Community knowledge — the PSX-Place thread

Every actionable finding mined from all 19 pages (380 posts) of the official PSX-Place POPStarter thread — krHACKen's own corrections (flagged authoritative), concrete per-game datapoints, failure signatures, and the modern device / fix history. Each item names the poster and thread page. This is the raw field record behind the curated reference pages — the most complete view of what the community has worked out.

Tier 0 — krHACKen, authoritative

Cheats

• $IGR5 = OPL-style IGR combo (Select+Start+L1+L2+R1+R2) with NO YES/NO exit popup. (krHACKen) Disambiguates the $IGR0–5 family — this is the variant people actually want for a clean OPL-like exit. (krHACKen, p15)
• $SAFEMODE is ONLY for raw hexadecimal cheats, NOT the built-in $ named commands ($IGR, $NOPAL, $WIDESCREEN, etc.). (krHACKen) Corrects widespread over-use. (krHACKen, p10)

Config (direct hex offsets — krHACKen-specified)

• $HDTVFIX = config-table offset 412h, value 0→1. (krHACKen) Lets users hex-edit POPSTARTER.ELF directly when CHEATS.TXT route green-screens on internal HDD. (krHACKen, p10)
• Offset 413h = USB-HDD detection/retry count (default 2). Raise to 5+ for stubborn/slow USB HDDs. (jolek, medium-confidence, but pairs with krHACKen's 412h to map the $410–$42F table byte-by-byte.) (jolek, p1)

Storage / Config

• HDD multi-partition scan order is __.POPS → __.POPS0 → __.POPS1 … → __.POPS9. (krHACKen-authored doc) __.POPS is NOT aliased to __.POPS0 (unlike mass:/mass0:). The correct second partition is __.POPS0. Corrects a common assumption. (Peppe90 quoting krHACKen, p12)
• OPL config files (conf_elm.cfg, conf_elmz.cfg) inside the POPS folder silently kick POPStarter back to OSD (no error). (krHACKen-confirmed) Failure-signature gotcha. (krHACKen, p1)

Patches / Trojans (the developer's own farewell fix-pack)

• TROJAN_7.BIN is krHACKen's final cumulative "goodbye" fix-pack — patches POPStarter globally, applied to ALL games. (krHACKen/hugopocked) Revision history: r6 (2020-05-20) → r7 (2020-05-20, "unhook code just fixed"). Post-dates the r13/2019-06-05 final ELF; NOT merged into it. (krHACKen + hugopocked, p8/p17/p18)
• TROJAN_7 should ONLY be used on games NOT already covered by hugopocked's per-game fixes — stacking both ADDS crashes. (hugopocked) (hugopocked, p18)
• POPStarter validates the number inside the PATCH/TROJAN header against the filename and refuses to load on mismatch. (ShaolinAssassin) You cannot just rename TROJAN_7.BIN→TROJAN_0.BIN; the embedded header number must be hex-edited too. The digit is a slot (0–9), not a version. (ShaolinAssassin, p8)

Troubleshooting (IGR / BOOT.ELF exit chain)

• Black screen after IGR "YES" = your BOOT.ELF is incompatible. (krHACKen) Two fixes: (1) disable POPStarter's internal ELF loader, or (2) repack BOOT.ELF with a different packer (NRLPack). With the loader disabled, IGR drops to the PS2 Browser. (krHACKen, p15)
• PATCH_9.BIN disables the bugged ELF loader and restores normal IGR. (krHACKen) A named, attached patch with a documented effect not in the base cheat-command list. Caveat: with it in place, OPL-DB can no longer launch PS1 games (only wLE_kHn launching works). (krHACKen, p4)

Driver myths corrected

• You CANNOT add external HDD drivers to the __common/POPS folder to fix HDD mode. (krHACKen) USB drivers renamed MODULE_#.IRX don't help in HDD mode; ATAD.IRX is incompatible with the other drivers; HDDLOAD.IRX is the MBR KELF loader (wrong module, needs an EE-side partner). Kills a persistent community myth. (krHACKen + sp193, p5)

History

• Source was never lost/rewritten — krHACKen only makes occasional cumulative fixes; source stays private; hugopocked is a co-fixer. (krHACKen) Corrects the "lost source / rewrote from scratch" rumor. (krHACKen, p5)

Naming standard

• Display name belongs in conf_apps.cfg as display_name=path, NEVER in the filename. (krHACKen) OPL set this standard in v0.8. PSXtreme/POPStarter Game Installer intentionally generates opaque unique filenames (HWC…VCD); tools that read display names from filenames (OPL Manager) are doing it wrong. (krHACKen, p13)

CONFIG

• CHEATS.TXT filename must be UPPERCASE (CHEATS.TXT, not CHEATS.txt) or cheats silently fail — case-sensitive on HDD/pfs, tolerant over SMB. This is the real root cause behind the "$HDTVFIX works on USB but not SMB" and "green-screen on HDD" reports. (krHACKen + jolek, p10/p17) - FF9 ships with $COMPATIBILITY 0x04 enabled by default (since WIP02) — concrete evidence of POPStarter's built-in per-game default-config table. (Peppe90, p8)
• USB access delay (the 413h-region byte) — default 0x02; raise to 4–5 for slow devices, external HDDs, or when VMC files get re-created every boot. Use a POPSTARTER.ELF prebuilt with higher delay. Especially relevant with BDMAssault/MMCEMAN. (Okeanos, p19)
• SMB debug-mode overlay cannot be disabled — hard-coded in the 2019-06-05 build, no CHEATS.TXT/config switch. (VanhuX, p9)

COMPATIBILITY

• Merged multi-disc ISOs break per-game fixes — fixes are keyed to the game ID in SYSTEM.CNF; a merged Crash 1+2+3 ISO carries the wrong ID so the Temple Ruins freeze-fix never fires. Run clean single-disc rips. Applies to MGS and other commonly-merged titles. (Peppe90 + ElPatas, p9Patas, p2/p3) - PAL PS1 games scroll/roll vertically through HDMI adapters; $NOPAL stops the scroll but off-centers the image (fix via XPOS/YPOS). PAL-patcher / 50–60Hz handling is the suspect. (R3dRapt0r39, p18)
• Soul Blade & other CD-read-sensitive games on USB: format FAT32/exFAT with 16 KB cluster size. Larger clusters → corrupt loads/crashes. (SMB & internal HDD work regardless.) (hugopocked, p19)
• Aspect-ratio anomaly: POPS games can render ~1:1 squashed with grey side-borders instead of 4:3 on some slim/OPL/ethernet setups — relevant to $XPOS/$YPOS/$DWSTRETCH/$DWCROP. (HE1NZ, p6, low-conf — note as open)

Per-game datapoints worth a compatibility table:
- King's Field (JP, Eng-patched): needs $COMPATIBILITY 0x04 to avoid slowdowns. (Peppe90, p9)
- C-12: Final Resistance (SCES_033.64): $COMPATIBILITY_0x07 partly fixes missing textures (mode is incomplete — cutscene speech/subs missing). (jolek, p2)
- Mega Man 8 / X4 (USB/HDD): $CODECACHE_ADDON_0 in CHEATS.TXT fixes charge-beam/voice SFX (preferred over swapping to PSP BIOS). (El_Patas, p3)
- Tekken 3 (PAL): in-game scanline generator hotkey Select+R1+R2 fixes bottom-screen artifacts. (Peppe90, p3) — also documents a live hotkey not in the captured set.
- RE3 (SLUS-00923): completable with GameHacking.org "Skip Door Transition" code + PSP 6.60 BIOS, no compat mode. (hugopocked, p1)
- Tomb Raider 1 USA: only Rev0 works untouched; Rev1–6 need krHACKen's per-revision patches (psx-place Resources > PS3 > Tools) for both levels AND music. TR2 USA Rev0–3 all fine. Gold ports won't load levels / have no music fix. (bananana, p12)
- Known multi-track audio bug: newer TR revisions and Air Combat lose all CD music/voice tracks even when levels load. (Peppe90, p12)
- Speedball 2100 (US): TROJAN_7 clears the load freeze but then reports "no controller in port 1" — separate unfixable emulation bug shared by a few games. (El_Patas, p10)

STORAGE / FILES

• Full official-OPL HDD layout to list PS1 games as Apps: __.POPS partition (≤128GB, VCDs) + __common\POPS (POPS.ELF/IOPRP252.IMG + per-game folders/VMCs/textures/patches) + +OPL (pfs0) APPS folder with renamed POPSTARTER.ELF copies + ART covers + conf_apps.cfg. VCD/ELF/folder/cover names must all match. (Peppe90, p12) [high value, complete recipe]
• TROJAN path on internal HDD: hdd0:/__common/POPS/TROJAN_7.BIN (alongside POPS.ELF). (El_isra, p14)
• Dual POPS-binary resolution: POPStarter reads POPS_IOX.PAK (USB) OR POPS.ELF + IOPRP252.IMG (__common/POPS) depending on what's mounted. Symptom of an incomplete HDD install: launching shunts straight back to wLE when the USB stick is absent. (SG-17, p14)
• Multi-disc layout: DISCS.TXT lists both VCDs; VMCDIR.TXT contains ONLY the CD1 folder name; SLOT0/SLOT1.VMC live in the CD1 folder; per-disc CD1/CD2 subfolders. Tool: discs_pooper-bambuch0-fix. (ShaolinAssassin, p19)
• IRX loader: up to MODULE_0.IRX–MODULE_9.IRX, loaded from POPS/ root ONLY — never from the per-game VMC folder. For special devices: SIO2MAN.IRX MUST be MODULE_0.IRX; order matters. (ShaolinAssassin + AkuHaK, p19)
• SMB mode requires network modules on a memory card (mc?:/POPSTARTER/) — SMB without a physical MC is impossible. (jolek, p5)
• Only internal HDD and USB are valid backends — no CD/DVD-disc loading. (Berion, p7)

TROUBLESHOOTING

• OPL AUTO BDM/SMB/HDD combo hangs HDD-launched POPSTARTER ELFs on black screen (HDD light stuck, needs power-off). Workaround: set BDM & SMB to Manual. Confirmed OPL-side bug, not POPStarter. (Ripto + TnA, p15) [high value, reproducible]
• $HDTVFIX forces 480i and breaks 240p on CRTs — some installers (PSF Batchkit Manager) silently add it. Remove it to restore 240p. (BloodRaynare, p15)
• OPL DB fork (not stock OPL) corrupts TROJAN loading — use official OPL for PS2 games. (HWNJ, p10)
• SMB on Win10: enable "SMB 1.0/CIFS" (PS2 is SMBv1-only) AND either turn off password-protected sharing OR (better, per Arcueid) create a dedicated Windows user with a password and grant share access. Share a subfolder, not the whole drive. (jolek + Arcueid, p1/p9)
• SCPH-700xx consoles often need extra USBD.IRX/USBHDFSD.IRX via the IRX loader to fully init HDD (PS-logo freeze otherwise). Also: VCDs go in hdd:/__.POPS/ (with the dot). (jolek, p4)
• DS3 over Bluetooth drifts/goes haywire under POPStarter (all builds) — workaround is wired USB IRX files. (CosmicScale, p11)
• VMC fragmentation can make a save vanish or a game unlaunchable; defragging the drive restores it. (Peppe90/HWNJ, p9)

Open/unresolved signatures worth recording as known-issues:
- SCPH-77004 (PAL slim): universal black-screen even when SMB debug shows all-Done; signature FFS Wrapper r6a : 35 then black. (exo12, p18)
- SMB VMC save-dir not auto-created over Samba; manually creating it hangs on "Validating the resource directory." (SicariusLeif, p7)
- SMB launch can fail with LOGON has failed (0). (RandomGuy2024, p16)

DOWNLOADS / MODERN STORAGE SUPPORT

• Final builds: POPStarter ELF 2019-06-05 is the final ELF (USB drivers dated 2019-01-14); a 2019-06-14 repackage exists. No hidden newer ELF. Last fix-pack is TROJAN_7 (r7, 2020-05-20). (Ripto + hugopocked, p18)
• exFAT USB support requires BDMAssault (github.com/israpps/BDMAssault). (Ripto, p16)
• MX4SIO & MMCE (SD2PSX/PSXMemCard/MCPRO2) drivers exist (El_isra, 2025): mmceman release github.com/ps2-mmce/mmceman/releases/tag/popstarter; MX4SIO via BDMAssault. MX4SIO/MMCE use the same USB folder layout & prefix; appear on the OPL APPS page. (El_isra + TnA, p18)
• SMB vs USB prefixes are NOT interchangeable: SB. for SMB, XX. for USB; you must also re-edit title.cfg. (Lambada, p19)
• HugoPocked per-game fixes install by dropping files into that game's VMC folder (distinct from global TROJAN/PATCH BINs). Thread: psx-place.com/threads/hugopocked-fixes-for-popstarter.39750/. (Ripto + hugopocked, p15/p16)
• Wiki is being rebuilt by ShaolinAssassin (~70%, private); original bitbucket lost; archive.org mirrors exist (2017 & 2020 snapshots). (ShaolinAssassin + HWNJ, p7/p12/p19)
• POPS2CUE (inside CUE2POPS) converts VCD→BIN/CUE; ISO is not a suitable PSX format. (El_Patas, p12)

HISTORY

• Project closed ~2020; final ELF 2019-06-05/14; source private; halt attributed to a "Frankenstein SDK" + the OPL/Jay-Jay conflict. Ongoing fixes now come from hugopocked, not krHACKen. RetroGEM per-game-ID integration will not happen. (El_isra + 60fpshacksrock, p11/p14)

DROPPED (noise / standard / too-low-confidence)

• Multitap doesn't work (already in wiki); generic lightgun "probably won't work" (low value beyond the AkuHaK IRX recipe already kept).
• "Use PS3's native PS1 emu instead of POPStarter on PS3" — off-topic reference, low conf.
• PFS_WRAP.BIN "still needed?" — unanswered question, no actionable fact (note only as an open verification item if a "files" appendix exists).
• mrjaredbeta's vague "community hacks fix many games" (low conf, superseded by the concrete hugopocked list).
• RIP06 "garbage code" provenance & 163K size-collision — historical trivia; keep only a one-line "avoid RIP06, prefer 2019-06-05" note if a build-history page exists.

⭐ SINGLE MOST VALUABLE ADDITIONS (do these first)

1. CHEATS.TXT must be UPPERCASE — silent failure root cause behind multiple "cheat doesn't work" reports (krHACKen/jolek).
2. $IGR5 = clean OPL-style IGR, no popup + black-screen-on-IGR = incompatible BOOT.ELF fix chain (krHACKen).
3. Merged multi-disc ISOs break per-game fixes (game-ID keyed) — corrects popular YouTube-tutorial practice (Peppe90/El_Patas).
4. TROJAN_7 vs HugoPocked distinction: global cumulative (don't stack) vs per-game-in-VMC-folder; header-vs-filename validation; slot-not-version (krHACKen/hugopocked/ShaolinAssassin).
5. HDD config offsets 412h ($HDTVFIX) and 413h (USB retry/access delay, default 0x02→4–5) — direct hex-edit table mapping (krHACKen/jolek/Okeanos).
6. OPL AUTO BDM/SMB/HDD hang → set Manual — reproducible, currently undocumented (Ripto/TnA).
7. Modern storage: exFAT via BDMAssault; MX4SIO/MMCE driver packs — the biggest post-abandonment capability expansion (Ripto/El_isra).
8. Full official-OPL HDD Apps layout + __.POPS → __.POPS0…9 scan order — the canonical internal-HDD setup recipe (Peppe90/krHACKen).

All raw findings (99)

• PATCH9.BIN disables the bugged ELF loader so IGR works normally — _krHACKen, p4
• krHACKen provided an attached PATCH_9.BIN (placed in the POPS folder) that 'disables the bugged ELF loader and lets you IGR normally.' Fixed Peppe90's case where IGR-to-BOOT.ELF produced a BSOD after upgrading POPSTARTER.ELF. Caveat reported by the user: with PATCH_9.BIN in place, OPL-DB can no longer launch the PS1 games (only wLE_kHn launching still works). This is a specific, named PATCH_#.BIN with a documented effect not in the base wiki cheat-command list.
• Config byte at offset $413 is the USB-HDD detection/retry count; raise from 2 to 5+ for stubborn USB HDDs — jolek, p1
• jolek's documented fix for 'one USB HDD works, others fail': open POPSTARTER.ELF in a hex editor, go to offset $413, change the value from 2 to 5 and test, increasing further if it still fails. This assigns a concrete meaning to a byte inside the $410-$42F config table (a USB device wait/retry count) that the captured 32-byte-table-with-defaults knowledge does not spell out per-byte. Source: psx-place thread popstarter-external-hdd-error post #131624.
• $CODECACHEADDON_0 fixes Mega Man 8 / Mega Man X4 charge-beam & voice SFX (USB/HDD specific) — _El_Patas, p3
• El_Patas's extensive testing: Mega Man 8 (NTSC-U) over USB has cut/missing SFX (the 'Mega Man 8' menu voice and the charge-beam sound). Two fixes: (1) use the PSP 6.60 BIOS alone (Mode 1 not needed), or (2) add $CODECACHE_ADDON_0 in CHEATS.TXT — the latter is preferred over swapping BIOS. For Mega Man X4 (NTSC-U) on internal HDD, PSP BIOS + $CODECACHE_ADDON_0 fully fixes the charge-beam SFX; over USB that combo fails and PSP BIOS + Mode 4 ($COMPATIBILITY_0x04) is the best (still imperfect). Game-specific mapping of an already-known command to concrete titles/SFX symptoms.
• $COMPATIBILITY0x07 partially fixes C-12: Final Resistance missing textures (incomplete mode) — _jolek, p2
• jolek: C-12: Final Resistance (SCES_033.64) over USB has a ~90s stall the first time any menu option except Options is selected (second access is smooth), plus missing textures. Adding $COMPATIBILITY_0x07 to CHEATS.TXT partly fixes the missing textures, but the mode is 'not fully done' — expect glitches, and cut-scenes have no speech dialogue or subtitles. Documents an existing-but-rarely-cited high compatibility mode (0x07) and its incomplete state.
• Tekken 3 (PAL): enable scanline generator (Select+R1+R2) to fix bottom-screen artifacts — Peppe90, p3
• Peppe90: Tekken 3 is playable; turning on the in-emulator scanline generator via Select+R1+R2 fixes the bottom-of-screen artifacts (side effect: life bars flicker slightly). This documents a live in-game hotkey (Select+R1+R2 = scanline generator toggle) not in the captured disc-swap/IGR hotkey set.
• krHACKen: a PAL Tekken 3 test/compatibility mode was in development; possible PAL-port of the compatibility hack — krHACKen, p3
• krHACKen confirmed 'something was in the work/testing for the PAL version of Tekken 3,' wondered aloud whether the test mode still works in the last build and whether it would look better combined with the recently PAL-ported compatibility hack. Indicates an unreleased/WIP PAL Tekken 3 fix beyond the public command set.
• krHACKen: latest official launch path is mass0:/POPS/ with the wLE bundled in the current package (not the old uLEkHn_20160723) — _krHACKen, p3
• krHACKen instruction: use the wLE version provided in the current POPStarter package (not the old standalone uLE builds), and POPSTARTER.ELF must be in mass0:/POPS/. Note the ShaolinAssassin bitbucket download did NOT include wLE at that time (user had to get it elsewhere). Clarifies correct file placement and that the bundled wLE is the supported launcher.
• krHACKen: Compatibility Mode 4 was never integrated and does not fix sound; clarifies which modes exist per game — El_Patas, p3
• Via El_Patas (consistently, not refuted by krHACKen in thread): Mode 4 ($COMPATIBILITY_0x04) was 'never integrated in the emulator' for Chrono Trigger / Xenogears and 'does not fix sound problems'; it never fixed Xenogears' flicker (no fix exists for that). Mega Man X4 never had Mode 1 integrated. Castlevania SOTN has Mode 1 integrated but still has its old problems. Corrects the impression that the listed $COMPATIBILITY_0x## modes are universally effective — several are no-ops for specific games.
• RIP 06 (2017-10-20) carries 'garbage code' causing slower performance even on internal HDD vs Beta 17 — El_Patas, p2
• El_Patas relaying krHACKen: the worst performance of RIP 06 was traced to stray 'garbage code,' not just USB drivers — performance was lower even on internal HDD vs the prior Beta 17. krHACKen presumably removed it in the post-RIP06 prototypes (incl. the 2019/06/05 beta). Status: believed fixed in the 2019/06/05 build but never given a final 'RIP 07' name. Bug-provenance detail not in the WIP01->r13 timeline summary.
• RIP06 and the 2019/06/05 Beta POPSTARTER.ELF are both 163K — easy to confuse, RIP06 is worse — El_Patas, p3
• El_Patas warns the latest Beta (2019/06/05) and RIP 06's POPSTARTER.ELF are the same size (163K), so users can mistakenly run the inferior RIP06 thinking it's the latest. Practical disambiguation detail / file-size fingerprint not in the wiki.
• Official latest test build: POPStarter20190605.7z (compiled 2019/06/05, USB drivers dated 14/01/2019) — _jolek, p1
• jolek's mirror of the last stable test build: http://ddata.over-blog.com/1/06/19/78/01022202/POPStarter_20190605.7z . Clarification (El_Patas/jolek): the '20190605' is the compile date; the bundled PS2SDK USB drivers are from 14/01/2019, not June. This is the de-facto final build after r13, post-dating the wiki's stated r13 2019-06-05 final. USB-driver changelog: https://github.com/ps2dev/ps2sdk/commits/master/iop/usb
• Resident Evil 3 (SLUS-00923) completable with 'Skip Door Transition' cheat + PSP 6.60 BIOS, no compatibility mode — hugopocked, p1
• hugopocked: RE3 (SLUS-00923) can be finished using the GameHacking.org 'Skip Door Transition' code plus the PSP 6.60 BIOS, with no $COMPATIBILITY mode, tested over SMB. Concrete title+cheat+BIOS recipe.
• mrjaredbeta: community hacks fix Tekken 3, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Spider-Man 1/2, Warcraft II via game-side codes — mrjaredbeta, p3
• mrjaredbeta points to a code that fixes Tekken 3 plus other games (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Spider-Man 1 & 2). Separately notes hugopocked-style hacks fixed freezing (Warcraft II), graphics (Spider-Man), and flickering (Yu-Gi-Oh!) — i.e. many 'unplayable' games are fixable with one or two CHEATS.TXT codes rather than emulator changes. Points to the 'hugopocked fixes for POPStarter' resource linked in the OP.
• OPL confelm.cfg / conf_elmz.cfg in the POPS folder silently boots POPStarter back to the OSD — _krHACKen, p1
• krHACKen confirmed: if POPStarter finds an OPL config file (conf_elm.cfg, conf_elmz.cfg, 'maybe more') after opening the POPS folder, it shows no error and kicks back out to the OSD. Practical 'do not mix OPL config files into the POPS share/folder' gotcha + failure signature.
• SMB on Win10 needs SMB1.0/CIFS feature ON + password-protected sharing OFF; Guest R/W is safer than a user — jolek, p1
• jolek (krHACKen-confirmed re SMB1 requirement; PS2 software is SMBv1-only per TnA): on Windows 10 you must enable 'SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support' (off by default for security) and turn OFF 'password protected sharing' or POPStarter cannot enter the share. Recommends sharing a dedicated subfolder (smb0:/PS1SMB/POPS/) with a Guest account granted Read/Write + Modify/Write permissions rather than the whole drive. Example SMBCONFIG.DAT = '192.168.0.2 PS1SMB / GUEST'; IPCONFIG.DAT = '192.168.0.10 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1'. Setup detail beyond the wiki storage-layout notes.
• HDD launch fails (PS-logo freeze) on SCPH-700xx — extra USBD.IRX/USBHDFSD.IRX via IRX loader may be needed — jolek, p4
• Newcomer on a modified SCPH-700xx slim: HDD-OSD method froze at the PSX logo (USB method on the same console worked). jolek's guidance: SCPH-700xx consoles often need additional .IRX modules loaded via the wiki IRX-loader to 'fully' init the HDD (same class of problem as FHDB on 700xx); pull USBD.IRX and USBHDFSD.IRX from mc?:/SYS-CONF or the FMCB installer's INSTALL/SYS-CONF. Also flagged a path typo: VCDs go in hdd:/__.POPS/ (with the dot), not __POPS. Console-class-specific HDD requirement not in the wiki.
• PFSWRAP.BIN question raised — is the Jan-2017 9KB file still needed? — _Vedita BR, p1
• Vedita BR asked whether PFS_WRAP.BIN (latest 9KB, dated Jan 2017) is still required; noted krHACKen replied at AssemblerGames on 14/06/2019 (reply content not captured in these pages). Flags a possibly-obsolete bundled file worth confirming against the krHACKen changelog.
• Xenogears flicker is unfixable; Chrono Trigger menu/area sound-slowdown has no fix — El_Patas, p2
• El_Patas (NTSC-U Final Fantasy Chronicles Chrono Trigger): sound slows when entering/leaving areas and menus — no compatibility mode fixes it. Xenogears' large flicker was always unplayable and remains so; no mode (incl. Mode 4) fixes it. Sets accurate expectations correcting any list entry implying these are fixable.
• Castlevania SOTN broken candles/graphics were broken specifically in RIP06 and fixed afterward — El_Patas, p3
• El_Patas: SOTN's broken-candle/graphics glitches were introduced in RIP 06 and should work correctly on post-RIP06 builds (e.g. the 2019/06/05 beta) — so users seeing those glitches may be on RIP06. Ties a specific graphics regression to a specific build window.
• Alt-BIOS files can break games; only swap BIOS when a game genuinely needs it — El_Patas, p3
• El_Patas guidance corroborated across tests: substituting alternate BIOS (100jp/101US/DTLH/CPH/PSP) often prevents games from booting (black screen after the BIOS intro on JP/US/dev BIOSes) and can cause crashes; use the default BIOS unless a game specifically requires an alternate one. Also: a stray PATCH.BIN or CHEATS.TXT in the root of the POPS folder applies to ALL games and can break them — delete global ones. Practical troubleshooting rules not in the wiki.
• TROJAN#.BIN file numbers are NOT version numbers — they are interchangeable slot placeholders (0-9), same as PATCH_#.BIN — _ShaolinAssassin, p8
• ShaolinAssassin clarifies that the digit in TROJAN_#.BIN / PATCH_#.BIN filenames is not versioning. They are generic slot names from TROJAN_0.BIN up to TROJAN_9.BIN (and PATCH_0-9) — placeholders for whatever patches you want to install. The recurring 'TROJAN_7.BIN' that krHACKen ships is just the slot he happens to use for the cumulative fixes, not 'version 7'.
• POPStarter validates the number inside the PATCH/TROJAN header against the filename and refuses to load on mismatch — must hex-edit header to rename — ShaolinAssassin, p8
• ShaolinAssassin: 'POPStarter will refuse to load the PATCH/TROJAN file if the number in its filename doesn't match the number in its header so you need to also hexedit the file in case you want to rename a file.' So you cannot simply rename TROJAN_7.BIN to TROJAN_0.BIN; the embedded header number must be edited to match. Confirmed indirectly by Berion's hex dump showing the header text 'TROJAN_7...Cumulative r7...'.
• Cumulative-fix TROJAN7.BIN revision history: r6 (2020-05-20) -> r7 (2021-06-16, unhook code fixed) — _krHACKen, p8
• krHACKen ships a single cumulative-fixes file in slot TROJAN_7.BIN whose internal revision advanced over time. 2020-08-10 = 'Cumulative r6, fixes as of 2020/05/20'. 2021-06-16 = 'Cumulative r7, fixes as of 2020/05/20, unhook code was just fixed.' krHACKen initially mistyped it 'r8' then corrected to r7. These post-date the official r13/2019-06-05 final ELF — they are game-fix data files, not launcher updates (per TnA: TROJANs are game-fixes that need no ELF/app update).
• Mirror links for wLEkHn_20200810 launcher and the cumulative TROJAN_7.BIN (r6/r7) — _krHACKen, p5
• wLE_kHn_20200810.7z: https://web.archive.org/web/2023110...485258/742327866854998116/wLE_kHn_20200810.7z (orig Discord cdn attachment 742327866854998116). TROJAN_7.BIN r6: https://web.archive.org/web/2021042...3821962280994/712642805205565460/TROJAN_7.BIN (Discord attachment 712642805205565460). TROJAN_7.BIN r7 (2021-06-16): https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/652863821962280994/854662034124570634/TROJAN_7.BIN. These live in Discord channel id 652863821962280994.
• wLEkHn_20200810: loader.elf relocated to 0x00092000 to avoid kernel corruption — _krHACKen, p5
• krHACKen's 2020-08-10 wLaunchELF build (wLE_kHn) moved loader.elf to address 0x00092000 'due to kernel corruption.' This is a launcher (wLE_kHn = krHACKen's custom wLaunchELF used to chain-load VCDs), distinct from POPSTARTER.ELF itself.
• In wLEkHn, pressing R3 while loading a VCD enables debug texts to see which external driver failed to load — _krHACKen, p5
• krHACKen: 'pressing R3 to load a VCD (in wLE_kHn) enables debug texts. May be useful to see what external driver fail to load.' A diagnostic hotkey specific to his wLaunchELF VCD-loader for troubleshooting failed module loads.
• Loading USB drivers (USBHDFSD/USBD) renamed as MODULE#.IRX does NOT help in HDD mode; ATAD.IRX is incompatible and HDDLOAD.IRX is wrong module — _krHACKen, p5
• A user tried fixing HDD-mode POPS by dropping USBHDFSD.IRX/USBD.IRX into hdd:/__common/POPS/ renamed MODULE_0/1.IRX, then ATAD.IRX/HDDLOAD.IRX as MODULE_2/3.IRX. krHACKen: loading USB drivers in HDD mode will not help; the ATA device driver (ATAD.IRX) is probably incompatible with the other drivers, and HDDLOAD.IRX is the MBR KELF loader module which you don't need in POPS. sp193 adds: as of FMCB v1.966 ATAD/DEV9 became standard modules (FMCB's ATAD now requires DEV9.IRX, no longer the custom all-in-one); HDDLOAD.IRX != HDD.IRX; HDDLOAD loads the MBR and is paired with an EE-side mechanism, so loading the IOP module alone does nothing. Corrects the community myth that you can add external HDD drivers to the POPS __common folder.
• PATCH4 fixes/speeds: all 6 Namco Museum games, plus 'X' (SLPS_034.59) which runs without slowdown — undocumented — horus, p6
• horus_ reports that all 6 NAMCO MUSEUM games work better with PATCH_4, and the game 'X' / Xevious-related title SLPS_034.59 also runs without slowdown using PATCH_4. He notes this 'dont seems to be documented anywhere.' User-reported (not krHACKen), so medium confidence.
• Castlevania SotN (Akumajou Dracula X JP v1.2 + Eng patch, and USA SLUS000.67) confirmed fully working incl. audio on latest POPStarter — _hugopocked, p6
• hugopocked completed the Japanese version 'Akumajou Dracula X - Gekka no Yasoukyoku (Japan) (v1.2)' with English translation patch without hanging. He confirms TROJAN_7.BIN adds nothing for this game (no fix needed). Peppe90 confirmed USA version SLUS_000.67 works flawlessly from a 16GB pendrive — saves, spells, audio all perfect up to the gargoyle bosses.
• MediEvil 2 (SCUS945.64): black screen on start; needs PATCH_1 or 2 to pass per-level loading; PATCH_7 for missing colors; GTE/3D coordinate flicker remains unfixed — _hugopocked, p6
• Deaded reports MediEvil 2 SCUS_945.64 black-screens on 'start game'. hugopocked: not a true black screen — character's 3D coordinates (handled by the GTE) place him off-stage so the level renders but the player is invisible. truemaster: you need PATCH_1 or PATCH_2 (he's unsure which) to pass the loading screens on every level, and PATCH_7 for the missing colors, but graphical issues (character stuck in floor) remain making it unplayable. hugopocked's claimed shaking/flicker fix was a false alarm (it was a widescreen code, only affecting level 1). Status: NOT fully fixable as of these posts.
• TIME GAL (FMV game): video corrupted until you die once, then all videos play correctly until lives run out; no patch fixes it — horus_, p6
• horus_: in Time Gal the FMV is corrupted on first play, but fixes itself after dying once — all videos then work until you lose all lives and restart, when corruption returns. He tried all compatibility patches and TROJAN_7 with no fix. Status: open/unfixed.
• Final Fantasy IX hard-freezes on specific animations (Quina's Limit Glove / Earth Guardian boss); not solvable by any compatibility mode, BIOS, USB/HDD/SMB — Peppe90, p7
• Peppe90 reports FF9 (PAL italian, also reproduced generally) freezes the whole PS2 when certain attack animations/camera frames trigger — Quina's 'Limit Glove' (Limit Globe) freezes every time, and the disc-3 Earth Shrine 'Earth Guardian' boss freezes when the camera frames it. Reproduced on WIP02 and the 2017-10-20 stable build, two different USB drives, and over SMB. He believes it's tied to the persistent audio hiccups (lag on screen/menu/battle-move loads) that no mode can solve. FF9 has compatibility mode 0x04 enabled by default since (at least) WIP02. Modes 0-5 and several BIOS did not help. Status: open/unfixed.
• FF9 ships with compatibility mode 0x04 enabled by default since WIP02 (built-in default-config datum) — Peppe90, p8
• Peppe90: 'FF9 has mode 0x04 enabled by default since WIP 02 (or maybe even before).' Indicates POPStarter's internal per-game default config table applies $COMPATIBILITY_0x04 automatically for FF9 — a concrete data point about a built-in game-specific default beyond the generic 32-byte factory defaults.
• VMC save directories are not auto-created for VMC-over-SMB; manually creating the game dir makes POPStarter hang on 'Validating...' — SicariusLeif, p7
• SicariusLeif (Linux/Samba 4.11.6, SMB1 enabled, read only=no) reports POPStarter does not create the per-game save folder under the SMB POPS share, even though OPL PS2-game VMCs work fine on the same share. If he manually creates a directory named after the game inside POPS, POPStarter hangs on 'Validating the resource directory.' Debug mode is on by default over SMB and passes all checks until the directory exists. Status: open, unresolved in-thread. (Adds an SMB-specific VMC write/validation bug not in the wiki SMB-mode docs.)
• SMB mode requires network modules on a memory card (mc?:/POPSTARTER/) — SMB without a memory card is not possible — jolek, p5
• ziro asked whether SMB POPStarter can run without a memory card; jolek (uncontested in-thread): no. The network/SMB driver modules must live in mc?:/POPSTARTER/ per the wiki smb-mode page, so a physical MC is mandatory for SMB mode. Confirms the dependency that storage-on-HDD/USB cannot replace the MC for SMB.
• POPStarter supports only internal HDD and USB as media — no CD/DVD-disc loading; DVD-as-carrier not supported — Berion, p7
• SalagaAlex asked about burning PSX rips + POPS to a DVD disc. Berion: POPStarter supports only internal HDD and USB. He suggests ffgriever's PS2PSXe as an alternative but doubts it has CDVD support. Clarifies the (in)valid storage backends.
• POPStarter-run games can render ~1:1 squashed (wrong aspect, grey side borders) instead of 4:3 on some slim/OPL/ethernet setups — HE1NZ, p6
• HE1NZ (slim PS2, OPL, ISOs over ethernet, RetroTink) reports POPS games display roughly 1:1 / slightly squashed rather than 4:3, with a grey border where the image should be. No resolution given in-thread, but documents an aspect-ratio display anomaly relevant to the $XPOS/$YPOS/$DWSTRETCH/$DWCROP family.
• krHACKen did NOT lose/rewrite the POPStarter source — he makes occasional cumulative fixes; source remains unreleased; hugopocked is a co-fixer — krHACKen, p5
• iCEQB asked if krHACKen lost the source and redeveloped from scratch. krHACKen: 'Nope, I only make cumulative fixes from time to time. There are more fixes made by hugopocked that'll have to be added later.' Source code stays unreleased even after the project was declared officially abandoned (last ELF Rev13 Beta 2019-06-05). hugopocked is an active collaborator producing per-game fix codes (shared on elotrolado forum + PS2 Discord, mostly Spanish). Corrects the 'lost source / rewrote it' assumption.
• hugopocked-authored game fixes (mostly NOT in official files) — Tomb Raiders, Crash Bash PAL 1.0/1.1, GT2, Spider-Man 1/2, Tony Hawk 1-4, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, Fighting Force 2; only Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories made it into the official TROJAN — hugopocked, p6
• hugopocked corrected: Tomb Raider games, Fighting Force 2, Crash Bash PAL 1.0 (the cheat-menu version) AND PAL 1.1, Gran Turismo 2, Spider-Man 1/2, Tony Hawk's 1/2/3/4, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, and others. Of all his fixes, the ONLY one krHACKen merged into the official TROJAN is Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories. The rest exist only as Gameshark-format codes on the PS2 Discord and the elotrolado (Spanish) thread by El_Patas. Contact: Discord hugopocked#8874. Important caveat: these are external community codes, not part of the official POPStarter/TROJAN distribution.
• Wiki/IGR/IGR-textures/debug-mode/smb-mode bitbucket links went dead then came back; archive.org mirror exists; OPL wiki was lost — ShaolinAssassin, p7
• ElSinGao reported krHACKen's bitbucket IGR and igr-textures wiki links dead; archive.org copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020092...ssin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/wiki/Home . ShaolinAssassin (2020-10-07): wiki back online at bitbucket (cause unknown) but the OPL wiki is now lost. Other live wiki pages referenced: /wiki/smb-mode, /wiki/debug-mode, /wiki/igr, /wiki/igr-textures, /wiki/Home (bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff).
• Tomb Raider III broken gamma is NOT addressed by the cumulative TROJAN7.BIN (user inferred PATCH_7 would be needed) — _jolek, p5
• jolek asked if cumulative mode 7 (TROJAN_7.BIN) fixes broken gamma in Tomb Raider III, then self-corrected noting it's TROJAN_7.BIN not PATCH_7.BIN — implying the gamma fix would be a PATCH, and the cumulative TROJAN does not cover it. hugopocked separately lists Tomb Raiders among his own (external, non-official) corrections. Low confidence on the exact fix, but documents that TR3 gamma is a known issue not in the official cumulative file.
• TROJAN7.BIN exact contents: a 16-game fix list (the post-r13 cumulative trojan, 2020-05-20) — _El_Patas, p9
• El_Patas (a former POPStarter beta-tester) posted his own changelog for TROJAN_7.BIN, listing exactly the 16 games it fixes: Choro Q, Choro Q 2, Codename Tenka USA v1.1, Countdown Vampires, Genei Tougi: Shadow Struggle, Metal Slug X, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Penny Racers, Philosoma, Racingroovy VS, Space Debris (Spain), Speedball 2100, Wipeout XL USA, Worms Armageddon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, Zeus II: Carnage Heart. Caveat: a fix only clears the one named bug; a game may still fail on a different problem afterward. TROJAN_7.BIN does NOT contain anything for Crash Bandicoot.
• TROJAN8.BIN and PATCH_4.BIN clarified — TROJAN_8 is hugopocked's Tomb Raider III trojan — _bananana, p12
• bananana reports that TROJAN_8.bin is the one hugopocked made for Tomb Raider III, distinct from TROJAN_7.bin (krHACKen's fixes updated by hugopocked). Both plus PATCH_4.bin were used together in his Tomb Raider testing. Confirms a TROJAN_8 / PATCH_4 exist beyond the r13-era files and identifies their authorship/scope.
• krHACKen: $HDTVFIX config-table offset is 412h, value 0→1 — krHACKen, p10
• krHACKen states the offset to patch for HDTVFIX is 412h, changed from value 0 to 1. This pins a specific byte in the $410-$42F config table to the $HDTVFIX cheat — useful for hex-editing POPSTARTER.ELF directly when the CHEATS.TXT file route fails (e.g. green-screen on internal HDD).
• krHACKen: $SAFEMODE is ONLY needed for hexadecimal cheats, not the built-in $ commands — krHACKen, p10
• Confirming a user question, krHACKen states $SAFEMODE is only for hexadecimal (raw-code) cheats. The built-in named commands ($IGR0/1/2, $NOPAL, $NOIGR, $WIDESCREEN, etc.) do NOT require $SAFEMODE.
• $HDTVFIX green-screens on internal HDD but works on SMB; cause was a file named CHEATS.txt not CHEATS.TXT — krHACKen, p10
• Fanhais hit a green screen with $HDTVFIX on internal HDD (worked fine over SMB). krHACKen diagnosed it as a filename case problem: the file must be CHEATS.TXT (uppercase extension). Fix: do R1 on the file in uLaunchELF to rename CHEATS.txt → CHEATS.TXT. Fanhais confirmed this fixed it. Implies POPStarter's CHEATS.TXT lookup is case-sensitive on HDD/pfs but tolerant over SMB.
• Game fixes are keyed to game ID in SYSTEM.CNF — merged multi-disc ISOs break per-game fixes — Peppe90, p9
• Crash Bandicoot USA (SCUS_949.00) froze at the Temple Ruins loading screen for Peppe90 only because he was running a Crash 1+2+3 merged ISO. The Temple Ruins freeze was fixed during POPStarter development, but the fix is applied per game ID read from SYSTEM.CNF; a merged ISO carries the wrong/single ID so the fix never triggers. Workaround: run the clean single-disc rip. El_Patas confirms merged ISOs are not recommended with POPStarter because fixes were authored for the individual original games. Same caveat likely applies to MGS and other multi-disc titles commonly merged in YouTube tutorials.
• Speedball 2100 (US): TROJAN7 clears the load freeze but game then says 'no controller in port 1' — unfixable — _El_Patas, p10
• With TROJAN_7.BIN, Speedball 2100 (US) passes the load-screen freeze but reports 'no controller in control port 1' in-game. El_Patas confirms the controller-detection failure is a separate emulation bug with no fix, and that a few other games share this controller-detection problem.
• Tomb Raider 1 (USA): only Rev 0 works untouched; Rev 1-6 need krHACKen's per-revision patch for both levels AND music — bananana, p12
• bananana's per-revision matrix: TR1 USA Rev0 = music + levels OK, no patch. TR1 USA Rev1 through Rev6 = no music and levels won't load; krHACKen's individual per-revision PS3 TR1 patches fix both. TR2 USA Rev0-3 = all work, no patch needed. The patches are krHACKen's 'Tomb Raider I and II patches' found in psx-place Resources > PS3 > Tools; put each patch in the game's folder. TR1 Gold (Unfinished Business) and TR2 Gold (Golden Mask) ports won't load levels and have no working music fix (they're based on newer revisions); old game-fixes let them boot but without tracks.
• Missing CD-audio tracks on non-1.0 Tomb Raider revisions and Air Combat — a known multi-track POPS bug — Peppe90, p12
• Peppe90 reports newer Tomb Raider revisions lose all CD music/voice tracks under POPStarter even when levels load (via old game-fixes), and that Air Combat plays perfectly but with no music — the same multi-track playback problem. hugopocked acknowledged the issue and said he intends to reverse-engineer krHACKen's TR1/TR2 1.0 fixes to port the track handling to other revisions.
• hugopocked's 2023 POPS emulation improvements (engine-level, beyond per-game fixes) — hugopocked, p12
• hugopocked listed POPS emulation fixes he was working on: (1) Restore 'Get GPU Info' ports E2h/E3h/E4h/E5h and 10000007h and sync those GPU ports — fixes FF7, Xenogears, Siphon Filter 3 and likely others; (2) Fill Rectangle in VRAM GP0(02h)=(60h) Rect — fixes Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories and others; (3) Improve GTE saturation calculations (from GTE FIXES Rev1) — fixes phosphorescent color issues in Tomb Raiders 3/4/5; (4) Restore texture transparency — fixes Jade Cocoon and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare; (5) misc individual game fixes. These are emulator-core fixes, not CHEATS.TXT/per-ID trojans.
• VMC fragmentation can make a save vanish or render a game unlaunchable; defragging the drive restores it — Peppe90, p9
• Multiple users (Peppe90, HWNJ) report VMCs fragmenting after PS1 saves despite the 128KB pre-reservation. Symptom 1 (Peppe90, Disney Tarzan SCES_125.18): the in-use/overwritten save no longer appears on the game's load screen while other saves do; defragging the 16GB USB drive makes it readable again. Symptom 2 (HWNJ): fragmentation has repeatedly left a game completely unlaunchable until the VMC is defragged. Peppe90 also suspects fragmentation causes random save-time freezes in King's Field (JP, English-patched), which needs MODE 0x04 to avoid slowdowns.
• King's Field (JP, English-patched) needs $COMPATIBILITY 0x04 to avoid slowdowns — Peppe90, p9
• Peppe90 notes the first (Japan-only) King's Field with the English patch works with MODE 0x04 but has slowdowns without it; he also saw random save-time freezes (possibly VMC-fragmentation-related). A concrete game→compatibility-mode datapoint.
• DS3 wireless (Bluetooth) controller drifts/goes haywire under POPStarter; wired USB IRX is the workaround — CosmicScale, p11
• CosmicScale: DS3 over Bluetooth (DS3_modules_BT_20171017) works briefly then goes haywire under POPStarter Rev13 Beta 2019/06/05; the readme says BT only works with WIP06 beta17, but that build behaves the same. The same DS3+BT adapter is flawless in OPL for PS2 games. ElSinGao confirms it affects only some games (cause unknown) and the workaround is to use a long cable with the USB IRX files instead of the BT IRX files.
• HDD _.POPS partition mount/scan order is __.POPS then __.POPS0 → __.POPS9 (NOT __.POPS == __.POPS0) — _Peppe90, p12
• Peppe90 quotes a krHACKen-authored POPStarter document: when out of space on a 128GB __.POPS partition, create additional partitions named __.POPS0, __.POPS1 ... __.POPS9. POPStarter mounts and scans them in the order __.POPS → __.POPS0 → __.POPS1 → ... → __.POPS9. Correction to a common assumption: __.POPS is NOT aliased to __.POPS0 (unlike mass:/mass0: or +OPL=pfs0); the bare __.POPS is its own first-scanned partition and the numbered ones follow. So the correct second partition is __.POPS0, not __.POPS1.
• Full official-OPL HDD layout for listing POPS games as apps (partitions + confapps.cfg) — _Peppe90, p12
• Peppe90's working recipe for running PS1 games as apps via official OPL on internal HDD: (1) __.POPS partition (up to 128GB) holds the VCDs (extra partitions __.POPS0..__.POPS9 if needed); (2) __common\POPS folder holds POPS.ELF and IOPRP252.IMG and behaves exactly like the USB/SMB POPS folder — game folders (where VMCs are created), IGR textures, patches and trojans all live here; (3) +OPL partition (seen as pfs0) with an APPS folder holds the ELFs (copies of POPSTARTER.ELF each renamed to the game's VCD name, extension kept) plus an ART folder for covers; (4) a conf_apps.cfg text file lists the game ELFs as apps. VCD names must match the ELF names (VCD extension) and the game folder names under __common/POPS; cover-art files must be named exactly like the ELF (extension included).
• POPS2CUE (inside the CUE2POPS bundle) converts VCD back to BIN/CUE; ISO is not a suitable PSX format — El_Patas, p12
• El_Patas: to convert VCD files back to original BIN/CUE, use the POPS2CUE tool bundled inside CUE2POPS, downloadable from https://bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/wiki/apps-last-version . He also notes ISO is not a suitable format for PSX games (use BIN/CUE).
• Documentation mirrors/backups on archive.org for the ShaolinAssassin BitBucket wiki — HWNJ, p12
• When the BitBucket user-guide link 404s, HWNJ points to backups: the Wayback index https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/ and his own uploaded snapshot https://archive.org/details/backup-popstarter-documentation-stuff-wiki-from-2017-and-2020 (wiki copies from 2017 and 2020).
• TROJAN7.BIN (r7, 2020-05-20) canonical post; el otro lado mirror initially still hosted r6 — _Peppe90, p9
• The authoritative TROJAN_7.BIN (dated 2020-05-20) is krHACKen's post at https://www.psx-place.com/threads/popstarter.19139/page-8#post-298564 . Peppe90 flagged that El_Patas's elotrolado download section still linked revision 6 under the TROJAN_7 heading; El_Patas then updated it. Note this trojan is post-r13 and has NOT been merged into the official 2019-06-05 POPStarter build.
• OPL DB (not stock OPL) corrupts/breaks TROJAN loading — use official OPL — HWNJ, p10
• HWNJ warns that 'OPL DB' is known to cause problems loading the TROJAN files; switch to official OPL (github.com/ps2homebrew/Open-PS2-Loader/releases) for PS2 games. For PS1 via USB use 'POPStarter Game Installer for OPL'; for PS1 via HDD use 'wLE kHn' (modded uLaunchELF). Distinguishes the OPL-DB fork from stock OPL as the actual culprit.
• SMB debug-mode display cannot be disabled — confirmed not user-toggleable — VanhuX, p9
• VanhuX asked for any workaround to disable the SMB debug-mode overlay; the manual already states it can't be done, and no fix exists in the 2019-06-05 final build. Confirms the SMB debug output is a hard-coded behavior with no CHEATS.TXT/config switch.
• Windows 10 SMB sharing: no need to disable password protection — create a dedicated user account with a password — Arcueid, p9
• Arcueid corrects common setup advice: you do NOT need to turn off password-protected sharing or use the guest account for POPStarter SMB. Instead create a new Windows user account with a password and grant that account access rights to the shared folder. This avoids the failure where POPStarter cannot enter the share when password protection is on.
• POPStarter source was never released; krHACKen cited a 'Frankenstein SDK' and stopped over the OPL/Jay-Jay conflict — 60fpshacksrock, p11
• 60fpshacksrock recounts asking krHACKen (on the now-defunct Assembler Games) to release the loader source; krHACKen was reportedly willing but cited a 'Frankenstein SDK' issue and never released it. Multiple posters (HWNJ, smf, tktagmedia) attribute the project's halt to conflict with 'Jay-Jay' over OPL circumventions; smf gives a first-hand ps2sdk-on-Windows account. Explains why the final build is 2019-06-05 and closed-source, and why community work continues via trojans/patches (hugopocked, El_Patas) rather than core updates.
• $IGR5 gives an OPL-like IGR combo (Select+Start+L1+L2+R1+R2) with NO confirmation popup — krHACKen, p15
• krHACKen directly: writing $IGR5 in CHEATS.TXT changes the IGR hotkey to Select+Start+L1+L2+R1+R2 and removes the YES/NO exit-confirmation popup entirely, behaving like OPL's IGR. This clarifies what one of the $IGR0-5 variants actually does (the no-popup, six-button OPL-style combo) versus the default IGR that shows the exit popup.
• Black-screen on IGR exit = BOOT.ELF incompatible with POPStarter; disable POPStarter's ELF loader or repack BOOT.ELF — krHACKen, p15
• krHACKen: a black screen after choosing YES on the IGR exit popup means the user's BOOT.ELF is 'incompatible' with POPStarter. Two workarounds he gives: (1) disable POPStarter's own ELF loader so it does not exit to BOOT.ELF at all, or (2) recompress/repack the BOOT.ELF with a different packer (he suggests NRLPack). BloodRaynare clarifies krHACKen meant disabling POPStarter's internal ELF Loader (not OPL's), and notes the OPL 1.2.0 beta 2048 ELF Loader was itself bugged so IGR-ing back into that OPL build is not advisable. Confirmed by the reporter: after applying the workaround the black screen stopped (it then dropped to the PS2 Browser/memory-card screen instead).
• After disabling ELF loader, IGR exits to PS2 Browser; rename OPL to BOOT.ELF in BOOT folder to return to OPL — Peppe90, p15
• Follow-on workaround chain: with POPStarter's ELF loader disabled, IGR exits to the PS2 system Browser (memory-card screen) rather than freezing, but does not return to OPL. Peppe90's fix: rename OPL's ELF to BOOT.ELF and place it in the BOOT folder so POPStarter's exit chain lands back in OPL instead of the Browser. (Reinforces the BOOT.ELF exit-chain mechanism with a concrete recovery path.)
• PS1 games forced to 480i instead of 240p because the installer silently wrote $HDTVFIX into CHEATS.TXT — BloodRaynare, p15
• A user on a CRT via component wanted 240p but POPStarter ran PS1 games in 480i. BloodRaynare correctly diagnosed it as $HDTVFIX being present in CHEATS.TXT (PSF Batchkit Manager had added it by default during install). Removing $HDTVFIX restored 240p output (user confirmed 'IT was that, indeed!'). Practical note: $HDTVFIX (forces 480i/progressive-friendly mode) is the cheat that breaks 240p on CRTs, and some installer tools enable it without asking.
• TROJAN7.BIN location for an internal-HDD POPS install is hdd0:/__common/POPS/TROJAN_7.BIN — _El_isra, p14
• El_isra gives the exact path for the TROJAN file when running POPS from an internal HDD: hdd0:/__common/POPS/TROJAN_7.BIN (i.e. inside the __common/POPS folder on the HDD, alongside POPS.ELF/IOPRP252.IMG). Adds a concrete HDD path for the TROJAN_#.BIN files not spelled out in the wiki.
• POPS file-resolution order: POPSIOX.PAK (USB) vs POPS.ELF + IOPRP252.IMG (__common/POPS) determines which device serves the emulator — _SG-17, p14
• SG-17 documents real behavior: you can keep POPS installed on a USB stick while the .VCDs and renamed .ELFs live on the HDD and it still boots. POPStarter reads POPS_IOX.PAK from the USB device, OR POPS.ELF + IOPRP252.IMG from __common/POPS, depending on what's present/mounted. Symptom of a missing/incomplete HDD POPS install: launching a PS1 game shunts straight back to wLE when the USB stick (carrying POPS_IOX.PAK) is absent. Clarifies the dual POPS-binary layouts and the failure mode.
• OPL AUTO BDM/SMB/HDD combo makes HDD-launched POPSTARTER ELFs hang on black screen (needs Manual) — Ripto, p15
• Ripto isolated a reproducible hang: with OPL's BDM, SMB, and HDD modes all set to AUTO, launching a renamed POPSTARTER.ELF from the HDD via the OPL Apps page hangs on a black screen with the HDD activity light stuck on, requiring a physical power-off. Setting BDM and SMB to Manual resolves it. USB and SMB launches of the same ELF work fine; the VCD/game itself works from wLE on all devices, so it is specifically the OPL AUTO-device combination, not POPStarter or the VCD. TnA confirms it is an OPL bug (to be reported in the OPL subforum), still present in the then-current official beta. Status: open OPL-side bug, workaround = set BDM/SMB to Manual.
• exFAT USB support for POPStarter requires installing BDMAssault — Ripto, p16
• Ripto: for POPStarter to support exFAT-formatted USB drives you must install BDMAssault (israpps). This explains the reported failure where the 2019-06-14 POPStarter.ELF (167,700 KB build) would not run from an exFAT/SSD USB while an older build did. Download: https://github.com/israpps/BDMAssault
• Canonical download/reference links: Bitbucket docs, PSX-Place resources, BDMAssault, HugoPocked fixes — Ripto, p16
• Authoritative link set gathered in-thread: ShaolinAssassin POPStarter Documentation & Stuff (Bitbucket) https://bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/downloads/ ; POPStarter resource https://www.psx-place.com/resources/popstarter.683/ ; POPSLoader resource https://www.psx-place.com/resources/popsloader.1396/ ; BDMAssault https://github.com/israpps/BDMAssault ; HugoPocked per-game fixes thread https://www.psx-place.com/threads/hugopocked-fixes-for-popstarter.39750/ and channel https://www.youtube.com/@hugopocked6695 . Note: POPS binaries themselves are copyrighted and must NOT be redistributed (a mod removed links to a Spanish mirror that bundled them).
• HugoPocked per-game fixes install by dropping the per-game files into that game's VMC folder — Ripto, p15
• Ripto: HugoPocked's per-game fixes are 'super easy to implement, you just place the per game files in the VMC folder for each game.' This is the install mechanism for community per-game compatibility fixes (distinct from krHACKen's TROJAN/PATCH BINs which patch POPStarter globally). Some HugoPocked fixes are free, others are early-access via donation.
• TROJAN7 patches are krHACKen's global POPStarter farewell patch; HugoPocked patches are per-game — _pianohombre, p16
• Clarifies the two patch families: the TROJAN_7 patches were released by the developer of POPStarter (krHACKen) as a 'goodbye' since there would be no more updates, and they patch POPStarter itself (global compatibility). HugoPocked's patches instead patch individual games. Useful to keep the TROJAN_#.BIN (global) vs HugoPocked-fix (per-game, via VMC folder) distinction straight.
• POPStarter SMB/OPL display-name standard: name lives in confapps.cfg as display_name=path, NOT in the filename — _krHACKen, p13
• krHACKen (as HWNJ): OPL established the standard back in version 0.8 of a conf_apps.cfg file holding '(display_name)=(path_to_file)'. The VCD/ELF filename is deliberately unimportant and should never be used as the display name; tools that read the display name from the filename (e.g. OPL Manager) are doing it wrong. PSXtreme/POPStarter Game Installer deliberately generates unique opaque filenames (prefix 'HWC' marker + date-seeded random + seconds/ms-seeded random + .VCD, e.g. HWCJUGU5H15T5JU56H.VCD) plus a sidecar info file, to guarantee uniqueness across patched/region/version variants of the same game. Relevant if a launcher needs to resolve PS1 display names for SMB/Apps listing.
• POPStarter development ceased ~2020; final public build dated 2019-06-14; source is private — El_isra, p14
• Multiple confirmations: POPStarter has received no updates since ~2020, the last public POPStarter.ELF is the 2019-06-14 build (taso cites popstarter.elf at 167,700 KB for 14/06/2019 vs an older 167,888 KB build), the source code is private, and the project is abandoned (El_isra: 'POPStarter is abandoned and source code private' — so e.g. RetroGEM per-game-ID integration 'will not happen'). Ongoing PS1-on-PS2 compatibility work now comes from HugoPocked, not krHACKen.
• MX4SIO / BDM (e.g. MX4SIO SD) is NOT supported by POPStarter without heavy ELF hacking — El_isra, p15
• Two users asked for MX4SIO support; El_isra: getting BDM working (e.g. MX4SIO) 'requires heavy hacking of the POPStarter ELF.' Since the source is private and development ceased, MX4SIO/BDM is effectively unsupported out of the box. (BDMAssault is the practical route for exFAT/BDM-style support per the separate exFAT finding.)
• SMB POPStarter launch can fail with 'LOGON has failed (0)'; FMV/gameplay slowdown is an inherent POPS limitation — RandomGuy2024, p16
• RandomGuy2024 reports launching a renamed POPStarter.ELF over SMB from wLE fails with 'Connecting to smb... LOGON has failed (0).' (no resolution given in-thread). Separately, FMV slowdown and in-game slowdowns are acknowledged as inherent POPS emulator limitations (the PS1 CPU is partly consumed by USB handling); per-game notes in the compatibility section flag the worst offenders. No general fix — use HugoPocked per-game fixes or real PS1/PS3 for problem titles.
• TROJAN7.BIN 'Cumulative r7' is the final krHACKen fix-pack, dated 02/04/2020, applied per-game not globally-safe — _hugopocked, p18
• hugopocked (forum-credible POPStarter dev) clarifies TROJAN_7.BIN is krHACKen's cumulative fix pack (first version 2020-02-04). It contains fixes that are UNIVERSALLY applied to all games, so it should only be used on games NOT already fixed by hugopocked's per-game fixes — using both together ADDS crashes. Example he gives: use TROJAN_7 on Final Fantasy 8. Placement: drop in main POPS/ folder only if you use no per-game fixes; otherwise place the per-game TROJAN_7 in that game's VMC folder, and only if hugopocked's own fix isn't already occupying TROJAN_7's slot.
• hugopocked released a modified 'Cumulative r7 Disabled' TROJAN7 turning off the Metal Slug X / Countdown Vampires fixes that broke other games — _hugopocked, p18
• hugopocked (2024-12-23) published a modified TROJAN_7 that DISABLES krHACKen's Metal Slug X (SLES-03575/SLUS-01212/SLPM-86456) and Countdown Vampires (SLUS-00898/SLUS-01199) fixes because each of those was causing more crashes across many OTHER games. He then released improved standalone fixes for both that restore pad responsiveness. The disabled file also turns off Speedball 2100 (SLES-02782) and Zeus II: Carnage Heart (SLPS-02318) fixes (those fix the boot/initial freeze but leave pads unresponsive, so the games are unplayable). Download: mediafire.com/file/c6eqcx81yn3n8yu/Cumulative_r7_Disabled_something_XD.rar
• Soul Blade and other CD-read-sensitive games: format USB as FAT32/exFAT with 16 KB cluster size — hugopocked, p19
• hugopocked's note (quoted by Lambada): some games are very delicate about emulated CD reading. Soul Blade works perfectly via SMB and internal HDD; to play on USB it must be FAT32 or exFAT with a 16 KB cluster size. Larger cluster sizes cause the game to load corrupt data and crash. Lambada confirmed the 16 KB advice made the game play better.
• PAL PS1 games scroll/roll vertically via HDMI adapters; $NOPAL stops the scroll but off-centers image — R3dRapt0r39, p18
• R3dRapt0r39 (PAL PS2, 2019 build, HDMI adapter) reports PAL PS1 games scroll top-to-bottom through the HDMI adapter while PAL PS2 and NTSC PS1 games are fine. Disabling the PAL patcher with $NOPAL in CHEATS.TXT stops the scrolling, but the image is then off-centered (fixable via XPOS/YPOS). Suggests the PAL patcher / 50-60Hz handling is the culprit. Unresolved in-thread; useful data point for HDMI-adapter + PAL PS1 video issues.
• HDTVFIX from CHEATS.TXT applies in USB mode but NOT in SMB mode — didi99, p17
• didi99 reports that HDTVFIX in CHEATS.TXT is applied when running games from USB but is NOT applied when running the same game via SMB. Cause/fix not resolved in thread (jolek only checked file location/casing). Documents a possible SMB-mode cheat-application bug. Note: the actual fix turned out to be filename casing — see the CHEATS.TXT casing finding.
• CHEATS.TXT must be UPPERCASE filename (CHEATS.TXT not CHEATS.txt) or cheats silently fail — jolek, p17
• jolek's fix for didi99's SMB cheat problem: the file must be named CHEATS.TXT in all uppercase, not CHEATS.txt. didi99 confirmed this was the issue ('that's very helpful'). Case-sensitivity of the cheat filename is a real failure mode that produces silent no-cheat behavior.
• IRX loader: up to 10 MODULE0.IRX..MODULE_9.IRX loaded from POPS/ root only, never from the VMC game folder — _ShaolinAssassin, p19
• POPStarter loads up to 10 modules (MODULE_0.IRX through MODULE_9.IRX) after the IOP is reset with the POPS IOPRP. They MUST be in the POPS/ folder and are NOT loaded from the per-game VMC subfolder (answering Lambada's lightgun-module question). ShaolinAssassin notes this came from the IRX Loader wiki page, possibly originally a private krHACKen statement.
• AkuHaK special-device (lightgun) setup: rename game IRX modules to MODULEx.IRX; SIO2MAN.IRX must be MODULE_0 — _ShaolinAssassin, p19
• AkuHaK's full instructions (re-posted by ShaolinAssassin) for getting special input devices recognized under POPS: pull IRX files from a real PS2 game that supports the device. SIO2MAN.IRX is required and must be MODULE_0.IRX (it makes other modules work). Add device IRX (e.g. for a lightgun likely USBD.IRX + USBGUN.IRX) as MODULE_1, MODULE_2... order matters, experiment. Fallback if it still fails: copy the game's IOPRPxxx.IMG into POPS, rename it IOPRP252.IMG, DELETE POPS.PAK and use only POPS.ELF + IOPRP252.IMG. USB devices may not work with the 'esb' (energy/slim?) version of POPS. This only makes the device recognized for standard functions; special functions aren't guaranteed.
• krHACKen: TROJAN7.BIN 'unhook code was just fixed' — the r7 cumulative carries an unhook-code fix — _krHACKen, p17
• krHACKen (quoted) describing the r7 cumulative: 'Cumulative r7, fixes as of 2020/05/20, unhook code was just fixed.' Confirms an 'unhook code' bug existed and was fixed in the r7 cumulative as of 2020-05-20 — a specific fix detail not in a plain changelog. (Original Discord CDN link is dead; mirror provided by user 1052.)
• krHACKen: wLEkHn_20200810 wLaunchELF build moved loader.elf to 0x00092000 due to kernel corruption — _krHACKen, p18
• krHACKen (quoted, 2020-08-10): the wLE_kHn_20200810 wLaunchELF build 'Moved loader.elf to 0x00092000 due to kernel corruption.' Concrete base-address relocation detail and the reason (kernel corruption). hugopocked adds this wLE integration update is mainly about the base address for some ELF and is separate from the emulator fixes. Archive link in thread: web.archive.org snapshot of the Discord-hosted wLE_kHn_20200810.7z.
• Project status confirmed CLOSED: 2019/06/05 ELF is final; r7 (2020-05-20) is the last krHACKen fix-pack — Ripto, p18
• Ripto + hugopocked + Dahak exchange confirms the definitive setup: POPSTARTER.ELF build 2019/06/05 is the final ELF (no hidden newer ELF despite reddit rumor). The last krHACKen-released fix is TROJAN_7 (r7, 2020-05-20), advised ONLY if you are NOT using hugopocked's per-game fixes. Beyond that, all further fixes are community/hugopocked per-game. USB drivers companion build referenced is 2019/01/14.
• jolek added a POPSTARTER MC-Network + BDM Assault bundle to the thread's first post — jolek, p18
• jolek (2025-01-25) added 'POPSTARTER_MC-Network_BDM.7z' to the thread's first post attachments: POPStarter with Network modules + BDM Assault integration. Thread: psx-place.com/threads/popstarter.19139/#post-134186. BDM Assault thread: psx-place.com/threads/bdmassault.42352/.
• Elisra released MMCE (SD2PSX/PSXMemCard/MCPRO2) and MX4SIO IRX drivers for POPSTARTER — _El_isra, p18
• El_isra (2025-10-15) released driver sets to make POPSTARTER load files/games from new storage: MMCE devices (SD2PSX / PSXMemCard Gen1/Gen2 / MCPRO2) at github.com/ps2-mmce/mmceman/releases/tag/popstarter ; and MX4SIO at github.com/israpps/BDMAssault/releases/tag/mx4sio . He also distributes EXFAT-USB drivers via BDM Assault. These trick POPSTARTER into reading from those devices.
• MX4SIO/MMCE POPS games use the same folder layout and XX. prefix as USB; appear on OPL APPS page — TnA, p18
• For MX4SIO (and MMCE), POPS games/files follow the SAME placement rules as USB (TnA confirmed). Launchers show up on the OPL APPS page, not the games list. volventura got it working: the old YouTube tutorials show the old 'XX.GameName' naming, but the modern OPL naming 'SLUS_000.00.GameName' also works. Failure mode he hit first: games appeared in OPL but reverted to LaunchELF (wrong/old setup).
• POPStarter custom USB access delay: default 0x02, raise to 4-5 for slow devices / VMC-recreated-every-boot — Okeanos, p19
• Okeanos (2025-12-20) condensed forum + PS2 Scene Discord guidance: the access delay AFTER POPStarter runs its embedded USB modules is customizable per-ELF. Default value is 0x02. Increase it if POPStarter fails to access your USB/MX4SIO/MMCE device (when using BDM Assault and MMCEMAN modules). If saving doesn't work or VMC files get recreated every boot, try 4 or 5. Recommended delay for external HDDs and similar: 5. Use a POPSTARTER.ELF prebuilt with a higher delay.
• SMB vs USB are NOT interchangeable: prefix must be SB. for SMB and XX. for USB, and title.cfg must be re-edited — Lambada, p19
• Lambada (2025-11-23): his PS1 games worked on USB but failed over SMB through OPL — root cause was the ELF prefix. SMB requires 'SB.' prefix, USB requires 'XX.' prefix. Moving the same USB drive into a router for SMB does NOT just work: you must rename files/prefixes AND update title.cfg for the mode. (Ref: github.com/ps2homebrew/Open-PS2-Loader/issues/1593.) Documents a common silent SMB failure.
• Multi-disc VMCDIR.TXT references only the CD1 folder name; full DISCS.TXT/VMCDIR layout given — ShaolinAssassin, p19
• ShaolinAssassin's canonical 2-disc layout: DISCS.TXT lists both VCDs (GAMENAME-CD1.VCD / -CD2.VCD); VMCDIR.TXT contains only the CD1 folder name (SLUS_XXX.XX.GAMENAME-CD1). File structure: both VCDs in POPS/, plus per-disc subfolders CD1/ and CD2/ each holding DISCS.TXT and VMCDIR.TXT, and SLOT0.VMC/SLOT1.VMC live in the CD1 folder. He recommends the 'discs_pooper-bambuch0-fix' tool (psx-place.com/resources/discs_pooper-bambuch0-fix.1429/) to generate these, though it uses the older name-only naming.
• Accessories beyond standard controllers (multitap, lightguns like Guncom/Justifier) likely won't work under POPS — Lambada, p19
• Lambada (echoed/accepted by ShaolinAssassin): the wiki already says multitap doesn't work; he warns lightguns (Guncom, Justifier) and other accessories probably won't work either. ShaolinAssassin confirms special devices require trial-and-error and may not work at all (only standard functions are recognized even when setup succeeds — see AkuHaK instructions).
• ShaolinAssassin: bitbucket wiki is being rebuilt (~70% done, private); calls for error reports and tool listings — ShaolinAssassin, p19
• ShaolinAssassin (2025-11-18) reversed his earlier 'won't update' stance: he is rebuilding the POPStarter wiki (~70% complete, private, no ETA) as his final scene contribution. Original bitbucket account is permanently lost (no write access). He is actively soliciting: (a) corrections to the old bitbucket wiki, (b) any POPStarter-related tools/apps not in the first post (to get dedicated pages), (c) help writing an OPL-launcher setup guide. He confirms El_isra's BDM Assault drivers + POPSLoader will get dedicated wiki pages. A WIP 'Official OPL 0.9.3+ Betas features' page exists (not indexed) preserved on web.archive.org.
• PS1 emulation on PS3 (native PS1 emu / webMAN) is higher-compat than POPStarter on PS2 — pianohombre, p17
• jolek/TnA/pianohombre consensus: there's no need to run POPStarter on PS3 — use the PS3's built-in PS1 emulator (mount via webMAN MOD) for better results and near-100% compatibility, including graphical-enhancement options. POPStarter on PS3 is 'doable' but not recommended. Minor reference point, not a POPS fix.
• SCPH-77004 (PAL Slim) user gets universal black-screen even when debug shows all-Done; possible HW/laser-independent loader issue — exo12, p18
• exo12 (PS2 Slim SCPH-77004, PAL, SD CRT): every game black-screens, only console reset recovers. SMB debug shows everything Done/Loaded/Connected with NO error, last lines 'Connecting to smb... CONNECTED! / FFS Wrapper r6a : 35', then black. Build 2019/06/05 + USB drivers 2019/01/14, PAK MD5 verified, CTR MD5 verified, no BIOS/cheats. Failed across CTR/Alundra/Jackie Chan Stuntmaster/Roll Boss Rush, NTSC+PAL, both CUE2BIN and PSXVCD conversions. DKWDRV and PS2PSXe also black-screen on same console. Unresolved — useful as a 'FFS Wrapper r6a : 35' + all-Done-then-black signature for a SCPH-7700x-class failure.