*Newbie Post* -- Having Battery Issues...PLEASE HELP!!!...Really Confused!!

[IWalkAlone]

Okay....I'm gonna try to see if I can make sense out of this one, because saying I'm completely lost now would be an understatement...I THOUGHT I was beginning to understand this whole Pandora battery Custom Firmware thing, but now I'm lost....

Okay....lets see....

I TRIED physically making a Pandora battery out of a regular battery and ended up cutting near the bone in my thumb with a knife....and it's JUST NOW starting to heal. I didn't even get all the way through a thing and the battery started heating up by itself and ended up hot as all hell for whatever reason, so out of sheer panic (and extreme pain) I threw it away. But that battery isn't the issue...I just put that up there because pain really pisses people off when they're trying to concentrate.

ANYWAY!!

I went to this web site and bought one of these batteries that say "TOOL" on them. I charged it with the PSP on to prevent it from going into service mode. Seemed find and all. I tried turning it off and turning back on to startup in service mode, but all my PSP does now is turn on thatg little green light for a few seconds and it goes off. The screen never comes on. No service mode....nothing...

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]


Here's where things get confusing...although I'm sure everybody here knows what the problem is...

I took that battery out and inserted a regular battery and the PSP works perfectly fine. But when I try to put in the red "TOOL" battery from that CodeJunkies web site the same thing happens. Just the light....nothing else.

Okay....now....

I went to this OTHER web site that I heard about on Youtube for Pandora batteries:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Now, I never ordered anything, but I noticed THESE batterie have the same "TOOL" word on them. But I'm confused as to what the difference is in the two....if any at all...so that's where I'm stuck. I didn't think this custom firmware process was so complicated...

Okay...just a little more stuff sticking me on stupid...

I am confused about all these things:

#1. Do I need to do the Pandora battery thing BEFORE I install the custom firmware?

#2. Does the custom firmware come WITH the Pandora Battery or do I have to install it?

#3. I formatted my memory card, but I STILL don't see that "ISO" folder. Does that show up after the Pandora battery does it's job? Do I have to manually create it?

#4. Do I have to install the custom firmware BEFORE putting the Pandora battery is?

#5. I keep hearing something about a Pandora MEMORY CARD. Is this really necessary? Please tell me it's not!!!

These are the batteries I'm referring to. I bought the one from CodeJunkies. Please let me know which is the one I need...or if they do the same thing...

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!

I know I said I'm not gonna be doing anymore threads because I thought by now I'd have some kind of understanding about this stuff...but with new information I'm only getting more confusing...

[Gandalf]

That battery is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. The tool battery(pandoras battery) when inserted instructs the PSP to boot up from the memory stick instead of the internal memory. The magic memory stick has the boot up files and firmware installation files on it. You have to use both of these to install the custom firmware. The service mode has been achived when the power light comes on but it has to have the boot up files and installation files in the memory stick in order to work.

[IWalkAlone]

Originally Posted by Gandalf

That battery is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. The tool battery(pandoras battery) when inserted instructs the PSP to boot up from the memory stick instead of the internal memory. The magic memory stick has the boot up files and firmware installation files on it. You have to use both of these to install the custom firmware. The service mode has been achived when the power light comes on but it has to have the boot up files and installation files in the memory stick in order to work.

That's just the thing...the green light is coming on, but the screen isn't even cutting on. But when I put a regular battery in, it works just fine...

Okay...let me see if I can run down my issue....

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

This tutorial is the one I found on YouTube teaching people to change the memory stick into a magic memory stick. I did it....have all the files on the memory stick...but the part where it says to run the Pandora Battery Creator doesn't work. I go to it on the PSP and I keep getting the same "This game can't be run" message (or something to that effect). That's when I'm using a regular battery....I can't use the Tool battery because the PSP isn't booting up with it...

There HAS TO BE something that's not going right....

Please help me with this...I've been through tutorial after tutorial...forum after forum...but all everybody talks about is the process AFTER you get the custom firmware on the computer...

By the way...I'm not sure what difference it makes, but the software version I have on my PSP is 3.50

[Gandalf]

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

That's just the thing...the green light is coming on, but the screen isn't even cutting on. But when I put a regular battery in, it works just fine...

Okay...let me see if I can run down my issue....

YouTube - HOW TO CREATE A PANDORA MAGIC MEMORY STICK FOR A PSP CONSOLE

This tutorial is the one I found on YouTube teaching people to change the memory stick into a magic memory stick. I did it....have all the files on the memory stick...but the part where it says to run the Pandora Battery Creator doesn't work. I go to it on the PSP and I keep getting the same "This game can't be run" message (or something to that effect). That's when I'm using a regular battery....I can't use the Tool battery because the PSP isn't booting up with it...

There HAS TO BE something that's not going right....

Please help me with this...I've been through tutorial after tutorial...forum after forum...but all everybody talks about is the process AFTER you get the custom firmware on the computer...

By the way...I'm not sure what difference it makes, but the software version I have on my PSP is 3.50

You do not need to run the Pandora battery creator as you already have a tool battery so forget that step.

The way this works is you start with a PSP with no memory stick and no battery and no AC adapter plugged in. You put the magic memory stick in then insert the tool battery. If the magic memory stick is made right then after the battery is put in a menu will come up to install the custom firmware. Then go from there.

[oldgit9]

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

I am confused about all these things:

#1. Do I need to do the Pandora battery thing BEFORE I install the custom firmware?

no you don't. as your psp is on v3.50, you do have another option open to you. you can downgrade your psp to v1.50 (have a look at this guide "[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" and scroll down to v3.10-3.50. but you will need an un-patched version of "lumines" to run this downgrader). but if you can not get your hands on a lumines umd (un-patched), then the only other option you have, is a pandora's battery.

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

#2. Does the custom firmware come WITH the Pandora Battery or do I have to install it?

nine times out of ten, when you buy a tool battery, you will not get the magic mem card with it. so you will have to make the magic mem card that is needed to make the pandora's battery work. have a look at this easy guide "[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" on how to make a magic mem card.

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

#3. I formatted my memory card, but I STILL don't see that "ISO" folder. Does that show up after the Pandora battery does it's job? Do I have to manually create it?

unless the psp is on a custom firmware, when you format the mem card, the "ISO", "GAME150" and "GAMEx.xx" folders will not be put on to the mem card.

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

#4. Do I have to install the custom firmware BEFORE putting the Pandora battery is?

no you don't.

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

#5. I keep hearing something about a Pandora MEMORY CARD. Is this really necessary? Please tell me it's not!!!

yes it is. whithout the magic mem card, the pandora's battery will not work. you must have magic mem card. have a look at the guide that i posted in the answer to #2 on how to make one.

[IWalkAlone]

Okay...than for the help you guys....I'm gonna get right over to doing what you instructed me to do...I'll post a reply if it works or not...

Oh one thing went unanswered....is that video on YouTube I post valid? Because I did it like 7 times....

Okay....the "Rain" program is going through the motions right now....

Just one question though...what is this 1.50 kernel addon thing? Since it was optional, I didn't click on it. Did I screw something up?

Sigh.....okay....it's STILL NOT WORKING...

I did everything to the letter in that walkthrough. Held the LEFT trigger and everything. And still, the only thing that happens is that the green light comes on, but the screen is still shut off whenever I insert that TOOL battery.

I can't eeeeeeeeeeven begin to tell you how frustrated I am after doing this for the better part of 3 weeks now....especially with all the damn games I downloaded....

I have a funny feeling there's something really simple that I'm over-looking or not doing, but I HAVE been following all these walkthroughs the exact way I'm told to.

I have a UMD game in the drive: Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories....does this have AY effect on the process at all?

Man, I hope you guys know how to whip this thing into shape...because I'm about to go insane over here....

[Gandalf]

The video is fine only you don't have to make the battery.

For right now the 1.50 kernel is the least of your worries, forget it.

The game in it should not make a difference but take it out to be sure.

Is this a phat or slim and how old is it??

There are some new PSP slims out now that are unhackable.

If you know someone else with a PSP you can try the battery and memorystick out on theirs to see if the menu comes up, if it does just take the battery out and it won't change anything on their PSP. This means that the battery and memory stick are correct and it's the PSP that can not accept the process. If it does not work then it is the memory stick because the tool battery is working properly.

[IWalkAlone]

On the "Rain" program....there's a section at the bottom that says "Other Functions". I left it at the default: "Inject IPL Only". But I just saw there are other options that ask whether or not I wanna create and format custom firmware folders. I never touched those options.

Did I do something wrong?

Does this have anything to do with why I only get a green light and nothing else with my TOOL battery?

Originally Posted by Gandalf

The video is fine only you don't have to make the battery.

For right now the 1.50 kernel is the least of your worries, forget it.

The game in it should not make a difference but take it out to be sure.

Is this a phat or slim and how old is it??

There are some new PSP slims out now that are unhackable.

If you know someone else with a PSP you can try the battery and memorystick out on theirs to see if the menu comes up, if it does just take the battery out and it won't change anything on their PSP. This means that the battery and memory stick are correct and it's the PSP that can not accept the process. If it does not work then it is the memory stick because the tool battery is working properly.

Okay, I just took the game out and tried it...no difference. Sigh!

It's "fat" PSP. I don't know how old it is, because someone left it in a club and I found it...that was about a year and a half ago.

Unfortunately I don't know anybody else who has a PSP....so I guess I'm screwed THERE.

The memory stick is the official SONY Pro Duo version, 2GB. Does that mean anything?

[Gandalf]

Originally Posted by IWalkAlone

On the "Rain" program....there's a section at the bottom that says "Other Functions". I left it at the default: "Inject IPL Only". But I just saw there are other options that ask whether or not I wanna create and format custom firmware folders. I never touched those options.

Did I do something wrong?

Does this have anything to do with why I only get a green light and nothing else with my TOOL battery?

The tool battery is supposed to do that when there is no memory stick in the PSP or there is a memorystick that is normal or one that has bad Pandora magic memory stick files on it.

THE TOOL BATTERY DOES NOT ACT LIKE A REGULAR BATTERY IT IS ONLY FOR USE WITH A PROPERLY PREPARED MAGIC MEMORY STICK.

In the instructions it does not say a thing about those other options because you do not need them, they are for other purposes that do not concern you. The instructions are really simple and tell you exactly which things to set and click on.




EDIT: Turn the PSP on regularly. Go to games, memory stick. Do not press the X button to go into the memory stick, instead press the triangle button then select Information on the menu that comes up on the right. There will be 3 lines of text, post back with what they say.

[IWalkAlone]

Originally Posted by Gandalf

The tool battery is supposed to do that when there is no memory stick in the PSP or there is a memorystick that is normal or one that has bad Pandora magic memory stick files on it.

THE TOOL BATTERY DOES NOT ACT LIKE A REGULAR BATTERY IT IS ONLY FOR USE WITH A PROPERLY PREPARED MAGIC MEMORY STICK.

In the instructions it does not say a thing about those other options because you do not need them, they are for other purposes that do not concern you. The instructions are really simple and tell you exactly which things to set and click on.




EDIT: Turn the PSP on regularly. Go to games, memory stick. Do not press the X button to go into the memory stick, instead press the triangle button then select Information on the menu that comes up on the right. There will be 3 lines of text, post back with what they say.

Okay...I think I'm starting to understand this whole process now...well, at least the BEGINNING of it...

So I'm guessing it's the memory stick that's throwing everything off...

I went into the GAME menu like you said and says what the capacity of my card is: 1919MB...the free space: 1867MB (that's AFTER I went through that "Rain" program on that tutorial"...and "MagicGate": UNKNOWN...

I'm assuming THAT'S where the problem is.....

So what do I do now?

Thanx for the patience by the way....I appreciate it...

By the way...

I'm really sure this isn't a slim PSP...but just to be on the safe side, how can I tell? And where do I find information about this motherboard people are talking about?