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So if you just bought a PSP and want to get into custom firmware, this is the right place to be. If you already have custom firmware on your PSP and just want to upgrade to 4.01, skip below to the 4.01 section. Update: This works on the new blue Madden PSP as well!

Requirements:

1. Pandora’s Battery.
2. Memory Stick Pro Duo (64mb to 8gb TESTED so far - any will do).
3. psp-grader-v005-lite-setup
4. Official PSP 3.90 Firmware.

Steps:
1. Install PSP Grader on your computer.

2. Run PSP Grader and select the location of the 3.90 firmware and drive for your memory stick

3. Hit run and let the program create a “Magic Memory Stick” for you.

4. Your Memory stick is now ready, insert the Pandora’s Battery whilst holding the L should button on the PSP. Once the IPL has loaded on the PSP simply press the X button. Wait. After around 1 - 3 minutes the Flash shall be done, press X to shutdown the psp, it is now safe to remove the pandora battery. Its is very important to just wait and not switch off the PSP or remove the Memory Stick or Pandora’s Battery, it could result in a brick if you do not wait.

5. Once that is done, you can format the memory stick with your psp to use to load games. Games are normally loaded in the “ISO” folder. you need to hit select on the PSP to get the ISO mode correct. Use the “Sony NP9660″ one.

This was the easiest way I could find to get the PSP to 3.90 m33-3, from there you are going to just run two more updates to reach 4.01-m33-2

If you already have custom firmware you can skip the steps above and jump directly here.

1. Download the following files:.
a. 401-m33 (Hacked firmware v4.01 m33-1)
b. 401m332 (Hacked firmware v4.01 m33-2)
c. Offical PSP 4.01 Firmware.

2. Extract the 401-m33 files and the official 4.01 firmware update. Rename the 4.01 official update to 401.PBP and then copy it to the 401-m33’s extracted UPDATE folder.
3. Copy the UPDATE folder to the memory stick on your psp to the following location: “/PSP/GAME/”

4. In your PSP go to Games, and then run the update. This will take your PSP to version 4.01 m33-1

5. Delete the UPDATE folder you just created in “/PSP/GAME/”.

6. Extract the 401m332 file and copy the extracted UPDATE folder to your PSP memory stick under “/PSP/GAME/”

7. In your PSP go to Games, and then run the update.

That’s it. You are all patched up to the latest version of the time of this posting!
There is also an add-on pack to this firmware that gives the PSP additional features like Screenshots, video capture, etc.
That can be found here: