Questions about custom firmware

[kizashi777]

Well, it's been a week since my friend put custom firmware onto my psp. I figured out how to load up different m33 cfw, how to add plugins, and how to put in homebrew. Still, I'm still confused about a few things and I can't find any answers by searching:

1.) Using 5.00 m33-4, what are the supported video types?
2.) What does VSH stand for? What's the USB Device thing in it supposed to mean?
3.) What's UMD ISO Mode?
4.) What's with the whole Flash 0, 1, etc. stuff? I feel like I shouldn't mess with any of them
5.) Any plugin like the LE Plugin for 5.00m33-4? The old one works fine, but it shows up as 3.xx kernel in the menu. Also, whenever I do go to the recovery menu and change something, it changes, but it doesn't say so in the LE menu.
6.) Is there anyway to add icons to the XMB? If not, is it possible to change it so it would open a homebrew app instead of something (for instance, open up PSPtube with the LocationFree Player icon)?
7.) Is it possible to do categories within the XMB? If found an app that can change the category of the game folder, but it's tedious opening the VSH menu and switching folders.


Sorry for so many questions. I've never used my psp until I realized how kool cfw was.

[miceen0]

1. In my experience of using my PSP for video it will play just about every type of video I come across; although there is an occasional format that wont play, I just download some random free converter (google is your friend).
2. I don't think VSH stands for anything important, it was probably named after a folder in the flash0. The USB Device function basically allows you to change what you see with your computer when you enable USB mode in the XMB (Memory Stick, Flash0, Flash1, Flash2, Flash3, UMD Disc).
3. The UMD ISO changes the driver for the UMD drive, you only change this when you run  .iso/.cso 's.
4. Flash0 is where the PSP firmware is stored. Don't mess with the Flash0 too much without backups in the case that you semi-brick. Most custom themes for 3.51 semi-brick my PSP. Flash1 is where your network settings and theme settings are saved. The other flashes are used for Sony's official PSOne games and can be redirected for custom fonts.
5. I've really never used (or seen the point) of the LE plugin; so I can't help you there.
6. You can't do too much the the icons in the XMB, except for the skins. Sony released an official skin creation tool for the PSP, and there are tons of downloads for different skins for the icons. You could look into IRShell, IRShell is a great bit of homebrew you can a ton, just goto the IRShell webiste (google it). But I know that you can have like four icons in the GUI of IRShell that you can map to different hombrew applications.
7. I haven't ever seen a catagorization tool for the PSP, but I use PSP Content Manager v1.5 to reorder the icons for GAME, MUSIC, VIDEO, or PICTURES.

This has to do with question 3:

In order to run .iso/.cso you need to rip YOUR OWN UMD, pirating is illegal, don't do it. You need to download UMD dumper from Dark_AleX.

http://alek.dark-alex.org/filez/dax/

Clear like 1800 MB of your memory stick in case the game is big. It sucks to be in the middle of a rip and you run out of space, although I think you can continue where you left off. The biggest game I ripped was just over 1750 MB so be prepared. Then you can just put it in your ISO folder (if you have to create and ISO folder make sure it is at the root of the Memory Stick and there is an empty folder inside it called VIDEO). If you want to save space you can convert the .iso to a .cso which can shave off any where between 60 MB to 300 MB.

When you get the game ripped all you do is goto the recovery menu and enable the 1.50 Kernal for the Game folder (I think it's under Configuration). And change the UMD driver to Sony NP9660. And it will run under the Game folder in the XMB.

[Thorax]

An easier way to rip games is to just switch the USB mode to "UMD Disc" and drag and drop the file to your computer. Way easier and you don't need a huge memorycard.

[miceen0]

An easier way to rip games is to just switch the USB mode to "UMD Disc" and drag and drop the file to your computer. Way easier and you don't need a huge memorycard.

I'll have to try that, I've thought about it. Will it still be compatible with programs like UMDGen for compression and deleting the padding?

[Thorax]

Yes.

[Nassz]

When running ISO or CSO games, You would want to change your UMD ISO mode to eaither , M33 driver, or Sony NP9660.
These work great for me.