Just minutes ago, I wrote the installation guide for 3.80 M33 Custom Firmware. now I’m writing a guide on how to update 3.80 M33 to 3.80 M33-2. So why update? Is there a bug or something? Actually there is. This update is necessary for plugins and kernel homebrew reporting psp cpu speed. Also 80 by 80 PSX icons will not be replaced by a Dracula icon anymore.

So let’s get on with the guide. But first, a few reminders, I will not be held responsible if something happens to your PSP. I’ve updated mine using this guide I made and was successful.

The Requirements

1. You will need a PSP installed with 3.80 M33 custom firmware. If you don’t have it yet, then follow this easy 3.80 M33 installation guide I wrote earlier.
2. 75% Battery or more. Why? So you don’t brick your PSP when it shuts off in the middle of the update because you forgot to charge the battery.
3. A USB Cable to connect your PSP to your computer.

Please make sure you pass all the requirements before getting on with the installation.

The Installation Guide

1. Download the 3.80 M33-2 update files.
2. Extract it anywhere on your computer.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer via USB cable and copy the UPDATE folder from the file you’ve extracted to your PSP in this drive: ms0:/PSP/GAME/
4. Disconnect your PSP from your computer then got the XMB menu. Scroll to GAME > Memory Stick and run the M33-2 Update Program. Follow the onscreen instructions.
5. Enjoy your updated PSP!

If you love homebrew applications then you might consider installing the 1.50 Kernel add-on for 3.80 M33-2. This only works for the Phas PSP.

The most awaited PSP custom Firmware has just been released by Dark Alex. I have it installed already on my PSP and it only took me like only 2 minutes max. I know this will be easy for you too especially if you know how to read instructions.

Like all the custom firmware installation guides I’ve written before, there is always a tiny risk of bricking your PSP especially when you don’t follow the guide very carefully. I’ve read and studied most people’s comments from the previous installation guides and I just found out that they were not reading the requirements nor the instructions very carefully. That’s why they end up having various problems. I hope this time everybody pays attention to details.

So now let’s get on with the 3.80 M33 custom Firmware installation guide.

The Requirements

So here’s what we’re going to be needing.

1. A PSP Classic (A.K.A. Phat PSP) or the PSP slim with a custom firmware installed higher than 3.52 M33-4. It means if you have 3.71 M33 installed on your PSP, then you are good to go but I think it’s safer if you update your 3.71 M33 first to 3.71 M33-4. Since I did my custom firmware install at 3.71 M33-4.
2. Configure your kernel to be running on 3.71 if your custom firmware is 3.71 M33-4 or 3.52 if you have 3.52 M33-4. How do we do this? Easy, turn off your PSP and then turn it on again while holding the R button. You will see the recovery menu so go to Configuration > Game Folder Homebrew and set your respective Kernel.
3. You need to have your battery charged to 75% or more. I did my installation at 93%.
4. If you have changed your theme, you must revert back your original PSP theme. I’ve read some forums about this firmware and some said that the original PSP Theme must be active.
5. A USB Cable which you can conneect from your computer to your PSP.
6. Winzip or WinRAR for file decompression

Please make sure that you have passed all the requirements before jumping to the installation guide below.

The Installation Guide

1. Download the 3.80 M33 installer pack.
2. Extract the contents anywhere on your computer.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using your USB cable. Copy the UPDATE folder from your computer to your PSP in this directory: ms0:/PSP/GAME. (where ms0 is the drive letter of your PSP)
4. Disconnect your PSP from your PSP. Go to the XMB menu on your PSP and navigate to GAME > Memory Stick and execute the 3.80 M33 update. Follow the onscreen instructions. The screen will go black then after accepting the instructions it will lead you to the official Sony updater screen. Accept everything then wait for the update to finish. Warning: Don’t interrupt the PSP while updating or you’ll end up bricking your PSP.
5. After the update is finished, you will be prompted to manually reset your PSP by pressing X or O. Just do it.
6. Tada! Enjoy your new custom firmware. I suggest you check out the new features.

Please install the 3.80 M33 Update 2 after this. The guide is over here. You might want to also install the 1.50 Kernel Add-on.

***Update : 3.80 M33-4 Custom  Firmware update has been released. Install it using this guide.

For questions, please use the comment form below. If you find this guide helpful and you want to share with others, please DIGG IT.

Dark Alex has released days ago the 4th update for the 3.71 M33. This one’s easy to install but for newbies out there, I’ll still make you a very simple a guide even your grandma can follow. But what’s new on the 3.71 M33-4? Here’s the changelog according to Dark Alex:

• Bugfix: Multidisc psx games bought in the psn store would not work due to the format being different and M33 treating them as decrypted games.
• Added support for decrypted multidisc psx games created with popstation_md (supplied with this release)

So let’s go on now with the installation. The process is very easy but like I always tell you boys and girls out there, it’s better to read the instructions very carefully.

Requirements

This is the essential part of this guide. If you find that you don’t meet the requirements, better not continue the process because it won’t work or you’ll might end up bricking your precious PSP.

• PSP with 3.71 M33, 3.71 M33-2 or 3.71 M33-3 custom firmware. For newbies, you can see the version of your PSP on your XMB by going to System Settings > System Information. And again, for newbies, this doesn’t work with Sony’s official Firmware
• USB Cable for transferring files from your PC to your PSP

Instructions

1. Download the M33 Update 4 file here and save it to your computer. You can get it on Dark Alex’s website.
2. Once downloaded, extract the contents of the file to anywhere on your computer. Copy the UPDATE folder to your memory stick in the x:/PSP/GAME where x is the drive of your PSP.
3. Go to the XMB menu, scroll to Games> Memory Stick and run the M33 Update-4 program. You will be asked to press X to start the update. Do so. The program will exit automatically and restart your PSP. You now have a PSP 3.71 M33-4 PSP. Grab a Coke or a Pepsi. Eat spaghetti and celebrate.

Well that’s it. I hope you guys like this easy guide.

I know this post is a little bit late. It’s more than late, probably, but there are still a lot of guys asking me to make this tutorial. I’ve been very busy the past few days that’s why I haven’t been updating too much. But because you guys asked for it, I’ll give it to you. Well, here you go. This is the ultimate guide on how to add the 1.50 kernel add-on for your 3.71 M33 or higher.

REQUIREMENTS

Be sure you meet all the requirements before attempting to do this process.

• A PSP Fat (No it does not work with a SLIM) with 3.71 M33, 3.71 M33-2 or 3.71 M33-3
• Make sure you have the GAME folder configured to 3.71 or the program won’t start. How? Enter the recovery mode and go to Configuration -> Game folder homebrew. It should read Currently 3.71 Kernel
• A USB that will connect your PSP to your PC
• A keen and watchful eye and a brain that will help you follow and read the instructions very carefully

If you meet all those requirements then you are good to go.

INSTALLATION GUIDE

1. Get the 1.50 Kernel Addon on the QJ download site. Once on the page, scroll down a bit, and you’ll see an orange button that is labeled “Download”. Click that button and save the file to your computer.
2. Extract the file and you will see and UPDATE folder. Connect your Fat PSP to your PC with a USB cable. Copy and paste the UPDATE folder from your computer to your PSP ms0://PSP/GAME/
3. Download the 1.50 Firmware here. Connect your PSP to your PC and copy the 150.PBP you’ve just downloaded into the ROOT of the memory stick.
4. Disconnect your Fat PSP and on the XMB menu, go to GAME > MEMORY STICK and you’ll find the 1.50-2 update. Run the update and press X to agree with the installation. After the installation, the program will auto-exit.
5. Done! You can now install homebrew applications. Visit this post for a list of 1.50 homebrew apps and learn how to install them.

Now, wasn’t that too easy. Remember, before asking for help on the comments, please read this post very carefully. Make sure you meet the requirements and make sure you follow the guide step by step. Thank you and if you have more requests about the PSP just leave them on the comments are.

It’s been days since Dark Alex has released something for the PSP homebrew community but with his return he brings you the third update for his 3.71 M33 custom firmware. If you’re wondering what’s new on this update, well here they are exactly according to DAX:

• Fixed a bug in access to flash by usb.
• HEN core: kernel prx’s with syscall exports work again.
• PSP Slim: programmers can set the size of user memory to 52 MB by using a sfo flag.
  Check sample in sdk for usage.
• March33 NO-UMD driver:
  * Fixed a bug that could hang the psp when exiting with home.
  * Fixed compatibility issue with Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles, and maybe more games.
• Vshmenu: it wasn’t displaying properly with psp slim TV-OUT due to the change of resolution. Fixed.

Below are the easy steps on how to do the update on your PSP.

Requirements

• A PSP with 3.71 M33-1 or 3.71 m33-2 Custom Firmware
• USB Cable for PSP to PC connection

Instructions

1. Download the files here.
2. Extract the contents of the file. Grab the UPDATE folder and copy it into your memory stick to the directory PSP/GAME/.
3. On the XMB menu go to Games > Memory Stick and run the update. You will be asked to press X to start the update. Do so. The program will exit automatically and restart your PSP. You now have a PSP 3.71 M33-3 PSP

About the popsloader, I haven’t been able to try it yet. Actually I haven’t been using it for quite sometime. I really dig the new games around. But I’ll be glad to write something about it if a lot of people asked. Thank you all.

UPDATE: You can now skip this guide and go directly to the 3.71 M33-4 update. I wrote a guide on how to add the 1.50 Kernel Add-on for 3.71 M33. Please check it out if you need it.

I know a lot of you PSP guys out there are already tired of searching for PSP themes on the web. You can stop searching now. I’ve compiled all the best PSP themes that I can find on the web. All you have to do now is read along and grab the THEME Pack. If you already know how to install THEMES then good for you. This tutorial and post was made for noobs and PSP owners out there who wants to make the best out of their PSPs. The themes are not created by me so I won’t take any credit for it. You can thank me for the compilation but the credit still goes out to the respective Theme creators. Now read along.

Requirements:

• WinRAR - You’ll be needing this to unzip the file you will be downloading
• USB Cable to connect your PSP to PC
• A PSP Fat or Slim with 3.71 M33 custom firmware of 3.71 Original Sony Firmware or higher

Instructions:

1. Download the THEME PACK. Unzip the file anywhere on your computer.
2. Connect your PSP to your Computer via USB. Copy the THEME folder containing the PTF files from your computer to ms0:/PSP/THEME. If you already have the THEME folder created, just overwrite it.
3. Exit the USB mode and you are now ready to change your theme. If you don’t know how to do it, here’s a simplified detailed instruction on how to change your PSP theme.

So you’ve got a stack of you Original PSP Games and you don’t have place for UMDs in your pocket. What do you do? With the release of Dark Alex’s Custom firmwares, you don’t have to bring all your bulky UMDs wherever you and your PSP go. The power of having backups is in your hands. So how do we backup our UMDs? How do we convert them to PSP ISOs? How do we dump your UMD into an ISO image? How do we convert UMD into ISO?

That’s what I’m here to share with you guys. Read along and in a few minutes you’ll be backing up our UMDs in no sweat.

Requirements:

1. A PSP with custom firmware 3.52 M33 (or higher) or 3.71 M33 (or higher)
2. UMD - Universal Media Disc
3. USB Cable

Instructions:

1. Be sure you have the VSH menu enabled. To enable the VshMenu, shutdown your PSP and restart it while holding the R button. it will bring you to the recovery mode. Go to configuration -> Use VshMenu and enable it. Once enabled, you may exit the recovery mode.
2. You will be taken to the XMB. For 3.71 M33 PSPs, press SELECT to bring up the VshMenu. For 3.52 M33 PSPs, press the HOME button to bring up the VshMenu.
3. On the VshMenu, go to USB Device and toggle the values by using the left and right directional buttons until it the value is UMD Disc. Exit the VshMenu.
4. Now connect your PSP to the computer using a USB Cable. On your XMB Go to Settings>USB Connection then the drive will pop up and you’ll see your ISO file from your UMD. Copy it onto your computer and rename the file to the title of the game. That’s it! Now you have backed up your PSP game from the UMD. You may now copy the ISO file to your memory stick and leave your UMDs at home. Easy as eating pie.

I hope you’ve learned something new. Well the next thing I’ll write about is how to compress your PSP Roms and ISOs.

Just a few days ago, Dark Alex released an update for 3.71 M33 custom firmware. The update fixed a few bugs. It also disables the VSH menu when on the onscreen keyboard. This update will let you toggle the on screen keyboard again. For the PSP Slim, a functionality to let the charge of battery when connecting a usb cable has been added. Let’s get it on with the guide.

Requirements:

• Fat or Slim PSP with 3.71 M33 custom firmware. If you don’t have a 3.71 M33 yet, here’s a guide for installing 3.71 M33.
• USB Cable
• Computer
• Make sure you have the kernel of GAME folder configured to 3.71. Shutdown your PSP then restart while pressing R then the recovery menu will appear. Go to Configuration>Game Folder Homebrew. Make it 3.71.

Instructions:

1. Download the update here.
2. Unzip the file anywhere on your computer. Connect your PSP to your computer then copy the contents of the UPDATE folder to ms0:/PSP/GAME/UPDATE
3. Go to XMB menu and then go to GAME>Memory Stick then run the Update
4. Wait for 5 seconds. Voila! You now have a 3.71 M33-2 PSP

After you have this installed, head on to the next guide on how to install update 3 for 3.71 M33. Let’s give thanks to Dark Alex for his hard work.

UPDATE: You can now skip this guide and go directly to the 3.71 M33-4 update. I wrote a guide on how to add the 1.50 Kernel Add-on for 3.71 M33. Please check it out if you need it.

Now I’m gonna teach you how to change the look of your PSP’s XMB theme in a few very easy steps even your grandma can do it. But first here are the requirements:

• A PSP with a firmware of 3.71 (Official) or 3.71 M33.
• You need themes. You can download them here.
• USB Cable

If you’ve met the requirements then it’s time for you to follow my simple instructions.

1. Extract the Zip file you’ve just downloaded anywhere on your computer.
2. Connect your PSP to your computer and then copy the THEME folder to ms0:/PSP/
3. Got to your XMB menu. Go to Settings > Theme Settings > Theme. You can now choose any theme you want. Press Apply and Accept.
4. Done. Congratulations on your new theme.

Here are some theme screenshots from my PSP.

Wipeout Theme

Original Theme

Choosing Themes. Cookie Theme Preview

Cookie. Yum!

Classy Pink for girls and a few boys.

Lemmings Theme

Pursuit Force Theme

This post may be a bit late but I know a lot of you PSP owners out there are looking for installation guide for the 3.71 M33. For a bit of information, 3.71 M33 was created by Dark Alex. In other words, M33 is Dark Alex. Now on to the instructional guide!

Requirements

• You must have 3.52 M33-4 installed on your PSP. If you don’t have one yet, lucky for you I wrote a guide on installing 3.52 M33-4 too.
• A Slim (PSP2000) or Fat PSP (The older version) with 78% or more battery.
• PSP AC adaptor
• A USB Cable
• A Computer
• Ability to understand and follow instructions
• If you have the fat PSP, configure GAME folder to run on 3.52. How? Shutdown your PSP. Then power on your PSP while holding down your R button. This will take you to the recovery menu. Go to Configuration > Game folder homebrew and check if 3.52 is enabled. Press X or circle if not. Exit the recovery menu.

That’s it. if you have all these then you are ready to go!

Now here are the 4 very easy steps:

1. Download the 3.71 M33 installer pack I’ve made just for you. Unzip the file to anywhere on your computer.
2. Connect your PSP to your computer via USB and copy the UPDATE folder to ms0:/PSP/GAME
3. Go to your XMB menu and run the M33 update program. The screen will go black and this is normal. Follow the instructions. Be sure you have your PSP plugged-in to the AC adaptor. Screen will change to the Sony Update screen. Accept and update.
4. This last instruction is VERY important. After the update is finished, the updater will ask you to reboot by pressing X or O. Do so, press X or O and the PSP will restart. Have fun on your new upgraded PSP!

After successfully upgrading your PSP to 3.71 M33, you can install the 3.71 M33-2 update by following the guide I made here. Special credits go to Dark Alex. You can send him donations on his website via PayPal.

UPDATE: I wrote a guide on how to add the 1.50 Kernel Add-on for 3.71 M33. Please check it out if you need it.