I have some questions about FMCB and ESR

[vsub]

This may sound stupid but I just want to be sure.

1.FMCB is just a loader that start automatically when I turn on my PS2 and I can use it as a loader for homebrews,it wont do anything bad if I use it if I have modchip with dev. modes and wont case any problems for the modchip to do his job(booting games)normally as if I don't have FMCB installed?

2.ESR is app that allows me to play patched(with his patcher)backups and since I have modchip I don't need it and FMCB will work without problems and I will be able to boot my games with my modchip.

3.Is there is a way to disable FMCB or the only way is to remove it from my memory card?

3.Can someone tell me for which version PS2 is every one of those files

osd100.elf
osd110.elf
osd120.elf
...
osd290.elf

since I choose Multi-Version install(thinking that I need to choose that option so I can play different region games if I don't have modchip)but I don't need all those files(they cost me 1.6mb free space).My PS2 is V10 SCPH-50004a

4.Is there is some kind of updater or with every new version of FMCB I have to install the app again and again

Sorry if I ask about something that is explained already

[jimmikaelkael]

1. It depends of your modchip, some work, some other will not work.
2. You're right, but only if FMCB is compatible with your modchip.
3. Just unplug your MC where FMCB is installed on.
3b. DO NOT DELETE these files manually, they are just dummies and don't require MC space, if you delete it manually, you'll corrupt your card by leaving lost clusters.
4. FMCB is embedded in a the DVD player elf from your rom, so it require you reintall it each time. We made it like that to not waste any MC space.

[vsub]

1. It depends of your modchip, some work, some other will not work.
2. You're right, but only if FMCB is compatible with your modchip.
3. Just unplug your MC where FMCB is installed on.
3b. DO NOT DELETE these files manually, they are just dummies and don't require MC space, if you delete it manually, you'll corrupt your card by leaving lost clusters.
4. FMCB is embedded in a the DVD player elf from your rom, so it require you reintall it each time. We made it like that to not waste any MC space.

1.It works with my modchip but I don't know what is been used to start the game when I insert the disk(ESR or my modchip).
2.The same as above
3.I have only one card so that wont be possible
3b.I delete everything that FMCB installed(SYS-CONF and BEEXEC-SYSTEM)with uLanchELF and I don't have missing space nor my card is corrupted.When i install it again and this time I choose "Normal Install" the installation from 1.8mb becomes 260kb(SYS-CONF + BEEXEC-SYSTEM)and BEEXEC-SYSTEM from 1.6mb became 102kb and all those

osd100.elf
osd110.elf
osd120.elf
...
osd290.elf

are gone)
4.But do I need to uninstall the old one first when I'm "updating" it(installing the new one)?

And one more question
When I enable from FMCB configuration FAST BOOT the game is started automatically using ESR(if it's installed)right or for what exactly is that function if it not for that?

Edit:Since I have PS2 V10 to I need to add the DVDELF.BIN inside the INJECT folder since in the readme in DVDPLx archive it says "This are the the DVDPLx used in the newer v15+ consoles."...so I don't need this file right?

[jimmikaelkael]

3b. You seriously must be missing something !
Multi Install just takes a few bytes more than normal install You must be injecting a 75kb dvdelf on one install, and not on the other...

Again like I said osdxxx.elf files are NOT to be deleted by hand... trust me. Make a complete dump of your memcard and scan it with myMC, it will report lost clusters (1 per dummy)...

I've never said that your Memory Card will report less space available ! But some space will remain unuseable until a formatting is done...

MC have an Indirect FAT table cluster for each file, this one is originally pointing to the first cluster of the file content.
Multi-install create all dummies and change it to make all of them pointing the same file, so deleting all dummies just delete the same MC physical space several time, leaving the original dummy cluster unchanged. As dummies clusters are reported as 0xFFFFFFFF in FAT (meaning last cluster of the file), and this cluster is not pointed by anything... This results in a lost cluster.

Conclusion: deleting dummies manually ends in 21 lost clusters, so 21kb of unuseable space on your MC ! You understand ?

Since I wrote FMCB code together with Neme, I know how it works...

4. Theoretically install on an old install will first uninstall it. But it's safer to use "uninstall Multi-version" if you were having a Multiversion installed on this MC.

BUT unfortunately, if you have deleted FMCB files, you might have deleted "uninstall.dat" which is VERY IMPORTANT for uninstall (it maps original clusters mentionned above before to change it), the uninstall will not work properly, and to make a new Multi-Version install properly you may have to format your card, sorry...

One more answer:
FASTBOOT will launch ESR only if your backup is ESR patched disc.

Last thing:
If your normal backups (not ESR patched one) still launching, your modchip is doing his job, as I said above, FMCB will start ESR only for ESR patched disc.

[dlanor]

3b. You seriously must be missing something !
Multi Install just takes a few bytes more than normal install You must be injecting a 75kb dvdelf on one install, and not on the other...

In fact I think he never compared the free space between the installs, but only checked the indicated size of the folder content, which will of course be a false value for the Multi-Install. There it will count one of the files 22 times, since there are 22 names referring to it, and 22*75 is 1650, which is where he got the value of 1.6MB. He is not the first to make that mistake, and I'm sure he won't be the last either...

The same misunderstanding, not realizing that the FAT system has dummy entries referring to a common file, is also the reason why he couldn't see any harm in manipulating those dummy files by tools intended only for normal files.

Best regards: dlanor

[vsub]

Before I delete the FMCB I make backup of it using PsuPaste and I have all those files from SYS-CONF and BEEXEC-SYSTEM(or in other words I have copy of the multi install version including the uninstall.dat).So if I place back the Multi Install version again using PsuPaste and uninstall it will this fix the memory card corruption(if there really is)or I have to format it completely.

My memory card is 64mb and the psu save of BEEXEC-SYSTEM s indeed 1.6mb and when I use normal installation this folder is only 102kb

I backup my whole memory card before even start trying to run FMCB for the first time so if I need to format my memory card it won't be a problems...just tell me a good formatting app for 64mb card

[jimmikaelkael]

I don't really now, but I think It will not work !

As dlanor have said, you can't realize that tools to handle normal files interprets dummies as real files, making it 22 times bigger...
And in fact these tools aren't doing anything wrong, as FMCB just "corrupts" the FAT.

[vsub]

So does that means that I have to format my memory card and if so then can you recommended me a good app for that because I remember before when I try to format my memory card with(I think it was ARMAX)it make my 64mb card into 32mb and I don't remember what I use to make it 64mb again?

Edit:And last question...if I use Normal Install then can I delete the FMCB normally (like normal game save from PS2 browser)

[dlanor]

So does that means that I have to format my memory card and if so then can you recommended me a good app for that because I remember before when I try to format my memory card with(I think it was ARMAX)it make my 64mb card into 32mb and I don't remember what I use to make it 64mb again?

I just reformatted one of my own 64MB cards, just to test this, and it worked fine using the PS2Newz variant of MC Killer. Other programs with the same name also exist, some of which may not do the job right, but this one does. I got 63.5 MB free, which is the same I had when the card was brand new and unused. (The rest of the space is used for FAT sectors etc)

Edit:And last question...if I use Normal Install then can I delete the FMCB normally (like normal game save from PS2 browser)

Yes, you can. But I never use that myself.

For me it is much more important to know that an MC I bring with me will boot in any console I may meet (of the same region). And that requires 'Multi-Version Install'.

Best regards: dlanor

[vsub]

I just reformatted one of my own 64MB cards, just to test this, and it worked fine using the PS2Newz variant of MC Killer. Other programs with the same name also exist, some of which may not do the job right, but this one does. I got 63.5 MB free, which is the same I had when the card was brand new and unused. (The rest of the space is used for FAT sectors etc)

I use MC Killer and my card became 64.9mb

Yes, you can. But I never use that myself.

For me it is much more important to know that an MC I bring with me will boot in any console I may meet (of the same region). And that requires 'Multi-Version Install'.

Best regards: dlanor

I kinda only wanted to try FMCB and see what he can do .I don't intend to use it since my modchip have dev modes and if I want to run some app I just hold the correct button when I'm turning on my PS2 to load ule.