PSP-1000 stuck after ARK4 migration from very old CFW (3.71 M33-2)
(image not mine)
PSP-1000 stuck after ARK4 migration from extremely old CFW (3.71 M33-2)
I’m trying to recover a PSP-1000 and I’m not sure if I hit a soft brick or just a badly corrupted system state.
Original situation:
- PSP-1000 running 3.71 M33-2 (very old custom firmware)
What I did:
- Followed ARK4 “For ALL OLD CFW users” guide
- Copied ARK_DC + ARK_cIPL to PSP/GAME
- Copied ARK_01234 to SAVEDATA
- Downloaded 6.61 OFW, renamed it to 661.PBP, placed in root
- Ran ARK DC Installer
- Ran ARK cIPL
- Rebooted and installed ARK4 6.61 from the recovery menu
First boot after install seemed OK.
Problem starts: After rebooting again, the PSP gets stuck on XMB:
- XMB partially loads
- spinning loading circle in bottom-right never stops
- system becomes basically unusable
What I already tried:
- Removed memory stick entirely → no change
- Booted multiple times → same behavior
- Entered ARK recovery once and used “Reinstall 6.61 OFW”
- After that, ARK recovery is no longer accessible (seems like plain OFW now)
Current state:
- Boots into XMB
- No access to recovery menu anymore
- Still stuck on infinite loading circle
- Memory stick is NOT involved in the issue anymore
Extra context: Someone suggested disabling UMD-related plugins/fixes, but I can’t access any plugin system anymore, and the issue persists even with no memory stick inserted.
Hypothesis: Given the upgrade path (3.71 M33-2 → ARK4 → OFW reinstall), I suspect:
- corrupted flash1 / system settings
- leftover M33-era configuration conflicts
- broken XMB database or module initialization loop (possibly UMD/game browser)
Question: Is this recoverable via software (forced reset / reinitialization), or am I looking at Pandora Battery territory at this point?
Any advice from people who have migrated from very old M33 setups would be appreciated.(image not mine)PSP-1000 stuck after ARK4 migration from extremely old CFW (3.71 M33-2)I’m trying to recover a PSP-1000 and I’m not sure if I hit a soft brick or just a badly corrupted system state.Original situation:PSP-1000 running 3.71 M33-2 (very old custom firmware)What I did:Followed ARK4 “For ALL OLD CFW users” guide
Copied ARK_DC + ARK_cIPL to PSP/GAME
Copied ARK_01234 to SAVEDATA
Downloaded 6.61 OFW, renamed it to 661.PBP, placed in root
Ran ARK DC Installer
Ran ARK cIPL
Rebooted and installed ARK4 6.61 from the recovery menuFirst boot after install seemed OK.Problem starts: After rebooting again, the PSP gets stuck on XMB:XMB partially loads
spinning loading circle in bottom-right never stops
system becomes basically unusableWhat I already tried:Removed memory stick entirely → no change
Booted multiple times → same behavior
Entered ARK recovery once and used “Reinstall 6.61 OFW”
After that, ARK recovery is no longer accessible (seems like plain OFW now)Current state:Boots into XMB
No access to recovery menu anymore
Still stuck on infinite loading circle
Memory stick is NOT involved in the issue anymoreExtra context: Someone suggested disabling UMD-related plugins/fixes, but I can’t access any plugin system anymore, and the issue persists even with no memory stick inserted.Hypothesis: Given the upgrade path (3.71 M33-2 → ARK4 → OFW reinstall), I suspect:corrupted flash1 / system settings
leftover M33-era configuration conflicts
broken XMB database or module initialization loop (possibly UMD/game browser)Question: Is this recoverable via software (forced reset / reinitialization), or am I looking at Pandora Battery territory at this point?Any advice from people who have migrated from very old M33 setups would be appreciated.