Exploit for my 90004 CB

[baglio]

Hello guys!
I'm new on psx-scene, this community is awesome!

Well, i'm figuring out if I can Exploit my PSTwo I bought last year. The model is 90004 CB with datacode 9C.
Now, I know that FreeMCBoot should not work on this particoular models, though I heard that someone made it!

As I remember it's all about the BIOS version, which shouldn't be higher than 220.
Unfortunately I have no idea how to check my system BIOS, and I know that boot methods for FMCB needs to buy some stuff, like swap magic or AR MAX.

So, what do you think about it, is there any way to check if it's possible to run FMCB on my console or I should wait for a new release of the exploit?

Thank you very much, sorry my bad english! XD

[dlanor]

Hello guys!
I'm new on psx-scene, this community is awesome!

Well, i'm figuring out if I can Exploit my PSTwo I bought last year. The model is 90004 CB with datacode 9C.
Now, I know that FreeMCBoot should not work on this particoular models,

That is correct.

though I heard that someone made it!

That is incorrect. FMCB can not boot on any console newer than datecode 8C, and only on a few of those with datecode 8C.
In bios v2.30 which was introduced at that time, the code that checks for bootable files at power-on/reset has been completely removed.
Thus it is impossible for anyone to succeed in booting FMCB on those consoles (short of replacing the bios firmware ROM).

What you may have heard is that some people have started the FMCB menu on such a console, which is quite easy to do once you have some other way of booting homebrews. But 'starting it' by manual commands in homebrews is not the same thing as 'booting it' at power-on/reset.

As I remember it's all about the BIOS version, which shouldn't be higher than 220.

Yes, and bios v2.30 was introduced during the third quarter of 2008 (hence datecode 8C), and for the newest model of PS2 (built into a TV!), it has been replaced by bios v2.50 (and perhaps even newer now), which still lacks the bootable file usage that FMCB would need (gone for good).

Unfortunately I have no idea how to check my system BIOS, and I know that boot methods for FMCB needs to buy some stuff, like swap magic or AR MAX.

With a datecode of 9C (same as for my own SCPH-90004) there is no need to check the bios version directly.
We know that it has to be v2.30, as no other bios has been used during that manufacturing period. (A full year after the introduction of bios v2.30)

So, what do you think about it, is there any way to check if it's possible to run FMCB on my console or I should wait for a new release of the exploit?

Unfortunately your console is completely unable to boot FMCB and there is no known exploit, nor any plans for such, that would work on these new PS2 models.

What you can do to run homebrews and backups on it is split into two main options:

1: Hardware modchip:
This will allow you to run both PS1 and PS2 backups, as well as homebrews of all kinds.
One drawback is that some of the newest games had effective modchip detection, refusing to run at all with such chips...

2: Retail Boot disc to start homebrews: (mainly SwapMagic boot discs)
This is what I use myself to boot homebrews on my console with bios v2.30, and those homebrews then allow me to do almost everything that I could do with a modchip, though with some variations, such as having to patch ISOs before burning backup discs to be booted via the homebrew ESR drivers. But that is not really a problem since I mostly use the OPL homebrew to run games over LAN, from storage on one of my PCs (currently holding a total of 244 PS2 CD and DVD ISOs installed for OPL).
One major drawback is that this method does not allow booting of PS1 backup discs. (Would require sensor-blocked swap methods)

Note that while one of the purposes of the SwapMagic discs is that they should be used to ease sensor-blocked booting of PS2 game backups, that is not how I use it, nor do I recommend anyone else to do so. I use their boot discs only to boot homebrews from MC (can also be done from USB, which makes it easy to get started). Then I use homebrew methods to do everything else I need, just as if those homebrews had been booted via FMCB.

If you do opt for SwapMagic, make sure to get either v3.6 or v3.8 (aka: SM3coder). Older versions did not support booting homebrews from USB, which could make it harder to get started. But with v3.6/v3.8 you just use a PC to place a boot folder for uLaunchELF on a USB drive, with the elf stored as "SWAPMAGIC/SWAPMAGIC.ELF", and after booting with this USB drive plugged into the PS2 you can easily copy that boot folder to your MC. Thus you can then boot uLE without dependency on that USB drive. (NB: As always for PS2, the USB drive format should be FAT32.)

Best regards: dlanor

[baglio]

Thank you very much for your answers... they've been very exhaustive!

So, I'm thinking about which method will work for my needed... Of course SwapMagic is less challenging, but is kind of boring keep booting Swap Disk before start Homebrew.
Also, I heard an amazing thing about you, the possibility to launch games from HDD via LAN.

If it's so, I just need to keep SwapMagic CD into the drive, and than start games from HDD. Is it correct?
This way seems to me the best one, also if is a shame for the PS1 backups.
Is this (the PS1 backup ones) a problem only whit HDD boot, or I can't either boot them from CD backups?

Thank you very much!!!!

[dlanor]

Thank you very much for your answers... they've been very exhaustive!

So, I'm thinking about which method will work for my needed... Of course SwapMagic is less challenging, but is kind of boring keep booting Swap Disk before start Homebrew.

It does take a little longer to boot, but the way I use homebrews I don't need to do it very much, even if I use the PS2 all day.

Also, I heard an amazing thing about you,

Hmmm. I think you here meant to say something like "Also, I heard about an amazing thing from you,".
(Foreign languages can be tricky, I know...)

the possibility to launch games from HDD via LAN.

If it's so, I just need to keep SwapMagic CD into the drive, and than start games from HDD. Is it correct?

Yes, that is correct. This is exactly how I mostly use my own SCPH-90004. Except that I prefer the DVD disc rather than the CD.
(For various reasons the CD disc does not read as reliably in my console.)

I keep the SwapMagic DVD inside the drive at all times, so it is always ready when I need to reboot.
And since I run all the games and homebrews from other media, such as LAN, I don't need the CDVD drive for anything else.

This way seems to me the best one, also if is a shame for the PS1 backups.
Is this (the PS1 backup ones) a problem only whit HDD boot, or I can't either boot them from CD backups?

Unfortunately FMCB and most other homebrews have no support at all for PS1 backups.

This is because the Sony method of running PS1 games places the whole console in a state where PS2 homebrews can not work.
In that mode another chip is used as main CPU of the console, even though that chip is normally used only for IO device drivers.
It is done that way because the PS2's IO CPU is almost identical to the CPU of a PS1 (unlike the normal main CPU of the PS2).
And that is why no PS2 homebrew can remain in control while the console is in that PS1 mode.

Two methods to run PS1 backups do exist:

1: It is possible to do 'disc-swapping' with physically blocked disc sensors, tricking the console that a validation done for one original PS1 disc is in fact valid for any PS1 backup CD-R discs that it is then swapped with. I never use this method myself, but reputedly the results differ a lot between different PS2 models. Apparently some models are easy to swap on while others make it very hard to succeed at this.

2: There is a homebrew PS1 emulator for the PS2 named "PS2PSXe". This allows PS1 games to be run as Cue+Bin files from various media, but unfortunately this emulator is still in an early beta stage. It has problems with many games, and has no sound implementation at all. We all hope that ffgriever (the author) will complete it for a proper release, but this remains uncertain. You can find more information on this in the ESR subforum (another project by ffgriever) which is itself inside the forum for "PS2 Homebrew/Dev & Emu Scene".

Best regards: dlanor

[baglio]

Hmmm. I think you here meant to say something like "Also, I heard about an amazing thing from you,".
(Foreign languages can be tricky, I know...)

Hahaha, yes, it's correct! that's exactly what I meant! I'm sorry, after all, I make myself understand the best I can XD
Anyway, this is a great news. I'm moving to find out the right copy of SwapMagic, is this one correct?



Its complete name is Swap Magic 3.8 Coder PAL (of course my console is PAL too).
Also, can you suggest me a good Ethernet HDD for boot up my Backups? is it hard to configure whit the SwapMagic software?

Thanks A LOT!

[dlanor]

Hahaha, yes, it's correct! that's exactly what I meant! I'm sorry, after all, I make myself understand the best I can XD

And you didn't fail, since I did understand what you meant.
I only pointed out your mistake so you can avoid making the same one in future.

Anyway, this is a great news. I'm moving to find out the right copy of SwapMagic, is this one correct?



Its complete name is Swap Magic 3.8 Coder PAL (of course my console is PAL too).

That is exactly the same SwapMagic version I use, so that should definitely work for you too.

Also, can you suggest me a good Ethernet HDD for boot up my Backups?

No, I'm afraid not. I assume you mean some kind of NAS server, which i never had any.

I only connect my PS2 to the same LAN as my computers, and configure the PS2 software to access fileshares on those computers through their native SMB protocol. So I don't use any special HDD with this PS2 console.

is it hard to configure whit the SwapMagic software?

The SwapMagic software is not involved in the running of games over LAN.

That is done by the homebrew program OPL == "Open PS2 Loader", which can run games from LAN, USB drives, or from the internal HDD of a fat PS2.
You can read more about OPL and its features in its own subforum, inside the forum "PS2 Homebrew/Dev & Emu Scene".

I use SwapMagic == SM3coder only for two things:

1: I use SM3coder for the initial boot of uLaunchELF from MC (the first time you will do it from USB though).
After that boot all other tasks are handled by uLaunchELF or other homebrews, so SM3coder is not involved in those tasks.

2: I use SM3coder for running games with cheat codes active, by first booting into its cheat selection menu to choose game and cheats, and then exiting from it by using the 'special' boot to start uLaunchELF. This then starts just as normally, though the SM3coder cheat engine is resident awaiting activation of the chosen game. So then I start OPL as usual and use it to run the game for which I selected cheats earlier, and when that game starts up the resident SM3coder cheat engine activates those previously selected cheats.

NB: This use of its cheat code engine is the only case where SM3coder remains involved after the initial booting.
For all other cases its involvement ends there, with homebrew programs handling all else.

Best regards: dlanor

[baglio]

I only pointed out your mistake so you can avoid making the same one in future.

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

OK, so this is what I get since now:

I can't use FreeMCboot on my PS2 model, so I can't load it directly from MC, instead, I can use Swap Magic inserted
in the console for booting uLaunchELF.
The Swap Magic CD/DVD is only needed to boot the aforementioned Launcher, and from that I can start others Homebrews.

One of theme, is OPL which loads PS2 ISOS shared whit my others computer.
Is it fast as an IDE HDD, or is it crappy as an USB loader? I think LAN should be faster than USB right?
What about the game compatibility? Is there many issues? Do most of the games ran well?

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!

OPL

[TnA]

@baglio: I've got a 'Buffalo Linkstation' 1TB NAS for under 100€.
I saw it for under 80$ (Dollar not Euro!) already on the net (price for a new NAS).

Here's my NAS-Thread.
http://psx-scene.com/forums/f150/jus...eatures-84426/ (Just got a NAS! Need help flashing it with another OS/FW, or extending it's features!)


I also have a router called 'Easybox 803A', which is supplied by Vodafone and which includes 3USB-Ports.
I could connect a normal USB-HDD/Stick to these ports and share it through my LAN as multiple kind of shares:

For example: FTP, SMB/SAMBA, NFS,...

SMB/SAMBA is what OPL and SMS use, so I suggest that.
SMB-Shares are normal 'Windows-Shares' and commonly used by NAS-Devices.

My NAS is even Open-Source and I can put debian or a 'custom firmware' (a linux-deviant/version) on it, so I can freely extend the features.

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

OK, so this is what I get since now:

I can't use FreeMCboot on my PS2 model, so I can't load it directly from MC, instead, I can use Swap Magic inserted
in the console for booting uLaunchELF.
The Swap Magic CD/DVD is only needed to boot the aforementioned Launcher, and from that I can start others Homebrews.

One of theme, is OPL which loads PS2 ISOS shared whit my others computer.

All correct!

Is it fast as an IDE HDD, or is it crappy as an USB loader?

It's slower than HDD, but definatly faster than USB.

I think LAN should be faster than USB right?

You guess/think right.

What about the game compatibility? Is there many issues? Do most of the games ran well?

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!

OPL

Well, I'd say:

Starting games from LAN/SMB is the most convenient way.

1. You can keep all your games as standard-ISOs and don't need to convert it back and forth... That also means, that you don't need to do anything else, if you want to burn those games again. Just choose the ISO in your favourite burning-application and 'let's go'.

2. You don't need to transfer your games to the internal HDD, or dismantle your PC to attach an HDD to one of those cables in there.
You also don't need to take out the internal HDD and you also don't need to wait for hours to transfer a few games through LAN to the PS2s internal HDD (because all Input/Output of LAN currently still 'goes through' the IOP [co-processor of the PS2] and is somewhat slow still [compared to normal 'Fast-Ethernet' 100Mbit/s]).

3. You are not limited in the file-size.
Internal HDDs are not recognized correctly, if they are ~1TB and higher/bigger.
The same applies to externally connected USB-HDDs.
...and then there is a limit to the number of games you could install to the internal HDD (254 or 255 thought).

4. You don't need to create a new partition and folder for VMCs on HDD, or USB and don't need to have your game-files defragmented (USB needs to have all files which are used 'in-game', to be fragment-free, means: 1file must be of one continous data-block).


...and I can go further,... But I guess you got the point.

[baglio]

Thank you for your suggestion.
Well, I'm looking right now for cheap NAS around the WEB, but before afford this, I'd like to know something about games compatibility and speed.

I saw a couple of video on Youtube whit some people using OPL at a veeeeeery sllloooooow speed. I hope these videos are outdated.
Anyway, I'd like to use NAS only for PS2, is there any problems?
Do I need to connect NAS also to others PC or can I just leave it connected only to my Ps2 system?

Thanks!

[TnA]

Just edited my post, while you were writing.
Look at the additional info!

Well,... I have it connected to my router, because I also use it for PC-related stuff, but yes... It should be quite possible to attach it directly (I presume you need a Crossover-Cable in most cases.).

Btw.: If you already have a Router with USB-Connections, you might not need a NAS at all.
Do you happen to have a router with USB-Connections?