No doubt one of the handiest homebrews for keeping your PSP fully functional and fully intact: Hellcat’s Recovery Flasher v1.60.

Flash a fresh version of Custom Firmware M33, which can be useful for recovering a semi-bricked PSP, upgrading and/or downgrading between different CFW versions, etc… Make and restore NAND dumps, backup/restore your XMB themes, system settings, PSN activation, and flash memory. All that without Pandora; See the README.

Download: Recovery Flasher v1.60

- source: qj

Here are some worthwhile updates while I was MIA for most of the weekend: ZX-81’s AFKIM (Away From the Keyboard Instant Messenger) v3.3.4 and custom firmware 3.93 Update #2. The latest CFW update removes Hellcat’s “Savegame Deemer;” that is now distributed separately.

AFKIM 3.3.4 changes:

• Fix issue with ICQ / AOL account icon / login stuff (due to bitlbee server changes)
• Fix IR keyboard issue with fw >= 3.80 for FAT PSP (thanks to Angelo)
• Fix online status issue

CFW 3.93 Update #2:

• Select button probelm on Sony Keyboard has been solved.
• HellCat’s save game deemer has been deleted.

Savegame Deemer:

This is a small CFW plugin that will make the PSP to save any savedata in unencrypted form as well as the usual way.

The unencrypted savedata can then be directly edited with whatever tools you use for tasks like that (mostly a hexeditor, I’d guess ;-) ) and on the next load those (edited) unencrypted data is loaded and off you go :-)

Download:
AFKIM v3.3.4 (fw 1.50)
AFKIM v3.3.4 (cfw 3.xx)
AFKIM source code

CFW 3.93 Update #2
Savegame Deemer

- source: ZX-81’s web site & pspgen.com

Hellcat enters the scene swinging his magic stick. Uh… Hrm…

Anyway, while we’re on the topic of Pandora’s Battery, here is another interesting extension to Team C+D’s almighty unbricking solution. Once you have a fully functional Pandora Battery setup with bootable memory stick, follow the installation guide contained within README.TXT. Shortly thereafter — thanks to the skilled up & coming developer — you’ll have access to new functions and abilities.

Key features:

• Choose to boot firmware from memory stick, internal flash or the original Pandora main menu
• Fix flash1:/ (the one holding the settings and config) by formatting it and creating all directories
• Launch an additional application (PSPFiler or such) with working access to the real flash0:/
• Launch custom firmware installer (OE / M33) with working flash0:/ access, so it can install the CFW straight from a Pandora boot without the need to downgrade to 1.50 first, no matter of the current state (and version) of the internal flash.
• Access flash0:/, flash1:/ or memory stick via USB (straight from the menu)

If you can hit once, you can hit twice. Kudos, Hellcat.

Download: EPBM v0.8 | Pandora’s Battery

- source: qj