You're now ready to prepare the Magic Memory Stick by clicking the Start button. The software will read and test the stick, then display the message in Figure F.

FIGURE F


Follow the instructions to create a Magic Memory Stick. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Once the procedure is complete you can close the software, remove the Memory Stick from your card reader if you used one, or disconnect the PSP from the computer.

Flashing the ROM
The final step is to flash the ROM of your PSP using the Pandora battery and the Magic Memory Stick. Insert the Pandora battery and the Stick into PSP. You may or may not need to activate the Power button to begin the boot process. Once the green Power light on the PSP lights up, press the appropriate button for the Despertar version you're using, in this case the Left Trigger; you may need to press the X button at the same time to enter the flash menu shown in Figure G.

FIGURE G


The flash menu will install the custom firmware. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Press the X button to install the selected 5.00 M33 custom firmware. Once complete you'll need to reboot or shutdown the PSP. At this point the memory has been flashed with the custom firmware and you can reformat the Memory Stick and copy your data files back.

What to do with custom firmware
Now that your PSP has custom firmware installed you can update it to a custom firmware with a higher version, as some games and software will require one. A higher version will also be required to access the Playstation Store from the PSP.

You can now install handy utilities such as a PDF reader, screen capture, or any other programs designed to make the use of your PSP much easier and efficient. You'll likely find these Homebrew games, applications, and utilities at the same location you found the custom firmware and Magic Memory Stick creation utility.

And if you ever change your mind about having custom firmware, all you need to do is download and install the most recent official firmware from Sony.

Dr. Humayun Bakht completed his Ph.D at the School of Computing and Mathematics in Liverpool at John Moores University. Prior to his current course of studies, he has successfully completed his MSc Software Engineering and BSc Electronics Engineering from University of Liverpool UK and Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan. Humayun's research interest is mobile ad-hoc networks, in particular, the development of a new routing algorithm for this type of networking. He can be reached at humayunbakht@yahoo.co.uk and you can visit his Web site at http://www.geocities.com/humayunbakht/.