Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure USA PS1 does not boot from Tonyhax

[SpyrooftheNight]

tonyhax version: latest stable version Installation method: using freemcboot on PS2 with ulaunchelf Entry point game: Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling Console model: SCPH-39001 PS2 Integrity check: passed BIOS version: v 5.0 02/07/02 A Target game: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure SLUS-01060

Bug explanation: game will not boot when I try to run it from Tonyhax I get “missing TCB Missing Event Missing Stack Missing BOOT”

“Open error 2”

then it asks me to swap CDs.

Tonyhax has worked for me for both Persona 2 and Castlevania SotN so far so i’d like to figure out the issue

[socram8888]

It seems like the console is unable to to read the SYSTEM.CNF file in the CD. Is it an original copy or a burned disc? Is the file present? If so, can you please attach it here?

[SpyrooftheNight]

I tried two different bin/cue files I found, the latest one I found was from

https://cdromance.org/psx-iso/jojos-bizarre-adventure-usa/

https://wowroms.com/en/isos/playstation/jojos-bizarre-adventure/31866.html

I would post them directly but github is telling me .7z and .bin/.cue are unacceptable file formats to post in comments

Neither worked and they both produced the exact same results I referenced above.

I'm burning them to discs with ImgBurn and now I have confirmation that Castlevania SotN, Persona 2, Digimon World 3, Metal Gear Solid all work doing this method. So it must be something with this particular game or the files I'm using

[alex-free]

What CD-R media? Have you tried different burn speeds and CD burners?

[SpyrooftheNight]

The CD-Rs that I'm using are Verbatim 80 Min standard ones from Amazon, I only have access to one burner but its been working great for everything except this game. I have only tried doing it with AWS and MAX speeds but I didn't want to waste any more discs because I wasn't sure that was the issue. I've tried it with about 6-7 other games so far and was told that Persona 2 was a good barometer for how well the CDs are burning. I got the FMVs for Persona 2 running perfectly and everything and played about an hour in with no issues so I thought I was good to go on my method/burner/CD-Rs

[SpyrooftheNight]

Also quick update as I've been burning CDs for a bit and testing them with other games: Street Fighter Alpha 3 will also not boot up and has the exact same error? Maybe it's some sort of Capcom fighting game issue? But in the same breath I should mention that Marvel vs Capcom 1 is working perfectly for me on a burned disc so idk.

[socram8888]

I tried two different bin/cue files I found, the latest one I found was from

https://cdromance.org/psx-iso/jojos-bizarre-adventure-usa/

https://wowroms.com/en/isos/playstation/jojos-bizarre-adventure/31866.html

I would post them directly but github is telling me .7z and .bin/.cue are unacceptable file formats to post in comments

Neither worked and they both produced the exact same results I referenced above.

I'm burning them to discs with ImgBurn and now I have confirmation that Castlevania SotN, Persona 2, Digimon World 3, Metal Gear Solid all work doing this method. So it must be something with this particular game or the files I'm using

I meant the SYSTEM.CNF file alone from the CD-R.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Plugged in the CD and found it in the root, it won't let me upload a .CNF file I guess but this is exactly what it says when I open it in Notepad

" BOOT = cdrom:\SLUS_010.60;1 TCB = 4 EVENT = 16 STACK = 801fff00 "

[socram8888]

Can you please ZIP the .CNF file and upload that? It could be that some encoding oddity only visible on an hex editor is causing the config file load process to fail.

[socram8888]

Alright I've checked and the file seems to be alright. So not sure what @alex-free would think about it, but it seems like a dying drive to me.

[alex-free]

Alright I've checked and the file seems to be alright. So not sure what @alex-free would think about it, but it seems like a dying drive to me.

The CD-Rs being used are the absolute worst quality, I have a chart on my findings here: https://alex-free.github.io/psx-cdr/#cd-r-media

I recommend CMC Pro powered by Taiyo Yuden technology, which are the best still made brand new to this day.

While playing around with different constant write burn speeds may make this work (or the vertical trick: https://alex-free.github.io/psx-cdr/), or even perhaps refurbishing the drive (https://alex-free.github.io/unofficial-ps1-cd-drive-service-manual/), I don't trust those CD-Rs at all. While one game may work, that doesn't mean all will with poor quality CD-Rs.

I'm pretty sure I've played at least one of the mentioned titles before. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to test real hardware for a bit.

Seriously, try flipping the console vertical like this: https://github.com/alex-free/tonyhax/issues/28#issuecomment-1578810496

@socram8888 for testing the system cnf parsing emulation is definitely fine.

[socram8888]

I am wondering why FileRead isn't returning -1 as documented in the no$psx docs, if it's a true read error. I do check for that in the secondary.c code. Is it just returning all zeros or what?

[socram8888]

@SpyrooftheNight could you please try with this version that has some extra sanity checks? tonyhax-v1.4.6b.zip

[SpyrooftheNight]

KK I'll try that version of tonyhax right now to see if it works, will take a second to flash my mem card and everything. Just to be sure, you don't need me to zip the CNF file anymore right?

[socram8888]

No no, thanks, no need for the ZIP file. To be clear, this version of tonyhax should not fix any issue - it just shows more information on screen about the failure mode (ie why the file could not be processed).

[SpyrooftheNight]

OK I've installed the version you linked, and run into the same error. Do you want me to take a picture of the screen or is there a file I need to go look for now?

[alex-free]

OK I've installed the version you linked, and run into the same error. Do you want me to take a picture of the screen or is there a file I need to go look for now?

The same error code happens with his version? I think the idea is it should be more verbose/accurate and the text should be slightly different.

Did you try the vertical trick?

There is a slim chance that Tonyhax International may read the game since it handles disc reading a bit differently. In the past I've noticed it more reliably boots poor quality CD-Rs better then i.e UniROM. May be worth a try (https://github.com/alex-free/tonyhax?tab=readme-ov-file#downloads).

If possible order the CMC Pro CD-Rs (they are on Amazon) or try different burn speeds with your current Verbatim CD-R.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Seems like its the same info. The vertical trip is just to stand it up vertically right?

[alex-free]

Seems like its the same info. The vertical trip is just to stand it up vertically right?

Indeed looks the same.

Vertical trick is indeed just standing the console on its side. Also try diagonal angles and upside down.

[SpyrooftheNight]

I know it might not be helpful but in my googling I did come across someone on reddit talking about a similar error with Resident Evil 2 and referencing this issue thread: https://github.com/socram8888/tonyhax/issues/24

I can't really decipher what's being said in the discussion but it seems like the guy found a fix eventually ?

CMC CDs are ordered and on the way but it'll take a few days to get them so probably going to do some trial and error with these ones and different writing speeds and the vertical trick I guess. Seems weird that the two I'm having issues with are both Capcom fighters but I guess thats just my luck.

[alex-free]

I know it might not be helpful but in my googling I did come across someone on reddit talking about a similar error with Resident Evil 2 and referencing this issue thread: https://github.com/socram8888/tonyhax/issues/24

I can't really decipher what's being said in the discussion but it seems like the guy found a fix eventually ?

CMC CDs are ordered and on the way but it'll take a few days to get them so probably going to do some trial and error with these ones and different writing speeds and the vertical trick I guess. Seems weird that the two I'm having issues with are both Capcom fighters but I guess thats just my luck.

Huh, does Resident Evil 2 work on your console or do you get the same issue?

[SpyrooftheNight]

I'll burn a copy and check now

[SpyrooftheNight]

No I can't so that's now Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure that all givr the same exact errors where all my other games are working flawlessly without any issues when I play them

[alex-free]

No I can't so that's now Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure that all givr the same exact errors where all my other games are working flawlessly without any issues when I play them

Woah, really? Can you try patching the bin file with https://github.com/alex-free/psx80mp?tab=readme-ov-file#downloads and then burning another disc of the patched image?

[SpyrooftheNight]

For Resident Evil 2 right?

[alex-free]

For Resident Evil 2 right?

Any of the above. If you patch any of the problematic games it might work.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Ok So I'm patching ONLY track 1 for RE2 right? Leave track 2 bin alone? And I just drag the bin onto the .exe and its done?

[alex-free]

Ok So I'm patching ONLY track 1 for RE2 right? Leave track 2 bin alone? And I just drag the bin onto the .exe and its done?

Yes, thanks for checking! Try the other games too though.

[SpyrooftheNight]

OK So Resident Evil 2 now works and boots flawlessly with that patch. Let me check Jojos and SFA3

[SpyrooftheNight]

Hm OK so Jojo's also works great after the patch, played a few matches and everything. But Street Fighter Alpha 3 now gets off the tonyhax screen and doesn't have any of the "Missing TCB, Missing Event, etc." but when it boots up its just a black screen and it stays black? I know SFA3 was released pretty late in the PS1's life so it might have extra protection? And it's not terribly priced so I could probably just get a legit copy but if its fixable or something I'd love to know what I could do next? Would patching the 2nd track for SFA3 help at all?

[alex-free]

Hm OK so Jojo's also works great after the patch, played a few matches and everything. But Street Fighter Alpha 3 now gets off the tonyhax screen and doesn't have any of the "Missing TCB, Missing Event, etc." but when it boots up its just a black screen and it stays black? I know SFA3 was released pretty late in the PS1's life so it might have extra protection? And it's not terribly priced so I could probably just get a legit copy but if its fixable or something I'd love to know what I could do next? Would patching the 2nd track for SFA3 help at all?

My thinking is the black screen thing in SFA3 is unrelated to the original issue. Does the vertical trick get around it?

The way I see it, the black screen issue in SFA3 could be caused by:

• SFA3 could have an FMV (not sure, will find out soon) at boot that doesn't read correctly from the Verbatim CD-R and causes the drive to give up before loading past the black screen after Tonyhax loads the game. Vertical trick could fix that if it is the problem.

• There could be some issue caused by the patcher, but I think this is extremely unlikely. This game could possibly use SubchannelQ instead of TOC data to seek to the audio track. I know the first 2 Tomb Raider games work that way. http://redump.org/disc/508/ does mention 2 tracks. I'm not sure if the patcher would be problematic with such games.

• There could be EDC or some other protection (redump is inaccurate at that, so I don't trust the redump page that says nothing is present).

I'm gonna take a look in an emulator in a bit.

[alex-free]

You could also try this patcher for SFA3: https://github.com/socram8888/tonyhax/files/11782073/ps26mp-1.0.1-windows_x86.zip

[SpyrooftheNight]

should I patch the same file I already patched or patch a fresh file ? Thank you so much for the time and patience by the way, I never expected to get this problem resolved today and I honestly was about to give up on playing Jojos in 240p, so seriously you guys are awesome.

[alex-free]

should I patch the same file I already patched or patch a fresh file ? Thank you so much for the time and patience by the way, I never expected to get this problem resolved today and I honestly was about to give up on playing Jojos in 240p, so seriously you guys are awesome.

That's why we do this ;)

Try to use the ps26mp patcher on a fresh file. It's essentially an older version of the psx80mp patcher that works a bit differently (and maybe could get SFA3 to work).

If that doesn't work, I have another trick up my sleeve.

[alex-free]

@socram8888 snippet.txt is what is happening between exe launch (black screen) to this first screen: . Used duckstation log.

snippet.txt

The patched disc image worked fine via emulation (directly booting the patched disc image). Real hardware would be better to make 100% sure but looks like the patcher isn't the problem.

Also no anti-piracy protection I can see. No FMV but tons of disc read activity at the start.

[alex-free]

Disregard the vertical trick, I thought you had a PS1 this makes way more sense.

[alex-free]

If the ps26mp patcher also doesn't work, this is the trick up my sleeve.

1) Burn a fresh SFA3 with no patch. 2) Delete the original Tonyhax files from the memory card your using. 3) Download https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/#downloads . You want entrypoints/BASLUS-00571 and loader/HAX on the PS1 memory card. More info on this: https://alex-free.github.io/tonyhax-international/save-game-exploit.html#usage . 4) Try booting the fresh unpatched SFA3 with Tonyhax International.

Tonyhax International has a software-based fix for the SYSTEM.CNF issue, which could possibly work if the patcher isn't working for some reason for this specific game on real hardware.

[SpyrooftheNight]

I actually started patching/burning right after my comment and wanted to see how it turned out. So I patched the track file that I already patched with the other .exe and it seems to have worked. I also patched the track 2 file just in case that would help. So right now with both patches or just the second patch I guess, SFA3 works with tonyhax! I just played a match as R. Mika and it seemed that everything was working perfectly and the FMV at the beginning played smooth and perfect.

Still going to get those CMC disks to cover my bases but I'm glad I got the two games I was having issues with to play. Seriously its insane to me you guys were able to troubleshoot this so fast, I really appreciate the work you guys have done. As of right now the problem is a non-problem and if I have any issues with other games I guess my go-to should be to try patching them if I have this issue again. Have a good one and thank you again! I should "close" the issue thread right?

[alex-free]

I actually started patching/burning right after my comment and wanted to see how it turned out. So I patched the track file that I already patched with the other .exe and it seems to have worked. I also patched the track 2 file just in case that would help. So right now with both patches or just the second patch I guess, SFA3 works with tonyhax! I just played a match as R. Mika and it seemed that everything was working perfectly and the FMV at the beginning played smooth and perfect.

Still going to get those CMC disks to cover my bases but I'm glad I got the two games I was having issues with to play. Seriously its insane to me you guys were able to troubleshoot this so fast, I really appreciate the work you guys have done. As of right now the problem is a non-problem and if I have any issues with other games I guess my go-to should be to try patching them if I have this issue again. Have a good one and thank you again! I should "close" the issue thread right?

Haha nice! Would you mind checking that the ps26mp patcher by itself on a fresh SFA3 works (just track 1)? I'd really like to try myself but can't test real hardware ATM and it would be good to know, because I have an idea on how to fix the psx80mp patcher if the ps26mp patcher by itself works.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Yeah of course! Give me a couple minutes to download and patch/burn.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Ok patched Track 1 with ONLY ps26mp and it booted past tonyhax but we're back at the black screen and it's not loading that starter image.

[alex-free]

Ok patched Track 1 with ONLY ps26mp and it booted past tonyhax but we're back at the black screen and it's not loading that starter image.

What if you only patch track 2 with ps26mp? I have a weird theory for that. Thank you for your CD-R sacrifices.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Yeah, so fresh rom, this time ONLY track 2 with ps26mp, gimme a few. And, well I have 100 more coming in a few days that are better quality so mind as well get rid of the shitty ones in a productive way haha.

[alex-free]

Yeah, so fresh rom, this time ONLY track 2 with ps26mp, gimme a few. And, well I have 100 more coming in a few days that are better quality so mind as well get rid of the shitty ones in a productive way haha.

Literally making my night testing out this theory! I'm in the middle of a move so I haven't been able to work on things like I'd like to.

If only patching track 2 with ps26mp works, could I also trouble you to try only track 2 patching with psx80mp?

See @socram8888 this is the only PSX game I have ever seen with 2 data tracks! Seriously, I have never seen a sync pattern in track 2. I thought any multi-track games would have 1 data track and then some audio tracks. Redump listed it as a data track too. From that log I sent it looks like it is reading some data off of it (towards the end of the track, great news for my theory!).

[SpyrooftheNight]

OK so track 2 patched by ps26mp works and boots perfectly so far. Now I'll do a fresh rom and try to patch track 2 with psx80mp and let you know the results

[alex-free]

OK so track 2 patched by ps26mp works and boots perfectly so far. Now I'll do a fresh rom and try to patch track 2 with psx80mp and let you know the results

Incredible! YOU figured this out with track 2! I never would have thought that could have worked, because PS1 games don't usually work the way SFA3 does.

[SpyrooftheNight]

Track 2 ONLY patched with psx80mp does NOT work. That's pretty cool, it was a lucky guess. Anything else you need me to test??

[alex-free]

Track 2 ONLY patched with psx80mp does NOT work. That's pretty cool, it was a lucky guess. Anything else you need me to test??

Yes, I think I can fix psx80mp to work with track 2 but I'll need to write some code. Can I ping you in a bit?

[SpyrooftheNight]

Yeah of course, i'll be down to test it when you're ready.

[alex-free]

Yeah of course, i'll be down to test it when you're ready.

Excellent. Lets try this first. Only patch track 2 on a fresh SFA3 image using the attached patcher.

psx80mp-v2.0.1-BETA1-windows-x86_64.zip

[SpyrooftheNight]

That way worked and booted up exactly as expected.