Alex

Tonyhax International -> Boot CD

The Boot CD is the disc version of Tonyhax International. The BIN+CUE file set can be found in the boot-cd directory of each Tonyhax International release.

If you have a PAL/European console, use the tonyhax-boot-cd-europe bin/cue files. If you have any other console use the tonyhax-boot-cd-japan bin/cue files.

How To Use The Boot CD

You can not just put the boot CD into your console and have it start up like a real licensed PSX disc (unless you have a mod-chip), so you need to use one of the following methods:

All of the above methods come with the following limitations when used alone, without using the Tonyhax International Boot CD as an intermediate boot disc:

CD Player Swap Trick

This swap trick is why I did the initial Boot CD support for the original Tonyhax. It is the only swap trick built into the console that does not involve swapping a moving disc.

Requirements:

How to:

1) Turn on the compatible PSX with no disc inserted.

2) Start the CD player.

3) Open the PSX CD drive lid, and put in any real PSX game disc (that is the same region as your console).

4) Find something to block the lid sensor. The real PSX game disc will start and then stop spinning after a few seconds.

5) Put in your burned Tonyhax International Boot CD-R.

6) Exit the CD Player, and wait for the Tonyhax International loader to start.

GameShark Cartridge Swap Trick

Datel shipped a back door in some GameShark cartridges.

Requirements:

How to:

1) Ensure that the GameShark cheat cart is firmly inserted into the back of your compatible PSX console.

2) Find something to block the lid sensor. The CD drive lid should remain ‘opened’ with the lid sensor blocked for at least the rest of the Swap Trick.

3) Turn on the PSX with a real PSX game disc (that is the same region as your console) in the closed CD drive.

4) After the GameShark logo displays, use the D-PAD to navigate to the Explorer option in the GameShark main menu, then select it with the X button.

5) Use the D-PAD to navigate to the Play CD Music option in the Explorer sub-menu. You will see the message Initializing CD System for a few seconds, and then the CD Audio Player sub-menu will appear and the authentic PSX game disc will stop spinning.

6) Replace the authentic PSX game disc (that is the same region as your console) with the burned Tonyhax International Boot CD-R.

7) Press the O button to exit the CD Audio Player sub-menu, and to put you back at the Explorer sub-menu. Press the O button one last time to exit the Explorer menu, and to put you back at the main menu.

8) Use the D-PAD to navigate to the Start Game option, then select it with the X button. This will bring you to the Start Game Options sub-menu. Finally, press the X button one last time to select the Start Game Without Codes option which will boot the Tonyhax International Boot CD-R.

GameShark CD Swap Trick

The swap trick ability of the PSX GameShark product line briefly disappeared when the product first shifted from a cartridge to a CD. There is therefore no swap trick ability available in the GameShark CDX v3.3 or GameShark Lite CD discs (use the GameSharkHAX boot method as an alternative!). However, a different swap trick was added to the GameShark v4.0 CD and all newer versions.

Requirements:

How to:

1) Find something to block the lid sensor. The CD drive lid should remain ‘opened’ with the lid sensor blocked for the rest of the Swap Trick.

2) Turn on the console with the GameShark CD in the CD drive, it will spin up and start the GameShark software.

3) Once the GameShark software starts, the GameShark CD will stop in the CD drive.

4) Replace the GameShark CD with the burned Tonyhax International Boot CD-R.

5) Use the D-PAD to navigate to the Start Game option, then select it with the X button. This will bring you to the Start Game Options sub-menu. Press the X button to select the Start Game Without Codes option.

6) Press the X button one last time to boot the Tonyhax International Boot CD-R.

PS-X-Change Boot Disc

For years, unlicensed 3rd party CD-ROM discs have been available which enable you to boot a backup CD-R using an artificial swap trick. The most famous of these is the PS-X-Change v2, which still seems to be sold through various distributors to this day.

The problem with these special CD-ROM discs is that they are limited by the technology of the time of which they were originally developed. They came out around the turn of the century, so they have all the same limitations as the other methods, crippling usability.

An important thing to remember about the Tonyhax International loader is that it resets the entire console state. This means any cheat codes entered in i.e. the PS-X-Change menu (by pressing SELECT button instead of the START button when you see the Please Insert Import Game and Press START text) will not be in effect after the loader starts.

Alien: Resurrection Back Door

On December 19th 2023 it was revealed by the YouTube channel Modern Vintage Gamer that a licensed PSX game shipped with a backdoor that allows one to boot import and backup CD-Rs. This game is now however very expensive since this was disclosed.

Requirements:

How to:

1) Block the lid sensor of the console.

2) Power on the console with the lid sensor blocked, and Alien: Resurrection in the drive.

3) At the main menu, select OPTIONS.

4) In the options menu, enable the cheat menu with the button sequence: CIRCLE -> DPAD-LEFT -> DPAD-RIGHT -> CIRCLE -> DPAD-UP -> R2. Don’t enter the CHEAT MENU.

5) Activate the advanced level select for the CHEAT MENU with the button sequence: R1 -> DPAD-DOWN -> R1 -> DPAD-RIGHT -> L1 -> DPAD-UP -> L2 -> SQUARE.

6) Enable the Super Secret Code with the button sequence: DPAD-LEFT -> DPAD-UP -> DPAD-RIGHT -> DPAD-DOWN -> DPAD-RIGHT -> DPAD-UP -> DPAD-LEFT -> SQUARE -> TRIANGLE -> SQUARE -> TRIANGLE -> L1.

7) Select the CHEAT MENU option, set the advanced level select to LEVEL 6 SECTION 1.

8) Hold down L1 and press the CROSS button once for the screen to go black and the disc drive to stop. Do not let go of L1 yet, but change the Alien: Resurrection disc for the Tonyhax International boot CD.

9) Keep holding down L1, but also hold down SQUARE and TRIANGLE all at the same time.

10) Release all buttons to start the boot CD.