gbadev.org forum archive

I have finished the GBA Movie Player firmware hack. It will allow you to boot a single NDS or GBA file from your CF card. More details are in the zip file. It will only load homebrew NDS files, commercial demos do not work!

This is intended to be used with a file select program, but none exists. Oh, and Dwedit has said that it corrupted his GBAMP, but I haven't had this problem. Use at your own risk.

Here is the file.

Chishm

The first part of the installation worked fine, but I've tried 2 english update files, and it's said "Please use English version update file for this card. Update file language version error!" And I think mine's corrupt now, seeing as I get a black screen when I use it with my compact flash card, and get an error message saying to insert one and reset when I don't.

Wow good work.
Does this need a PassMe or does it work without one?
And has anyone else had luck? I dont realy wont to destory my CF card, Either way, Hopefully someone will stick a PassMe on ebay UK so i can buy one.. Otherwise i guess ill have to wait ;)
_________________
-Shoxz,
Webdesigner
PHP, HTML, and VB programmer

Also known as Unreal, and Kez.

I just installed it, I did'nt really care if my card got corrupted or not. I don't have a passme, so I am limited to gba mode and gba multiboot roms. It worked perfectly as a bootloader, but it seems to hang without a gba rom present (won't load the original gbamp software), but it will still let me firmware flash back to e18 to take care of that.

Still, between this and chishm's CF FAT drivers I see the start of a great community based alternate gbamp software suite.

I also think I need to get a passme now.

EDIT: passthrough to old gbamp mode started working miraculously for some reason, it's all good now

Last edited by kokido on Sun Jul 17, 2005 5:49 pm; edited 1 time in total

I assume that even if we break it we can still fix it later with a gba and a multiboot cable?

Great work and thanks for releasing even if it is beta...hopefully a few more of the bugs will be worked out by the time i get my gbaMP in the mail.
_________________
www.drunkencoders.com

Works great for me! Thanks so much!

Last edited by mrnull on Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

If you have problems you can use theis repair file for the GBAMP, It has a readme file included. pretty sure it requires the use of another GBAMP to load the file then you switch to the bad one and it will fix it..

PM me if you need this file REPAIR.NES I couldnt host it, I found it with Google
_________________
Who, Me?

MrNull, did it need a PassMe or not?

Thanks,
-Shoxz
_________________
-Shoxz,
Webdesigner
PHP, HTML, and VB programmer

Also known as Unreal, and Kez.

Yup, it needs a PassMe to work in DS mode.

http://www.dspassme.com/

Thanks.
Guess ill have to wait for someone to put a PassMe on ebay uk, I dont like buying things from the US.
_________________
-Shoxz,
Webdesigner
PHP, HTML, and VB programmer

Also known as Unreal, and Kez.

If it makes you feel any more confident, I'm in the UK, ordered my passme through dspassme.com, and had no problems whatsoever.

Can I flash the hacked DS firmware(flashMe) with it?
I have WifiMe so there is no need for a PassMe.
And since flashMe works with WifiMe and GBA flashcard i wonder if it will work with GBAMP(instead of regular GBA flashcard)too?
or is the 256kb limit still here?

10x in advance for answer
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

How long did it take to come Veg? And what payment do they accept?
Sorry for going a little offtopic too, you can PM me the info if you wish.
_________________
-Shoxz,
Webdesigner
PHP, HTML, and VB programmer

Also known as Unreal, and Kez.

wow this looks great i just want to know some things

1. is there any way to recover the gbamp original firmware if it is corrupted?
2. will it still function perfectly as a GBAMP?
3. are you saying this plays commercial GBA games or just homebrew ones?
4. can i have other files on the card while booting to my nds file?

25 + 20 for a gbamp sounds a lot better than 100 + 20 for a flashcard

rmco2003: Did you use update.e18? Try placing it on the root of the card. If something really bad happens, try putting the flasher on the root of your card, rename it to _BOOT_MP.GBA then run it. Delete it from the card when you are done.

Shoxz: You need some form of pass me for DS mode. GBA booting works without it.

kokido: You have to run update.e18 on the card after you have flashed it. It will still work as a boot loader after doing this, but it also restores the original functionality.

Dovoto: Yes you can still fix it with a multiboot cable. Just run the repair utility.

Zubiac: I have used it to flash my DS. The 256KiB limit only applies in GBA mode. In DS mode it is limited to using WMB compatible NDS files, and even then it only works with a few. The plan is to get a working boot menu that improves compatibility.

Assassda:
1) Yes, you will need a multiboot cable if you can't boot the GBAMP at all. Then you use it to boot the flasher and run the repair utility. Darkfader is responsible for this function.
2) Yes, that is the reason for running update.e18 on the card. I should add that you can remove update.e18 from your CF card after running it.
3) Only homebrew ones.
4) Yes you can.

So, it can only load 4 Mb roms? And in order to run more than one the only thing you need is a program to load other roms?

Also, is there a way to manually skip into the normal firmware, or do you just have to delete _BOOT_MP.NDS?

Sorry to bother you. Im going to buy one sometime this week hopefully, testing demos only in an emulator sucks.

Thanks a lot for putting so much work into this.

I have tested some homebrew roms and they all work fine but the emulators.

NesterDS works but crashes after a while with the error QUEUE OVERFLOW
With SnesDS I get two black screens. It works with wifi..
NDS-8 works.

With flashme, hold select during boot to use the gba mp normally. It works fine and the card never got corrupted.

Weird... Mine completely fails to boot up the GBAMP as normal, but it loads NDS files fine.

Edit: It also runs the gba boot file correctly, just fails to boot normally when the file doesn't exist!

Maybe I need that "Press A to continue" program again.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

Last edited by Dwedit on Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:08 am; edited 1 time in total

Hi,
Is it compatible with the V1 of the GBAMP ?
Is the update useful if there is not Passme?

thanks
_________________
Excuse me for my english ;)

Lukebr

dammit chism. u rock. i know have one flashmed ds enjoying a gbamp and a wifime ... being told by others on the forum what i thought u were capable of wouldnt work...i ordered it a few days ago,and manage to flash my ds before the cart is even shipped... meh...but congrats dude - this is seriously good stuff!

i guess the next stage is an os style thingy where we have a file selector to pick the NDS file? i guess u dont even need ot do that, others can since uve got the auto booting file - there must be no reason why it has to be u to do it

Ok I have the Dragon movie player version 1, which a while back I updated with the .e18 file and then found out that my movie player is not the offical one, thus making it defective.

I tried using this program in hopes of it flashing the movie player to fix it, but alas it failed.

Is there any way this program can fix that issue?

Right now I am getting Flash NOT detected! (2B003FF0)
Please insert a Movie Player

pixxel wrote:

dammit chism. u rock. i know have one flashmed ds enjoying a gbamp and a wifime ... being told by others on the forum what i thought u were capable of wouldnt work...i ordered it a few days ago,and manage to flash my ds before the cart is even shipped... meh...but congrats dude - this is seriously good stuff!

i guess the next stage is an os style thingy where we have a file selector to pick the NDS file? i guess u dont even need ot do that, others can since uve got the auto booting file - there must be no reason why it has to be u to do it

I never said it couldn't be done, I said to wait and see, if you're referring to me that is. :P

Honestly though, I didn't expect something like this to be done so soon. Nice work Chism, Darkfader. :)
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Now with 20% More Old Man from Zelda 1 than ever before!

Same thing for the supercard is possible ??

Thanks

I don't understand what to do here:

"To compile:
You will need to get a copy of the original firmware. It must be modified to launch this code. Place this code at offset 0x3CC0 in the file, overwriting the data that is there. Change the final branch in the first 0x200 bytes of the firmware to jump to 0x02003CA0."

Dwedit wrote:

Weird... Mine completely fails to boot up the GBAMP as normal, but it loads NDS files fine.

Edit: It also runs the gba boot file correctly, just fails to boot normally when the file doesn't exist!

Maybe I need that "Press A to continue" program again.

I have this same problem...it will boot the files like it now should, but it will not see the update file and it won't function as it normally would...I can however recover the firmware alright using the GBA boot file (it will then detect the update file and update, healing the firmware). It is supposed to function normally when those _boot files aren't present, right?

What I find more weird is that with no CF card I still get the "no CF card inserted' warning, even though it won't boot like normal.
_________________
Now with 20% More Old Man from Zelda 1 than ever before!

kanako wrote:

I don't understand what to do here:

"To compile:
You will need to get a copy of the original firmware. It must be modified to launch this code. Place this code at offset 0x3CC0 in the file, overwriting the data that is there. Change the final branch in the first 0x200 bytes of the firmware to jump to 0x02003CA0."

If you are not developing code for the GBAMP's internal ROM, then that stuff doesn't apply to you.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

Dwedit, 9th Sage:
It should boot up normally without the _BOOT_MP files on there. I can think of one reason it won't. Try defraging your CF card. If that doesn't work, try hex editing the CF card and place a 0 in the filename of the very last free root directory entry. If you don't want to do that try formatting your CF card. If that doesn't work, report back and I will look into it.

Ive the same problem to
defraging and formatting: doesn't work :(

I've reformatted before already (the firmware dumper corrupted my card), still nothing. I've tried putting only the firmware update on there, nothing.
Is it failing to reset the CF interface or something? I've had black screen type problems after exiting out of CF using mb programs before.

I don't think defragging could possibly help if windows reports 0 fragmented files.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

I have now found the problem. I bet when it restarts it will not show the Nintendo logo, and a quick flick of the power on a DS says "There is no Game Pak inserted". This is caused by the GBAMP firmware being locked by multiple CF card reads. I guess when it boots it is not fully unlocking the firmware, but instead just not locking it.

I have included a _BOOT_MP.GBA file in the zip that should provide a workaround. Download it here.

Last edited by chishm on Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:06 pm; edited 2 times in total

Works greate :) Tnx Darkfader and chism.
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www.home.no/diemetrix/1337.htm

Sometimes I get the "There is no Game Pak inserted", so I turn it off for 2 seconds, turn on again with the select button pressed, "Play GBA game" appears and it boots the gba mp normally.

CoolkcaH wrote:

Sometimes I get the "There is no Game Pak inserted", so I turn it off for 2 seconds, turn on again with the select button pressed, "Play GBA game" appears and it boots the gba mp normally.

This is an unfortunate side effect of the GBAMP firmware locking itself. Not much can be done about it.

Can we use the Wifime instead of Passme?

thanks
_________________
Excuse me for my english ;)

Lukebr

Thanks Chishm and DarkFader for this GBAMP mod/functions. It will surely help to build more powerfull homebrew DS software.

I have tho still one question:
The PassMe/WiFiMe is needed to patch the firmware of GBAMP or is a flashed DS-Firmware needed for every software run from the GBAMP?

I believe you would need the passme(or other) device(s) everytime you want to use the MP in DS mode because you need the DS to read DS code from the GBA port and the device(s) allow that to happen

You need a passme/wifime only once, just to run Flashme.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

damn I suck.
I don't get it!
I've formated my CF card and what do I have to put on it now?
The flashmp_mb.gba and the update file and what else?

10x
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

And the new _boot_mp.gba file that's included when you redownload it.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

MY movie player dosenot work any more.. but igot to flash me DS so i'm happy. and i can stil use it with wifi.
_________________
www.home.no/diemetrix/1337.htm

Dwedit wrote:

And the new _boot_mp.gba file that's included when you redownload it.

ok
I have put the flash_mp.gba file,the new _boot_mp.gba file and the update file on the root directory of my CF card.
Then I plugged the GBAMP into my DS and updated the firmware.
After that I deleted the flash_mp.gba and the update file from the CF card(as stated in the ReadMe).So the only file that remains on card is the _boot_mp.gba file.
But what I gotta do now? Say i want to try out Tetanus on drugs.
In the ReadMe it says that I have to rename the game to _boot_mp.gba but I can't cause there's already the 1kb file with the same name on the card.
I feel really stupid right now(I'm not bad in those things normaly) but right now I'm totaly lost somehow.
thanx again for any help

?_?
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

_BOOT_MP.GBA is just there in case you want to have a gba multiboot rom start on bootup instead of running the GBA movie player software. You can run multiboot .gba games from the "FC Game" menu.

I've found that you should keep it there, as somtimes it won't boot without it.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

First off amazing work. Everything seems to work great. Did anyone get Darkfaders Multi-NDS loader to work with this?

The only problem I've had so far is that the movie player will not boot with the passme without one of the _BOOT_MP files. This is not much of a problem as I haven't flashed my DS with the new firmware so I can simply not use the passme to use the MP normally but if I ever decided to flash it I wouldnt be able to use the player normaly again. I haven't tried the newly included _BOOT_MP.GBA but maybe that is what its for?

Thanks again for all the great work everyone put into it. Now if I could only get the SNES emu to work with this!

Dwedit wrote:

_BOOT_MP.GBA is just there in case you want to have a gba multiboot rom start on bootup instead of running the GBA movie player software. You can run multiboot .gba games from the "FC Game" menu.

I've found that you should keep it there, as somtimes it won't boot without it.

Oh...but lets say I want to start a multiboot .gba(tetanus on drugs) game on boot up.
Do I have to rename the game-file to anything?
I'm confused cause of this line in the readMe:

Quote:

Place _BOOT_MP.NDS or _BOOT_MP.GBA in the root directory of a defragmented compact flash card. _BOOT_MP.NDS must be a homebrew NDS file, I recommend trying out OMalone. _BOOT_MP.GBA must be a multiboot GBA ROM. I recommend Tetanus on Drugs.

I can't rename cause there is already a _boot_mp.gba file.

addition: I wanna flashMe(with WifiMe) my DS btw.Like chism already managed to do.
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

Strange, I haven't had any problems with the original file.

I use a PassMe and followed the instructions in the txt exactly. When I remove the _boot* files and take out the PassMe the GBAMP works just like normal.

You guys did update the firmware after you installed the bootloader right?

Quote:

Thanks Chishm and DarkFader for this GBAMP mod/functions.

Grrr... I'm still writing my own loader. All I released so far was the flasher tool.

Quote:

Darkfaders Multi-NDS loader

Grrr... I'm still writing my own loader. It was Darkain that wrote that multi-NDS loader.

I'm not really working together with chishm on this stuff. My stuff will be available as a MP firmware update and a system call stubs that will be put into libnds and perhaps libgba.

darkfader wrote:

Quote:

Darkfaders Multi-NDS loader

Grrr... I'm still writing my own loader. It was Darkain that wrote that multi-NDS loader.

Woops sorry about that.

chishm wrote:

I have now found the problem. I bet when it restarts it will not show the Nintendo logo, and a quick flick of the power on a DS says "There is no Game Pak inserted". This is caused by the GBAMP firmware being locked by multiple CF card reads. I guess when it boots it is not fully unlocking the firmware, but instead just not locking it.

I have included a _BOOT_MP.GBA file in the zip that should provide a workaround. Download it here.

Aha...actually, I had just formatted my CF as well, but this workaround boot file did the trick...got me to the update screen, and it boots to the GBA Movie Player fine with that boot file, but not without it.
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Now with 20% More Old Man from Zelda 1 than ever before!

Mine has been working all fine since before chishm told me to update to e18 after installing the bootloader. Though that step defies all logic in my brain so chishm, can you help me to understand. Is the gbamp's firmware in two parts, the part your bootloader goes in, and a second part where the official gbamps firmware goes? Or is there something else going on, just why do you update the firmware after installing the bootloader?

Also, my passme is on the way now, yay!

Hmmm does this firmware have to be on the movie player itself to run? Is it possible to load the gba from a flash cart and flash the MP?

Possibly pull some kind of a swap trick, where first I load the flash cart, says the MP is not detected, then swap with the MP to detect it

yes, it allows for swapping

kokido:
The firmware is in two parts, a boot block and the main GBAMP program. The flasher overwrites the entire thing, but only replaces the boot block. The update then restores the GBAMP program without overwriting the boot block.

Darkfader:
You have to admit, you do deserve some of the credit for what you have allowed me to use.

Zubiac:
Just replace the _BOOT_MP.GBA with the renamed tetanus on drugs.

To use this to flash your DS:
1) Put flashmp_mb.gba, update.e18 and _BOOT_MP.GBA on your CF card root directory.
2) Start your GBAMP. Don't run the update at this stage. Go into FC Game and run flashmp_mb.gba. Install the boot loader.
3) Restart your GBAMP in GBA mode. This time run the update.
4) Download flashme.nds from http://ds.gcdev.com/dsfirmware/. It must be the NDS file, not the GBA file!
5) Put flashme.nds on the root of your CF card and rename it to _BOOT_MP.NDS
6) Use either a passme or wifime to start your DS in NDS mode.
7) Flash your DS according to the instructions on the web site.
8) Remove _BOOT_MP.NDS from your CF card, and replace it with a different game, such as OMalone. Rename the NDS file of the game to _BOOT_MP.NDS.
9) Restart your DS.

hello, can I know what does the firmware changes?? (I know what it does but I want to know what changes made that it is possible to read ds homebrews??) If for the supercard, we could load the homebrew from the cf, and the file would be placed in the supercard's memory, then we would return to the supercard's menu, then we would load the ds homebrew from the supercard's memory (not from the CF, we could even remove the CF..) it would work ? I think that it would make the same thing than a gba flash card (but with a 256mbits limit)

I had to add my own code to the firmware that first notifies the DS that there is a Passme compatible device (by changing the game code to PASS). I then had to write a loader that could load NDS files from the CF card in DS mode. You need a detailed knowledge of the GBAMP to do this. I don't have a supercard, so I dont know if it is possible to modify it to do the same thing.

I followed the directions, but after i flash my MP with the boot loader and try to restart it and update to e18, it shows "updating...." and freezes there. or it says "Please use English version update file for this card. Update file language version error!"

I tried to recover it with the flash_mp.gba and when i turn it back on it starts to update, it does the same thing. This still occurs after i re-download update e18 from movieadvance.com

any suggestions?

defferoo wrote:

it shows "updating...." and freezes there.

wait a little, for me it's ok
_________________
Excuse me for my english ;)

Lukebr

yo,
First off, congratulations chishm! Props to the "Dark One" too!

I ran into problems with my 32MB Canon Compactflash Card (FC-32MH). I was able to do the first part of chishm's instructions fine, but, trying to reboot after flashing led to the "white screen of death" on my DS, and a "black screen of death" on my GBA. I kept fixing and reflashing to the same results. So, I broke out my SanDisk Ultra II 512MB, and "let there be light!" It worked without a hitch.

I'm shooting for an update tonight, to my "Layman's guide to building DSLinux," with detailed instructions for chishm's creation. http://www.dslinux.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=496&st=0

yo chishm, U da MAN!

\s/

What this about reflashing?

Is that to fix your GBAMP when it corrupts?
_________________
They say when you run a Microsoft Disc Backwards you can hear Demonic Voices... That's nothing when you run it forwards it installs windows.

(^'-')><('-'^)

Mantine017 wrote:

What this about reflashing?

Is that to fix your GBAMP when it corrupts?

I believe that once your GBAMP corrupts, then you're out 25 bucks...I was referring to fixing it with repair mode, then reloading chishm's bootloader. But, my problems was with the CompactFlash brand (it still works in my Camera), not corruption.

\s/

('b')b

yeah it finally worked.
Just flashedMe my DS and the GBAMP. Everything works great and I'm having no probs at all.

Big 10x again
^_~
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

I have updated the flash tool. If you want the source, ask.
Now it will only erase and reflash the boot block. This means if you haven't already installed the hack it is now easier to do. You no longer have to run the update.e18 file after this hack.

The repair utility is unchanged, and will still erase the entire firmware. This is intentional, as you don't want any remnants of the hack left behind.

Hello,
Are you sure is not possible to flash the first version gba movie player ? what the hardware difference ?? only the gba port ?

[Images not permitted - Click here to view it]

to lorenzolamas :
It's a fake GBA MP v1. So even if you own one, it won't flash anyway.
Real one (sold on Lik-Sang) has a green/brown sticker, with Movie Advance logotype in the corner.

I've succesfully dumped firmware of v1 using chishm's tool , so I think firmware hack will work just fine.

So... Is anyone going to get to the bottom of this corrupting GBAMP?
_________________
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MKDS Friend Code: 511165-679586
MP:H Friend Code: 2105 2377 6896

is it necessary that my CF is defragmented?
And can i know all the types of file I can run without a passme?
Thankks

Without a flashme or something similar there is really little point in installing this on your gbamp right now. The only thing it will do that the gbamp software does'nt currently do is automatically run a gba multiboot rom at startup, the only gba multiboot that would be beneficial to run at startup is some kind of replacement for the gbamp GUI, which does'nt exist yet.

falcon!!! wrote:

is it necessary that my CF is defragmented?
And can i know all the types of file I can run without a passme?
Thankks

It is only necessary to defrag after changing the _BOOT_ME.* files. Any other time it is not important.

kokido wrote:

Without a flashme or something similar there is really little point in installing this on your gbamp right now. The only thing it will do that the gbamp software does'nt currently do is automatically run a gba multiboot rom at startup, the only gba multiboot that would be beneficial to run at startup is some kind of replacement for the gbamp GUI, which does'nt exist yet.

I have wifime, does it change something? And what does "multiboot rom" mean? (i'm not english)
Thanks

falcon!!! wrote:

I have wifime, does it change something? And what does "multiboot rom" mean? (i'm not english)
Thanks

Wifime is like passme, so this is useful for you. A multiboot ROM is basically any GBA ROM you can already play on the GBAMP in the FC Game menu.

so can i play nds files? but in which way? I've put the flash.gba on the card and run it (r+l+select), then put the boot-mp-.gba with the e18 update file and I updated my GBAMP. then I deleted flash and update from my card, but if I put Omalon.nds renamed _BOOT_MP_.NDS it doesnt start! Can you tell me if I have to do somthing with my wireless card or if I cant play nds file and only -gba file (also ds.gba?), I hope u can understand me :)
Many thanks.

It has to be named _BOOT_MP.NDS, not _BOOT_MP_.NDS. After doing this run the Wifime program. Your wireless card has to be a specific type, so it may not work. Check out http://www.aaronrogers.com/nintendods/wifime.php for more instructions on using WifiMe.

yes yes, i meant _BOOT_MP.NDS So i must start it via wifime?!? Download ds?

falcon!!! wrote:

yes yes, i meant _BOOT_MP.NDS So i must start it via wifime?!? Download ds?

Yes and yes. Follow the instructions in the tutorial above to use Wifime (if you haven't already).

After doing this you can flash your DS firmware so that it doesn't need to use wifime. Check this post for information on how to flash your DS firmware.

sorry but if I load it via wifime, it freezes at the Nintendo logo as all homebrew nds files...Shouldnt I load it in the GBAMP coz it has flashed firmware?? How can i know if my GBAMP has flashed firware?

falcon!!! wrote:

sorry but if I load it via wifime, it freezes at the Nintendo logo as all homebrew nds files...Shouldnt I load it in the GBAMP coz it has flashed firmware?? How can i know if my GBAMP has flashed firware?

Edit: I dont have flashed firmware on my ds. Does it change something?

falcon!!! wrote:

sorry but if I load it via wifime, it freezes at the Nintendo logo as all homebrew nds files...Shouldnt I load it in the GBAMP coz it has flashed firmware?? How can i know if my GBAMP has flashed firware?

you have to load the PassMe via WifiMe.
Get it here.

It should look like this:
[Images not permitted - Click here to view it]
and this:
[Images not permitted - Click here to view it]
_________________
Abusing Cube and DS with all sorts of homebrew and hacks.

Where is "passme"??
if u mean "wmb.exe" then it says "error could not load header.bin"

i'm using vers 1.4 beta 1

sorrt sorry! now works!!!

do you think a supercard update will be released

(I hope so)

I hope so too.

Actually, I bought a Supercard in the hope that it could be hacked. Replacing the SC firmware with sth open-surce would be tremendous!

Vince
_________________
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I didn't understand if I can run ds.gba files renaming them in .gba

No, it requires the .nds version of the files.

Good work Chishm!

You can run NDS files but you can't run NDS.GBA files

At power-on, the SuperCard's RAM is blank. The SuperCard firmware, which loads games from the CF card into RAM, currently runs only in GBA mode. Switching from GBA mode to DS mode requires a power cycle, clearing the RAM. Catch-22.

Solution: hack the SuperCard firmware to be tolerant of DS mode. This is currently being done for the GBA Movie Player.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

Just wanted to mention that I got my passme from lynx today and I can boot nds code from my gbamp now. So it's officially a complete success.

Any idea yet on why it blackscreens without the _boot_mp.gba file? Is it some kind of movie player locking itself issue?
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

Dwedit wrote:

Any idea yet on why it blackscreens without the _boot_mp.gba file? Is it some kind of movie player locking itself issue?

You got it in one. As you are well aware, the GBAMP is picky about reads and writes to the cartridge before it is fully unlocked (check the hardware hacking thread for further details). I tried to run the unlock sequence within the firmware code (copying it to memory first, of course) but this didn't work.

The _BOOT_MP.GBA file doesn't even attempt to unlock the firmware when it boots. It simply copies the correct code from the firmware and runs it. I have a few theories on why it works:
1) The crt0 is setting the memory how the GBAMP expects it.
2) Normally it has to search to the end of a directory before it decides to launch the firmware, this shortcuts that.
3) The reads involved are somehow unlocking the GBAMP

Something else that is strange, is that when it is in NDS mode, the firmware will read from SRAM once if there is no _BOOT_MP.* file found, and one additional time for each _BOOT_MP.* file. The odd thing is, the firmware locks unless there is exactly one _BOOT_MP.* file, where * is anything but NDS. This means exactly two reads from SRAM. Maybe I should look further into it.

EDIT: Changed method of detecting DS mode so it no longer reads from SRAM. This has removed the above bug. New version is available at usual place.

I like that I can still use the Movieplayer in GBA Mode. Would this be possible on a regular flashcart?

I wonder what it is that stops somethings from booting. Is it to do with the data transer rate?

abigsmurf wrote:

I wonder what it is that stops somethings from booting. Is it to do with the data transer rate?

It is probably a sync issue between the two CPUs. However, since it can load homebrew ROMs it should be possible to write a menu/loader (like Darkain's) that can load them.

Due to requests I've had, here's how to repair a screwed up GBAMP:
You will need either another GBAMP, a flash cart, a multiboot cable & GBA, or a DS with flashme installed and WMB.
First, run flashmp_mb.gba using your prefered method. Next select repair by pressing L+R+START. When that has finished, put update.e18 on your CF card and update the GBAMP using it.
If you only have a modded DS and WMB, you will need to get the flasher from the DevKitPro Tools CVS. Compile it for the DS and then run it. The remaining steps are the same as above.

I am currently struggling to get it to work...

I've followed these instructions:

First, copy the flashmp_mb.gba and _BOOT_MP.gba file onto the CF card.

Then, under windows, right-click on the drive letter for your CF card and select properties. I ran the defrag utility and told it to defrag the CF card anyway.

After that, insert the CF card into the GBA Movie Player Version 2 and stick it into your DS.

Then, turn on your DS WITHOUT a PassMe inserted and let it boot into GBA mode.

Next, select "FC Game" from the menu

Then, select flashmp_mb.gba from the list.

Press and hold the L and R buttons, and then press SELECT.

Now, remove the GBA MP from your DS, remove the CF from the GBA MP, and copy Omalone.nds to the CF card.

Next, rename Omalone.nds to _BOOT_MP.NDS

Put the CF card back into the GBA MP, and then insert the GBA MP into your DS.

Next, insert the PassMe into the DS and turned it on. BOOM! There was Omalone!!

I have done all the above and it still isnt working. My DS has been flashed so I dont need a passme or need to use wifime. All that happens is when I put on the DS, and the bottom screen just flashed really quick then the top screen is shown with the GameBoy Advance intro. Then it takes me to the normal GBAMP os. I find this really weird. Anyone know whats wrong?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

It switches to GBA mode if it can't find _BOOT_MP.NDS.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

This works great. I thought for sure that I would only be able to use the movie player for loading homebrew files, but the fact I can still use it normally blows me away. Thanks Darkfader and Chism.

I've been considering using FlashMe, but is there a way to uninstall it with the hacked movie player? I see the uninstall file on the firmware site, but it is a .ds.gba file. Is there an .nds version somewhere?

Habeeb1000 wrote:

Is there an .nds version somewhere?

You mean this?

http://ds.gcdev.com/dsfirmware/flashme.nds

he means an .nds version of the repair file

Dwedit wrote:

It switches to GBA mode if it can't find _BOOT_MP.NDS.

But it is there... Also when I try it with my 128mb CF card, and I put on my ds, it straight away shows a white screen on both the screens. I even formatted my card, put nothing on it and still the white screens appear.
Anyone know whats wrong?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

I tried flashing with three different CF cards (128, 256 and 1024 MB). In each case I get white screens on OMalone. Restoration of original firmware is only possible with DarkFaders flashmp_ds program and subsequent update with update.e18. Multiboot restoration didn't work.

I reformatted CF cards for each test with FAT32. I also tried FAT16 once with the 1GB card. (Defragmentation is not necessary if you don't delete or resize any files, BTW.)

After flashing, original firmware cannot be booted either. It gets stuck at the not endorsed by Nintendo message. If _BOOT_MP.gba file is on the card, firmware does not show up at all.

Any ideas how I could pinpoint the problem, chishm?
_________________
www.natrium42.com

IxthusTiger wrote:

he means an .nds version of the repair file

That's what I mean. I guess that's a no then.

You can always dump your rom. Boot up, then power on/off twice fast to unlock.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

natrium42 wrote:

Any ideas how I could pinpoint the problem, chishm?

As always, if you don't have the most recent version of either the DS or GBAMP firmware, get it. Try putting update.e18 on the CF card too. Does it show the no CF card inserted screen when no CF card is inserted?

What version GBAMP do you have, and did it come in the proper box with plastic crate? How long have you had it and where did you get it?

Try using a different NDS file. A small one like the microphone demo is probably a better test.

Shaz:
Sorry if you are already doing this, but make sure it is definitely called _BOOT_MP.NDS in capital letters. Also make sure it is in the root directory. White screens = trying to load an NDS but can't. Try going to the DS menu (hold select on startup) then choose GBA cart and see if the normal firmware shows.

Ok this is what happens now.

When I put in the 128MB CF Card with nothing on the card, It shows a white screen. When I hold Select at start up, it takes me to the DS Os and I choose GBA game and it just shows the GBA boot intro and shows a black screen. Also if I put _BOOT_MP.NDS on the card, it does the same thing.

Now when I put in the 64MB card and I put on my DS, the bottom screen blinks and then the top screen is shown with the GBA boot up intro. Then it takes me to the GBAMP normal OS. When I hold Select while puting on my DS, it shows the DS OS and I choose "Play GBA Game" and it takes me to the normal GBAMP firmware.

I hope the above makes sense to you lot.
Know whats wrong?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

chishm wrote:

As always, if you don't have the most recent version of either the DS or GBAMP firmware, get it.

I got the newest version of GBAMP FW from your site. I am booting with a PassMe, so no need for DS FW.

chishm wrote:

Try putting update.e18 on the CF card too. Does it show the no CF card inserted screen when no CF card is inserted?

I did put this file onto the card. I actually have to use it to restore the FW completely after restoring with flashmp_ds. And there is no such screen.

chishm wrote:

What version GBAMP do you have, and did it come in the proper box with plastic crate? How long have you had it and where did you get it?

This is the one I have: http://www.movieadvance.com/images/1-2.jpg

chishm wrote:

Try using a different NDS file. A small one like the microphone demo is probably a better test.

I tried with a smaller demo which was verified as working on the GBAMP.

Should I dump the GBA header that the FlashMP firmware sends? What else could I do?
_________________
www.natrium42.com

Try dumping the first 4KiB, but unlock it first by booting it then restarting quickly. You'll need a GBA + MB cable for this. Try something other than passme. I have only tested it with flashme and wmb.

chishm do you have a solution for me?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

Shaz:
The problem with your 128MB card is that it is not finding any _BOOT_MP.GBA files, so it can't boot in GBA mode at all. This is what causes the black screen, and is due to the firmware locking itself. Try putting the supplied _BOOT_MP.GBA file on the card.
Another test to try, maybe on your 64MB card, is put tetanus on drugs in the root directorr of your card. Delete _BOOT_MP.GBA and rename tod.gba to _BOOT_MP.GBA. See if it boots the game properly.
Also, swap the GBA screen on your DS. See if it will boot the GBAMP with your 64MB card onto the touchscreen.

Sorry I didn't answer before, I was in a rush.

Natrium42:
After you have dumped the GBAMP firmware, check the bytes starting at 0x3CA0. This is where my boot loader is located, and should not be only 0xFF or 0x00 bytes. I would be interested if it is a passme problem, as I don't have one but Lynx is planning to ship the passme and modded GBAMP as a kit. If it doesn't work with passmes I will need to find out why.

I know it works with a PassMe for sure, as that is what I am using (removed FlashMe for PassMe testing). I also know Natrium42 has the correct version of GBA MP, as I shipped it to him (prior to you releasing your update, otherwise I would have updated it prior to shipping it to him).

So, I guess the question might be.. Is there a CF brand/chipset issue? I'm using a 512MB Kingston CF card with no problems. I have updated the firmware multiple times and have run both NDS and GBA files from it without a problem as well as the GBA MP. I have updated the firmware on mutiple GBA MPs (with the Kingston CF card) and booted Omalone.nds on all of them.

Is there anything else we can try to compare? Could there be a step that is being overlooked? Or a way to tell if the firmware updated properly? What about FAT16 vs FAT32 maybe? I'm not sure what mine is.. I'll have to check. What about the OS used to format the CF card? XP vs 2K vs Linux, etc? Just throwing out ideas..

Edit: What about the CF reader/writers? Could they be messing something up?

It could be FAT16 vs FAT32, but I don't think so. There is one thing though, it detects the MBR based on the first byte of the CF card. If it has a value of 0xEB or 0xE9 then the card is assumed to have no MBR. If it doesn't have this value, then the loader scans the MBR for the first active partition and goes to it. To be honest, I'm surprised this detection method has worked successfully for so many people, as the bytes only exist on a system partition.

To test this out, do a complete format of the card, removing the MBR (if you are willing to) and make sure the first byte is 0xEB or 0xE9. It should then work properly. If you want to keep the MBR, make sure the first byte is not the above value.

The other possibility is you have a FAT32 format, but it has the FAT16 sector size field not equal to 0. This is not allowed by the FAT specs, but is a possibility.

It shouldn't be a CF issue, as they all obey the same specs when it comes to accessing them (ATA).

Quote:

There is one thing though, it detects the MBR based on the first byte of the CF card. If it has a value of 0xEB or 0xE9 then the card is assumed to have no MBR.

You want it _not_ to work when it has been formatted with MacOS ? bah :(
Read my source code someday.
And also read "FAT32 File System Specification - General Overview of On-Disk Format (1.03).pdf". Doesn't include MBR info though.

darkfader wrote:

Quote:

There is one thing though, it detects the MBR based on the first byte of the CF card. If it has a value of 0xEB or 0xE9 then the card is assumed to have no MBR.

You want it _not_ to work when it has been formatted with MacOS ? bah :(
Read my source code someday.
And also read "FAT32 File System Specification - General Overview of On-Disk Format (1.03).pdf". Doesn't include MBR info though.

As I said, I'm surprised it has worked so far. This is the smallest (code wise) way to detect the MBR that I could think of. I know it is PC specific, but I don't know of any universally compatible way to detect the MBR (apart from ignoring it completely). I have read that document, and is where I got the information for my file system code.

Actually, do you think it would be better if I checked for the string FAT at offset 0x36 or 0x52? This is the only other way of detecting an MBR that I can think of.

Also, for those who requested it, I have included and NDS version of the flasher in the zip now.

chishm wrote:

The problem with your 128MB card is that it is not finding any _BOOT_MP.GBA files, so it can't boot in GBA mode at all. This is what causes the black screen, and is due to the firmware locking itself. Try putting the supplied _BOOT_MP.GBA file on the card.
Another test to try, maybe on your 64MB card, is put tetanus on drugs in the root directorr of your card. Delete _BOOT_MP.GBA and rename tod.gba to _BOOT_MP.GBA. See if it boots the game properly.
Also, swap the GBA screen on your DS. See if it will boot the GBAMP with your 64MB card onto the touchscreen.

Tryed all of the above and still doesnt work.
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

Shaz:
If tod didn't work, then it is probably a problem with your CF card. If it is partitioned, make sure the partition is marked active. If you know how, make a dump of the first physical sector and the first sector of the partition, and PM them to me.

And if you don't know how, go download winhex.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

chishm wrote:

Shaz:
If tod didn't work, then it is probably a problem with your CF card. If it is partitioned, make sure the partition is marked active. If you know how, make a dump of the first physical sector and the first sector of the partition, and PM them to me.

Yep, that was also the problem in my case. I sent chishm a few dumps and he was able to solve it.

Good work chishm!
_________________
www.natrium42.com

I already have WinHex (not the full version) and I am not sure how to dump the first sectors of the CF card. Could you tell me how?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

shaz wrote:

I already have WinHex (not the full version) and I am not sure how to dump the first sectors of the CF card. Could you tell me how?

Don't know WinHex, but in HexWorkshop:
"Disk -> Open Drive...", select your CF *physical* disk then "Disk -> Save Sectors..." and make sure to dump from sector 0 to sector 0.
Do the same with *logical* drive of CF.
_________________
www.natrium42.com

Code:

_is_active_partition:
add    r1, #0x10
ldrb    r0, [r1]
cmp    r0, #0x80
bne    _is_active_partition

Is it possible to replace this by first trying to find an active FAT partition and if this doesn't succeded going to first inactive FAT partition?
_________________
www.natrium42.com

ok i was very keen on getting my gbamp's flashed so i rushed out looking for the firmware update. at the time i found the firmware to flash it but i am pretty sure it was too early and there where to many bugs but i thought i would try it any way......it didnt work lol .

now when i load the game from the gba slot the gba logo apears then the screen flashes red then stays blue if any one knows how to fix this so i can get my gbamp back to normal please let me know

Misunoko:
Run either of the flashmp programs contained in the zip file using your favourite method. If you can't run unsigned code on your DS, use the gba version with a multiboot cable or a flash cart. You can pak-swap while it is running.
Natrium:
I was thinking about that today. There are two possibilities:
(1): If it doesn't find an active partition it jumps to the first partition on the disk (basically what you said).
(2): If it doesn't find an active partition, assume it is a a non-partitioned disk, ie one without an MBR.

(1) is better if the problems people experience are caused by no active partitions on the disk. (2) is better when people don't format using a PC, as darkfader mentioned could be a problem. I don't know what Shaz's problem is yet, so I will wait until I get those sector dumps to make my decision. At the moment I'm leaning towards (2), as the active partition search is the same as what is done by a PC at boot up.

For a quick and dirty fix to anyone having this problem, here is one method to guarantee no MBR and a valid FAT partition on your CF card. Be warned that you will lose all your data on the CF card! Only do this if you know what you are doing. Open the physical disk and purposely corrupt the first sector by overwriting it with all 0 bytes. Eject the disk then stick it back in your computer. When Windows complains that it is not formatted, allow it to format the card. Now it should work.

Shaz:
Open WinHex. Go to Tools->Open Disk (or Disk Editor, depending on your version). Choose your CF card under physical disks. It will be one of the Hard disks, but not Hard Disk 0. Now go to Edit->Define Block. Put 0 in the first field and 512 in the second. Then go to Edit->Copy Block->Into New File. Save this as the physical dump. The partition dump is the same, except when openning the disk, select the correct drive letter under logical drives.

i tried to run the flashmp programs but the red and blue screen still come up i dont have a multiboo cable or another flash card is it worth me trying to fix or just buy another one? i really dont wanna have to wait for any mp. any more help i would apretiate here is the zip that originaly flashed my mp with if it helps http://coke.maypel.com/flashmp_gba.rar

You used Darkfader's in development loader. Not going to be easy to recover without a multiboot method. Do you have wifime, a flash cart or a multiboot cable? If you have any of the above, which one, so I can give relevant instructions. If you can already run it, make sure you download my loader from the first post of this thread.

i will be useing wifi me

chism, meant to post this after I did it a week ago, but I just finally got around to registering after reading these boards for months. I followed these directions to flash my GBA MP and DS, and it all worked properly. The hardest part of the whole procedure was finding something metal small enough to fit in that hole in the back. Thank you very much for all your work. Now, I get to join all the homebrew fun.

You literally saved me $200. I'd share some of the savings with you, but I never really had it to begin with.

Ya'know what.. I agree with you.. Chishm.. do you have a donate button somewhere I can click on or do you have a paypal e-mail you can send me / pm me.. cause this thing is the greatest thing since the PassMe.. (I'd say better, but you need a PassMe to use it in DS mode.. so I guess it can't be better then something it requires?). This is only the beginning, but when real PDA software comes out for the DS, it will definatly use this.. along with a dozen other uses..

Why don't we all just chip in and get Chism a CF and SD Supercard and see if he can make fun hacks with those too?

Darkfader is the one who did the hacking of the hardware, chishm just made the driver and filesystem.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

Does DF have the SuperCards?
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

Dwedit wrote:

Darkfader is the one who did the hacking of the hardware, chishm just made the driver and filesystem.

Yeah, but if chishm didn't make the driver, filesystem, and release it, then I may have caved in and spent $200 on a flash cart. chishm saved me money. He got it out before I had the money to get the flash cart.

And I thank him.

I also thank everyone else who helped him to get it done, but that particular thank you was for chishm, since this is a thread for his release.

I don't know if anyone test it, but i used the GBA MP2 to use FlashMe and it works perfect. You only need the *.nds Version of FlashMe.

Its a great Work, thanks to Darkfader and Chism.

alangerow wrote:

Yeah, but if chishm didn't make the driver, filesystem, and release it, then I may have caved in and spent $200 on a flash cart. chishm saved me money.

I hope you are just making up numbers when you say $200....you can get flash carts that work with nds homebrew for $70 here: http://kicktrading.ca/ and probably cheaper elsewhere....

He may be talking about the NeoFlash, I think it costs around that much.

TJ wrote:

He may be talking about the NeoFlash, I think it costs around that much.

It's such a horrible deal really. I don't know why someone would want to pay that much when they can get something that works equally well for much cheaper.

*sigh* Of course I say this then I say "duh, it's probably the warez!" although the irony of people wanting free games (too cheap to buy their own?) paying tons of money for a flash cart kind of amuses me. :P
_________________
Now with 20% More Old Man from Zelda 1 than ever before!

Not trying to pick who did what, but Chishm does deserve the credit he is getting.. And I'm (dspassme.com) selling 256Mb Devkits (with PassMe) for $70, so $200 is a little high. But, GBA MP is so much better then a normal GBA Flash cart (IMHO) for homebrew. I still can't get over the possibilities this gives the DS (and GBA if you use it).

Now, if someone could take the GBA MP built in app and convert it to the DS so I can touch the icons instead of using the d-pad, that would really be killer! *hint, hint* ;)

Darkfader did most of the hardware hacking, including unlocking and writing the firmware, and writing to CF card. I worked out how to read CF cards using DMA, and also how to get the loader in there without locking the GBAMP at startup.

I did most of the software hacking, although darkfader wrote the assembly version of the sector reads, and of course ndsmall, which I also used. So Dwedit is right, Darkfader did the hardware, I did the software.

If you want to donate, I don't have any thing like PayPal. However, since Darkfader deserves a lot of the credit, you could donate to him.

Other alternatives: Darkain said he might port his loader to the GBAMP if he had one, so you could get him one. I will gladly accept any donations of hardware, as long as you don't mind posting to Australia. Alternatively, if you are in a generous mood, give the money to the RSPCA or some other charity, they always need a little more help.

Oh, and on the subject of credit, I would like to thank Dwedit and Lynx for being my guinea pigs, and Tepples who is always a big help in answering my queries. (This is starting to sound like an awards ceremony speech... I think I will end it here.)

is there a .nds file that i can flash the gbamp with, i only have wifime so i can only use nds files. so a nds file to send to the ds to flash the gbamp back to its original form would be a great help since my gbamp wont load any more :(

Check the zip on the first page. It now has an NDS version.

thank you i found the nds file but when i load the nds to the ds it locks any ideas ?

If you haven't installed FlashMe (the DS firmware upgrade, not my GBAMP firmware update) then your DS won't run unsigned code, including this. You either need to install FlashMe, or find another way of running the flasher.

ahhhh thank you

another question again lol the flashme.nds wont run either just locks as well does this mean its unsigned code? how can i get around this

Yes it is also unsigned. The only signed NDSs available are the commercial demos, eg Polarium. I am working on a way to reverse darkfader's loader, but give me time.

EDIT: Hmm. The loader seems to load to 0x203000. This complicates things greatly. My advice is if you have a GBA and no other flash carts, then make an Xboo cable and use it to recover. That is what I use.

cant we ask him wat he has done?

I know what he's done. He loads the first physical 64KiB from the CF card to 0x02030000 in the gba's memory, then runs it. Most code expects to be at 0x02000000, which is the problem.

So could one make a .mb that includes the proper 64 KB segment, copies it to the end of GBA EWRAM, and then jumps to it?
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

tepples wrote:

So could one make a .mb that includes the proper 64 KB segment, copies it to the end of GBA EWRAM, and then jumps to it?

If you were testing without using the loader then yes. I am trying to do it the other way around. I thought about modifying the link script so that .text starts at 0x02030000, but that didn't appear to work. I also tried modifying gba_crt0.s (plus recompiling it) to copy from there to the begining of EWRAM, like it usually does for multiboot programs started in ROM. Again that didn't work.
The other way I tried was to integrate my custom loader into the bootsector of the disk, except Windows XP won't let me partition the CF card after I had to delete the old MBR due to corruption. All partition utilities I have found only work in DOS mode, where my USB CF reader won't.

chishm wrote:

Windows XP won't let me partition the CF card after I had to delete the old MBR due to corruption. All partition utilities I have found only work in DOS mode, where my USB CF reader won't.

You can partition fairly easily under linux, and it supports most usb flash card readers (but not all).
If you don't want to install linux, you can use a live cd that runs directly from the cd, like knoppix (homepage: http://knoppix.net/ bittorrent downloads: http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/ )

Chishm I successfully got working my 128MB CF Card. I successfully loads NDS files but can you please tell me why doesnt it work with the commercial demos? Also I tryed my 64MB card and it's the same problem.
Even after corrupting it and formatting it, still doesnt work...

Also what are you currently doing? I mean I see you have started something else, what will that do to benifit us?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

Josath:
Thanks for the tip, I already have quite a few live CDs lying around. They came with a few magazines.

Shaz:
Can you PM a current dump of the physical and logical first sectors of the 64MB card, like before. Make sure it is the proper dump, not an old one.

I have decided to put the new project on hold for now, while I get the CF stuff bug free. Only problem with CF cards is they vary so much in their disk layout (MBR, FAT16/32, active partition, sector size, etc) that it is hard to make sure this works on every single card. It's not helped when I only have one CF card to test with, and it obviously works fine.

I must say this sounds really awesome, but I have one question. Can you read data from the card from inside the homebrew DS program?

EDIT: Sorry, just found out about the GBA MP FAT driver chishm made available =D. The firmware update won't interfere with it's usage will it?
_________________
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, why the heck do you care?

The driver is completely independent of the firmware on the movie player. It accesses the hardware directly.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

Dwedit wrote:

The driver is completely independent of the firmware on the movie player. It accesses the hardware directly.

Awesome, thanks!
_________________
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, why the heck do you care?

Would it be possible to play .ds.gba files? Also would it be able to play commercial demos (like Zelda E3 Preview), if not, why not?
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

.ds.gba: Only if the SuperCard were hacked.

Commercial demos: There is something we don't know about the internal state of the DS that the commercial demos expect.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

i followed the instructions as at http://www.ndshb.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=26 and my GBA MP works great. loads .gba files fine, and i still have the functionality of everything else the GBA MP could do
just need a passme now. any one taking direct deposit for passme payment? i'd get a wifi usb stick but i want to b able to run code away from my computer

i've tried following the instructions at http://www.ndshb.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=26

i get to the part that asks me to rename the "Omalone.nds to _BOOT_MP.NDS" but there is not omalone.nds file present in the zip file that i downloaded.

what should i do here? i'm pretty sure the GBAMP has been flashed as i got past the L+R+Select section fine.

anyway, the 3 files present in the .zip are:

_BOOT_MP.GBA
flashmp.nds
flashmp_mb.gba

there is no omalone.nds

cheers.

Omalone isn't included in the zip. It is a separate game. You can get it from http://omalone.free.fr/download.html

ahh, i thought omalone was a flashfile or similar. didn't realise it was a game!

thx chishm.

ok, i'm currently trying to flash my DS using the flashme located here, however it's not booting. i've tried both the instalation files, but nothings happening. it's just going straight into GBAMP mode.

am i doing something wrong here?

i've flashed the MP (got omalone to work so it must be flashed)
got the passme in
got the 2 files:
flashme.nds
flashme.ds.gba

when i turn the ds on, it just goes straight into GBAMP mode. the only file in the FC game is the flashme.ds.gba.

cheers.

Rename flashme.nds to _BOOT_MP.nds. You need to do this for any .nds file you want to boot from the GBAMP.

tepples wrote:

.ds.gba: Only if the SuperCard were hacked.

I'm still not clear on whether .ds.gba files work on GBAMP. .nds files work fine for me by renaming them _BOOT_MP.nds. What do I rename the .nds.gba file? Does it work similarly to a flashcart in that it can be bigger than 4MB?

IxthusTiger wrote:

tepples wrote:

.ds.gba: Only if the SuperCard were hacked.

I'm still not clear on whether .ds.gba files work on GBAMP. .nds files work fine for me by renaming them _BOOT_MP.nds. What do I rename the .nds.gba file? Does it work similarly to a flashcart in that it can be bigger than 4MB?

Maybe this will be clear: .ds.gba files DONT work on the GBAMP :)

tepples wrote:

.ds.gba: Only if the SuperCard were hacked.

To make it even clearer: I'm envisioning a hack similar to the GBAMP hack. This would replace the SuperCard firmware with DS-aware firmware that loads a .ds.gba image into the SC's RAM and then jumps to it.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

tepples wrote:

.ds.gba: Only if the SuperCard were hacked.

To make it even clearer: I'm envisioning a hack similar to the GBAMP hack. This would replace the SuperCard firmware with DS-aware firmware that loads a .ds.gba image into the SC's RAM and then jumps to it.

That would basically make the Supercard an M3 :)

Do newer firmwares work with the Supercard, like e18?

And in recent news...

The maker of Supercard (Romman) is releasing a Superkey (like a PassMe) to compliment the Supercard to make it play .DS files.

Check out the official Supercard site or the Unofficial Supercard forums for details.
_________________
3 is not an "e",
7 is not a "t",
1 is not an "l",
And for the love of God,
Learn how to spell!

IxthusTiger wrote:

That would basically make the Supercard an M3 :)

No, it wouldn't.

The M3 has 32megs of onboard RAM.

wintermute wrote:

IxthusTiger wrote:

That would basically make the Supercard an M3 :)

No, it wouldn't.

The M3 has 32megs of onboard RAM.

So has the Supercard, built in 256MegBit Ram.....

heh, my mistake, was thinking of gbamp

hey chism how did you go with reversing the old gbamp loader i used to flash on my card do you remember??? its kool take your time im just eager to get up and running again cant we just ask darkfader????

Is there still work going on the firmware upgrade to enable close to 100% compatibility with homebrew or is it just not possible?

misunoko:
I have kinda given up on reversing Darkfader's loader. It doesn't seem to work, no matter what I try. I suggest you borrow a flash cart or another GBAMP and load the flasher from it then run the repair utility with your GBAMP in the cart slot.

abigsmurf:
If we can get Darkain's MultiNDS loader to work with the GBAMP that should increase compatibilty.

I dont think the GBAMP is actually worth buying...

Romman told me their gonna release their new firmware for the Super Card on friday! It can actually play commercial and homebrew games just like the NeoFlash. I think this could save alot of money, i'm going to buy one from Romman himself (cheaper :))
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

chishm wrote:

abigsmurf:
If we can get Darkain's MultiNDS loader to work with the GBAMP that should increase compatibilty.

His GBA MP is on the way.. :D

As for the new SC? What's the price?

Same price, you use your Passme to boot it into DS mode.
It's just a firmware upgrade...
_________________
It's so easy to be wise. Just think of something stupid, then dont do it.

chism if i send you my gbamp will you flash it for me i live is brisbane so it shouldnt be to much postage to send it. pm me or email me with details if you can email addy is pat.ggf@gmail.com

Many thanks to Darkfader(woo-hoo NL) and Chishm

I have:
DS
GBAMP
WIFIME

I wasn't planning to flash my DS, i'm afraid of killing it or damaging it for future online games/updates.

I got omalone working

Few questions:
Is there some sort of a loader available? to load multiple DS games?
Can i run GBA bigger dan 256kb?
How much does SNESDS work?
Whats your favorite NDS homebrew title?

thnx in advance :)

Lukaso wrote:

Few questions:
Is there some sort of a loader available? to load multiple DS games?
Can i run GBA bigger dan 256kb?
How much does SNESDS work?
Whats your favorite NDS homebrew title?

thnx in advance :)

No loader yet.
Still has the 256K limit I believe, because it's still booting in GBA mode and has to load the whole ROM into memory.
I've gotten a couple SNES games running over WiFi (I installed the FlashMe), but not from the GBA MP, and it's buggy as hell.
NDS homebrew ... Gorilla DS is a lot of fun. As is Nibbles.

You're welcome in retrospect. :)

hello,

I don't understand the 256ko limitation? it's an hardware limitation or software (firmware) ?

thx

the 256k limitation is for GBA ROMS only, as to run them you need to run them in GBA mode, and GBA's only have 256k of RAM. NDS code currently has a 4MB limit

misunoko, i'm in rockhampton, and possibly quite a bit closer to you than chishm. i could flash your GBA MP if you want, tho it is quite easy

thx sebbo

and it's the same thing for the SuperCard or it's like a real cartbridge ?

First, NDS mode has the same 4meg limit as a GBA Flash cart, though neither of them really have a 4 meg limit.. You just have to write your homebrew to swap data in and out of RAM. Ex. being Moonshell. I have 30 meg worth of mp3s on my CF, and am able to play them all as Moonshell only loads the MP3 it is playing into RAM, which is why it has the ~2.4meg limit?

SuperCard has 32MB onboard chip that the data is loaded into between the CF/SD and GBA port.

I need help, I flashed my GBAMP using flashmp_mb.gba, i was able to go through the whole hold L+R+Select Process restarted then loaded _BOOT_MP.gba and _BOOT_MP.nds (which was actually OMalone.nds) I used Wifime and used the DS Download Play, it did it but then all i see is a Nintendo logo that flashes in the top screen and then both screen stay white.

I also tried to load it in GBA mode and I got was the GBA splash screen followed by a black screen, I tried putting the update .18 from the movie advance site and i wasn't able to load it, it still stood black. When I inserted the GBAMP into the DS without the CF I got a screen that said "Warning! Can not find Card....." other than that, I wasn't able to get a response. I don't own a flashcart or a multiboot cable, all i have is a GBAMP and Wifime setup. Is there any method I can get my GBAMP to work?
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

First, format your CF card. Now put the included _BOOT_MP.GBA on the card (not in any folders). Then put update.e18 on the card. Try booting it in GBA mode. After doing this, put _BOOT_MP.NDS on the card (Omalone if you wish). Run WifiMe (proper WifiMe, using the WifiMe zip, not just WMB).
Also, is your DS flashed yet? If so, you can reload the flasher over WMB.

I formated my CF by right cliking on the Drive and i placed the 2 files you mentioned and the update.e18 on the card, then i loaded it up on my DS using GBA mode and all i got was the splash screen and a black screen.
No i didn't flash my DS yet that was in my things to do before my card would load the .NDS file once i ran Wifime.
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

Just wanted to say thank you Chism,

My GBAMP arrived on friday, patched it and the DS within seconds without any problem (using wifime). The FAT_xxx functions from the driver work like a charm.

Great work!

/me now invests the saved time on more game features :D

Shoremunkey:
If you are getting the GBAMP splash screen then the update should be loading. Try putting Tetanus On Drugs on the card, delete the old _BOOT_MP.GBA and rename TOD.GBA to _BOOT_MP.GBA .

Chishm:
I dont know what you mean by the GBAMP splash screen, the only response I get from the Movie Player is when i don't insert a CF card and asking me to insert one. I did what you told me i put Tetanus on Drugs on the card and renamed it to _BOOT_MP.GBA. I defragmented the card just in case, and its the only file on the CF card.
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

shoremunkey wrote:

Chishm:
I dont know what you mean by the GBAMP splash screen, the only response I get from the Movie Player is when i don't insert a CF card and asking me to insert one. I did what you told me i put Tetanus on Drugs on the card and renamed it to _BOOT_MP.GBA. I defragmented the card just in case, and its the only file on the CF card.

Sounds like what happens to me without using the workaround _BOOT_MP.gba file included in the zip with the firmware flasher.
_________________
Now with 20% More Old Man from Zelda 1 than ever before!

I forgot to say that it didnt load either all it did was show a black screen...and it seem to be frozen there.
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

I've noticed that if your root directory is fragmented, the firmware won't find the boot files. Windows's defragger won't defrag your root directory.
Try something like PerfectDisk instead.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

$40 for PerfectDisk once the evaluation expires?

It might be cheaper to try backing up and reformatting the CF card.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

tepples wrote:

$40 for PerfectDisk once the evaluation expires?

It might be cheaper to try backing up and reformatting the CF card.

Even that won't work all the time. Format doesn't modify the MBR. If you really want to make sure the CF card will work, back it up, purposely corrupt the first sector, then format it using windows format. Works for me every time, even if it is a bit of a hack. Alternatively, set the first partition as active.

EDIT: I have updated the firmware hack. It should be more compatible with CF cards now. Specifically, if it can't find an active partition it just assumes there is no MBR, so if you have formatted on a Mac, it should hopefully work.

Last edited by chishm on Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:24 am; edited 1 time in total

i think not defragging the CF card before you flash the MP is probably whats causing the problems...has anyone who's MP isn't working after flashing defragging their CF card first?

Well! I know its not my GBAMP because i got a hold of a 1gig San disk CF and i placed the _BOOT_MP.gba and it worked flawlesly i even tried omolone and it worked!!!! using wifi! tomorow i plan to flash my DS so i won't have to use Wifime anymore.

My question now is if i formatted my other card(the one i was having trouble with) why didn't it work?..... is there a cleaner way to reformat your CF card that would swipe it completely clean, because before I did any firmware hack to my GBAMP it had no problem reading from the CF?

Dwedit:
I downloaded PerfectDisk but i couldn't get it to work with my CF card the only drive it picks up is my C: drive.

Chism:
I'm not sure how to corrupt the first sector purposely and I didn't want to mess with the card, can you give me a quick guide?

thank you all..for helping me!
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

Using a disk editing program (I use WinHex), overwrite the first 512 bytes with 00s. The way to do this varies with the program used. Doing this will corrupt it, and the next time you insert the disk, windows will ask to format it. Read back over this thread for more hints.

Before you try this, however, try downloading the flasher again from my website, and reflash the GBAMP. I have made a small update that may or may not fix your problem with that particular CF card.

chishm:
I'm sitll a little skeptical about the coruption process. I have both Winhex and Hew workshop. In winhex do I do a Edit->Define block 1 512 and whatever it highlights I replace with 0's? Ive went back and read the thread and i notice you were telling something about dumping...but i'm not sure if it had to do anything with what you told me.
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

In HexWorkshop:
(1) Open *physical* disk from the menu.
(2) You should now see 0x200 bytes of the first physical sector.
(3) Sellect all of them (CTRL-A)
(4) Go to Edit -> Fill... and fill with 0's
(5) Close HexWorkshop, reinsert CF and format with Windows.
_________________
www.natrium42.com

Last edited by natrium42 on Sat Aug 27, 2005 1:58 am; edited 1 time in total

Yes! It worked I corrupted the CF card adding zeroes and it worked.
Though i did have some problems formatting the first time I did Windows was telling that it couldn't format the card, so i put the CF card in my Digital Camera and formated there and it did I put it back in windows and loaded _BOOT_MP.gba and inserted in the GBAMP and it didn't work, I did the file corruption one more time and try to format it in windows(after i re-inserted the card) and windows was still not lettting me succefully format so i chose quick format....and it worked i loaded _BOOT_MP.gba on the CF card and put it in my GBAMP and it worked flawlesly now I actually start at the GBAMP startup screen and see the menu.

Thank you so much chishm and natrim42 I would of never of even come close to solving my problem.
_________________
"Surf the Turf Mr Monkey"

Why can't you do fdisk /mbr on the cf?

chishm, if I'm not having any problems with the original flashmp_mb is it worth reflashing my GBAMP?
Also, is it okay to reflash the mp or should the repair function be run first?

tk wrote:

chishm, if I'm not having any problems with the original flashmp_mb is it worth reflashing my GBAMP?
Also, is it okay to reflash the mp or should the repair function be run first?

No, it is not worth reflashing. If you do decide to, you don't need to run repair first.

Mr Snowflake wrote:

Why can't you do fdisk /mbr on the cf?

Because Windows XP doesn't have fdisk, and won't run it. MS-DOS doesn't support USB devices (like a CF adapter).

Last edited by chishm on Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

[quote="chishm"]

tk wrote:

Mr Snowflake:
Because Windows XP doesn't have fdisk, and won't run it. MS-DOS doesn't support USB devices (like a CF adapter).

Oh yes, that's true, see what happens if you hang around old computers ...

gbadev.org forum archive

DS Misc > GBAMP Firmware Update

#48127 - chishm - Sun Jul 17, 2005 11:42 am

#48133 - rmco2003 - Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:46 pm

#48142 - Shoxz - Sun Jul 17, 2005 4:29 pm

#48144 - kokido - Sun Jul 17, 2005 4:43 pm

#48145 - dovoto - Sun Jul 17, 2005 5:24 pm

#48155 - mrnull - Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:43 pm

#48157 - lambi1982 - Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:44 pm

#48162 - Shoxz - Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:31 pm

#48164 - mrnull - Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:34 pm

#48165 - Shoxz - Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:42 pm

#48166 - Veg - Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:50 pm

#48167 - zubiac - Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:21 pm

#48168 - Shoxz - Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:24 pm

#48171 - assassda - Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:47 pm

#48175 - chishm - Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:57 pm

#48176 - joebob180 - Sun Jul 17, 2005 11:47 pm

#48180 - CoolkcaH - Sun Jul 17, 2005 11:57 pm

#48184 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:37 am

#48185 - lukebr - Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:39 am

#48189 - pixxel - Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:25 am

#48190 - knight0fdragon - Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:03 am

#48194 - The 9th Sage - Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:43 am

#48196 - mastertop101 - Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:45 am

#48199 - kanako - Mon Jul 18, 2005 4:36 am

#48210 - The 9th Sage - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:09 am

#48217 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:35 am

#48226 - chishm - Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:02 am

#48228 - scawf - Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:09 am

#48230 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:19 am

#48233 - chishm - Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:10 am

#48235 - DiemetriX - Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:04 am

#48242 - CoolkcaH - Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:09 am

#48244 - chishm - Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:11 am

#48249 - lukebr - Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:39 pm

#48251 - Mighty Max - Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:40 pm

#48254 - knight0fdragon - Mon Jul 18, 2005 4:00 pm

#48263 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:07 pm

#48265 - zubiac - Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:26 pm

#48267 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:49 pm

#48269 - DiemetriX - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:16 pm

#48270 - zubiac - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:17 pm

#48273 - Dwedit - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:24 pm

#48275 - skabio - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:29 pm

#48276 - zubiac - Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:36 pm

#48278 - mrnull - Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:05 pm

#48281 - darkfader - Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:24 pm

#48283 - skabio - Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:32 pm

#48291 - The 9th Sage - Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:43 pm

#48292 - kokido - Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:48 pm

#48295 - knight0fdragon - Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:07 pm

#48298 - darkfader - Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:23 pm

#48305 - chishm - Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:08 pm

#48308 - mastertop101 - Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:30 am

#48310 - chishm - Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:50 am

#48313 - defferoo - Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:30 am

#48315 - lukebr - Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:58 am

#48319 - sup3rmaan - Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:40 am

#48324 - Mantine017 - Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:26 am

#48326 - sup3rmaan - Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:01 am

#48331 - zubiac - Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:32 am

#48340 - chishm - Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:12 am

#48346 - lorenzolamas - Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:59 pm

#48352 - Kir - Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:10 pm

#48359 - Mr. Picklesworth - Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:55 pm

#48408 - falcon!!! - Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:39 pm

#48413 - kokido - Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:55 pm

#48432 - chishm - Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:10 pm

#48469 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 7:51 am

#48474 - chishm - Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:03 am

#48476 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:23 am

#48478 - chishm - Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:58 am

#48482 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:38 am

#48483 - chishm - Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:28 am

#48485 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:38 am

#48486 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:02 pm

#48487 - zubiac - Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:14 pm

#48492 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:52 pm

#48495 - falcon!!! - Wed Jul 20, 2005 1:04 pm