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How to Fix Firmware for PSP

The popularity of the PlayStation Portable console has led many people to modify its operating system so that it can do things not envisioned by Sony. A negative side effect is that the operating system can develop problems and cause the PSP to work erratically. Fixing the firmware requires resetting the operating system of the PSP back to the state it was in when it was first modified. This requires making a magic memory stick and using a Pandora battery, and can be done within an hour or two.

Things You'll Need

Windows-based computer
Sony PSP battery
Memory stick pro
PSP USB connector
Clean cloth
Guitar pick
X-acto knife
Soldering iron

Instructions

Making the Magic Memory Stick
- 1
  Download and install the Pandora Universal Downgrader Easy Installer program to your desktop. Click on the icon of the program to unzip it.
- 2
  Put the memory stick pro into the memory slot on the PSP. Turn the PSP on and navigate to the USB mode from the Home menu. Note the driver software number being used. Connect the PSP to the computer's USB port using the PSP USB connector.
- 3
  Go into the folder containing the Pandora files that is on the computer's desktop. Run the "autorun.exe" file and follow the four steps, including highlighting the name of the PSP driver that was noted earlier. Press the "Yes" option when asked to format the memory stick pro on the PSP.
- 4
  Exit the USB mode on the PSP and return to the Home menu. Turn the PSP off and wait 5 minutes. Turn the PSP back on and go to the USB mode. Select the final step in the "autorun.exe" program's window and click on the "Go" button. Wait as the needed files are transferred to the memory stick pro in the PSP.
- 5
  Click on the "Exit" button on the "autorun.exe" program when presented with the screen. Quit the program. Exit the USB mode on the PSP, return to the Home screen and turn the PSP off. Remove the PSP USB connector from the PSP and from the USB port of the computer. Remove the memory stick pro that has been turned into a magic memory stick from the memory slot of the PSP.
Making the Pandora Battery
- 6
  Put the PSP face down on the clean cloth. Remove the battery cover and remove the battery from the battery compartment. Put both aside.
- 7
  Take a Sony PSP battery and split the shell open using a guitar pick.
- 8
  Locate the chip on the battery that is labeled S93C56 and place the X-acto knife under the fifth pin.
- 9
  Touch the soldering iron to the tip of the fifth pin where it touches the motherboard. Pull up on the pin with the X-acto knife so that it is no longer attached to the motherboard.
- 10
  Close the shell around the battery until it snaps back together.
Using the Pandora Battery
- 11
  Put the clean cloth down on the work surface. Put the PSP face down down on the clean cloth. Remove the battery compartment and put it aside. Remove the battery and put it aside.
- 12
  Insert the magic memory stick into the memory slot of the PSP. Insert the Pandora battery into the battery compartment. Put the battery cover back on.
- 13
  Turn the PSP right side up. Turn the PSP on and wait for the black screen to appear with the options menu. Press the "X" button to select the firmware option and start the installation. Follow the onscreen prompts to continue the installation.
- 14
  Press the "X" button when the installation has been completed. Wait as the PSP turns itself off.
- 15
  Turn the PSP over and remove the battery compartment. Remove the Pandora battery and the magic memory stick. Put the PSP battery back into the battery compartment and replace the battery cover. Turn the PSP back on to use it again.

Sony PSP