custom ps3 bootloader with vfat support (0.1.2-20090917)

ps2devman · Post by **ps2devman** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:18 pm

1) PS3EasyLinux works very well! There is just a trick : after installing the other os bootloader and selecting it as prefered booting os, it's better to switch off the PS3 (after it reboots with 'other os'). While PS3 being turned off, you need to push the PS button of the joypad just before booting the PS3. While the 4 red lights of the joypad are blinking, it seems that the joypad initialization works. If you press PS button after the 'other os' boot, the 4 red lights remain on and you can't use it.

2) Those who flamed you are wrong and you were right (I was wrong too):
You are lucky I have an extra PS3 Pal fw 2.01 40gb I keep for separate tests and I don't have any 'other os' partition on it. It is true that if you select system parameters -> install other os you are asked to create an 'other os' partition. But pressing X is still possible, you are not stuck.
On the following screen it perfectly detects the boodloader and installs it.
(note that I may be wrong and it may be possible only in some fw version range)

So not only this solution works brightly and is fast (both copy on usb stick and booting) but it's the perfect solution for sophisticated homebrew for all the PS3 users that didn't think about creating an 'other os' partition.

So congrats to you and the author of pdaXrom-ng-ps3, you really open the way to homebrew on ps3 for pure gamers (people not interested in reformatting their hard disk or spending hours scratching their head about how to install and run a full linux installation). Really, congrats!

Note for 1080i users :
If you are, like me, using a vga box that is quite useless outside the 1080i mode, just going right a few times (not sure about exact moves) with the joypad activated 1080p then it became easier to select 1080i and boot. I will see if 1080i can be set on the usb stick before booting 'other os'.

EDIT:
On the stick, in etc, edit the config file kboot.conf. Set the 'default' line to match the resolution you want (not the one right after 'other os' boot time, but the one Linux will use).
So, even if you see nothing on screen, if you managed to press PS a the right time, one red light will be on, proving the joypad works.
If you want to return to 'game os', just press X (wait 3s, it's not instant).
If you want to boot this minilinux, with the D-pad, go right once, then X.
(the resolution offered as default will be the one set in config file,
so no need to go up or down to select the correct one)
Note that you need to go right only once, if you have the same config
as mine : no 'game os' partition. If you have one, a hard disk icon will appear in 2nd position, so you have to go right twice instead of once.

sashz · Post by **sashz** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:11 am

Sixaxis uinput driver with mouse emulation : http://wiki.pdaxrom.org/downloads/PS3/b ... .2.tar.bz2

use arg -mouse to enable mouse emulation.

Press (PS) button to detect controller.

left analog stick - move mouse
cross - left mouse button
circle - right mouse button
square - middle mouse button

New livecd and zipped files for booting from usb stick or memory cards http://wiki.pdaxrom.org/downloads/PS3/livecd/

speedxl · Post by **speedxl** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:03 pm

Really nice, i can see it coming in the future, a customized linux with a XMB like interface, that lets you access everything emulators, etc, needing only the sixaxis, humm, just daydreaming, thank you for this new release, it´s really appreciated.

mgillespie · Post by **mgillespie** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:17 pm

Any chance of a PS3 controller icon in the bootloader rather than a SNES one? :-)

pestrz · Post by **pestrz** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:19 am

I've got problem with pdaXrom-ng-ps3-20090417 otheros loader - when I want to run linux from usb or cd (that Sashz's compilation) ps3 freezes! I want to come back to ps3 os - how to do it? I've tried pressing x but that doesn't work. Help me please!

mgillespie · Post by **mgillespie** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 5:45 pm

pestrz wrote:I've got problem with pdaXrom-ng-ps3-20090417 otheros loader - when I want to run linux from usb or cd (that Sashz's compilation) ps3 freezes! I want to come back to ps3 os - how to do it? I've tried pressing x but that doesn't work. Help me please!

Switch off your PS3.
push and continue to hold the on switch on the front panel until you hear 3 beeps. Release button.

It will reset back to PS3, and reset your display settings (which you will need to set again)

pestrz · Post by **pestrz** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:35 pm

Thank you very much! :D

I still don't know why this Linux doesn't work or why the bootloader doesn't work. Maybe my ps3 ntsc-jap 40gb is a problem? Creating a partition for Linux could solve the problem?

askot · Post by **askot** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:36 am

Thank you very much, it works like a charm!!
I have tested it and it's awesome.

I'm new with pdaxrom, but I've installed YDL 6.1, but still I'm a noob, anyway, how can I add a new application to this distro?

juanito · Post by **juanito** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:41 am

I just installed the pdaXrom-ng-otheros-0.1.2-20090417 build - very nice.

A couple of points:

It says "hit tab" to move between linux choices on the hd, but I have to use the up/down arrows on my keyboard.

I use ps3fb:mode:13 rhgb - does pdaXrom-ng-otheros need to know this (i.e. will it improve the boot image) or can I just leave things as they are?

I'm hoping pdaXrom-ng-otheros will allow me to boot from a usb stick - I'll report back if I succeed.

kengreen · Post by **kengreen** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:33 pm

I am having trouble accessing wiki.pdaxrom.org to download the latest bootloader. Can someone verify the address? Is there another site for downloading the bootloader. Thanks.

ouasse · Post by **ouasse** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:22 am

same for me.

The sourceforge svn is still reachable. However, some of the build scripts rely on files hosted on pdaxrom.org, so one cannot build a bootloader from the svn sources aswell.

I'll try to maintain a mirror site once the pdaxrom.org server gets alive again.

ouasse · Post by **ouasse** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 12:20 am

I managed to get the missing files from different websites, and from the svn itself (for the ps3boot source code). Here is a link to a website with the missing files and a freshly-built bootloader:

http://ouasse.ath.cx/ps3/pdaXrom-ng/

I haven't tested the bootloader (no ps3 in hand right now), but it should be working.

Schrade · Post by **Schrade** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:37 am

Thanks for doing that, ouasse!

Any chance you have the iso and zipped files of the livecd mirrored, too?

ouasse · Post by **ouasse** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:57 pm

I managed to build an ISO image from the svn sources. However, the resulting image doesn't seem to boot on my ps3 (euro 60 GB model). After selecting the liveCD from the boot menu, the screen goes black and nothing happens.

For those who think they would be luckier than me, the files are here.

Schrade · Post by **Schrade** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:03 am

Thanks again, ouasse.

Question: How do I edit the rootfs.img file?

Basically, I'd like to create my own customized one with a script or something on the desktop or menu that will switch the PS3 back to Game Mode.

Also, I'd like to add my own programs like a Blu-Ray decrypter or emulator.

Is there a way to mount the .img file as a filesystem and modify it?

ouasse · Post by **ouasse** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:05 pm

well, the root.img file is a squashfs file system, generated by the build-linux-ps3.sh script from the svn.

File system generation basically consists in compiling every different components of the system, then generating a filesystem image from the different generated stuff.

Adding a component basically consists in adding a script in the rules directory. This script must be able to download the sources of your tools, compile them and install them in a specific temporary target directory. This target directory will, at the end of the script compilation process, be used for generating the squashfs image. you must modify the
build-linux-ps3.sh or one of the sets files in order the whole build process to take your additions into account.

By the way, sashz still looks active as he recently commited changes to the svn. Maybe he'll manage to get wiki.pdxrom.org up and running again.

ouasse · Post by **ouasse** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:59 pm

wiki.pdaxrom.org is alive again

.Den · Post by **.Den** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:10 pm

Is there any solution to this problem?

I install the bootloader and extract the iso file to external HDD or just burn it on DVD RW. The blue boot screen after the system startup is accessible and there is an icon of the controller and flash disc or DVD. But when I press the X button on either of the two, the system freezes. The symptoms are as following:

The screen does not change. DualShock cannot be connected again if disconnected (no luck with a keyboard, too).
If I use the DVD, it seems to start reading it just before dying. If I use external HDD, it gets disconnected (even the via-USB power supply).

The PS3 can only be turned off after holding the I/O button for about 5 seconds until the second beep. If I don't do this, the green LED would be flashing, but the system wouldn't shut down.

The eject button works fine in this state.
The PS3 is 40GB Japanese version, FW 3.0.

Can anyone help, please?
I have tried downloading the bootloader and iso again from another source (all from this forum) with no improvement.

Thank you!

knicknak · Post by **knicknak** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:34 pm

So I used the ZeroGameProject installer to install wahcade and various emulators (bodega packages), bluetooth sixaxis support(HIDD), etc on YDL 6.1.

I then added PdaXrom's boot loader so that when I turn on my PS3 I can choose which OS to boot using my SixAxis controller.

Here's the issue I'm running into:
PdaXrom detects my sixaxis and lights up 1 led (just like the normal GameOS) to indicate that it's working with the boot menu. If I boot YDL, when I log in to zerogame the bluetooth deamon doesn't see my SixAxis. In order to get it to work, I'd have to turn off the SixAxis then turn it back on - all 4 leds blink when using the bluetooth deamon.

I'm wondering where the problem is and how to resolve it. If a handoff can't take place, could PdaXrom "unlink , turn off, or reset" the sixaxis automatically?

If I boot PdaXrom and choose GameOS, it turns off the sixaxis and I can turn it on and have it work in the GameOS.

Is there an option (or can one be added) to have PdaXrom turn off the bluetooth devices when you boot Linux (YDL)?

An additional question: Is it possible to make PdaXrom work the PS3 Bluetooth Remote Control?

Another question: when you shut down in the GameOS, you can use a sixaxis or bluetooth remote control to turn n the PS3 by pressing the PS buton. Is it possible to do this when in OtherOS mode? i.e. can PdaXrom listen for bluetooth initialization and take the system out of standby?

Small bug: If you select the GameOS and hit X, you are still able to move the selection over to Linux afterwards - i.e. hitting X doesn't lock the gui on your choice.

sashz · Post by **sashz** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:32 pm

hypervisor bug fixed ;)

forums.ps2dev.org

custom ps3 bootloader with vfat support (0.1.2-20090917)

pdaXrom-ng-otheros-0.1.2-20090417.bld

pdaxrom-ng bootloader