Possible to detect Free MCB has been used on a console

[NeoX360]

Hi,

I am pretty new to the PS2 homebrew tech, so excuse me if my questions are noob.

First of all thanks to all that worked on Free MCB, ule, and the other fantastic apps, programers and the tutorial and technical people alike, you people are awesome! Free MCB is so cool and I am finding all kinds of cool stuff to do with it.

Anyway I offered to make a friend a Free MCB mem card for his later version slim, I think it is a 79001 series, so not the newest one. His unit is pretty new and still under warranty.

1. Does Free MCB or any of the other popular elfs leave any trace so that if he had to get warranty service Sony could deny it on the basis he modded his console, even if it is all on a mem card? You know how some settings are stored in the console, like tv type, language, etc. So are these exploits completely self-contained and can not cause a PS2 to brick or detect anything non-standard was run?

2. I have a non-modded SCPH-30001R console, perhaps a V7. I also have a slim 90001, that is too new to work. Do I have to do a Multi-Install of FreeMCB or will a single install, from my Fat, also work on his newer slim?

Thanks a bunch, I appreciate it.

[Bootlegninja]

there's no way they can tell if you used FMCB on a console. on the SCPH-90001, if you have a date code of 8c or later, it's a no go. do a regular install and I think you will be OK as long as you use a slim to install.

[urbigbro]

You can also inject the 75k DVDELF if you have to install from your FAT PS2. This will make it slim compatible.

If you have a chip on the SCPH-90001, just do a normal install from there.

[NeoX360]

there's no way they can tell if you used FMCB on a console. on the SCPH-90001, if you have a date code of 8c or later, it's a no go. do a regular install and I think you will be OK as long as you use a slim to install.

Cool, thanks. My 90001 is an 8c, which I have read is a no go. The other console is a 79001, which I read is ok. I am doing the install from a Fat PS2.

You can also inject the 75k DVDELF if you have to install from your FAT PS2. This will make it slim compatible.

OK so I assume I have to download an elf and place it in the inject folder prior to install. Is that the DVDBIN file I read about, but didn't use?

If you have a chip on the SCPH-90001, just do a normal install from there.

It is stock, no chip. I don't really need it to be modded though, so that is no biggie.

So since I am installing from a Fat PS2, will the mem card still work on a slim? If so, do I have to do a multi install or do I have to inject the dvdbin or whatever? I don't have the slim 79k1 to test it out.

Thanks guys for the help.

[TnA]

You can also inject the 75k DVDELF if you have to install from your FAT PS2. This will make it slim compatible.

Sorry, but that is not true.
It is only a matter of size.

[NeoX360]

Sorry, but that is not true.
It is only a matter of size.

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is only a matter of size? I don't fully understand.


Thanks!

[TnA]

Cool, thanks. My 90001 is an 8c, which I have read is a no go. The other console is a 79001, which I read is ok. I am doing the install from a Fat PS2.

Yes, you should (but you don´t need to) use the small DVDPLx (x=your region --> Tutorials) when you install it from a FAT, since the DVDELF o a FAT is big, wastes MC-Space and startup-load-time.

OK so I assume I have to download an elf and place it in the inject folder prior to install.

You can dump it yourself from a slim you own, or search a bit for it.

Is that the DVDBIN file I read about, but didn't use?

Maybe,...

If you already installed it and it starts on your friends slim (I suggest a multi-install, since it might not start if it isn´t...), you can do installs with his slim without thinking about the injecting-part, since all slims include these small DVDELFs / "DVDPLx".

It is stock, no chip. I don't really need it to be modded though, so that is no biggie.

So since I am installing from a Fat PS2, will the mem card still work on a slim?

Yes, it still will work.
But you should do a multi-install, to ensure best compatibility to all models.

If so, do I have to do a multi install or do I have to inject the dvdbin or whatever? I don't have the slim 79k1 to test it out.

Thanks guys for the help.

Well,... Are you sure, your 90k is incompatible (some with datecode 8c are compatible)?
Is your FMCB-Install a Multi-Install?

Edit:

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is only a matter of size? I don't fully understand.


Thanks!

You posted, while I was replying to your post.

[dlanor]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is only a matter of size? I don't fully understand.

What he meant is only that an FMCB install made on a fat console using the 'Multi-Version' install command will always be compatible with a slim console of the same region, even if no DVDPLx file is 'injected'. But the native KELF file of a fat PS2 is much larger than the DVDPLx file that would replace it if 'injected', so you would lose somewhere between 1.3-1.5 megabytes extra of free space size on your memory card.

So when using a fat PS2 to make an install you should always inject the corresponding DVDPLx file from a slim console (but renamed to DVDELF.BIN), partly because this gives you 1.3-1.5 megabytes more of free space after the install, and partly because booting the smaller file is much faster.

So you will also gain increased boot speed for every future boot...!

As for the SCPH-90001 console, an 8C datecode means that you may or may not have bios v2.30 (which blocks FMCB) as that bios was introduced during the third quarted 2008. If you can boot uLE on that console by any other means you can check the bios version as indicated by the ROMVER string displayed by the uLE command "MISC/Debug Info".

If the string starts with "0230" you do have the new bios making FMCB use on that console impossible. In that case your best softmod option is to get SwapMagic discs and use one of these to boot that console, just like I do for my SCPH-90004 with datecode 9C. Note that you can use ESR and most other homebrew tools even when booting by SwapMagic.

Best regards: dlanor

[NeoX360]

Thank You TnA, dlanor and the rest, for the very helpful information and advice. I think I get it now. I will try to get the DVDPL file off my console and use that injected as advised. Do I do that in ule or some other elf?

I am really impressed with FMCB and I didn't really think that it was slow to startup, so it seems fine the way it is. But hey 1.5 or so MB more free on the MC would be welcome.

I'll try a new install and see what happens with the new file. I did notice that the Multi-Install takes even more space and it is funny that the Sony browser thinks the one file is 32MB, the one with all the dummy files in it. But I understand that they are somewhat like symlinks or similar and not actual files. Ingenious really, guys!

Thanks again

-NeoX360

[NeoX360]

As for the SCPH-90001 console, an 8C datecode means that you may or may not have bios v2.30 (which blocks FMCB) as that bios was introduced during the third quarted 2008. If you can boot uLE on that console by any other means you can check the bios version as indicated by the ROMVER string displayed by the uLE command "MISC/Debug Info".

If the string starts with "0230" you do have the new bios making FMCB use on that console impossible. In that case your best softmod option is to get SwapMagic discs and use one of these to boot that console, just like I do for my SCPH-90004 with datecode 9C. Note that you can use ESR and most other homebrew tools even when booting by SwapMagic.

Ok I missed mentioning this in my last reply. My version is 2.30, according to the version info after starting the console. I don't have it hooked up right now otherwise I would try to run my MC. I guess Sony never really used the update mechanism and decided to axe it. My guess is that this may be the last version of the PS2 anyway as I have heard from retailers that they are not selling so many anymore and the games are starting to get scarce on store shelves, even compared to a year ago. And while it is even a bit slimmer then the previous slim, it is louder then the 79k series. I guess it is because the PSU is internal again and generates more heat, hence higher fan speeds. Of course no where near as loud as the Fat!

Thanks again, dlanor. Did I see your name attached to the ule project?

Regards, NeoX360