 
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