Hobbies And Interests
Natural Elements
Natural elements can cause a PSP to brick, including dirt and dust. If dirt and dust find their way into the casing of the PSP, they can cause the control buttons to stick, rendering the PSP unusable. Avoid placing your PSP in dusty or dirty environments. Water is another natural element that can cause a PSP to become bricked. Water can seep into the inner workings of the PSP and, as with any other piece of electronic equipment, cause it to cease working. Make sure your PSP is not in your pocket when you wash your pants, and keep it away from bodies of water -- the ocean, a toilet -- whenever possible.
The Download
The PSP can be used to download software and games in either a locked or unlocked format. However, some of the software you download can contain viruses, which in turn will brick your PSP. However, you can purchase items -- including the Pandora battery -- which will reverse these effects, resetting your PSP back to normal. The Pandora battery, and other batteries like it, can be installed into the PSP. When downloading content to your PSP, make sure it is coming from a reliable place to avoid virus infection.
Signs
The most obvious sign of a bricked PSP is that nothing happens when you power it on. However, there are other signs that your PSP is semi-bricked or on its way to becoming fully bricked. For example, you may be able to turn it on, but no audio will be heard. Or, audio is heard but no images are displayed. Other times, the power will come on for a few minutes before shutting off on its own. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms on a regular basis, send your PSP back to Sony to have it fixed. If your PSP meets the warranty conditions, Sony will fix it free of charge.
Recovery Mode
If you have hacked your PSP and placed custom firmware onto it, you can access a special menu that features a recovery mode. The recovery mode can cure a bricked PSP in some cases. To access the recovery menu, reboot your PSP and hold down the "R" button at the same time. From the menu, select "recovery mode." However, if your PSP doesn't turn on, this will be of no help. Recovery mode works best for semi-bricked PSPs, such as those that freeze during game play.