Use customised firmware with Devhook
For those of you who’ve been bitten by the custom firmware bug, rejoice! One of our forum members, califrag, has been busy trying all sorts of stuff under devhook. Although it was obvious that some of the modded stuff would work under devhook, I’d still thank califrag for going through it all and giving a list of what’s compatible and what’s not.
There is one pre-requisite though. Don’t try this while you’re drunk. Messing around with applications like X-Flash can be nasty if you’re not in the right frame of mind. So with that in mind let’s begin.
What you’ll need:
- Devhook (preferable 0.44 or 0.45) fully set up with a working firmware dump (again, 2.71 preferably).
- A custom firmware – Either Dark_Alex or harleyg’s mods will be enough.
- X-Flash V12.
- The ttf2pgf application if you want to change fonts.
What you can customise:
- Debranded Intro Screen (Remove “Sony Computer Entertainment” from Boot or Change cold-boot sound)
- Disable “Network Update” icon (still says “Network Update” but clicking does nothing)
- Disable Wavy Background effect in XMB
- Change Gameboot Video (Use ANY .pmf video under 1.5mb)
- Change Wallpapers (Although you can do it normally as well)
- Change XMB Font
Remember that mixing and matching files between firmwares can be buggy. Although it wouldn’t result in a brick if you’re just working with Devhook, it can make emulation much less enjoyable. So please remember to store a backup of your working dump somewhere safe, so that even if the modifications don’t work, you can easily revert back to your tried and tested working dump.
Once you’ve backed up your dump, you’re ready to begin modding your Devhook firmware.
The rest of the guide after the jump!
For those of you who’ve been bitten by the custom firmware bug, rejoice! One of our forum members, califrag, has been busy trying all sorts of stuff under devhook. Although it was obvious that some of the modded stuff would work under devhook, I’d still thank califrag for going through it all and giving a list of what’s compatible and what’s not.
There is one pre-requisite though. Don’t try this while you’re drunk. Messing around with applications like X-Flash can be nasty if you’re not in the right frame of mind. So with that in mind let’s begin.
What you’ll need:
- Devhook (preferable 0.44 or 0.45) fully set up with a working firmware dump (again, 2.71 preferably).
- A custom firmware – Either Dark_Alex or harleyg’s mods will be enough.
- X-Flash V12.
- The ttf2pgf application if you want to change fonts.
What you can customise:
- Debranded Intro Screen (Remove “Sony Computer Entertainment” from Boot or Change cold-boot sound)
- Disable “Network Update” icon (still says “Network Update” but clicking does nothing)
- Disable Wavy Background effect in XMB
- Change Gameboot Video (Use ANY .pmf video under 1.5mb)
- Change Wallpapers (Although you can do it normally as well)
- Change XMB Font
Remember that mixing and matching files between firmwares can be buggy. Although it wouldn’t result in a brick if you’re just working with Devhook, it can make emulation much less enjoyable. So please remember to store a backup of your working dump somewhere safe, so that even if the modifications don’t work, you can easily revert back to your tried and tested working dump.
Once you’ve backed up your dump, you’re ready to begin modding your Devhook firmware. As always, you do have a few choices.
- Dumping your original 1.5 Firmware in X-Flash, entering Simulation mode in X-Flash and modifying the dump there. (Recommended)
- Modding your original firmware using X-Flash, dumping it, and using the modified files under Devhook with your dump.
If all this doesn’t make sense to you, don’t go ahead with the whole thing. There is a risk of bricking while using X-Flash; not because of application, but because of a mistake on your part.
If you’re still adamant on doing this, I’ll list out the steps:
Method 1: (There is no risk of bricking using this method since it isn’t writing to the flash)
- Dump a clean 1.5 Firmware from your PSP using X-Flash.
- Enter Simulation mode in X-Flash. Now, whatever you do, you’re doing it to the dumped firmware.
- Make the required changes. I’ve listed the ones which are reported to work above.
- Exit X-Flash
- Copy the modified files using Windows, to the correct destinations given below.
- Start Devhook, and test the mod.
Destinations of different files: (### equals to the firmware/folder which you’re using in Devhook; in our case, 2.71)
- All .rco, .pmf and .bmp files – Copy from /dump/flash0/vsh/resource/ to /###/flash0/vsh/resource/
- All .prx files – Copy from /dump/flash0/vsh/module/ to /###/flash0/vsh/module/
- All .pgf files (Fonts) – Copy from /dump/flash0/font/ to /###/flash0/font/
Method 2:
Note: As much as I’d like to list out this method, I won’t present it in a newbie-friendly manner, because of the simple fact that you will be extensively modifying your original 1.5 Firmware. And that does present a bigger chance of bricking your PSP since you’re actively modding the flash. If you know your stuff, I’ll give you a small hint: Modify firmware using X-Flash -> Dump it -> Use it.
I would personally recommend using only the first method. It is 100% safe since it isn’t writing to the flash at any stage.
Ok so you know what you can customise and the steps required to do it. The last step before actually doing it is to give you a few pointers.
For using modded fonts – You can convert your .ttf fonts to .pgf fonts using the ttf2pgf converter given below. After conversion, simply move the ltn0.pgf to /###/flash0/font/.
For using custom wallpapers – Any 300×170 BMP file will do. Move it to /###/flash0/vsh/resource/
The rest of the stuff can be directly modified using X-Flash, and I would recommend you to use that option.
Well, that just about sums it up. Have fun modifying your Devhook firmware without fearing a brick. I’d like to thank califrag for his thread in the forums, and alfaphlex and RaiderX for their inputs in the forum thread.
Download Link: [ttf2pgf converter]
Download Link: [X-Flash V12]
View: [Forum Discussion Thread]