Questions about McBoot...

**Crash0r** · 12-13-2010,06:17 PM

Hello guys,

I have some questions to ask you. Maybe they sound a bit stupid, but I try to express myself as clear as possible.

Firstly I'd like to know the exact funtion of McBoot. What does it actually do? What effects does it have on a PS2? I also don't get the exact meaning of the word "homebrews", which is used in the explanation of the homepage.

Then there is another question regarding McBoot: Is it possible to install it without buying any additional equipment such as CodeBreak, GameShark, AR Max, SwapMagic etc. ? I mean, I do have an original Memory Card, I do have a PS2, a Laptop/PC, many USB sticks - but I don't have any of those utilities which I mentioned before.

That's it for now.

I'd appreciate any answers or/and help regarding these questions.

Thanks in advance

**LocalH** · 12-14-2010,02:48 AM

Originally Posted by Crash0r

Hello guys,

I have some questions to ask you. Maybe they sound a bit stupid, but I try to express myself as clear as possible.

Firstly I'd like to know the exact funtion of McBoot. What does it actually do? What effects does it have on a PS2? I also don't get the exact meaning of the word "homebrews", which is used in the explanation of the homepage.

Free McBoot (FMCB) is a piece of code that hijacks the process Sony included in all BIOS version prior to v2.30 to allow loading signed ELF files onto a memory card (AFAIK there were very few uses of this feature, I think the official HDD adapter uses it, the DVD player on the original Japanese PS2, and I'm not sure what else). FMCB also hacks the OSDSYS (On-Screen Display SYStem, I suppose) to modify/add entries and text positioning, allowing one to assign menu items to ELF files on MCs and USB drives, and thus run code of their own choosing instead of requiring Sony's approval. This is the same exploit that is at the core of the commercial Memor32 product. Sony revealed that they have no plans to release any more such programs for the PS2 by removing the required functionality from the v2.30 BIOS.

FMCB has no known lasting effects on a PS2 - once you pull the MC with FMCB installed on it, the PS2 is in a completely unmodded state.

"Homebrew" means programs written by skilled PS2 enthusiasts to run on the actual PS2 console, but without using the official PS2 SDK (which would cause the resulting programs to be illegal to distribute, similar to the Xbox 1 scene.

Then there is another question regarding McBoot: Is it possible to install it without buying any additional equipment such as CodeBreak, GameShark, AR Max, SwapMagic etc. ? I mean, I do have an original Memory Card, I do have a PS2, a Laptop/PC, many USB sticks - but I don't have any of those utilities which I mentioned before.

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to install FMCB without some way to boot homebrew, sort of a chicken-and-the-egg problem. I personally recommend the Swap Magic route - the discs by themselves aren't that expensive, and no swapping is actually required, since SM can boot a homebrew ELF (in this case, the FMCB installer) from a pen drive automatically.

**Gnom** · 12-14-2010,05:46 AM

Cheapest way to install FMCB without any equipment or risk of damaging the console is to use the help of a volunteer who will install it on your card for free, except for the shipping costs. Find more infos in the dedicated thread at the top of the thread lists.

**Crash0r** · 12-14-2010,01:17 PM

Thanks a lot for those answers!

Okay, it seems like I have no other choice but buying an additional tool.

What do you guys recommend me? I mean, which of those tools, CodeBreak, GameShark, AR Max, SwapMagic?

Thanks in advance!

**Gnom** · 12-14-2010,04:50 PM

I think swap magic 3.6 and higher versions is the more simple and reliable product, since it allows to directly load elfs with a good compatibility. Others either have a bad compatibility or allow you to load elfs by using some tricks.

**spud42** · 12-14-2010,05:32 PM

postage and the free install service is quick and cheaper than buying a disk. your choice though....

**Crash0r** · 12-14-2010,05:35 PM

Could you provide me with some links I could possibly get it from? I live in Austria, but it's fine if the product is somewhere in Europe

I have read something about USBExtreme (don't know the exact name). Do I need any additional hardware for that besides an USB stick? I understood it this way: Simply put an USB into your PC, then load some particular files, they should get your PS2 booting, and you are able to install McBoot...
I'm pretty sure I misunderstood it though

**Gnom** · 12-15-2010,10:39 AM

Yes, you misunderstood. USBExtreme is a PS2 program (ELF) that will allow you to load games from a USB stick (though it has been render obsolete by Open PS2 Loader). But in order to do that, you already must have a way to launch programs on the PS2, be it FMCB or something else.

So the only way it could help you install FMCB is if you had a retail USBExtreme disc, which is a bootable disc including the USBExtreme program. But if you're going to buy something, you'd better buy swap magic which is far more appropriate (you can't create that disc yourself, it is like a PS2 game).

**Crash0r** · 12-15-2010,11:40 AM

I wonder if Swap Magic does actually harm the PS2...

I mean, the PS2 starts loading the CD, then you have to take the CD out and replace it with the one you want to play. It may be, that you harm the laser of your PS2, or not? For me it doesn't look that safe...

Besides of that, does Swap Magic have the highest compitability rate among the other methods?

**TnA** · 12-15-2010,11:50 AM

Originally Posted by Crash0r

I wonder if Swap Magic does actually harm the PS2...

I mean, the PS2 starts loading the CD, then you have to take the CD out and replace it with the one you want to play. It may be, that you harm the laser of your PS2, or not? For me it doesn't look that safe...

Besides of that, does Swap Magic have the highest compitability rate among the other methods?

You still got it wrong!

SwapMagic supports loading ELFs (in it's newer versions) from USB and MC.
Beside that, it's ELF-Loader is by far more compatible than the ELF-Loader of many other commercial tools (for example 'ActionReplay').

Other than that, Swap-Magic simply gives you more than one way to start ELFs.
-Using the ELF-Loader
-Using a prepared Homebrew-Disc

If you yank out the tray to swap for another disc, it could harm your hardware of course.
Might it be due to wrong handling (user-error) or due to other things.
It's physics, so yes it could damage the tray easier in a FAT atleast, but this issue doesn't even come into play when you use the ELF-Loader.

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