How to Install 3.90 M33 Custom Firmware on Your PSP
So I have updated my PSP to 3.90 M33 already. It works kinda faster now. The installation process just only took me less than 5 minutes. So how did I do it? Well here you go. Another great tutorial for all PSP lovers out there.
The Requirements
Everybody must read this. This is very important. I don’t want any of you to brick your PSPs so please read this. Thank you.
- A PSP (Phat or Slim) with installed custom firmware 3.52 M33-4 or higher. My PSP had 3.80 M33-5 custom firmware.
- A USB Cable to connect your PSP to your computer
- 100% fully charged battery. This is just to be sure your PSP won’t turn off in the middle of the update. It’s also good if you have your PSP plugged into your AC Adaptor.
The Installation Guide
- Grab the 3.90 M33 installer pack and unzip it anywhere on your computer.
- Using the USB Cable, connect the PSP to your Computer then copy the UPDATE folder from your computer to your PSP in this directory: ms0:\PSP\GAME
- Disconnect your PSP from your computer then on your PSP XMB, go to GAME>Memory Stick then run the 3.90 M33 update. The update will verify your 3.90 eboot file and after verification you will be asked to execute the update. Execute it.
- Follow the instructions on the SCE updater. After the update, press X or O to manually reboot.
- Congratulations. You now have a 3.90 M33 Powered PSP.
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138 Responses
[...] Phat PSP with 3.90 M33 custom Firmware installed. This one does not work on a PSP slim but don’t fret, because there is one [...]
Thanks once again for the guide … after reading ur guide … it is not so scary to update my phat psp
Thanks alot
I don’t see skype on my psp slim after updating to 3.90 m33. Any ideas?
Thanks
@Phantom Go to recovery mode.. as written by Dark_Alex:
“fake region should do the trick. You would loose the japanese icons, but will gain the skype one.”
Japan: no skype no go messenger
America: no go messenger
Europe: it has both.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the info Pongster.
realy need help,i just upgraded to the new 3.90 firmware but i can’t install any m33 homebrews.how can i downgrade or install any homebrew?
can i install this with my official firmware 3.90?
i have a slim psp and 3.90m33 cfw but i dont have the skype, how can i get to recovery mode?
hi! i have a psp slim..with original firmware of 3.72, how can i upgrade to a custom firmware? thanks!
@timontv: you have to downgrade it using a pandora service battery. then follow the 3,52 m33 guide writtenb by stylemo to upgrade to cfw and then you can update it to 3.71, then 3.80 and then 3.90m33
@rolly: to enter recovery mode, turn off the psp and turn it on while holding R
thanks for the info regarding skype… i cant view it before but i was able to go to recovery mode and its showing up right now..
guys! im on 3.80 m33-5.. nd its quite ok.. i haven’t experience any problems with it? how bout u 3.90 m33 users? i’ve read alot of forums bout the problems they’re having.. like while on the game, they can’t exit thru home.. is dis true? kindly state ur experiences.. tnx!
for stylemo: tnx!
after copying the upate folder to psp…we will disconnect it and execute the update file in game>memory stick…am i right??
just wanted to make sure that i got the instructions right??
and i have 3.71 cfw…can i directly update to 3.90??
i have the official sony firmware 3.80. Would someone pls tell me how to get it to 3.80 m33 so i can play me downloaded games
@kalby: there are different kinds of downloaded games. One is the demos, and the other is the one we do not speak of in here. I should place rules on posting comments.
To answer your question: Get yourself a pandora’s battery and a magic memory stick.
@kalby: ooooooppss!!!
@stylemo: sabi ko sa yo eh….wag gawing forum!
is it ok to update from 3.71m33-4 directly to 3.90 m33?
and which is more stable, 3.71m33-4 or 3.90m33?
i have a 3.03 OE-C System Software how can i upgrade to M33
i’m using a psp slim,from 3.71 m33-4 i upgraded to 3.80 m33 but i noticed that nothing changed (no visualization was added except for the internet radio feature). i then tried updating to 3.80 m33-5 finally to 3.90 m33 but nothing happened,even the skype feature did not show up, i followed the instructions carefully though, i really don’t know what went wrong,would it be possible to downgrade to 3.71 m33-4 and repeat the whole process,i’m thinking it might solve the problem. pls help!
@sanondail: yes, you can upgrade directly, how bout reading stylemo’s posts? hehehe..
carlitoes2007: upgrade first to 3.52 m33..
sir, do you still need pandora for this to work?
hey guys i instal all the updates but still i can’t load any psp game from ms :/ then i try to load a game its says ‘The game could not be started (80020321) ‘ can any one help me ?? :/
grasshopper: try modifying the m33 vsh menu by pressing select or home on your psp xmb menu, then use memory stick as your umd driver,
Grasshopper, is your problem solved. Does this version play homebrews from memory stick like other CFW?
Thnx carlito !!!! i did it
)))
@Babu: AFAIK, all CFWs play homebrew games! Its just
that some people are just too excited to update their
CFWs that they encounter problems on their PSP.
can any1 tell me how to get this to apsp wit ofw 3.90 plz
I update my PSP Fat version 3.71 M33-4 to 3.80 M33-5 but there was an error, it say’s that incorrect configuration (DRNFFFFFFD7). HOW CAN i FIX THIS PROBLEM. TNX
3.90 m33-2 already out!
Thanks for the info darwin v. I’m gonna post some updates tomorrow. I’m kinda busy with projects right now. No time to blog. Will you help me out then?
@stylemo:
sure master! watch want me to do?
—————————-
i’m kinda getting impatient waiting for 1.50 slim kernel already.
Can i use an 8 gb memory stick for this? cause i have an imitation 2 gb memory stick and so which stick should i use?
can anyone confirm if i can update 3.60 m33 straight to 3.90 m33-2? any risk of brickin the slim psp? thx!
Need some help here! I run the update for 3.90 on my psp 3.52 m33-4 custom firmware. but it struck at please wait for more than 5 minutes. what should I do?
Got the same problem as HuiShan, i updated from 3.52 m33-4.
It’s been stuck for 10 minutes now.
started with
Unpacking…done.
Please wait…
been so for 11 minutes now, should i wait or reboot or smth?
the problem is that you are not in the proper kernel. Restart your psp and go to the recovery menu (ie hold down R when turning the psp on). Go to configuration and you will see the line:
Game folder homebrew (currently: 1.50 kernel)
you need to select this and press x to change the kernel.
Exit the recovery menu, try the installation again and it should work fine.
i had the same problem as swedish and hui. and i did what u said about changing the kernel thing. but i get an error msg like “checking id disgeneration”?
does it mean i cnt update to 3.90 m33-2 if i dun have 1.50 kernel? n oso can someone plz confirm if i can update 3.60 m33 straight to 3.90m33-2? i am upgrading psp for e first time.. am v worried abt bricking it so appreciate if someone can help..
@Jin: If you’ve got a slim which I think you have, you don’t need the 1.50 kernel. You can update it straight away from 3.60 M33 to 3.90 M33. Aren’t you reading the requirements? I wrote there that you need 3.52 M33-4 or higher. Which means if you have 3.60 M33 then you passed the requirements and you can safely upgrade your device as long as you follow the instrcutions. I’m not gonna be responsible for brickages here, ok. I haven’t bricked one PSP in my whole hacking lifetime. That’s why I’m here to share my safe methods to you guys out there that I know who need help.
Stuck at the “please wait” message?
This (((((( may )))))) fix the problem:
1. Reboot your PSP (Hold Power Button for 5 seconds)
2. Turn on PSP (Power Button)
3. Hold R immediately after Step 2
4. You are now in Recovery Mode, yay
5. Select “Configuration”
6. Select “Game folder homebrew” and keep pressing x
until the kernel version is the same version number
of what custom firmware you are currently running
7. Select “Back”
8. Select “Exit”
9. Now give that Custom Firmware Update another try
This may not work for EVERYONE, so don’t be angry if it
doesn’t, because I let you know beforehand.
Well I gave you advice on how to fix that stupid bug, now it’s your job to spread the word in all the other psp sites.
SPREAD IT! SPREAD IT NOW!
I already intalled 3.90 m33-2 on psp slim but it seem that the my psp become a little bit slower in terms of its RAM….
i saw it when i play tekken DR… did anybody knows how to fix it???
i have a phat psp
i never had custom firmware before i have psp firmware 3.90 is there any way i can get the latest CFW without bricking my PSP?help me please?
oh and i have white slim PSP
Yo Stylemo, thanks a lot 4 the custom firmwares.I updated my PSP Slim from 3.71 M33 to 3.90 M33 following your simple steps.I’ll spread word about ur site . Thanks again!!!;)
stylemo thank you very much, i updated my psp firmware 3.71 m33 to 3.90 m33 with simple step and without bricking thanks again for sharing
i just purchased psp slim. i’m trying to upgrade to a customized firmware w/o bricking my system. i need a step by step tutorial emailed to me. i’ve already downloaded the dark alex cfw 3.90 m33 and the m33-2 update patch. could also provide info on magic memory stick and pandora’s battery.
rokjewelz@gmail.com
hye stylemo i just wanted to say thanks a ton for your guides youve helped me out a ton and i just wanted to say your work is really appreciated!
when I upgrade to 3.90, will skype and go messenger will be automatically installed?
@The guy who cared:
Thank you! My Patapon UMD is happy with 3.90-2!!
How does one get the custom firware on originally to add the 3.90 M33 (“A PSP (Phat or Slim) with installed custom firmware 3.52 M33-4 or higher.”) as listed in the instructions when you have a brand new – off the shelf PSP?
stylemo kindly give us an idea on skype and go messenger, pleaseeee..
@arizzf: Skype will only be available for PSP Slim users. However Go Messenger will ba available for both. If you are using a custom Firmware and you want the Skype and/or Go Messenger icons to show up, change your region settings in the Recovery menu (shutdown your PSP then reboot while holding the R button).
You nee a Go Cam to use the Go Messenger. It’s one wicked mobile video chat.
thanks stylemo..however u forget to mention to which region i will set my psp..
I just did this and it bricked my psp. After it was all done, it went dark and does not return.
My PSP started working again by itself. At first I would only get a green light, then a little bit later the green light+memory flash color, and now it is ok.
Is the 3.90 M33 stable? I am worried and maybe will go to 3.71 M33-4 again.
Question:
What is the best way to return my PSP to 3.70 m33-4 AGAIN?
DOUBLE check all the requirements if your unit satisfies them just to make sure bricking won’t happen again. Sometimes people get too excited knowing their unit will be updated.
Well I started at 3.40oe-a, then went to 3.51 M33(to -4), then 3.71 M33(to -4).
After going through the procedure on this page to make it 3.90 M33, the PSP just went dark and I have been having to set it on recovery mode, in order for it to work.
Right now the PSP is turning on, will play the UMD movie,but shuts down when I try to play an ISO.
I reformatted the memory card after I was able to get the PSP to turn on in regular mode. I also tried to upgrade to 3.90 M33-2, but that failed as well. I was hoping that this would sort out the bug that is causing my PSP startup/ISO problems.
Please help before I make the next move, I don´t want to damage something that may only need slight tinkering.
ps- I did not use the M33-2 from here, but from Dark Alex.
pps- my 3.90 M33, as said before, is from here.
Hey belly, does your PSP boot to the XMB? If it does not, I think it’s a semi-brick. Maybe you were using custom themes when you made the update. Am I right?
You can’t update to 3.90 M33-2 if you don’t have 3.90 M33. The best way is to revert everything back. I’m gonna write another instructional procedure on how to do it – like Howto revert your custom firmwares to 1.50.
Stay tuned. And thanks.
Hi Stylemo,
You know what is weird? today my PSP is working fine. God of War is fine, and there were no problems at startup.
I was expecting the same problems as yesterday. Is there any explanation as to why it would work fine today and messed up yesterday?
It may mess up later, but for now it is normal.
ps- I was not using any custom themes.
The system froze and shut down during God of War, but since it is working today, I figured I would be daring and installed 3.90 M33-2.
3.90 M33-2 is on my PSP, I got 3.90 M33-2 from Dark Alex and 3.90 M33 from you.
The 3.90 M33 you used here is the same one from Dark Alex. I suggest you revert back to 3.71 M33 if you are having problems like that. But I think God of War requires 3.90 and higher firmware.
I’m having problems too. Like the PSP freezing and the screen going black when I’m playing need for speed. So I think it’s the 3.90 M33 isn’t stable yet.
I think that I am going to stick it out till a 3.90 M33-3 comes out. I played several games today, and only got one freeze and shutdown.
GOW does not work well on my 3.90 M33-2. It freezes pretty early in the game.
Thanks for the M33-2, your blog is super helpful.
mga boss san ba ko pde makakuha theme ng apple para 3.71 cfw… thanks!
I have a psp with version 3.02 oe-b custom firmware. I decided to update it to the newest firmware. So first I updated to 3.52 then to 3.52-4. Then I proceeded to update to 3.90. The tutorials say the update can be done as long as 3.52-4 is installed. I checked the firmware version before I starting the 3.90 and it said 3.52 m33-4. So I deleted the previous m33 update files put the 3.90 install files. I ran it from the psp. First it said:
unpacking… done.
then it said
Please wait…
Right now it is stuck at this step. What should I do? I haven’t turned it off and its still at the “Please wait” spot right now. What should I do next? Anyone have any advice? Is it hopeless and have I bricked it?. I followed the instructions perfectly.
Ok the thing wasn’t bricked after I had the guts to actually reboot it. I simply needed to go into the recovery menu and set it to boot 3.52 rather then 1.50. Sorry this was my first time doing it. You should really add that somewhere inside your 3.52 guide.
@belly
God Of War
works great on my 3.90 m33-2
maybe you just have a bad dump/download of the game
also if you’re running a .cso file
decompress it back to .iso
@all: although im a PSx fanatic, im still a newbie at PSP (just got my unit last january), and im a bit confused on some abbreviated words and terminologies, and their meanings. could you guys help me out? so that i can relate more to PSP. Thanks!
1. XMB
2. CSO
3. ISO
4. homebrew
5. other abbreviated words and terminologies that will help me relate more with PSP
@stylmo: this is a good site, especially for us who wants to understand PSP more “technically”! keep up the good works!
yeah! i made it! about the skype thing…will it have an effect on my unit if i change the “fake region”?? if there is…what is it?
@stylemo: thanks a lot for your guide! expect to have more peeps to patronize your site!
XMB > the PSP menu (whre u can access music,movies games 1seg etc.)
.ISO > a disc’s image, to put it simply its a virtual clone of a cd,dvd,umd
.CSO > a compressed .ISO but it can cause lag on some games like Gta LCS, GoW
Homebrew > programs made by “regular people” like us not endorsed by sony, programs that are just too fun to be OFFICIAL ^_^
plug-ins > can give the PSP new functionality such as taking screen shots and popsloader etc.
.prx files > plug-ins for your CFW enabled PSP, this goes to seplugins folder
popsloader > plug-in that allows you to use different versions of sony’s official PSP emulator for PSP
correction:
popsloader > sony’s PS1 to PSP emulator
@sanondail
thanks for the infos!
**currently using my psp at work, and not experiencing problems with 3.90 cfw.
I have a phat PSP that I upgraded tru network update thinking that it will allow me to play games from my memory stick. It is using firmware 3.93 now, I would like to downgrade it so that I can load the custom firmware, can anyone help me? Like give me step-by-step procedure? I would appreciate it if anyone can help me…
@kirbyboychoy: You can actually play games on your memory stick even if you are using Sony’s official firmware. But these are legal games like PSP demos. So if your looking for custom firmware, you will be needing Pandora’s battery.
Okay… thank u…
Please give me advise if I can exactly follow the guide from this website?
http://forums.exophase.com/showthread.php?t=3780
I have the offical psp slim v 3.90, how do i change it???
ive been looking and im coming up with nothing. i know how to make the battery but everything else im stuck
someone please help me… email me at enrique.berriosjr@hotmail.com
i have the custom firmware 3.71 m33-2 and i want to upgrade it to 3.90 m33, but i dont know if this tutorial works fine directly from 3.71 m33-2 (with no risk,i dont want to brick the psp). thxs.
Have you read the requirements? It says 3.52 m33 or higher. Phat or Slim. Let’s do that math thing ok? You have 3.71 m33-2. You are trying to upgrade to 3.90 m33. Is 3.71 higher than the required which is 3.52? If that is TRUE then you could proceed with the guide man.
Hi All, I am new to your site. Its wonderful to be here.
I have a a query. I have a phat psp, ver 3.40 OE-A. How can I upgrade to firmware 3.90 m33?
Your reply is really appreaciated. Thanks.
Jamome.
stvlemo, thxs man.
but im’s still a noob with this things.
i’ll follow the instuction, and wait to see.
My PSP slim’s version is 3.93.. how can i downgrade it so i can install version 3.90M33?? do i still need to use the time machine? because when i tried using it, it wouldn’t start… so now i’m still stuck with 3.93…
@HAZEL
@JAMOME
both of you guyz need pandora to make it to 3.90m33… or back to 3.71m33-2 or 3.80m33-5 only then you can upgrade to 3.90m33 cfw.
brick at ur own risk…
@Hazel
unless you have an updated pandora’s battery, where you can downgrade it straight to 3.71 m33, just google for Yellow_Rain, yellow_rain released an unofficial m33 cfw for the 3.93 so you can still play games from your memstick with 3.93 m33 =)
if i have sony firmware 3.93 how do i install 3.90 m33
Thx, em2x. I will do that thx. Says anyone whos got the GOW games. Does anyone found that the game is legging? I am using a 4G MS. Does that complicate things?
dont use a .cso file, use an iso backup of GOW. if you use cso it will lag, dont ask, i dont know why, it just does..
ur right der tech84 mine is also iso file… i’ve just finish the game 2 times…. gudluck guys…
i just updated using the ‘Network Update’ function to version 3.93
before this, i used to play iso/cso files from the ISO file on my Memory Stick. Now, the new version does not even recognise the ISO file and so i cannot open any of the games in it. can anyone help me?
@User55: That’s uncool man. You should have thought about it or maybe researched about the internet first before making that update. WEll, there’s still hope though. If you’ve got a friend who has a PSP running on a custom firmware, ask him for help. Get a battery pack and convert it to Pandora using your friend’s PSP (with custom firmware only). How to convert a battery into Pandora? There are a lot of good guides out there. Google it.
Thanks stylemo,
but will i also need a Pandora Memory Stick as well as the Pandora battery to install custom firmware and overwrite my official 3.93?
also, does the 3.93 m33 allow me to play games of my MS?
lastly, is the battery pack you refer to just the normal 3.6V PSP battery?
thanks again.
@User55 ur right it is just the normal battery from the fat psp… but u will be downgrading ur psp to 3.80m33-5 only then u can upgrade to 3.90m33-2. gudluck to you!
my psp has a 3.52 m33-3, is it upgradable to 3.90 m33?
@wendell: You must update to 3.52 M33-4 first.
hi… i am so confuse right at some website it says that ” YOU MUST BE RUNNING at least 3.52m33-4 (on the fat) or 3.71m33-4 on the slim to install this firmware (meaning 3.90m33)” and here it says 3.52m33-4 or higher…well i hv a slim psp v3.71m33-2 and was wondering can i update it to v3.90m33 directly without updating it to v3.71m33-4 first.. so has anyone done it directly without updating to 3.71m33-4…??
@ariark: Sorry for the confusion. Yes you can upgrade from your current firmware.
hey cool thanks iv already upgrade it to v3.90 m33 and update it to v3.90 mm33-3 without problem …very easy steps…
@ariark: Congratulations! Welcome to the 3.90 M33-3 club.
i had a problem upgrading to 3.90m33…:(
it displayed message “unpacking…done” & please wait…and it went idle…waited for the whole night and still the same. what happened? help me please…
Kakeru, i had the same problem. you only need to reset all the psp setting before updating.
Can anyone help me because when i start the program it just say “upacking done. please wait…” and it stops
stylemo i need your help a bought a new psp slim and light this month and it has a version 3.90 OFW just 3.90, i try to install some downloadable games but it didn’t work. can you pls help me…
its a psp slim and lite ice silver and its a daxter pack.. salamat!
I have 3.71 OFW installed in my PSP. Can I use this guide to install 3.90 m33 Custom Firmware? If i can’t, how can I do it?
Thanks anyway
@PSPn0ob: Yes. You can use this guide at your own risk.
@ianlasco: what downloadable games did you try? If you’ve got the official firmware, only demos will work on your PSP. check this link for demo downloads. http://www.stylemo.com/2008/05/10/the-ultimate-list-for-psp-game-demos-downloads/
@stylemo: Is there a possibility make my PSP bricked, because
I have not custom firmware installed already in my PSP, as there should be in the guides ‘Requirements’ section.
BTW, what does the ‘M33′ mean? (Custom Firmware 3.90 M33)
i downloaded some .cso games. so how can i play them? do i have to convert the psp? upgrade? or downgrade it? coz i dont want to buy expensive games… pls help me… thanks
@ianlasco: you need to install custom firmware on your PSP. What’s your current firmware?
@PSPn0ob: If you did not meet the requirements, it means that you can’t update your PSP to 3.90 M33. What’s your PSP’s current firmware?
3.90 just 3.90 their is no m33 or anything just 3.90
im online on yahoo messenger you can talk me there. here’s my ym id markryanlasco@yahoo.com
how can i install custom firmware?
sorry if i ask too much because i dont want to buy umd games.
can you teach me how to change ng OFW 3.90 to a custom firmware? i research some forums and they say that i have to use a pandora battery and a extra memory stick to custom firmware my psp but if i dont do it well my psp will become a brick and it will be expensive if it happens. can you teach me how to put custom firmware to my Official firmware 3.90 without using any pandora or memory stick. just my pc, usb and my psp? and i would like to thank you for the tips for the demo games it hep me temporary.. thank you a lot…
GOD BLESS!
@ianlasco: If your firmware is on 3.90, then you really need Pandora’s battery. If you were on 2.80 I could help you without a Pandora. Sorry dude. If you have friends who have PSPs with custom firmware installed, you can ask them to help you. I could only help you if you have a Pandora battery.
@stylemo: my PSP firmware is 3.71 . Not 3.71 m33, just 3.71 official firmware
if i have a pandora battery what will i do? my friend have a custom firmware and its 3.90 m33 is that all i need?
Hi stylemo, keep up the good job! My problem is not about updating firmwares,though. I’ve already done that (finally!). The problem is an annoying error message I get (like this : a connection error has occured 80410702) whenever I tried connecting wirelessly through Game Sharing. Can you offer any solution?
Thanks.
Hi,I have 3.95 Official Firmware,I want to install a Custon firmware,How can I do that?
Heyy,I installed this firmware,Can I delete the file that comes in game?? Which says 3.90 M33?? Please reply fast,Cause it’s taking up space on my memory stick and I dont wanna brick my PSP.
hey. it says “the game could not be started”. pls teach me what to do. i am running 3.80..
@ Christian I didnt get what your trying to say…Which Firmware do you have??
i have official 4.00, what do i do now, to get custom?
I HAVE 4.01 OFFICIAL, HOW DO YOU DO IT
@GKF
pandorized it bro!@!!!
i have 3.80 official firmware and i want to change it to a custom firmware…..what do i do now???
@erny18
like I always told you guys… create ur own pandora!
hi can you help please put the 3.90 m33 firmware on psp and comes on to a black screen saying
unpacking… done.
please wait…
been waiting for over 20 mins dont think its working can somebody help please im on firmware 3.52 M33-4 at the momment
hi, I recently updated from 3.40-oe to 3.90 m33-2. I can start the games normally but when i load the gameprofile, it says: “the data is corrupted”. Now i have to start all over again, every game.
I can save the profile when i have 3.90 but i cant load the “old” 3.40 profiles.
Is there a solution to this problem? Plz help.
thx in advance
hi,can this be done on a fat psp wif ver. 3.80 only?
i tried on mine fat psp.it say the game could not be started(80020148),any solutions?plz help
if you can see if you can get more hacks like the boot hack
i got firmware version 3.95 can i use this and will i brick my psp? I’ts new i don’t want to damage it.
i have a problem. my psp is on 3.52 m33-4 and everytime i try to update it with 3.90 m33-3 my psp is always stuck at (Please wait…) for hours and nothing seems to be loading. Is something wrong with my psp?
Tnx for the help
i have offical fimeware 6.10 how can i install in in my psp?