Read this if you have or are considering an 8GB Memory Stick Duo

Can you get 1.5 homebrew working consistently? If it's empty and the only stuff on there is homebrew, it works perfectly. Once I start adding big stuff (ISOs, videos, music, etc), it wigs out. Emus don't load or load partially, things freeze up or lock up, causing me to cold boot. I'm running 3.40-OE.

Other threads (here and at other boards) seem to point to the fact that Firmware 2.81 is required for sticks larger than 4GB, because 1.5 can't address memory larger than 4GB. It makes sense, but why does it work sometimes and sometimes not?

Someone posted saying that it only works when the data is at the beginning of the disk. I tried a number of different defrag/disk management softwares to try and remedy this, but no luck.

Are any fixes or workarounds planned? Are there any options for my now half-useless $200 stick?

Wow, thats really shitty, i wanted to get an 8 gig stick, but i may reconsider now.

Cheers for the heads-up.

It must have something to do with the custom firmware still being based on 1.5.

That does suck

When I was using my 4GB memory stick to run a firmware OE update to 3.40OE for friend's PSP running on firmware 1.50, i realized that the memory card was not reading at all. The memory card was/still loaded. When I did the upgrade Everything was working fine. It could be that you are running kernel 1.50 on the 3.40OE because it does interfere with some functionality of the PSP. If it's doing it to you under the 3.40OE kernel then this is a problem. I would check under Recovery utility of the 3.40OE to see what kernel you are using.

It would be hard to believe that counterfeit 8GB sticks exist.
Highlight the "Memory Stick" in the XMB.
Then Press Triangle and then X for Information.
It should read:
MagicGate: Supported.
Anything else and its not the real deal.
Anyone upgrading/downgrading should make this check first as well...
counterfeit memory cards increase the chance of a bad read or firmware write, resulting in a brick.

I have a 2GB counterfeit card that gives me the same problems you have described above. It was purchased on Ebay.
The 4GB I own is good. It was purchased from a local store.

Most homebrew runs under the 1.5 kernel. That means that any data written above the 4GB barrier on the stick will be unaddressable to it.

I honestly can't think of a sensible way around this problem except to find higher kernel versions of your homebrew (some do exist, I believe).

The same problem happens with WPA. I found I couldn't use PSPSSH with my friend's Airport, since he uses WPA and PSPSSH executes under 1.5, which doesn't have WPA support.