CFW wont load - tried many things.

[zomgname]

I ordered a Pandora battery about 2 weeks ago and it finally arrived last night. As far as I can tell, the battery works; I put it in and it turns my PSP on (green light with me doing nothing). If I plug my PSP in and then insert the battery, I can go see that it is seeing the battery and it 98% charged.

When I tried to make a MMS, nothing happened when I put in the MSS/Battery holding L (or any other button) - just a black screen and no mem stick activity light, but the green light was on. I eventually realized I had a fake mem stick; I tried MSPformat and such to no avail. My PSP is not bricked. Inserting the original battery is fine, as well as inserting the Pandora after the PSP has been plugged in.

So I went and got a 'real' memory card today. It is magicgate supported. I am having the same problem. The IPL failed to inject on the first try, so I ran MSPformat, and I had no problems after. However, when I try to boot up from the Pandora batt it still is just a black screen with no mem card activity.

I am 99% sure my psp is hackable and that I don't have one of the new motherboards. I got it.. 2 years ago? And it came with CFW 3.71 (which it still has) I don't know how to be 100% pos. I don't know where/have the box anymore, and I don't know a single person with a psp, yet alone a hacked one.

I have:

Windows XP (administrator)
PSP never hacked with 3.71 OFW (PSP-2001)
1 Fake and 1 Real mem card (4gigs)
1 Pandora batt and 1 normal batt
USB cable

I tried:
The Rain MSS maker, MSPformat, unfortunately MANY links I try to go to for other methods are dead.

Any advice, please? D: I've spent several hours kicking this around by myself and I just don't know what to do. I am obv very new to this.

[l33ttony]

the mms may be bad......make it again using rains ultra lite mms maker

[zomgname]

That is what I used, I believe, and I've remade it many times already. I've also tried the PSP grader.

[unknown333]

MAke sure you are using the most recent version of Rain's MMS from File Details-Rain-s-UltraLite-MMS-Maker-for-5.00-M33-4-v1.2-PSP-Homebrew-Applications -

Click the format option but NOT the Backup option. Make the MMS with the option and follow through. Now, make sure you insert the MMS first, then insert the Pandora, and hold L.

[zomgname]

Is there another download link? The sever is full and will not let me DL without buying an account.

[unknown333]

Are you seriously using the link I gave you to QJ? You shouldn't have buy anything, nor should the server be full. I'll try to find another link, but I can't guarantee it's validity as I have only personally tried th DL from QJ.

[zomgname]

Yes, I am. I download the .zip and all thats in there is another link to filefactory, where I get:

Sorry, there are currently no free download slots available on this server.

Please try again later, or you can upgrade to FileFactory Premium below for instant access.

Retry Download

[unknown333]

Oh you didn't say it was the filefactory link. In that case it makes sense. I could upload my working version for you on MediaFire.

Or you can try this link: http://www.psp-hacks.com/download.php?id=1623

Also, if that doesn't work, make sure your 500.PBP is working. dark-alex.org always has working EBOOTs.

[zomgname]

I think this is the same one I've been using. I downloaded the PBP from dark-alex.org.

Either way, I'm having the same result when I use Rain MSS now, which wasn't happening earlier.

Fails to inject IPL do to no room, continue anyway and then I inject an IPL with Rain's IPL & mem stick tool, where the only one that will work is single IPL sleep fix. Turn off PSP, take out battery, hold L, insert Pandora, and the green light comes on only for a second or two and then goes off. This will keep happening until I format the stick via the psp and not with MSPformat. This wasn't happening earlier. The battery is at 100% charge.

edit;

I'm beginning to suspect the battery. Is there anything I can do to test it? =\

edit again;
Just noticed that after the pandora fails to boot up, after reconnecting it with the normal battery and hooking to the computer my entire mem card is sometimes wiped. Not a single file showing.

[vaughn37]

when using the rain maker and pandora.....mine did this same thing..my battery was fully charged also

so i put the battery in along with the memory stick.....then i also plugged the unit in with my adapter.this method worked.
and the battery was blinking after i installed the firmware. blinking with no bars so it appeared dead,.But when i let unit charge the battery it didn't take all that long to fully charge.......no problems since.but kinda weird

[zomgname]

I tried that as well. But I finally fixed it!

Here is what I did, for anyone having a similar problem:

Formatted mem card normally via PSP
Ran PSP Grader, and let the IPL Injection fail
Copied entire "removable drive" to desktop
Formatted again with MSPformat
Removed mem card for 15 seconds
Injected Time Machine IPL with Rain's IPL & Mem stick tool
Copied entire removable drive back to PSP
Turned off, inserted Pandora with L Held - booted up, finally.
Installed CFW. went fine. It's up and running now.

I was also able to do this on my fake card. Just tested it. Haha, wasted $40 today.

[unknown333]

Yeah, you can't just inject any IPL, the Time Machine IPL is used with Time Machine to allow you to boot up 1.50 firmware with a Pandora and holding L. However, if you were to replace the 1.50 Time Machine files to different files, it would let you boot using those files with the same method. That's how it is supposed to work. Put the files for 5.00 M33 firmware, and the files for the installer. It boots up the installer the same way it boots up 1.50 with Time Machine, and with the files lets you either run them (Demo mode) or install them by flashing them to the PSP. And that is why you use Time Machine IPL.

Basically I'm just trying to explain that you can't just use any IPL; you use Time Machine for a reason, and that's the reason why it wouldn't work when you injected the sleep fix IPL, because the IPL is what helps you boot up the files.

[zomgname]

Right, but I had the same result no matter what IPL I injected, including time machine (not booting up), or I simply couldn't inject any other IPL. That was the problem, and only moving the files off the mem card and injecting the IPL on a completely empty card would allow it to work.

[jj_26meu]

Copied entire "removable drive" to desktop

I have the exact same psp with firmware 3.71 and the exact same problem pandora battery and MMS inserted with the green light and a blank screen when you said Copied entire "removable drive" to desktop what does that mean in nOOb terms?

[Fanryu]

Copying your entire removable drive to your desktop means every file on your PSP gets copied to your desktop.