Alright,first of all,welcome to the psp world!

1)Yes,you'll need custom firmware if you want to do so.The latest version is 5.00M33,but versions like 3.52m33 --> 4.01m33 are just as good.

2)Yes,you can revert it back to official firmware using a Pandora's Battery,but no,you will never want to do so,trust me

3)You can enjoy homebrew which are third party games,applications and many more developed by fellow psp users who expertise in C/C++,Lua and other languages.You can also enjoy plugins,themes and many other cool features.

This post has been edited by Playboy21: Oct 28 2008, 12:41 PM

hehe,no problem.

1)Is it 5.00 or 5.00M33? If it has the m33 extension behind it,then you have a custom firmware unit in hand.Else,it is an official firmware unit and you'll need a Pandora's Battery to hack it,or in other words,install custom firmware in it.

2)When i say Pandora's Battery,i mean a Magic Memory stick as well.This is because a Pandora's Battery won't function unless a Magic memory stick is set up,and the very same will happen if you try to use a Magic memory stick without a Pandora's Battery.

3)That only works on custom firmware units.

Alright,if you have a official firmware unit,you can meet up with some people in this forums who are willing to hack your psp for free.Kind people like Lacus and many other people,for sure will be willing to do it for you.You can contact him,and ask him about it.

Enjoy your psp life man!

Pandora's Battery Conversion Methods.

1)If you have an already hacked unit in hand :
-Download your favourite battery creator (My favourite is Hellcat's 3.xx creator),and run it on the hacked psp with the battery you want to convert to a Pandora's Battery in it.After the process is over,hey presto!! You'll have a Pandora's Battery in possesion

2)If you DON'T have an already hacked unit in hand :
-You'll need to open up you battery and cut a pin.This process,however is quite risky to perform mainly because wrong moves can cause injuries to your body.This process is also unreliable (Tak boleh harap) because it'll take a few batteries to get it to work if you're unlucky.


Magic Memory Stick Creation :

1)Run the MMS creator via a hacked psp unit.

2)Run the MMS creator on your PC.This method is VERY easy and very good indeed.

1)Ah,then it for sure is an official firmware unit.

2)Magic Memory Stick actually is standard memory stick pro duo which has pandora files on it.That's why it's known as the Magic Memory Stick.The creation of this memory stick is EXTREMELY easy judging by the fact that all you need to do is to run the easy-installer on your PC and it's done.

3)Oh,sure

See my reply above,and tell me which option suits you best,and i'll try my best to guide you through it.

1)That's brilliant.If so,you're all good to go!

2)Here,use this guide.It's very simple,and if you mess up,you can reformat your memory stick and go through it all again.

Pandora Guide

Ah,they cannot be modded because these motherboards are the latest attempt by sony to prevent users from hacking it using a Pandora's Battery.In other words,these mother boards,for the time being,are Pandora proof.

That,i'm not sure.I am a fat psp user,so yea,i don't know about the slim motherboard.I'm sorry man.

Cool man,i'm sorry i couldn't sort you out on that

Anyways,good luck

Yes,you will be able to do EVERYTHING that can be done on an official firmware psp.Don't worry man

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Added on October 28, 2008, 7:08 pmThat,is another feature that may cause some problems.But recent M33 firmwares DO NOT have the official firmware update function.This is because Dark_AleX has replaced it with a "custom firmware downloader" instead.So,if you "accidentally" hit the network update option,you won't be disappointed

This post has been edited by Playboy21: Oct 28 2008, 07:08 PM

haha

Alright,since many requested for a guide on it,i've created this one.It's very simple,and if you follow the steps correctly,you should end up with 5.00M33 installed on your psp.

Note : There have been many cases of bricks upon upgrade,so it's up to you to take the risk.Otherwise,it's all good.


Requirements :
1)A phat/slim psp which has custom firmware 3.52m33-3 or any firmware above it.
*Minimum requirement is 3.52m33-3*

Guide

1) First of all,you need to set your kernel to 3.xx/4.xx.You can do so in recovery mode or in your VSH menu (if you have the VSH addon plugin installed)

**Recovery : Hold the off switch for 3-5 seconds,then HOLD R and boot your psp up.Now go to configuration,and click X at the "Game Folder Homebrew" option until it displays as 3.xx/4.xx kernel.Example : On a 3.52m33-3/4 psp,it should show as 3.52 kernel.

2) Download the 5.00M33 installer here

3) Download the 5.00 eboot.pbp here

4) Use your preferred software to extract the 5.00M33 rar file.You should now get two folders (UPDATE and Translate) as well as a readme.txt file.

5) Copy the UPDATE folder and paste it in ms0:/PSP/GAME.

** It should now look like this : ms0:/PSP/GAME/UPDATE/eboot.pbp **

6)Time,for the 5.00 eboot (step 2).

7) Copy the 500.PBP and paste it in your ms0:/PSP/GAME/UPDATE directory.

** It should now look like this : ms0:/PSP/GAME/UPDATE/eboot.pbp and 500.pbp **

8) That's all,seriously.All you need to do now is to run the installer on your PSP.

** The installer will seem very official like,but don't worry,that's how it's supposed to be like **

9) Remember,once the update is over,PRESS X/O when it asks you to do so or your psp will brick!!

10) What else,enjoy!

I seriously rushed and made that guide,so if you find ANY errors (including spelling errors),please inform me.Thanks.

Well,ms0: is the root directory,not a folder.Yes,if you see the PSP folder,you're fine.

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Added on October 30, 2008, 3:24 pmYou're welcome,and thanks for the reminder

This post has been edited by Playboy21: Oct 30 2008, 03:24 PM

Try increasing your CPU speed in the VSH menu or in recovery mode.You can toggle the VSH menu by pressing select/home in your XMB (psp menu).If the menu isn't enabled,go to recovery mode and do so.

**Recovery : Hold the off switch for 3-5 seconds,then HOLD R and boot your psp up.**

See above ^^

That,i do not know.

Not much.

Fat psp : Much more solid feel,ir port

Slim psp : Plasticky feel,but pwns the fat psp in performance wise.Has no irport.

PSP 3000 : Google and you'll seee the new features on it.

It also has a built in mic and some other features.

I use MasterBoy and RINGbc.They're both awesome emulators,and i play my pokemon silver on them both,mwahaha.

Rin GBC : http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/11

Master Boy : http://www.psp-hacks.com/file/1232

If you wish to play pokemon fire red,sapphire and so on,get GPSP,which of course,is a game boy advance emulator.

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Added on November 2, 2008, 11:07 pmI believe there are codes on it to determine the firmware of the psp in the box (before it is hacked of course),but i don't think they are important.Feel free to chuck them away,but i'd keep them,sweet memories

This post has been edited by Playboy21: Nov 2 2008, 11:07 PM

GPSP is a GBA emulator while masterboy is a GB/GBC emulator ( a very decent one indeed).Yes,rin GBC is for GB/GBC games only and no,i don't think GPSP is capable of running gbc games.