USBAdvance wide open

[consx10]

Has anyone here manage to use a cheat device with usb advance?
I've used codebreaker 9, ar max evo, swapmagic 3.8.... none of those would work.

however, i do have some method of cheating using asm type raw codes in usb advance,
it involves injecting the codes directly to the game's elf files.
The bad side of using this method is, the codes are always active and joker type codes are not applicable using this method.

So, if anyone here have successfully used a cheat device with usb advance,
please tell me how you do it.

[ryujin]

First things first, i'm new to USBadvance and i don't know how homebrew stuff works (.elf launchers and the like), simply put, i'm a noob, but i'm really interested in this and i want to try playin' my games using a USB HDD device instead of the usual "insert game disc and play" ... so anyone here who can help me get started is greatly appreciated

i'll detail what i have as best as i can ...

my stuff:
PS2 SCPH-30001-R (lens still working fine)
Magic 3.1 Modchip (installed)
USB HDD (20GB, partitioned in 3 drives, NTFS)

stuff that i DL'ed that (i think) i'll be needing:
USBAdvance.Cracked-PS2Scene (it has 4 files)
- usba (MS Document Info)
- usb-advance (BIN)
- usb-advance.cue (CUE)
- ul_format (from USBAdvance-PC-Software rar file)
- ul_install (from USBAdvance-PC-Software rar file)

from what i read and understand so far is ...
*burn the BIN & CUE files in a CD to serve as my bootdisc (BTW, can i burn this to a DVD instead of a CD? -- yeah i know, all that free space wasted), since CD's tends to make the lens work harder.
*format my USB HDD from NTFS to FAT32 (i think the ul_format & ul_install files has something to do with this) ... BTW, do i need to do something with the ul_xxxxxx files when i use CMD to format my USB HDD, or they'll jus' execute automatically where i left them?
*then after formatting, is that it?, and i jus' convert my games?

... i already know the usbextreme/advance sksapps link, jus' wanna know if there is anything else important i left out, any additional info would help, tnx!

[dlanor]

First things first, i'm new to USBadvance and i don't know how homebrew stuff works (.elf launchers and the like), simply put, i'm a noob,

That's nothing to worry about. No one is born an expert in everything, so we are all noobs at some time or other, in various subjects.

but i'm really interested in this and i want to try playin' my games using a USB HDD device instead of the usual "insert game disc and play" ... so anyone here who can help me get started is greatly appreciated

i'll detail what i have as best as i can ...

my stuff:
PS2 SCPH-30001-R

This means that you can also choose to use an internal IDE HDD, if you can find a Sony network adaptor (also contains the HDD interface). This method of using an HDD is far superior to USB methods, as the PS2 only has an unusually slow USB 1.1 interface.

The game loaders for USB give horrible delays, lag, and stutter in many games, and in nearly all FMV movies, regardless of the game complexity. And the game compatibility of those loaders is not better than 50% (so half the games don't work), as compared to the over 90% compatibility of HDLoader (for the IDE HDD interface).

(lens still working fine)

That's nice, but not something to rely on indefinitely.
You should really consider installing FMCB, the softmod that allows a PS2 to boot without using any disc at all.
There are lots of happy PS2 users running games and homebrews from HDD long after their lasers died.

Magic 3.1 Modchip (installed)

Which as I recall has only disc-dependent boot modes...
Yep, you definitely need to install FMCB, to be prepared for the inevitable future.
(All PS2 lasers have a limited lifespan. It can vary a lot, but none live forever.)

USB HDD (20GB, partitioned in 3 drives, NTFS)

That's a bit small for storing PS2 games on it, so you won't have room for many, and you will need to make that a single FAT32 partition instead.

stuff that i DL'ed that (i think) i'll be needing:
USBAdvance.Cracked-PS2Scene (it has 4 files)
- usba (MS Document Info)
- usb-advance (BIN)
- usb-advance.cue (CUE)
- ul_format (from USBAdvance-PC-Software rar file)
- ul_install (from USBAdvance-PC-Software rar file)

from what i read and understand so far is ...
*burn the BIN & CUE files in a CD to serve as my bootdisc (BTW, can i burn this to a DVD instead of a CD? -- yeah i know, all that free space wasted), since CD's tends to make the lens work harder.

Sure, this should work fine, but an even better method is to boot discless, using FMCB, and launch USBAdvance as a free-standing elf file instead of a boot disc.

*format my USB HDD from NTFS to FAT32 (i think the ul_format & ul_install files has something to do with this)

ul_format can format the drive, obviously.
ul_install is (again obviously) for installing games to the HDD.
But there are better tools for that too.

... BTW, do i need to do something with the ul_xxxxxx files when i use CMD to format my USB HDD, or they'll jus' execute automatically where i left them?

They are just normal PC command-line tools that you need to run in a command-line window on your PC, with the USB HDD connected to that same PC. You can store those exe files anywhere you please, and there is no need to have them on the USB HDD at all. (Sort of suicidal to have ul_format.exe stored only on the drive it will format )

*then after formatting, is that it?, and i jus' convert my games?

In principle yes, though you'll then discover what I stated above, that only around half of all existing games work with USBAdvance (if even that many).

Summing up:
Get FMCB installed to your MC, so you can boot discless.
Not only will this save your laser from wearing out too soon, but it will also allow you to keep playing when the laser has finally died.

Also get a Sony network adaptor for your PS2.
This will allow you to play nearly all games from IDE HDD, which is impossible with USB HDD.
And the games that do work will mostly run even smoother than from DVD, as HDD is faster.
A few games will have compatibility problems though, which can often (but not always) be fixed by ISO patches.

Best regards: dlanor

[ryujin]

thanks dlanor, your info's and suggestions were great ... actually, jus' recently, i was looking at the compatibility of games usin' USBa and i was sort of disappointed with all the issues (FMV's and such jus' like you said), so i guess i better start learning how to use FMCB now and use IDE HDD/Network Adapter instead

thanks again!

[thenewadeel]

i tried all ways to boot up USB ADV but it doesnt boot at all
i burned various images on discs
i tried Memory card booting (SMBOOT 4 swapmagic)
i tried to run the .elf file from the file browser applications
i even tried this all after disabling the modchip but same effects

the result is same all times
PS2 hangs up with a black screen of death

my Ps2 is SCPH-90006 with Matrix Infinity GP788XL modchip


PLZ ANY1 HELP ME OUT

[NeverGoingBack]

remove your modchip and use fmcb

[bipedo]

i tried all ways to boot up USB ADV but it doesnt boot at all
i burned various images on discs
i tried Memory card booting (SMBOOT 4 swapmagic)
i tried to run the .elf file from the file browser applications
i even tried this all after disabling the modchip but same effects

the result is same all times
PS2 hangs up with a black screen of death

my Ps2 is SCPH-90006 with Matrix Infinity GP788XL modchip


PLZ ANY1 HELP ME OUT

try entering the chip menu(if i'm not wrong: triangle+circle while you turn on the ps2) and deactivating macrovision fix or search if your modchip has
an option to turn it off and try to boot the usbadvance.
hope it works for you

[bigdaddie]

It seems someone has managed to get this running on a PS3
Maybe it's fake, maybe not

[TnA]

Cool. Maybe he injected the new USBHDFSD-Driver, or it("PS3-patched USB-Advance") uses the USBD from SwapMagic?!

[RetroX]

I tried .elf on PS2 It loaded Maximo ok, crashed with ICO. I guess compatibility is the
same as old USBadvance.