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The PSP is not just a portable gaming console, it can also be used for many other applications when using homebrew. However, Sony has chosen to be strongly against homebrewed applications which have alienated some users. With this in mind Custom Firmwares were made for the PSP for this main reason. With the TA-088v3 motherboard though, Sony changed the hardware so that it would only boot with an ipl that is signed by Sony, thus stopping the popular Pandora Battery dead in its tracks and causing PSPs with this motherboard or newer to get bricked if Custom Firmware is flashed on it as the ipl is not signed by Sony. However, as most people know by now, there's always a way around security setups, and while the ipl encryption has not been completely defeated, courtesy of an exploit it is possible to run firmware on a PSP.

Before using ChickHEN confirm that the firmware is version 5.03. If the firmware is older then please update to that version. If it is a newer firmware, then this tutorial will not work and the firmware cannot be switched back. (Also, I should state that whoever constantly updates the firmware for any console is not that bright to begin with since some console firmware releases have bricked consoles.) Also, check the Theme Settings (Listed under the settings menu in XMB) to make sure that theme and background are both set to original and color is set to ‘By Month.’ Having these settings different will not allow this exploit to work.

The first thing is to access the memory card on PC which can be done either with a PSP usb cable or with a memory stick pro duo port on a PC. If being done with a PSP USB cable go to settings in the XMB (the PSP’s main menu) and select USB Connection. Once the drivers are setup for it, it should appear as a drive in a similar fashion to a USB Thumb Drive. Once this is done, download ChickHEN and place the h.bin file in the rar onto the root of the memorystick. (Which is commonly referred to as ms0:/) Then, depending on the version of PSP being used place the ChickHEN directory within PHAT (1000 series) or SLIM (2000 and 3000 series) into ms0:/PICTURE (If that directory does not already exist, then create it.)

Now comes starting up ChickHEN. To do this start up the PSP normally and make sure a UMD is not in it. In the XMB, go to the photo option, select Memory Stick, and select the ChickHEN folder. Allow for the PSP to load up all pictures. The desired result should be that upon loading the tiff file the PSP should restart itself within a few seconds. If the PSP locks up, then the tiff did not load properly and it has to be tried again. It is recommended that when loading ChickHEN, make sure that the PSP is plugged in and not running on battery.

Note: For those using 3rd Party memory cards on a Slim PSP, less pictures in the ChickHEN directory may be required so test to see how many pictures are needed in the directory for the desired result. Usually I’ve seen the results range anywhere from 1-3 pictures, but this can vary on a case by case basis.

Finally, to confirm that ChickHEN has loaded properly, go into the settings listing on the XMB, select System Settings, and select the system information. It should list ChickHEN as the System Software. With this in mind, I will state that this utility is designed to run various homebrew programs like emulators, and media players. It does not run UMD backups such as ISOs, PSone games, or plugins.