Confirming the best install method

[BirdIsTheWord]

Read this post here the 1st one. And get yourself a .ISO of Ulaunch, and then browse to your USB stick and run the installer from your USB stick...

http://psx-scene.com/forums/official...-39-a-215.html

Thank you for the continued assistance.

The good news is that cogswap absolutely works in loading the backup of the out of print game I accidentally crushed. The bad news is that cogswap won't read the Ulaunchelf iso I burnt. I burnt the iso with DVD decrypter, in ISO mode, so I'm not sure what the problem is. The backup I made is on the exact same media, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Is there a specific way I have to burn the Ulaunchelf iso?

I've got other media to try, but do you think it would be more beneficial if I just remade the exploit with ulaunchelf instead of Keylauncher? I've got it to where whenever I put the game in, it loads Keylauncher, so I'm hesitant to undo what I've already done and try again. It is a major pain in the ass that Keylauncher won't read any of the USB devices I have, especially considering that it states it is able. I should have researched it more carefully before using it. As it stands though, my PS2 is able to read the one game I needed to now using Cogswap, so using those tutorials has already gotten me much further than I could have gotten by myself. Thanks again to everyone that writes them

I'm going to call it a night, unless someone has something else for me to try.


(Oh, and I guess this is confirmation that the most recent version of Gameshark 2 works with the Independence exploit, without a shark port. I'm sure it would work with MC Boot, I'm just such a noob that I'm having trouble with it)

[BirdIsTheWord]

My god....I did it...I finally did it

Gameshark 2 may be the worst product ever made, but I freaking did it.

I finally got FMCB to install, by using Gameshark 2 to transfer the FMCB.elf file to the memory card. From there, I used the independence exploit to load Keylauncher and after much....much difficulty, I was able to load not the FMCB.elf, but the .dat inside the elf (which then installed FMCB, which now boots every time I restart the console).

The only problem is that gameshark couldn't copy the install folder, so basically I've got FMCB, but I still have to load Ulaunchelf so I can then load ESR. If there is a way to make ESR available from the main FMCB menu, I haven't figured it out yet, though I'm obviously open to suggestions at this point. The minor inconvenience of having to launch two apps instead of one in order to play a game is nothing compared to the pain in the ass that was having to use the swap method.

If anyone has a list of what the file tree structure should look like on a FMCB memory card, that would be extremely helpful. I need to replace the config file, ESR, HDloader, and a few other things so they appear in the menu. I have no idea where they should go though, so it's difficult

I can't thank the creators of FMCB and Ulaunchelf enough. Hell, I can't thank the inventor of the swap method and the independence exploit either.

(Please, guys, don't buy GS 2. It takes two or three resets for it to finally load, and when it does, it's slow and it's inability to copy an entire folder and leave the structure in tact makes it almost worthless)

[djflexmaster79]

Glad you got it going. What you need to do now is copy the ESR.ELF, SMS.ELF, and BOOT.ELF ( Ulaunch ) put them into the BOOT folder now on your MC. And then when you restart it should show up on the Browser screen. But for some reason it's not. watch one of my video's here on youtube. How to add ITEMS TO BROWSER SCREEN....DJ


http://www.youtube.com/user/djflexmaster79

[BirdIsTheWord]

I've been tinkering for the past hour or so, and I've come to the realization that Gameshark put the files on the memory card as a folder, instead of as an .elf, so there is no way to recombine them into a whole.

In other words, I'm stuck with it the way it is, since it won't read my USB sticks. I suppose there is probably a way to re-run the FMCB installation off of a disc using ESR, and have the file structure correct from the outset, but I won't be attempting it until I'm done with this game at the very least.

Thanks

Actually, thinking about it, I could probably install an HDD with HDloader, FTP in and....no...no, it's 3am and I'm going to sleep


Maybe tomorrow...

[BirdIsTheWord]

Hey, I got all of my issues sorted out, and I wanted to give an update (in case anyone is dumb enough to follow in my footsteps in the future)

Basically, I was playing the game that caused me to do all of this (Ico, great game, and I cried when I stepped on my limited PAL edition copy that I paid over 50 dollars to import) and it occured to me; If the Free McBoot config file is just a .elf, I could probably boot the .dat inside the elf, and then use DJflexmaster79's tutorial (thank you so much for the tutorial, BTW). Luckily for me, this theory turned out to be true.

Basically what I did then was follow his tutorial, except instead of pointing the OSD items at ELF's, I pointed them at the .dat files inside (which works, I have no idea why but it does. You have to click square to make it show the files inside the folder, then point it at the .dat). So now, oh beautiful day, ESR boots ESR, Return to Configuration boots the config, HDloader boots HDloader, etc.

No more having to boot ulaunchelf every time!

In other words, I can confirm that Gameshark 2 works 100% with Free MCboot. It may take an extra hundred steps, but if all you have is a Gameshark 2, you aren't out of luck. Having gone through this much crap though, I'd suggest anyone considering this to spend the extra and send away for Action Replay Max.

Thank you to everyone that made this possible.

[djflexmaster79]

Sounds good bro, glad I helped out................

[dlanor]

Hey, I got all of my issues sorted out, and I wanted to give an update (in case anyone is dumb enough to follow in my footsteps in the future)

Basically, I was playing the game that caused me to do all of this (Ico, great game, and I cried when I stepped on my limited PAL edition copy that I paid over 50 dollars to import) and it occured to me; If the Free McBoot config file is just a .elf, I could probably boot the .dat inside the elf, and then use DJflexmaster79's tutorial (thank you so much for the tutorial, BTW). Luckily for me, this theory turned out to be true.

Basically what I did then was follow his tutorial, except instead of pointing the OSD items at ELF's, I pointed them at the .dat files inside (which works, I have no idea why but it does. You have to click square to make it show the files inside the folder, then point it at the .dat). So now, oh beautiful day, ESR boots ESR, Return to Configuration boots the config, HDloader boots HDloader, etc.

No more having to boot ulaunchelf every time!

In other words, I can confirm that Gameshark 2 works 100% with Free MCboot. It may take an extra hundred steps, but if all you have is a Gameshark 2, you aren't out of luck. Having gone through this much crap though, I'd suggest anyone considering this to spend the extra and send away for Action Replay Max.

Thank you to everyone that made this possible.

I have no idea how GS2 managed to mess up your installation, but it must have done something very odd in order to place ".dat" files everywhere in place of the proper ".ELF" files. In a normal FMCB installation the ".dat" file extension does not exist. Launching them under these weird filenames may still work, but the mere existence of those names is a warning that something is wrong, with possibly worse consequences yet to be discovered...

If you have another MC and a good USB stick, then I suggest you place the standard FMCB installer package on that stick and then use your current FMCB MC to launch that installer elf from uLaunchELF, and use it to make a fresh install to the second MC. This way you are sure of getting a normal installation unaffected by the GS2 crap.

Best regards: dlanor

[urbigbro]

Even if you have only one card, I would still reinstall FMCB.

1) back-up your non-FMCB related saves (select, then copy the save, then .psu paste to USB stick)
2) run the FMCB installer with the .elf files in the correct folders, or use the noob package
3) format the card with the installer
4) install FMCB again

If you really only have one MC, I would recommend learning how to use uLE to make shortcuts that link to .elf files on USB or HDD. The FMCB config program can also be used to do this but only for files on USB. This way only the BOOT.ELF (uLE) file and icons will need to stay in the BOOT folder.
That being said it is much easier to just dedicate another card that stays in MC slot 2 just for FMCB and homebrew apps.

[BirdIsTheWord]

Thanks for the concern, but everything is working perfectly. The reason for the .dat's instead of .elf's is that Gameshark 2 put the elf's on the MC as folders somehow instead of as single files. The .dat's are inside the .elf's, and work just like the elf would (I've confirmed that everything works. HDloader works, ESR works, Return to Config works, etc.)

I'd reinstall if I could, but none of my thumbdrives are compatible. They all freeze Ulaunchelf the second I try to access them. I've tried fat16, fat32, etc. GS2 is literally the only program I have that will accept my thumbdrives, other than the FMCB config, so I'm limited to whatever files I can transfer from there.

I guess I could take urbigbro's advice and point to .elf's on a thumbdrive, but honestly, running the .dat's appears to be 100% the same as running the elf (I'm not a programmer, but I wouldn't be surprised if the .dat runs when you execute an .elf anyway) and I don't want to permanently leave a thumbdrive attached to my PS2 if I don't have too. I don't want to push my luck either. A day or two ago I had accepted the fact that I'd have to boot Ulaunchelf every time, and now I can boot HDloader or ESR from the start menu. I could not be happier.

Thanks again.

[spud42]

have you tried to update the usb drivers as per this post? it might help might not...

http://psx-scene.com/forums/451942-post5360.html (unofficial LaunchELF v4.42)