Hacking First steps with EZ IV

[Gagarin]

I just got it today
I'm using Micro SD adapter and so far everything is just Cruise Control on my DS and GB Micro
But already I have few questions:

1. I like scene demos, and one of them is in BIN format. How to convert it to GBA?
http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=5235

2. I would like to trim my GBA roms to save a space. Can I do that after patching? What the best bulk trimmer for that?

3. I like Star Wars, but the EZ flash skin doesn't look great. How to change it for some Vista or plain looking one?

4. In the corner of display it says SD v1.720. Is that firmware version? If so, what is the current one and how to safely upgrade it?


That's all!

 

[FAST6191]

1. .GBA=.bin files as far as this is concerned (.bin is also used for some older systems roms as well and a load of other files) and should work just the same. A word of note however is that some homebrew does not have a good header but GBATA can fix it
http://www.gbadat.altervista.org/tools.htm

2. EZ4Client automatically trims roms and has batch support.

3. http://ezflash.sosuke.com/ there is a skins section there with tools and premade skins.

4. Possibly. Most people use modulo's hacked loaders though which are a hacked version of the official loader (and no version bump).
the updates are ezfla_up.bin (and it is on my site if you do a page search for RESET and in the 22nd of Feb client pack), add it to the root of the card and hold R when booting up. Everything will be taken care of from there, "safely" entails you do not lose power during the update which should only take a few seconds.

Also make sure to replace the update in the skinning tool with this one.

 

[Gagarin]

So far I discovered that two games don't work.
Kingdom Hearts is one of them. Is that becouse of the size? Is any way to make it running on EZ?

 

[FAST6191]

For anything other than the EZ4 deluxe any game above 128 MBit (I say above as some hacks raise the size above this limit) will have to be written to the NOR.

Boot into GBA mode, find the rom you want and press select (if the NOR is not blank wipe enough stuff to get the space you need beforehand, start provides the option to format). It will likely take several minutes to write to the NOR but it will boot instantly from now on.

 

[Gagarin]

Well, thanks, how ever I'm not that advanced with my EZ4. Can you link me to some good guide?
So far I don't even know how to:
- update it to newer version
- Change the load skin
- install cheat system,
I have FlashMe so I dow the road I want to put some games and applications, such as Moonshell, WebBrowser.
How that cheat work? Is it something like cheat.dat on R4DS?

If anybody would will to help me, so I can be EZ4 pro....

 

[FAST6191]

http://ezflash.sosuke.com/ is the US forum and it has a fairly well featured wiki.

- Loader update is just a matter of adding the ezfla_up.bin to the root of the card and holding R.
Client updates are either a matter of extracting the file or replacing the patchdll as that is what is normally updated.
The other updates you may hear of are for the rom naming lists, they are just luxuries and you can add a name in the top left corner if it is not in the list). EZ4client comes with a DS list updater but I have not updated the GBA list for a while as it has not really needed it (nothing but region dupes and shovelware or region dupes of shovelware really)

- I linked the skinning tools in the first reply, they create a new ezfla_up.bin for you to run.

- There is no DS cheating system. Trainers and the trainer maker should work however. See the rom hacking section on this site or sosukes for more on trainers and trainer addition.
GBA has one inbuilt but I sense the modulo's loader hack breaks it owing to the buttons used being the same for cheats (I have yet to confirm that though), GABsharky and many trainers are available, see post 4:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=73394


Flashme....
DS homebrew should be covered in the text file in the client pack. Simply put .bin or .ds.gba format is necessary for the EZ4.
DLDI patching needs to be done ahead of time (there is no autopatching), DS and PC side patchers are available.
The official web browser does not work without a DS slot cart but there are a fair few homebrew ones and they work really well
DSHobro (PC side streaming browser), DSOrganize, DSlinux and Bunjalloo are the main ones just off the top of my head and there are also apps for just about everything else (IRC, FTP, samba, music streaming, email, MSN, AIM, ICQ, google earth, weather reports.........).

GBA homebrew rarely uses DLDI so it just needs to be in .gba format with a good header (GBATA can fix bad headers: http://gbadat.altervista.org/tools.htm )
If it has SRAM based saving (and a fair bit does send it through EZ4Client first, I added some names to the naming lists but some homebrew can not be added to the list and a lot of it is not included).

 

[Gagarin]

Ok. Lets do basic first....


UPDATE: I download the file ezfla_up.bin. According to the page, the newest version is :
EZ4 Client, Current Version: V1.03 (10/10/06)

That doesn't sound new.... Is there anything newer (2008)?



SKINS. As far as I know, there are two modes, GBA and DS.
So I found on your site nice skin in zip format xpskin1.70.zip It looks like DS skin.
So now I need to run get that program EZSkiner, place firmware update into root of it (ezfla_up.bin) and choose the archive with that skin?
After that I will have new ezfla_up.bin wich will update my firmware and skin?

Am I right?

So, in GBA mode my skin will change itself too?
So, if I want to re do it again, I must replace firmware update again or I can leave the one I just did?

 

[FAST6191]

I suggest using the EZ4 section rather than the downloads one.
Anyhow the loader has not been updated in a while but modulo came along an hacked it to allow GBA roms in DS mode to work properly (forced a hard reset to run GBA roms dodging a border issue). It is included in the latest client pack:
http://www.4shared.com/file/38644523/edd5e...d_Feb_2008.html

(latest patch update for the pack: http://www.4shared.com/file/45909041/cee44...1209545416.html )
and by itself:
http://www.4shared.com/file/13462116/e3da1...0315-RESET.html
There is also a nonds version but I do not suggest using it.

Skins: the tools (there are a couple) have a bunch of directories with bitmap images in, you replace the images and the loader (ezfla_up.bin) with the ones you want to use and build a new one with the skin of your choice before updating the loader again. You are correct about the GBA and DS skins being distinct, some skins include GBA and DS while others are just for GBA or just for DS.

 

[Gagarin]

Thank You
Last night I was playing with my EZ and I think I start like it a lot. So far I don't have GBA SP so I was using it on DS and Gameboy Micro.
Since I update it, it works faster, looks better.
However I have bunch of questions:

- Txt saver - Second Icon in GBA mode. What is it that? Txt reader? How to use it?

- Savings - Somtime reset doesn't work (L+Up+A+B) so I must turn my DS/Gameboy off. After that, next time I have to wait vecouse is saving writing? Is any way to avoid it, I know I can skip it by holding L but I want totally avoid it.
Beside of that, On my EZ Disk I have Saver folder with some junk files and I can't even delete them from my Windows Explorer. What I'm doing wrong?

- Games bigger than 30MB, I did what you told me regarding Kingdom Hearts, now I have that game bellow my EZ Disk in file selector - it works, but how to add there other big roms?
Can I now delete original rom from games (it takes a lot of space)?

- In GBA mode, you must confirm everything by "item describe". Can I turn it off?

So where can I find everything for my EZIV in one spot?
Updates, skins, guides etc...?

 

[FAST6191]

txt saver is a hangover from the EZ3 (which the EZ4 loader was based on), it probably has a use but none I can think of right now. There are many homebrew text readers for both the GBA and DS with some really nice features as well.

L is the only way (you can also use the touchscreen in DS mode). Just as a note in the options menu there is automatic and obliged saving. obliged will always write and automatic will give you the option to skip.
I presume the files are 8:3 naming with the 11 characters being that of a rom you ran at some point. Run a disk check (they come with every OS worth anything and there is also a DS code one somewhere).

The section is 256MBit/32Mbyte on the EZ4 and EZ4lite (original), you will have to delete the file (start formats the section and select when highlighting a file gives the option to delete it).
Yes you can delete it from the miniSD although leave the saver there.

-unfortunately not. The DS loader is a bit more user friendly in this regard however.

Sosukes forum and wiki is the main hub for non-Chinese related EZFlash stuff although loads of other sites have EZFlash sections and the like and report news.

 

[Jack-Of-Trades]

First of all FAST6191 I'm not trying to contradict you at all just post information that i tested

Guide wise use this
Tutorial

I like scene demos, and one of them is in BIN format. How to convert it to GBA?

The latest ez4 client supports .Bin files

- Txt saver - Second Icon in GBA mode. What is it that? Txt reader? How to use it?

If you put a .txt file on your sd and "launch" it then exit it and keeps your "book-mark" there

And there is no way to remove the text file from there that i can find and if that txt file disappears and you try to load it then go to "dsk" it crash's

But Saver 1-4 Are Un-used it seems

(start formats the section and select when highlighting a file gives the option to delete it).

Actualy Select let's you write or delete the file to Nor

on my cart Star does nothing other than pause the text scrolling of a gba rom for a few seconds


QUOTEThat doesn't sound new.... Is there anything newer (2008)?

Your correct it isn't that new
but people over at Sosuke and maybe other site's still release patch's for it (but then again i believe it's modul's (sp) Loader

QUOTE

There is also a nonds version but I do not suggest using it.

I suppose you can laugh at me for this one but i though the RESET Kernel version was the non DS version since it forgoes the extra support for homebrew (can use gbata to fix the heads and everything is perfect) for better compatibility with gba games that Despise the soft reset (off the top of my head Battle B-daman wont work with the non reset kernel


- Savings - Somtime reset doesn't work (L+Up+A+B) so I must turn my DS/Gameboy off. After that, next time I have to wait vecouse is saving writing? Is any way to avoid it, I know I can skip it by holding L but I want totally avoid it.
Beside of that, On my EZ Disk I have Saver folder with some junk files and I can't even delete them from my Windows Explorer. What I'm doing wrong?


You didnt use the client to send the files to the sd card (YOU HAVE TO lol)

they wont hurt anything there just annoying

and only way to remove them is to format the sd card sorry