What is an ISO?

An ISO is a homebrew game file. These files have the extension ".iso".

If your PSP is running custom firmware (ex. 4.01m33-2) then you can use programs such as UMD Dumper to backup your PSP games to your memory stick as ISO files.

You can also find ISO files on the Internet for download. You will need a USB cable to get the files onto your PSP though. If you know your way around torrent files and have a torrent program then just start searching for your favorite PSP games.

For beginners looking for ISO files I recommend PSP Blender. Unlike other PSP download sites they charge a one time access fee versus monthly fees. After paying the one time fee you can access their database of games, movies and music for as long as you want and download as much as you want. They also offer great support and tutorials for downloading and moving the files to your PSP.

Sell it, Don't trash it!

If you don't want to invest time or money in fixing your bricked PSP then sell or trade it. Bricked PSPs typically sell for $60 to $80 on eBay. Including the charger and extras may increase the selling price. On Craigslist you may not be able to sell it for more than $40, but many folks will be willing to give you a better trade value on a working PSP, games, or other system. A Bricked PSP will not get much in trade at a video game store, in some cases they might not even take it at all. A local video game store offers the following store credits: fully functional PSP = $60; broken UMD drive = $40; bricked = $20.

How to Fix a Bricked PSP

If your PSP is bricked you can either contact Sony and have them do the repair if your system is still under warrenty. Or, you will need access to a special battery tool called a Pandora Battery and a specially formatted memory card.

Pandora battery and memory stick combos can be purchased online and range in price from $40 to $100 depending on the seller, memory card size and shipping expenses. If you know someone with a Pandora battery tool and memory stick combo then you are in luck. Simply, insert the memory stick tool and replace your PSP's battery with the Pandora battery. This will force your PSP to turn on and boot up to install the firmware associated with the specific battery tool you are using. Pandora batteries can install official or custom firmwares, it just depends on the PSP device that was used to create them. When the installation is complete, remove the battery and memory stick and your PSP is good to go.

If you don't know someone who can help you out there are several people online on sites such as craigslist.com and noobz.eu who offer their services for a fee, some even for free.

FixTheBrick will fix your bricked PSP for free, you only need to pay shipping both ways and of course, donations (pre-owned games, old memory sticks, cash, etc) are gladly accepted.

PSP Update Vs. Downgrade

A PSP Update is an install of the latest official Sony PSP firmware for your system. At the time of this writing the latest official firmware is 4.05. Updates to PSP firmware released by Sony fix certain bugs or issues with the PSP testing or users have shown. Updates may also be released to allow more music/video file types to run on the PSP. You must have the latest official firmware to download from the Playstation store to your PSP.

A PSP Downgrade is an install of custom firmware written by PSP users (not Sony). Dark Alex and his team have released custom firmware versions that parallel the Sony updates. Custom firmware allows you to run homebrew (user developed programs and functions) on your PSP. Custom firmware also allows you to run games and movies from the memory stick, no UMD required.

What is a bricked PSP?

A bricked PSP is a PSP that is completely unable to restart. When turned on, a bricked PSP will not display anything on the screen but the green power light will remain on until turned off. A PSP will become bricked during a firmware update or downgrade if the battery dies during the update or if the system loses power otherwise. During a firmware update or downgrade, the previous firmware is overwritten and when the power is interrupted during the update or downgrade process the new firmware is incomplete. With partially overwritten and incomplete system files the PSP cannot boot and is therefore "bricked".

Always make sure your PSP battery is fully charged before performing a firmware update or downgrade and do not turn the system off during the update or downgrade process.