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PSP PSP Memory Stick Problem

Spiros

Maiki
Hey guys,

I have a PSP1000, and recently got my 8GB memory stick (it's a real one, bought it at bestbuy, has MagicGate) back from my girlfriend. When I put it in the PSP it wasn't recognized, I put it in my PC and it was working fine, so I tried formatting it and the PSP still won't recognize it. Does anyone know of a program I can format it with so the PSP will recognize it?

Note: The spring in the memory stick slot is broken, but it still reads my 1GB without a problem, and also I can't format it in the PSP because the PSP just doesn't recognize a memory stick in the slot.

Any help would be great.
 

Adiuvo

Active Member
What firmware is the PSP? I remember something about there being an update so it can recognize sticks bigger than 8GB.
 

Spiros

Maiki
It's on 5.50. Now that you mention it, I'm on 5.50 GEN with the Prometheus patch, I'll try reverting back to 5.00 M33 and see how that works for me. Thanks.
 

MenaceInc

Staff Member
What firmware is the PSP? I remember something about there being an update so it can recognize sticks bigger than 8GB.

I think it was around the 3.71 mark


Is the memory stick formatted in FAT32 btw?


EDIT: Just checked and it was 2.81 that introduced support for memory sticks greater than 4GB. :S Almost 5 years ago....GAH I FEEL OLD AGAIN D:
 

Spiros

Maiki
I tried formatting in FAT32, PSP wouldn't read it, then I read somewhere that the PSP only reads FAT or FAT16, I tried formatting it in FAT16 using the command prompt (windows formatting utility doesn't support those formats) and I'm pretty sure it completed formatting, and the PSP still didn't read it.

I'm trying Rain's MMS utility now to see if the PSP will read it then.
 

Spiros

Maiki
I still remember the days of 1.X firmware like it was yesterday

Good times.

So it still won't recognize it, I'll try using Hellcat's Recovery Flasher to go back to 5.00 M33.
 

Spiros

Maiki
Hey thanks Trigun.

I just tried formatting it FAT in linux(Ubuntu) and the PSP still won't recognize it, which is weird, even if the formatting is wrong, wouldn't the PSP still be able to format it? I try to format it in the PSP and it always says there is no MS inserted.

It's weird because it accepts my 1GB MS with no problem.

Ok so now I've tried formatting it everyway possible, using a usb memory card reader as well. I tried it in a slim psp I have, it has a broken screen, but I could see the MS light flash, so it obviously is fine, it must be my PSP1000.

I'll open it up on the weekend and poke around with the MS slot because the spring is broken, I didn't think that it could be just not making contact because my other MS is working fine, so I'll have a look at that.
 

Trigun

That guy, who Records Music.
Hm, that's odd.
Probably like you said though, it could be because of the missing spring, but then why it recognizes the 1GB is a mystery.
 

Josey Wales

Evil Poptart
maybe the card is fucked, my ps3 has trouble reading my main usb stick but when its in my PC its fine. Whereas any other stick works just fine.
 

Spiros

Maiki
maybe the card is fucked, my ps3 has trouble reading my main usb stick but when its in my PC its fine. Whereas any other stick works just fine.

Could be, only thing that still leads me to believe the problem is on the PSP end, is because it seems to be recognized in a PSP slim I have. So I'll open it up this weekend and see if I can fix that spring, I've tried everything else I can think of, so that might do it.
 

MenaceInc

Staff Member
You need to find a program to format it in FAT
not 16 or 32.

Just checked my memory stick in windows and it's FAT

Lol. If he did that then he'd only have a maximum of 32MB. Kind of a waste, don't you think? It needs to be FAT32 to use all the 8GB of space.
 

elite

Oldie moldie
You need to find a program to format it in FAT
not 16 or 32.

Just checked my memory stick in windows and it's FAT
You totally rejected your statement. xD By saying FAT, it means actually FAT16. AFAIK, the largest capacity that FAT16 can handle is 4 GB. More than that would require FAT32.
 

Spiros

Maiki
Just updating this thread incase anyone stumbles on it looking for a solution.

My problem was that a small piece of plastic had broken off one of the memory sticks and lodged itself behind one of the pins in the PSP's memory stick slot, and I had also bent a couple of the pins when I was trying to fix it. I took the PSP apart completely, removed the broken piece of plastic, and straightened the pins. Works perfectly now.

Thanks for the help as well guys.
 

Spiros

Maiki
That's an interesting solution. Any guesses on how the piece of the memory stick broke off?

No idea. It definitely was from a memory stick because it was blue which is the color of the MS that I used to use but gave to my girlfriend not long before this happened. I'm not especially rough with it or anything so the MS must have already been damaged, but yeah I don't understand how it could've broke off. Anyway, I was really happy when I saw it there, because I knew it would be easy to fix rather than soldering on a new MS slot.
 

Bran

Yell
I wish I had a bigger memory stick. I hate only have 2-3 games on my PSP at a time and nothing else.
 

Spiros

Maiki
I wish I had a bigger memory stick. I hate only have 2-3 games on my PSP at a time and nothing else.

I hear you man, that's why I really needed to fix this, most games don't even fit on a 1GB MS, like KH:BBS, which I just put on my 8GB MS :biggrin:.
 
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