AnimeTrader ramblings

So you want to play Gran Turismo, Soul Caliber, Motor Storm on your custom firmware enabled PSP?
Tough luck my friend! Or is it? Seems the magnificent hacking crew of the PSP scene has found a way
to bypass the requirement for Official Firmware 5.55 (and upcoming 6.00) releases.

Read on for the magic:

Requirements for creating the decrypted game:

• PSP running custom firmware 5.50GEN-A
• Yoshihiro’s PSP Game Decrypter
• UMDGen 4.0
• ISO copy of the game you wish to play

What have you got?

1: All of the above

Great skip to step 4 no need to download anything

2: PSP running custom firmware 5.50GEN-A
Yoshihiro’s PSP Game Decrypter
UMDGen 4.0

We need a copy of the UMD in ISO format – Skip to step 3

3: PSP Running custom firmware but not 5.50GEN-A

Skip to step 1

4: None of the above – Read on.

Unfortunately, you are going to need to get your PSP flashed. There are numerous ways of doing this documented on the internet
Return here to step 3 if you have installed 5.50GEN-A/B from a guide on the internet or Step 1 if you managed to get
some other version of custom firmware installed

Step 1 – Installing CFW 5.50GEN-A

First things first DON’T TRY TO INSTALL THIS ON PSP-2000 v3 AND PSP-3000 BECAUSE YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PSP WITHOUT ANY SOLUTION TO FIX IT. IT IS A REAL ALERT AND IF YOU TRY YOU WILL BRICK.

Download the following file – Firmware – Decrypt Pack.zip

Extract the contents to your Desktop

Connect up your PSP in USB mode or insert your memory stick into your card reader

Copy the contents of pspgen-cf550gena-build3_1244840663\PSP\GAME to the PSP\GAME folder on your memory stick

Disconnect USB mode or insert your memory stick back in the PSP

Run the GEN-A update program from the XMB Game/Memory Stick menu and follow the instructions
(Make sure you have plenty of battery, do not interrupt this process
Once this is complete you can remove the UPDATE folder from PSP\GAME

Step 2 – installing CFW 5.50GEN-B update (optional step)

First things first DON’T TRY TO INSTALL THIS ON PSP-2000 v3 AND PSP-3000 BECAUSE YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PSP WITHOUT ANY SOLUTION TO FIX IT. IT IS A REAL ALERT AND IF YOU TRY YOU WILL BRICK.

Connect up your PSP in USB mode or insert your memory stick into your card reader

Copy the contents of pspgen-cf550gen-b_1246505546\PSP\GAME to the PSP\GAME folder on your memory stick

Disconnect USB mode or insert your memory stick back in the PSP

Run the GEN-B update program from the XMB Game/Memory Stick menu and follow the instructions
(Make sure you have plenty of battery, do not interrupt this process
Once this is complete you can remove the 5.50-genB-update folder from PSP\GAME

Step 3 – Getting the ISO of the game

Now you need to create an ISO of your legally purchased UMD based game to be manipulated

Turn off the PSP fully then Boot up the PSP with the R button held down

Select configuration

Find the ‘Use VshMenu’ option and change it so it says VSHMENU.

Reboot your PSP

Press select, Change “USB Device” to UMD disc

Connect USB cable/Select USB mode from the XMB settings menu

Simply copy the iso file to your pc and rename it to something sensible

No recovery menu when you hold down the R button at startup? You’ve missed something in step 1!

Step 4 – Create a modded EBOOT.BIN file

Download the file – Decrypt_Pack.zip (you already have these file if you downloaded xxx earlier)

Extract the contents to your desktop

Make a copy of the ISO you want to work with (you don’t want to have to rip it again if something goes wrong do you?)

Open the folder 27742_UMDGENv400 and run UMDGen.exe

Click on the “Open” button on the toolbar & Select the ISO you want to work with

In the Explorer tab you should be able to see the title of the game with a folder PSP_GAME under it

Expand the folder PSP_GAME then click on the folder SYSDIR

See the file EBOOT.BIN? Ricght click on it and do Extract Selected save this on your desktop

Leave UMDGen open, we’re not finished with it yet

Connect up your PSP in USB mode or insert your memory stick into your card reader
Copy the file EBOOT.BIN from your desktop to the ROOT of your memory stick (the very top level of the memory stick, where you can see PSP, ISO etc)

Copy the contents of 27741_gamedecrypterbyyoshihiro_1254262867\PSP\GAME to the PSP\GAME folder

Disconnect USB mode or insert your memory stick back in the PSP

Open the PSP Game Decrypter program from the XMB/Games/Memory Stick menu

Press X when the program asks you to – you will be returned to the XMB when it’s finished

Connect up your PSP in USB mode or insert your memory stick into your card reader

Copy the folder Decryptor onto your Desktop

Back in UMDGen, drag the EBOOT.bin file from the folder Decryptor on your desktop, into the window that contains EBOOT.bin

Say Yes when asked if you want to replace the file

Click on the Save button on the toolbar, select which type of ISO you want (I always go uncompressed ISO)

Save it wherever you want then copy it to your PSP\ISO folder

Notes

Before you try this on other games, delete the DECRYPTOR folder that was created and the EBOOT.BIN you extracted earlier on the memory stick.

If your games don’t work, try using the “Dummy Search” feature in UMDGen, as I have found in my experience has worked on an occasion. Try using different compression options too if the ISO fails (there are reports that CFWEnabler helps too). Please share your tips and how you got your own games to work if you had a different process.