Giving "Flash Homebrew" a whole new meaning

[Sterist]

I've been around the seen for just under 2 years now, and have seen it all. all but what I've been able to "accomplish" myself.

I have NEVER seen anyone post anything about launching homebrew FROM their flash memory. i've been experimenting with my idea for quite a while, so i'll share what knowledge I have :)

free up the 2.5mb off your flash0 via any of the utility homebrews around (or you could just use flash1, or both)
____________________________________

For Games:
ok, dont forget to check all the notes on the bottom of this spoiler before attempting. here's how it's done:

1. Make SURE the game you want to place on Flash is of a compatable size.

2. Though your pc might say "2.5mb free" when you rightclick and go to properties, you really have roughly 2mb free. Your pc says you have more room than you really do.

3. While accounting for #2 (above), create a folder in the root of your FLASH(0 and/or 1). i named mine "DOS" because i have all my dosbox-related games / data on my flash0 and 1. Stick you game in that folder. you must activate the flash USB via recoverymode first.

4. Download Fileassistant++ from the Dcemu 2006 Spring Coding Complitition here (http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/psp-applications-20843.html).

5. Launch your game from your flash and enjoy! :thumbup: :thumbup:


NOTEs:
-- auto-sleep will cut your files off in the middle of the transfer. easily fixable. WILL NOT BRICK. browse to flash and delete all files related to the transfer that filled your flash via recovery-USB, SCEPvsh, or PSPfiler, and try again after making room or reducing size.

--I do not recommend launching homebrew from flash, which customizes your psp in any way shape or form. I have not tried it, and in theory, nothing should go wrong -- but I wouldn't recommend it

--games or apps which write config or save files to their directory work fine and create their files as usual. IF YOUR FLASH DOES NOT HAVE ROOM FOR THE FILE, that file will become unusable and must be deleted. WILL NOT BRICK. Take caution as 1 in every 100ish corrupted saves will have an indexing error and be "undeletable" unless you use the "chckdsk utility" from a pc. note that whether its undeletable or not, it does nothing but look pretty -- not harmful

For PRX's:

Not many prx's work from flash, but I do it with whatever I can, since I'm sometimes stuck with a 32mb.

known to work:
-cwcheat (full and lite) (prx only, no folders)
-cwcheatpops (prx only, no folders)
-VSHpong.prx
-VSHinform.prx
-capture.prx
-warPSP.prx

known to not work:
-scep.prx
-XmbController
-media hider
-couple others I can't think of


1. make a folder on the ROOT of your Flash(0 or 1). i named mine "plugins"

2. go to seplugins on your MS, and open whichever .txt your prx corresponds to, i.e. pops.txt game.txt vsh.txt

3. edit the line that would normally say "ms0:/seplugins/..." to flash0:/(your plugin-directory)/myfave.prx

or flash1:/ ... if you used that

4. enable your plugin in the recovery menu

5. enjoy! :thumbup: :thumbup:

___________________________________

Flash2 and flash3 seem to have something preventing anything from being loaded in vsh and during games, or in other words, do not work -- yet

The one and only thing preventing homebrew from launching 100% independant of the memory card is an eboot / prx loader which lies within VSH or recovery, which can aim for files on the flash. I've tried hex editing the filepath on the eboot-launcher modules released a few months ago, and it breaks the module. should anyone be able to fill in the missing link, kudos! :D

[-Xandu-]

That's a very bad idea really, who would put homebrew on their flash and risk bricking?

And you said it yourself, only 2.50 MB. The MemoryStick that comes with the PSP is 32 MB, You won't be needing 2 MB especially from your flash.

If you want to like, boot a flasher, you can boot it right off the MemoryStick.

[acn010]

lol, true........... i cannot say its lame but yeah. basically its just memory

[Sterist]

That's a very bad idea really, who would put homebrew on their flash and risk bricking?

And you said it yourself, only 2.50 MB. The MemoryStick that comes with the PSP is 32 MB, You won't be needing 2 MB especially from your flash.

If you want to like, boot a flasher, you can boot it right off the MemoryStick.

when 32mb fills up, you begin to look for ways to get every byte you can. this cannot brick your psp. even if you try to copy a terabyte of data to your psp. all ya have to do is delete the remnants via recovery. and even if you dont, psp still boots n operates 100%. you're the coder here. of all people, you should know that.

edit: and it's not just 2mb, its ~3.2mb, flash1 free space included. if someone wants to 'like' boot a flasher then they can like boot it from where they want. just sayin watch out for since it's untested, as i have no need to keep a customizer handy

it's handy for those who have more than 1 memcard in a few small ways, and can clean up a memstick's root a lil

idk bout u guys but on my 2gig, the root is a mess lol

[-Xandu-]

Not really, people risk bricking their PSPs.


this cannot brick your psp
Any flashing has a brick risk. One bad block may corrupt the whole flash!

Plus, if you put like a 2~ MB homebrew, the PSP may run out of flash memory, that's not too good is it?

But yeah, your idea may work with the new PSP which has 8 GB built in memory ;).

[acn010]

hahahahahahaha XD

[mcdougall57]

its already a proven concept as someone did it with bubble bobble not to mention pointless

[Sterist]

once again, you're the coder here. tell me where in flash0 anything is written to other than during a firmware update. and even then, flash is formatted before installing next firmware (not during downgrades tho).

since you keep saying "2mb," then you are referring to flash0. theres only 1.2ish free on flash1 and it gets written to. a lot actually, no more than a fraction of a kilobyte at a time - while maintaining the same file size, and the only 2 exceptions is initial start-up (brand new) when all setting data is saved, and saving a background.

would a psp brick if it had full flash when it was brand new -- thus unable to save connection settings, time and psp nickname? no

would a psp brick if it couldnt save a background picture? no lol

and both of those "risks" are on flash1, which contains absolutely nothing vital to the psp's functionality. one bad block can corrupt a whole file. that file is the file that contains the bad / missing block. if there's no writing going on, there is absolutely no possibility of any files getting corrupted in exception to a high powered magnet, in which you would not find in a household. flash0 is the ONLY place you can conjur up a brick. flash0 is strictly read-only unless the psp is in process of updating itsself, which as said before, is formatted in advance. being that it's read only, and in a given scenario where the psp's flash is full, it will not have an 'out of space' error. the "out of space" error that happened to some people from the 3.03 downgrader a while ago, if you remember it, was the cause of UP Modchip. the modchip Bios embeds itsself in the firmware, or in other words, takes space. 3.03 firmware uses more space on flash than 3.40 believe it or not.

yeah theres a risk when you write to your flash that you're gana brick. there's also a chance that your mem stick will croak when you copy files onto it.... theres a chance your pcHDD will fry after long use, there's a chance your psp's ram will fry when loading anything you could think of. are they likely, or will it occur to a psp in our life time? probably not lol


if you dont want to take this from me, then ask anyone else who knows what they're talking about:

Requirements to BRICK, any individual of which will do the job:

--hardware damage
--software damage [software aka firmware]
-Vital module on flash0 deleted
-" " corrupted
-" " missing

this does not associate itsself with any of these fatal errors, needless to say

___________________________

if you dont like the idea, fine. no one said you have to. dont waste your time trashing other people's effort. i spent a good length of time making this thread and i dont think i deserve your comments, nor feel a need to defend the safety of this any further than i already have - though i will if anything comes up that hasn't been addressed or commented on.

[parkermauney]

I need that flash space for custom xmb's.

And most people have at least 1GB sticks.

[-Xandu-]

- Flash0 can brick when a bad block occurs , the whole NAND becomes corrupted, this happens alot with MemorySticks and you have to re-format it.
-Flash0 isn't made for numerous flashing, they stated it back then when flashing became possible.
-"PSP Picture" and your settings are stored in Flash1
-It is okay to flash to Flash1 as long as you don't erase all of it.
-Your idea "may" work with flash1 despite the space.

I'm not saying it will not work with Flash0, people just won't risk their PSPs

[acn010]

-Xandu- where do you live??? its strange that your on at this time... right now my time is 4:13am XD
sorry for being offtopic, just curious

[VampDude]

-Xandu- where do you live??? its strange that your on at this time... right now my time is 4:13am XD
sorry for being offtopic, just curious

Your 4:13 was 9:13 here in the UK, don't know where -Xandu- is from thou???


Back on topic:


I don't like the idea of playing with the PSP's initial memory, I was under the impression that the PSP needs it all to function properly?

[Safari Al]

Your 4:13 was 9:13 here in the UK, don't know where -Xandu- is from thou???


Back on topic:


I don't like the idea of playing with the PSP's initial memory, I was under the impression that the PSP needs it all to function properly?

Yea that's pretty dangerous. Too risky for me.

[VampDude]

Yea that's pretty dangerous. Too risky for me.

I would never mess with something as frail as the PSP's flash memory, as someone with very little knowledge of what they're doing could really mess things up for themselves and wouldn't have the flash to fall back on if they messed up their PSP :)