Dark Alex with help from Mathieulh and Yoshihiro from SonyXTeam have released the final version of their Sony PSP 2.5/2.6 firmware downgrader tool. The first public version of this tool (version 5 beta) came just a few days after the announcement of Kernel mode being unlocked and allowed many 2.5/2.6 users to downgrade their PSPs to the homebrew-happy firmware version 1.5.
We would all like to give our thanks to Hitchhikr and Team Neural for discovering the original exploit that made this all possible. We have seen several working and non-working betas over the past few days, and this final version of the downgrader makes it pretty much perfect and noob-proof. Many of our users have reported success in using the 2.5/2.6 downgrader called the 'downdater', including QJ's own Pranav T who downgraded his PSP from firmware 2.60 to 1.5, then upgraded to 2.0 before downgrading back to 1.5 again, just to test it out. The success rate for the beta downgrader was 93% according to our forum users which is a pretty high considering many people would have probably messed up the installation which caused the downgrader to be unstable. Although there is a risk of bricking, If you follow QJ's step-by-step procedure word for word your PSP should turn out fine on firmware 1.5.
The basic coding for this version hasn't changed since the v5 beta (as Dark_alex said, Don't fix something that isn't broken), and comes packaged in a fool proof single EBOOT that will detect which firmware version you are on (kindly done by Yoshihiro) and will automatically install the dumped firmware files which you must retrieve from someone with a 1.5 PSP. For legal reasons we cannot host the files here.
Before downgrading, make sure you meet the following requirements -
Your PSP is not a TA-082. This downgrader has you to be tested on a PSP with this type of motherboard. (If you do have this PSP version, it may result in a brick). [Find out if you have one!]
1.50 User Instructions
Copy the folders downhelper and downhelper% from the folder 1.50 HELPER folder to /PSP/GAME/ in your memstick.
Obtain the 1.50 update EBOOT and put it in /PSP/GAME/UPDATE in your memstick. You may find the 1.50 update in our download site here.
Init the downhelper program.
It will dump your flash and some files from the updater eboot to the memstick. (These files are illegal under US copyright laws, so please do not distribute them in the comments or on our forums)
After that, the program will exit. You can now delete the updater from /PSP/GAME/UPDATE
You'll notice that you have a new folder in the root of your memstick called "DOWNDATER".
That's the folder you'll have to send to a 2.50/2.60 to let him test the downgrade.
2.50/2.60 User Instructions
Copy the folder the DOWNGRADER/2.50/DOWNDATERTEST if you have 2.50 or DOWNGRADER/2.60/DOWNDATERTEST if you have 2.60 to /PSP/GAME/ in your memstick
Wait someone with 1.50 to pass you a folder called DOWNDATER and copy it to the root of your memstick.
Init GTA and the eLoader
Connect your psp to the AC adaptor
In the eLoader menu, choose the downdater test. WARNING: the program won't output any display and any warnings, it will init the downgrader process immediately.
You'll see the your memstick flashing. That means that your psp is being flashed from the memstick.
You won't see any type of output in the screen (this is for safety). When the memstick finishes flashing, the psp should reinit and you'll have probably a 1.50.
It will probably say you "Cannot read disc". Don't worry about that, this is because the UMD device has not been reset properly. Simply restart the psp manually or take and the battery for 5-10 minutes and the problem will be solved.
That's all. If all went right, you'll have 1.50. If it went less good, you'll still have 2.50/2.60. If all went wrong, you'll have a bricked psp (except in the case you have the modchip) Remember that you have accepted that risk.
If your PSP is showing up as v2.01, this is fine. Just use Wab Version Changer and change it to v1.50.
Thanks go to Fluff/Naoneo for the exclusive banner, and everyone who has bricked their PSP in trying out the earlier beta versions of this downgrader.
Password for the download (when you extract) is: I_Use_It_At_My_Own_Risk
you could have escaped the sarcasm, by searching first or even reading a couple posts on the first page, so don't get mad because their giving you sh!t because you didn't search.
