Tutorial: Homebrew Booting on Unmodified Consoles

[EugeneWE3RD]

Here is my first tutorial. I wrote this to help people espically newbies who might need help in getting homebrew software to boot on unmodified PS2's. This is just the first part of the tutorial, I other parts are coming later on:

Update:

It has come to my attention on the ps2dev forum post over at http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?p=9927#9927 by dlanor that the PS2 Indepedence Exploit will not work on PS2TWO'S aka slim line PS2's aka V12's. If you own one of the newer PS2's, this tutorial will not work, you will need to own an older PS2. The older PS2's are larger than the new PS2's, older PS2's are the only ones which can load the PS2 Indy Exploit.

Homebrewing on unmodified consoles. To boot homebrew software on unmodified consoles, you have to use the PS2 Independence Exploit.

To use the PS2 Independence Exploit, you have to have a PS2 memory card with free space & a PS1 game, it must be an original PS1 game, backups don't work. You can't use a PS2 game, it must be a PS1 game because the exploit triggers a buffer overrun in the PS2 which is caused by loading a PS1 game. To get the Exploit onto your memory card, you must use a program to get it onto your memory card such as X-Port, Max, N-port, et al.

To easily get started with the PS2 Indy Exploit, download PS2 eXploit Made Easy from http://ps2dev.org/kb.x?T=1069 . Unzip the program & read the readme on how to use the program. The PS1 games which trigger the exploit are included, after unzipping the program, look for these text files which are games-eu.txt (Europe PS2's) & games-us.txt (American PS2's).

Before you start look for the region of your PS2, if you have a European PS2, your region is BEDATA-SYSTEM , if you have an American PS2, your region is BADATA-SYSTEM .

These are the regions:
European:

BEDATA-SYSTEM.max (for users of Max)
BEDATA-SYSTEM.npo (for users of N-Port)
BEDATA-SYSTEM.p2m (for users of Xploder v4 software)
BEDATA-SYSTEM.xps (for users of Sharkport/X-Port)

American:
BADATA-SYSTEM.cbs (for users of Codebreaker via flash drive)
BADATA-SYSTEM.max (for users of Max)
BADATA-SYSTEM.npo (for users of N-Port)
BADATA-SYSTEM.p2m (for users of Xploder v4 software)
BADATA-SYSTEM.xps (for users of Sharkport/X-Port)

Now, use the one of the transfer programs to transfer the exploit to your mem card. If you own a X-port, make sure the PC & PS2 is connected together with the USB cable which comes with the X-port.

For N-port, you need your PS2 & PC have to be connected together thru ethernet cause N-port transfers saves thru the PS2 part of the Network Adapter so you need to own a Network Adapter & your PC & PS2 must be connected correctly.

After you install the PS2 Indy Exploit, insert a PS1 game into your PS2 & restart, if everything went well, you will see a white screen flash & then some text on the screen & after a little while, PS2MENU will load up.

Congradulations, you now have the PS2 Indy Exploit working.

[monkey01]

great tutorial..for some mroe info I have created one too at:
http://ps2.lookatthemonkeys.com

[ubay]

is there a chance to work on jap consoles?

[PS2onCrAcK]

I have a codebreaker for ps2, is there a way i can use this to install the exploit onto my MC?? and what software burns mode2? i know nero full version does but it costs...I have nero express....but it sucks....can anyone help someone on a very slim budget?? I am attempting to backup my kids games so i do keep spending a ton of money on the same games over and over....i am on at least my 3rd copy of each of their games....thanks for any help you guys can give me...

[EugeneWE3RD]

is there a chance to work on jap consoles?

Well, I only have a USA console but I will try to help you. To get the exploit on a Jap console using the X-Port, you will need to:

Download Exploit save Files - Xport format , PS2 Menu & Titleman frontend (win32) from http://www.ps2savetools.com/download...download&cid=7 .

Download PS2 Save Builder from http://www.ps2savetools.com/download...download&cid=1

Download Win32 command line XPort utility from http://www.ps2savetools.com/download...titleA&show=20

Unzip exploitxportsaves.zip (Exploit save Files - Xport format). Then look for the X-Port file which says JA_SystemSave2506-436700.xps. This is the X-Port file for a Jap system. The file name is pretty large so rename JA_SystemSave2506-436700.xps to JAP.XPS.

Next, open up titlemanfrontend.zip (Titleman frontend (win32) in your unzipping software & extract only the titleman.exe file into the same directory as your JAP.XPS file.

Next, unzip PS2SaveBuilder.zip (PS2 Save Builder) into the same directory as your JAP.XPS file.

Next, unzip PS2MENU into the same directory as JAP.XPS.

Next, unzip Win32 command line XPort utility (xpstool.zip) into the same directory as JAP.XPS.

Next, open up PS2 Save Builder (ps2save-builder.exe) & open up the JAP.XPS. Now push & hold down the ctrl key & highlight PS2IP.IRX, PS2LINK.IRX & PS2SMAP.IRX & right click on one of the files & select delete. Now save your XPS file. Now, highlight the TITLE.DB & right click on it & select extract. Close down PS2 Save Builder.

Now, we are going to use titleman.exe which is a command prompt program. If you have Windows 95 or Windows 98, just use a dos prompt. If you are Windows XP (I think that this might work for Windows 2000 or NT), select your start menu & select run & then enter cmd.

Since this is a command line prog, you have to type in what you want. Type this in titleman -a SCUS_000.67 (replace SCUS_000.67 with the name of the of your PS1 game's executable file). To find out, insert your PS1 game into your computer's cdrom/DVD (depeding on what you have). The executable will either start with SLUS, SLES, SCUS or SCED.

After you type in what you need on titleman, your game is then added to TITLE.DB

Now, look for the file called xpstool.exe , this is the command line utility for X-Port files. Now, you will want to get the TITLE.DB back into your JAP.XPS, for this, type this in XPSTOOL A JAP.XPS TITLE.DB . You must type this in using capital letters because the PS2 INDY Exploit files must be in capital letters for the exploit to run.

Exit your dos prompt or CMD (CMD is for Win XP).

Now, unzip PS2MENU into the same directory as JAP.XPS. PS2MENU will create a folder after it's unziped. Open up the PS2MENU folder & copy the ps2menu.elf to the same directory as JAP.XPS.

Now, open up a dos prompt or CMD, now do this:

REN PS2MENU.ELF BOOT.ELF
XPSTOOL A JAP.XPS BOOT.ELF

Now, exit your dos prompt or CMD.

Now, you have the PS2 Indy Exploit. Now make sure the PC & PS2 is connected together with the USB cable which comes with the X-port. Then load up X-Port on your PC & PS2 & transfer JAP.XPS to your PS2's mem card.

Then insert the PS1 game which you listed in TITLE.DB into your PS2 & restart. If everyone was done correctly, you should see a white flash & PS2MENU will load up.

Congradulations, you know how the PS2 Indy Exploit on your JAP PS2.

[ubay]

thank you very much!

[EugeneWE3RD]

thank you very much!

Your welcome. I would have wrote the tutorial earlier but I have been playing with my new computer the past week so I didn't have time until now.

[PS2onCrAcK]

Eugene, I am going to use codebreaker for this because it's the only means that makes logical sense as it looks like a simple file transfer....so...my question is...how can I get hdloader, keylauncher, and mediaplayer on there using this method? does the BADATA-SYSTEM.cbs file have to be created manually? or am I just thinking completely wrong here....I don't want ps2menu and i want to be able to boot keylauncher without a disc.

[PS2onCrAcK]

Ok, used codebreaker and it worked beautifully, props to Eugene on this great source...I just need to know how to modify the BADATA-SYSTEM.cbs file so I can throw in the other elf's that i need...can ANYONE help?

[EugeneWE3RD]

Ok, used codebreaker and it worked beautifully, props to Eugene on this great source...I just need to know how to modify the BADATA-SYSTEM.cbs file so I can throw in the other elf's that i need...can ANYONE help?

Unfortunetly, I have no experience with the newer codebreakers, the codebreaker which I own is an older version of Codebreaker which was released around 2000 or 2001. You might want to contact the author of PS2 eXploit Made Easy to see about how he made the *.cbs files or who he got them from.