socram8888/tonyhax

Mention That TonyHax Boot CD Is Useful With Early CD Player Swap Method

Closed this issue · 3 comments

alex-free commented

Thank you very much for including boot cd support from my pull request. I think however that you discount the usefulness of the CD player swap method on exploitable playstations. It seems swap tricks get a bad rap nowadays. But the CD player swap trick isn't like others! It literally can not damage a PSX in any way and is the main reason I experimented with this in the first place (and specifically bought this PSX console):

  1. Turn on PSX with no CD in drive.
  2. Start the CD Player on the PSX.
  3. Put in literally any legit PSX game (the TOC can't matter since it's such a small executable and TOC on the TonyHax Boot CD).
  4. Use a hunk of aluminum foil or something else to depress the lid sensor to make the PSX think the lid is closed. Legit PSX game starts spinning.
  5. Legit PSX game stops spinning, swap the legit PSX game with the burned TonyHax Boot CD.
  6. Exit the CD player menu, the TonyHax Boot CD begins spinning, boots, and stops spinning, remove the TonyHax Boot CD and hunk of aluminum foil, and swap the burned backup you actually want to play, then close the lid.

This is your project, so I get if you don't want to add this info. But I think it should be at least a footnote as this makes the CD player swap trick literally the best way to boot backups on stock consoles. You need nothing except a burned CD-R backup, a burned TonyHax Boot CD-R, literally any legit PSX game, and a PSX old enough to do the trick (which is apparently serial number lower then 592xxx). This is in comparison to normal TonyHax, which requires specific legit PSX exploitable games and a memory card with the special exploit save you came up with. For people with early exploitable CD player swap method consoles, why add more requirements when they are not actually necessary?

The only issue with the CD player swap trick since it's inception in 1996 was the TOC incompatibility, which is 100% solved with your ingenious exploit method and by using the above steps. I am amazed that I don't even have to pull off the single hot swap method which requires you to swap pre-TOC read in the PSX drive for full compatibility.

I have done the double swap method on a SCPH-7001, and single hot swap on my SCPH 1001 as well as the very safe CD player swap trick mentioned in the above steps in which the CD is stopped when you swap it. Definitely, my preferred method is using TonyHax Boot CD on my October 1995 PSX with the CD player swap method. That is hands down the best method to use a stock console to boot burn backups, no memory card even required (although I have 3) and with your excellent updates on anti-piracy methods, it only gets better and better,,,

I don't think I can change this label from bug to enhancement, my apologies.

NuSynth commented

I just tried all of this. It didn't work for me. I'm using the 5501.

alex-free commented

I just tried all of this. It didn't work for me. I'm using the 5501.

You need a serial number lower then 592xxx as mentioned. Some 1001s even have a higher serial number then that.

NuSynth commented

I just tried all of this. It didn't work for me. I'm using the 5501.

You need a serial number lower then 592xxx as mentioned. Some 1001s even have a higher serial number then that.

Ohhh ok, I misunderstood that. I dont know what my serial number is.