ARK-4 e/CFW for the PSP and PS Vita.

New, updated, improved and modern Custom Firmware for the PSP and PS Vita's ePSP. Simple to use and full of unique features, ARK CFW aims at keeping the PSP experience fresh. Being a successor to PRO and ME, ARK is now the most feature-complete CFW for the PSP, having all features from classic CFW as well as unique and exclusive new features not found anywhere else.

FEATURES:

Core system heavily updated from traditional CFW with new exclusive features.
Inferno 2 Driver compatible with all formats (ISO, CSO, ZSO, JSO, CSOv2 and DAX).
Popcorn controller for custom PS1 games. Compatible with PopsLoader V3 and V4i.
Built-in No-DRM engine Stargate, fixes many anti-CFW games. Compatible with npdrm_free by qwikrazor87.
Plugin support for PSP games, PS1 games and VSH (XMB), including the ability to enable and disable plugins per-game.
Region Free playback of UMD Video on all PSP models. Change the region of your UMD drive on-the-fly.
Compatible with all PSP models on firmwares 6.60 and 6.61.
Compatible with all PS Vita models on firmware 2.10 up to 3.74, either official firmware or via Adrenaline.
Compatible with 6.60 Testing Tool Firmware and Testkit Units.
Compatible with 6.60 Development Tool Firmware and Devkit Units.
Can be fully installed and booted on memory stick in compatible models via Time Machine.
Can be used to unbrick any PSP using Despertar del Cementerio in combination with a Pandora or Baryon Sweeper.
Minimalistic: only 6 files installed on PSP flash, CFW extensions are installed on memory stick.
Resistant to soft-bricks, easy to recover from bad configurations with a new and improved Recovery app.
Custom game launcher with built-in game categories, file browser, FTP server and client, modernized look and more.
Fully configurable via the XMB.
Compatible with PRO Online and Xlink Kai.
Compatible with Legacy Homebrew via eLoader and Leda. Compatible with the KXploit format.
Compatible with cIPL and Infinity 2 bootloaders for permanent CFW.

INSTALLATION

Download the precompiled binaries from: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-4/releases/latest
You can follow this video with instructions to install ARK on PSP via Infinity and/or on PS Vita via Adrenaline: https://youtu.be/bE8mw7RRqGo

Compiling ARK ( For Developers )

Build script will allow you to use the correct SDK that ARK was built with.

Release: ./build.sh
Debug: ./build.sh --debug
Manually: install the oldest possible SDK (ideally the one used to compile M33), then run make

Use -h or --help to show all available flags

On PSP

Online PSP Installer

For an easy deployment of ARK on a PSP connected to the internet, you can follow this video

Manual installation

The instructions are as follows:

Move or copy ARK_01234 folder into /PSP/SAVEDATA/ folder.
Move or copy ARK_Loader folder into /PSP/GAME/ folder.
Launch ARK Loader. It will install ARK modules on PSP Flash and boot the CFW.

Live CFW

Delete FLASH0.ARK from /PSP/SAVEDATA/ARK_01234 to prevent flashing files every time you reload the CFW.
Run ARK Loader when you boot up the system after you've fully turned off or hard reboot the device to re-enable ARK.

Permanent CFW via new cIPL

Works on 1K models, 2K models and early 3K models (1g, 2g and 3g).
cIPL will not install if not compatible, so no risk if running it even if you're unsure what specific model you're using - if not compatible, use Infinity 2 (included in this download) instead.
Move or copy ARK_newIPL folder to /PSP/GAME/ and run the program.
Press the corresponding button in the installation page to install the cIPL patch.
Warning: unlike classic cIPL, the new method can't be easily uninstalled.

Permanent CFW via classic cIPL

Only works on 1K models and early 2K models (those compatible with Pandora).
cIPL will not install if not compatible, so no risk if running it even if you're unsure what specific model you're using - if not compatible, use Infinity 2 (included in this download) instead.
Move or copy ARK cIPL folder to /PSP/GAME/ and run the program.
Press the corresponding button in the installation page to install or remove the cIPL patch.

Permanent CFW via Infinity

Works on all PSP models on 6.60 or 6.61 firmwares.
Copy or move the EBOOT.PBP (or EBOOT_GO.PBP renamed to EBOOT.PBP if using a PSP Go) from the Infinity folder found in the ARK download into /PSP/GAME/UPDATE.
Run theInfinity app using Official Firmware to run the initial installation.
Run Infinity a second time to configure autoboot by selecting ARK within the Infinity app. Run the ARK CFW again to activate. ARK will now be automatically activated on boot up.

Full Flash Installation

This allows you to install and use all of ARK's features from flash0, allowing you to entirely remove the ARK_01234 savedata folder or memory stick.
Copy ARK_Full_Installer to /PSP/GAME/ and run it from ARK.
It will install the necessary modules into the console's flash.
For recovery, you can press and hold start+select when booting up ARK or a game to temporarily disable settings and plugins.
Custom Firmware settings and other Custom Firmware files are installed in ms0:/SEPLUGINS/, which is used as the default ARK path when no savedata folder is available.

Time Machine and Despertar del Cementerio

Time Machine allows to boot the 6.61 firmware and ARK entirely from the Memory Stick.
Despertar del Cementerio allows to revive a bricked PSP when used in combination with a Pandora or Baryon Sweeper.
To install DC-ARK you must first format the memory stick leaving enough space for the boot sector. You can use PSP Tool to do this.
You also need to be running a CFW to install DC-ARK (ARK itself or any other).
Copy the ARK_DC folder to the /PSP/GAME/ folder and run the installer from the XMB.
Follow the instructions to install DC-ARK and create a magic memory stick.
On compatible models, use Advanced VSH Menu to create a Pandora battery.
Use a Pandora or Baryon Sweeper in combination with your newly created Magic Memory Stick to boot up Despertar del Cementerio.
From here you can either boot ARK from memory stick, install 6.61 Firmware with ARK on the Nand or install 6.61 Official Firmware.
Note that installing 6.61 firmware with ARK requires a cIPL-compatible PSP (1K and early 2K).

On PS Vita

Standalone via FastARK

Works on Firmware 3.60 up to 3.74, requires Henkaku/h-encore or any native hack.
Recommended: download a PSP game from PSN (demo of Ape Quest, Locoroco, etc) to have a valid PSP license available during installation.
Once installed, it will work on Official Firmware as long as the console has a valid PSP license obtained from PSN.
Download and install latest ArkFast from this link: https://github.com/Yoti/ArkFast-4/releases/latest/.
Press start button to install the Sasuke Commander minigame with ARK.
If out of date with latest release, use the updater built into the launcher.
To use right analog stick (i.e. gta_remastered plugin): https://github.com/rereprep/ArkRightAnalog
To exit from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher, press L+R+Down+Start. Works on PSP too.
Some features are not available in standalone installations, mainly the official Sony XMB and PS1 games.
If you get a kernel exploit error, simply close the app and open it again.

Standalone via NoPspEmuDrm

Works on Firmware 3.60 up to 3.74, requires Henkaku/h-encore or any native hack.
Download and install latest NoPspEmuDrm from here: https://github.com/LiEnby/NoPspEmuDrm/releases
Download and install latest VitaShell from here: https://github.com/LiEnby/VitaShell/releases
Copy ARK_01234 folder to ux0:pspemu/PSP/SAVEDATA/.
Copy K.BIN from PSVita/Standalone/ into ARK_01234.
Copy NPUZ01234 from PSVita/Standalone/ into ux0:pspemu/PSP/GAME/.
Open VitaShell and use the Refresh Live Area function for the ARK bubble to appear.
To use right analog stick (i.e. gta_remastered plugin): https://github.com/rereprep/ArkRightAnalog
To exit from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher, press L+R+Down+Start. Works on PSP too.
Some features are not available in standalone installations, mainly the official Sony XMB and PS1 games.
If you get a kernel exploit error, simply close the app and open it again.

Standalone via ChovySign

Works on Official Firmware 2.10 up to 3.74, doesn't require Henkaku/h-encore or any native hack.
NOTE: you might need henkaku/h-encore to facilitate the installation process, but it won't be needed anymore after installing.
Requires ChovySign: https://silica.codes/SilicaAndPina/chovy-sign
Download a legit PSP game from PSN, the free demo of Ape Quest or LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is recommended.
Follow the instructions from the official ChovySign project to sign ark_loader.iso from the PSVita/Standalone folder.
This will generate an installable ARK Loader in QCMA's folder as NPUZ01234 (i.e. /Documents/PS Vita/PGAME/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/NPUZ01234).
Follow these instructions to install PBOOT.PBP from PSVita/Standalone/NPUZ01234 to the loader generated by ChovySign: https://github.com/TheOfficialFloW/Trinity#installation
Install the ARK_01234 savedata folder into /Documents/PS Vita/PSAVEDATA/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/.
Copy K.BIN from PSVita/Standalone folder into ARK_01234 savedata folder.
Transfer the generated ARK Loader and ARK_01234 savedata folders using QCMA.
To use right analog stick (i.e. gta_remastered plugin): https://github.com/rereprep/ArkRightAnalog
To exit from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher, press L+R+Down+Start. Works on PSP too.
Some features are not available in standalone installations, mainly the official Sony XMB and PS1 games.
If you get a kernel exploit error, simply close the app and open it again.
If you are running an old firmware (<3.60), you will need a specialized K.BIN, either build one yourself or open an Feature Request.

Adrenaline

Works on Firmware 3.60 up to 3.74, requires Henkaku/h-encore and Adrenaline (https://github.com/TheOfficialFloW/Adrenaline).
Install ARK_01234 folder into /PSP/SAVEDATA/ folder.
Install ARK_Loader folder into /PSP/GAME/ folder.
Copy K.BIN from PSVita/Adrenaline folder into ARK_Loader game folder.
Use Adrenaline Bubbles Manager to create an autoboot bubble for ARK Loader: https://github.com/ONElua/AdrenalineBubbleManager/releases
Note: this does not permanently modify Adrenaline in any way.

Update ARK

There are three ways to update ARK:

Option 1: Use the System Update feature in the XMB. Requires your PSP/Vita to be connected to the internet.
Option 2: Copy the UPDATE folder to /PSP/GAME/ and run it.
Option 3: Copy ARK_01234 folder and (on PSP) run ARK Loader again to install new flash0 files.

Legacy Game Exploits (PSP & Vita)

Considering the savedata exploit loads H.BIN from the savedata path.
Copy every file from ARK_01234 except PARAM.SFO, SAVEDATA.BIN and K.BIN (ICON0.PNG can also be ignored), into the hacked savedata folder.
You need to have a K.BIN if you are running on an ancient Vita firmware (there's plenty of kernel exploit sources in ARK-2 and ARK-3 for reference).
Run the game and trigger the exploit as normal, it should load ARK.
If you have issues with stability, it might be necessary to run freemem() algorithm in the kernel exploit file (K.BIN).

CUSTOMIZATION

Advanced VSH Menu Options

The default VSH menu packaged in ARK_01234 is a simplified, easier to use version of classic VSH menus. To have a more classic VSH menu with more advanced features you can select the Advanced VSH Menu from within the simplified VSH menu.

Some of the features available in Advanced VSH Menu include:

Change USB Device mount (Memory Stick, Flash, UMD).
Protect Flash in USB Device mount.
View available ISO drivers.
Mount UMD Video ISO.
Change Foreground/Background VSH Menu colors.
Convert battery from normal to pandora and viceversa.
Activate flash and WMA playback.
Swap X/O buttons.
Delete hibernation (PSP Go paused game).
Convert classic plugins to the new ARK format.
Boot Random ISO.

And more.

Installing on PSP Flash:

WARNING: for advanced users only, do not attempt this if you're not familiar with the PSP flash.

By default, ARK's VSH Menu is installed on the Memory Stick (in /PSP/SAVEDATA/ARK_01234/VSHMENU.PRX). This has the limitation that you won't be able to access VSH menu without a memory stick. If you want to permanently install VSH Menu you need to copy VSHMENU.PRX to somewhere on your computer and rename it to ark_satelite.prx, which you can then copy to PSP's flash0:/vsh/module/, you can use the VSH Menu itself to enable flash0 via USB. The final path should be flash0:/vsh/module/ark_satelite.prx. You can also achieve the same result by using the Full Installer.

NOTE: even if you install VSH Menu on flash0, the one installed on Memory Stick takes precedence in loading.

Installing Plugins

The easiest method to install a plugin is to simply copy its .prx (and other files/folders the plugin needs) to its default installation folder (typically /SEPLUGINS/ folder) and navigate to it using the File Browser (built into Recovery Menu and Custom Launcher). Upon opening the .prx file, you will be given the options to select the runlevel, or type the game ID, where the plugin loads.

From there you can use the XMB or Recovery Menu to configure or remove your installed plugins.

Alternately, you can manually install plugins by creating a file called PLUGINS.TXT in the /SEPLUGINS/ folder and/or ARK's savedata folder.

If coming from PRO/ME you can Import them from the Advanced VSH Menu section.

To install plugins use the comma-separated format (CSV). Where the header is: runlevel, path, switch. A few samples:

game, ms0:/seplugins/cwcheat/cwcheat.prx, enabled
pops, ms0:/seplugins/cdda_enabler.prx, 1
vsh, ms0:/seplugins/cxmb.prx, true
ULUS10041, ms0:/seplugins/lcscheatdevice.prx, on

You can enable plugins on more than one game:

ULUS10041 ULES00502, ms0:/seplugins/cheatdevice_remastered.prx, on

You can use the following keywords to enable a plugin:

1
on
true
enabled
Anything else disables the plugin

You can use the following keywords to tell ARK when the plugin loads:

all/always: if either of these keywords are used, the plugin will always load.
psp/umd: plugin should only load on retail games (UMD/ISO/PSN).
homebrew: plugin should only load on homebrews.
game: plugin can load on both retail games and homebrews.
psx/ps1/pops: plugin only loads in PSX games.
xmb/vsh: plugin only loads in the XMB.
launcher: use this if the plugin should only load in the custom launcher.
game ID: if you specify a game ID (i.e. SLUS000000), then the plugin will only load on that game.

You can also disable a plugin on certain games where they might be problematic. To do so, just add a disable line for the specific game ID after the enable line. For example, enable cwcheat on all retail games except for GTA LCS (US) and GTA VCS (EU).

psp, ms0:/seplugins/cwcheat/cwcheat.prx, on
ULUS10041 ULES00502, ms0:/seplugins/cwcheat/cwcheat.prx, off

Some noteworthy plugins that are compatible with ARK include (but not limited to):

CXMB.
Leda.
PopsLoader V3 and V4i.
Custom Firmware Extender.
PSPLink.
GTA LCS and VCS cheadevice (including the remastered version).
CWCheat.
pspstates kai.
XMB Item Hider v1.3-r3
DayViewer.
Categories Lite.
CDDA Enabler.
PRO Online.
PSP 3D.
ZeroVSH Patcher.

Configuration and Settings

You can use the XMB and/or the Recovery Menu to easily handle CFW settings. However if you prefer you can also manually handle the settings yourself.

You can create a SETTINGS.TXT file using the same format as PLUGINS.TXT to enable/disable some CFW functionality on different parts of the system. Configuration settings you can use in ARK include:

overclock: use this for better performance at the expense of battery time. Sets CPU/BUS speed to 333/166.
powersave: use this for better battery life at the expense of performance. Sets CPU/BUS speed to 133/66.
usbcharge: enables USB charging wherever you want.
launcher: replaces the XMB with a custom menu launcher.
disablepause: disables the pause game feature on PSP Go.
highmem: enables high memory on models above 1K. You should only use this on homebrew runlevel as retail games were not meant to use the extra memory, and this can cause issues with cheat devices or other plugins that expect games to have their data at specific memory addresses.
infernocache: enables cache for Inferno driver, improving performance of some games.
oldplugin: enables old plugins support on PSP Go (redirects ms0 to ef0).
skiplogos: skips the coldboot and gameboot logos.

You can use the same runlevels as used in plugins to tell ARK when the settings take effect (all/always, umd, homebrew, game, pops, vsh).

For example, you can overclock to highest CPU speed like this:

always, overclock, on

Another example, overclock only on games, use powersaving on VSH:

game, overclock, on
vsh, powersave, on

This also allows you to enable settings on specific games:

ULUS01234, overclock, on
ULES01234, powersave, on

ARK comes prepacked with a very powerful launcher with a built-in file browser and highly customizable.

Some of its features include:

Playback of ISO and all CSO formats with PMF video preview.
Playback of UMD game discs.
Categorized and organized game menu by PSP Games, PSP Homebrew and PS1 Games.
Ability to scan savedata folders for games.
Compatibility with old VHBL, ARK-2 and TN-CEF file names and folder paths.
Ability to copy, move or delete entire folders.
File browser has built-in FTP client, allowing you to browse and copy files from another PSP.
FTP server and client can run simultaneously.
Ability to mount UMD Video ISOs using the file browser.
Ability to extract .zip files (up to highest compression) and .rar files (standard compression).
Ability to edit text files (.txt, .cfg or .ini).
Ability to install Plugins via the file browser.
Different background animation effects.
And more.

You can however change it to whatever you please. You can change the theme used by both the custom launcher and recovery menu by replacing THEME.ARK with your own.

Custom Themes

You can install themes within Custom Launcher (and Recovery Menu). Just place the themes folder anywhere on your PSP and use the file browser in the Custom Launcher to select which theme (THEME.ARK) you would like to install. By selecting it a submenu will pop up asking to install it or to preview the theme without installing.

Orbs are animations and not part of the actual Themes

Theme: ARK_Revamped

Theme: RED

Theme: Peace Walker

Theme: Matrix

Theme: Material Dark

Theme: GX Classic

Theme: Classic

Theme: Blue 2

Theme: Blue

Theme: Black

Theme: BadgerOS_Sprunk

Theme: BadgerOS

Theme: CyanogenPSP

Theme: Windows 7

Theme: Windows XP

Theme: Yokai

Other Launchers

Aside from the default launcher provided, there have been many other custom launchers created by scene members, some better looking, some with more features, some more simpler, but all of them with personality, dedication and love from the community.

Here is a list of all popular menus for ARK:

ONEMenu by gdljjrod: https://github.com/ONElua/ONEmenu/releases
vMenu by neur0n: http://www.mediafire.com/file/7acb5mhawx4gr9t/vMenu_ARK.7z/file
yMenu by wth/yosh: https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B0kWUCdtGmJwLUhRUlNJSWhMWVE
gMenu by gbot: http://www.mediafire.com/file/oou5490qc99vr7d/gmenuARK.rar/file
138Menu by gbot: https://wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=33511
pyMenu by Acid_Snake: https://wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=21942

You can find a collection here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-Launchers

Note: some of these menus have not been updated or supported by their developers in a while, they may not work well with modern ARK or real PSP hardware.

Other

Credits

Team PRO (the original developers of ARK): Coldbird, hrimfaxi and Neur0n.
qwikrazor87 for being such a genius and all his hard work with kernel exploits and ARK-2.
TheFl0w for his advancements and research in CFW development and overall contributions to the scene.
meetpatty for his excellent work in fixing bugs and adding important features like cIPL and DevKit support as well as porting Time Machine and Despertar del Cementerio.
Codestation for his incredible work improving CSO speeds and creating the ZSO format.
Krazynez for his amazing work on Advanced VSH Menu and other bugfixes and features.
pyroesp for his excellent work improving VSH Menu and refactoring code.
TheSubPlayer for all the wonderful themes made for the custom launcher.
UnkownBrackets (maxcso) for his help understanding the DAX format and Inferno speed hacks as well as creating the CSOv2 format.
Zer01ne, noname120, astart and other devs that have blessed me with their knowledge and wisdom.
Zecoxao for his great work creating dumpers that would allow us to archive rare firmwares.
balika for his research in porting M33 to modern firmware that has helped improve compatiblity in ARK.
hrydgard for the PMF player as well as being an inspiration for the custom launcher.
Every other giant shoulder I am standing on.

Warnings

ARK comes with no warranty whatsoever. It was designed to be noob-proof, however it is possible for the universe to create an even greater noob capable of using ARK to destroy the Earth (or his PSP). I cannot be held responsible for this.
ARK may cause ejectile malfunction if your hard drive is not hard enough.
If this software malfunctions, you can turn it off and on again.

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