Newb needs help with uLaunchELF

[creamsoda]

Ok I'm a fucking newb at this. I been using Swap Magic 2.0's since it came out, and a homemade slide card lol..

alright what I want to know is, does uLaunchELF come with all of the features? PS2Reality, cogswaploader, and saving MC savefiles to flash drive? Or do I have to download these ELF's separately? If so, then where do I download them?

Also, how do I install uLaunchELF onto my USB flash drive(Scandisk) and run uLaunchELF on the USB instead of from the memcard?

Thank you.

EDIT: Could I just use the Independence Compiler 4.1, and use the LaunchELF that comes with it? Would it come with all of the features like cogswapping and shit?

[ADW]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

alright what I want to know is, does uLaunchELF come with all of the features? PS2Reality, cogswaploader, and saving MC savefiles to flash drive? Or do I have to download these ELF's separately? If so, then where do I download them?

It does have its own features (on your list: copying files to a USB drive) but you have to download the other ELFs separately (like CogSwapLoader and PS2Reality Media Player), then you can use uLaunchELF to run those programs. And you almost certainly want SMS for playing videos as it is much better than PS2Reality.

I don't know the exact details for the other questions you have asked so I'll let a more informed person answer them.

[creamsoda]

so where do I DL the best ELF's? I obviously need cogswaploader, where do I get that?

[ADW]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

so where do I DL the best ELF's? I obviously need cogswaploader, where do I get that?

Hmm, I just did a search and I couldn't find CogSwapLoader, so I've attached it.
(Mods: if that's not allowed then obviously please remove it. I don't think it has Sony copyrighted code but I didn't have the readme or anything so I don't know for sure; all I know is that it was written by Hermes of the old PS2Reality.)

Some other useful programs:
uLaunchELF (v4.17) by EP + dlanor
SMS (2.8 Rev.5) by Eugene Plotnikov

Hope this helps.

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

Ok I'm a fucking newb at this. I been using Swap Magic 2.0's since it came out, and a homemade slide card lol..

alright what I want to know is, does uLaunchELF come with all of the features?

Apparently you think that it would be a good idea for a single program to attempt combining and implementing everything anyone can think of, so let me set you straight on that issue. Trying to do so would be a very bad idea on a platform with so limited resources as the PS2. The memory size in particular is extremely crippled compared to modern computers, since it only has 32MB of main memory. Yet another reason to avoid making an 'all in one' application is that it would become impossible to support, using normal homebrew methods.

uLaunchELF (aka: uLE) is intended primarily for the maintenance and support of all your PS2 filesystem devices, including of course the ability to launch other applications for other purposes. And I think you will find it 'full featured' when it comes to the ability to deal with filehandling on the PS2, including special support for gamesave backup.

PS2Reality,

No, but that or any other media player can easily be launched by uLE. Personally I'd recommend SMS instead, for the playing of AVI/MPG videos or MP3 music files.

cogswaploader,

No, but that too can be launched by uLE. uLE itself has nothing to do with the 'swapping' of game discs or HDLoader etc, but it is excellent as a launch center for all such tools. The most interesting development on those lines lately is 'ESR', which allows unmodded consoles to run (specially patched) game backups on CD-R without any swapping needed. And of course ESR too can be launched from uLE.

and saving MC savefiles to flash drive?

That we do have extensive support for.

Normally uLE file copying is done in a two-step manner. First browse to the source folder and select stuff followed by a 'Copy' command. Then browse to destination folder and issue a 'Paste' command.

But when backing up or restoring gamesaves to/from a non-MC device (all are supported including networked PC as host: device) you can use the command 'psuPaste' instead of the regular 'Paste'. When making backups from MC that command will transform each gamesave folder from MC into a ".psu" file at the destination. And when restoring the backups to MC again, that same command will unpack each ".psu" file into the original gamesave folders. The great thing about this method is that it will preserve the PS2 specific file attributes and even the timestamps, so that restored files and folders regain exactly the same state that they had before the backup was made.

The ".psu" file format used by uLE is identical to that used for the backup devices manufactured by the EMS company.

Or do I have to download these ELF's separately?

For many purposes you do, when uLE does not support such things internally.

If so, then where do I download them?

Again there is no single answer for all needs, but this site right here is an excellent place to start, as it is the main release site for several projects still actively supported. In addition to uLE that also includes the SMS media player, the new FMCB exploit for PS2/PStwo console booting of homebrew stuff, the ESR swapfree DVD-R game loader, several emulators for other consoles, and lots of other stuff. But of course there are also other interesting projects on other sites.

Also, how do I install uLaunchELF onto my USB flash drive(Scandisk) and run uLaunchELF on the USB instead of from the memcard?

You just copy the elf file to whatever media you want to use and let it be launched from there. As for the boot method used for such launching, that is up to you, but FMCB directly supports booting from USB devices, and so do some variations of the old PS1 exploit (though not the original one by 'MrBrown').

Thank you.

EDIT: Could I just use the Independence Compiler 4.1, and use the LaunchELF that comes with it?

I'm not familiar with that package, but since I released a new version of uLE yesterday I'd guess the one in that package is not up-to-date.

Would it come with all of the features like cogswapping and shit?

No, because that is not the main business of uLaunchELF. Homebrew elf launching is its main business, as well as all filesystem related tasks needed to maintain your homebrew setup. uLE contains a few subprograms such as an FTP server, an HddManager and simple versions of a TextEditor and a JpgViewer, but most other tasks will have to be done by external elf files.

Best regards: dlanor

[creamsoda]

Personally I'd recommend SMS instead, for the playing of AVI/MPG videos or MP3 music files.

SMS can't play .SRT subtitles and .OGM videos, so it's inferior to the great PS2Reality.

Also, I'm still confused with using ulaunchELF on USB flash drive. I don't think it's as simple as placing teh ELF onto the drive and putting it in the PS2.. The PS2 won't even read it.

[E P]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

SMS can't play .SRT subtitles and .OGM videos, so it's inferior to the great PS2Reality.

I'm not a big mediaplayer buff but the optimizations and sheer features puts SMS far over the top. I hardly hear of anyone still using PS2Reality for anything.

Originally Posted by creamsoda

Also, I'm still confused with using ulaunchELF on USB flash drive. I don't think it's as simple as placing teh ELF onto the drive and putting it in the PS2.. The PS2 won't even read it.

Some flash drives are stubborn but most do in fact work. I have 3 flash drives a digital camera and they all work but they are FAT16 or FAT32. Yes, it is as simple as having a compatible flash drive formatted as FAT32 with the files that can be accessed via uLE's fileBrowser inside mass:.

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

SMS can't play .SRT subtitles

Yes it can. I am watching one right now (just to test the truth of your statement). Possibly you missed configuring it to autoload subtitles...

and .OGM videos, so it's inferior to the great PS2Reality.

You mention a single feature PS2Reality supports that SMS really does not, and you think this proves that SMS is inferior. Surely you don't expect anyone to take such a claim seriously, when it can so easily be reversed by mentioning some of the things which SMS is unique in supporting among PS2 media players. Most important of these is probably the networking support, allowing SMS to play movies stored on any PC in a local network. This has become my preferred method of watching both TV shows and movies in AVI form.

Also, I'm still confused with using ulaunchELF on USB flash drive. I don't think it's as simple as placing teh ELF onto the drive and putting it in the PS2..

The installation of uLE itself really is that simple, but if you mean that you also want the PS2 to auto-boot uLE, that is an entirely different matter.

uLE itself is not a booting soft-mod although it can be used with such (and often is). For that you should study the information available in the 'FreeVAST' subforum. (FreeVAST is the old name of the "Free McBoot" project, aka: FMCB)

The PS2 won't even read it.

If uLE can't display any contents of your USB drive (accessed as "mass:" in uLE FileBrowser), then that can be due to several reasons.

Some few USB drives are incompatible to the PS2 homebrew drivers, either because they have some glitches for the USB 1.1 protocol, or because they implement a simulated floppy drive as primary drive with the main memory used only for a secondary drive. Since floppy drives (even simulated ones) use FAT12 filesystem, they are always incompatible with PS2 homebrews, and these drivers will only accept a primary drive.

Another common problem is that people usually format their USB drives differently for use on a PC, resulting in incompatibility with PS2 homebrews. The most common mistake is to use NTFS filesystem instead of FAT32, as PS2 homebrews always require FAT32. Another mistake is to have more than one partition, as PS2 homebrews only work with one single partition.

Best regards: dlanor

[creamsoda]

Ok, so what I'm getting is, I can put all of my ELF's onto my flash drive, then using the PSX trigger disc, I load up UlaunchELF, then once UlaunchELF is loaded I can go into the "mass" directory and execute the ELF's that are inside my flash drive. Is that correct? Or is there more to it that I'm not getting?

thx for the tips & help btw. really appreciate it : )

[ADW]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

Ok, so what I'm getting is, I can put all of my ELF's onto my flash drive, then using the PSX trigger disc, I load up UlaunchELF, then once UlaunchELF is loaded I can go into the "mass" directory and execute the ELF's that are inside my flash drive. Is that correct? Or is there more to it that I'm not getting?

That all sounds correct, yes.

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

Ok, so what I'm getting is, I can put all of my ELF's onto my flash drive, then using the PSX trigger disc, I load up UlaunchELF, then once UlaunchELF is loaded I can go into the "mass" directory and execute the ELF's that are inside my flash drive. Is that correct?

Yes, that's right. (Assuming your USB drive is compatible of course.)

Or is there more to it that I'm not getting?

No. There is always more you can do, but the above is all that is needed.

thx for the tips & help btw. really appreciate it : )

I'm always glad to help a new uLE user get started.

Best regards: dlanor

[creamsoda]

alright, everything ran fine for me so far. I formatted my flash drive to FAT32 and it worked. I was able to run the ELF files and stuff.

One last question though, how exactly do I transfer my memory card's game saves to my flash drive? and vice versa?

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by creamsoda

alright, everything ran fine for me so far. I formatted my flash drive to FAT32 and it worked. I was able to run the ELF files and stuff.

One last question though, how exactly do I transfer my memory card's game saves to my flash drive? and vice versa?

I must have described this several dozen times already in these forums, but I guess it's all news to you...

For all uLE file copying you use the uLE "MISC/FileBrowser" subprogram, which is why it is one of the only two programs preconfigured by default to a launch button. (The other is "MISC/Configure", used to configure most uLE settings.)

In FileBrowser you can not only select elfs for launching, but you can also select any other files/folders to perform various operations specified in popup menus, of which there are currently three kinds, each opened with its own reserved gamepad button.

L1 => Opens a menu where you choose how files/folders are displayed and sorted
R1 => Opens the main file menu with commands like "Copy", "Paste", "Delete", etc
R2 => Opens a menu where you can define or use 30 PathPad shortcuts

For copying normal files/folders you can simply navigate to the source directory, select the files/folders you want, and use the R1 command 'Copy' to memorize that selection. Then you navigate to the destination and use the R1 command 'Paste' to copy the previously selected items, in exactly the same form they had on the source. But some PS2-specific flags and all timestamps may be lost in copying to a non-PS2 medium such as mass: (USB). So for copying gamesaves another method is needed that preserves everything, so that the games will always accept a gamesave restored from such a backup.

The preferred method for backing up gamesaves is based on the PSU file format defined by the company EMS for their line of PS2 MC backup devices. In uLE this format is supported by a special variant of the 'Paste' command known as 'psuPaste' and found in the same R1 menu. That command can be used both to make a backup from MC, or to restore such a backup to MC, as it acts differently depending on whether MC is used as source device or destination device.

The usage of psuPaste is identical to that of regular Paste, though the result is not. So you start by navigating to the MC and selecting the gamesave folders to be backed up and using the R1 command 'Copy', whereafter you navigate to a backup folder on mass: and use the R1 command 'psuPaste'. This then transforms each MC gamesave folder that was selected into a ".psu" file that contains the data from all the files in that gamesave folder, as well as all attributes and timestamps of those files as well as the containing folder. And that includes the ability to preserve PS2 specific file/folder names that would be illegal to use on a PC compatible filesystem (such as your FAT32 formatted USB device).

For restoration of PSU backups you simply do the same thing in reverse. So then you start by navigating to a backup folder on mass: and selecting the ".psu" files you want to restore to MC, and use the R1 command 'Copy' to memorize them. And then you navigate to the MC and use the R1 command 'psuPaste' to restore each of those gamesaves to its original state.

You can find some more information on how to control the name generation for PSU files in the heavily commented LAUNCHELF.CNF file that comes with each uLE release package. That file is a pure text file which controls all configurable aspects of uLE, including some that are not available in the normal configuration menus. And that includes three config variables that affect psuPaste backups.

Best regards: dlanor

[creamsoda]

Thx, I get it now