User Manual

Initial setup
Installing driver

1. Extract cobraupdate.rar somewhere on your PC.

2. Put Cobra USB in PC mode (switch in left position) and insert it into a USB port on your PC.
3. Windows Hardware wizard will ask you if you want to search for software. Choose “No, not this
time” and click next.
4. In the next screen, choose “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)” and click next.

5. Now choose “Search for the best driver in these locations” and check “Include this location in
the search”. Click browse and navigate to the driver folder inside the cobraupdate folder you
extracted before. Click OK and then click next.
 6. The system will install the driver. When done, click finish.

Updating Cobra USB firmware

To update Cobra USB firmware, just drag and drop the update file into the cobraflash program.
Wait for the update to complete and when asked, press ENTER to exit.
It is important to not remove the device while the update is in progress.

Updating Cobra USB firmware using the PS3

1. Download “Cobra-USB_PS3_Updater_v1_0.pkg” and install it in the PS3.

2. Put the Cobra USB update file in the root of any usb drive. If there are more than one file, Cobra
USB Updater will choose the one with the higher version.
3. Insert the usb stick in the PS3 and run Cobra USB Updater. Press yes when asked to install the
update.
4. Wait for the process to complete and press yes when prompted to reboot the PS3.

Installing Cobra USB Manager

1. Download “Cobra USB Manager.pkg” and copy it to any usb drive.

2. Start the PS3 in jailbreak mode (see section below).
3. Insert the usb drive, and go to “Install Package Files” in the games section of the XMB.
4. Locate “Cobra USB Manager.pkg” and install it.

Jailbreak instructions

1. Firstly, you must install cobra 3.55 cfw. (See section below for instructions).
2. Your ps3 must be powered off. Unlike in previous versions, there is no need of a full power off,
or removing any disc.
3. Insert Cobra USB in the PS3. Make sure that it is in PC mode (switch in left position). Yes, PC
mode. Since firmware 3.00, PC mode and jailbreak modes are equivalent, however, we
recommend using PC mode for both jailbreak and cobra updates, downgrade position for
factory service mode, and leave the jailbreak position (middle position) unused.
In PS3 models with four USB ports, don’t use the one in the left, except in the case that
another USB device is also connected at the same time.
Unlike in previous versions, you can have other USB devices connected at booting time if you
wish.
4. Simply turn on the PS3 without doing any button combo.
5. Cobra blue led will turn on for a short moment, followed by the red led blinking. After some
time, green led will turn on and PS3 will be in Cobra mode.
Cobra 3.55 cfw installation

1. Download the PS3UPDAT.PUP file of the cobra CFW. The MD5 of this file is
0922794CFB2FA4CB3DF71C8C3E391E08.
2. Copy this file to any usb drive, in /PS3/UPDATE/ folder (create the folders if they don’t exist),
and connect it to the PS3.
3. If you are on a firmware prior to 3.55, including cfw, install the update using the XMB,
remember to choose “Update via Storage Media”. Follow any instructions, and skip the next
steps.
4. If you are on firmware 3.55, ofw or cfw, in some consoles you will be able to update using the
XMB. In other consoles, you will be given an error complaining that latest firmware is already
installed. On those consoles, you will have to install cobra cfw in recovery mode. Next steps
explain how to enter this mode.
5. To enter recovery mode, power off the PS3. Keep the usb drive with the cfw pup as the only
device connected to the PS3.
6. Power on the PS3 keeping the power button pressed until the PS3 powers off.
7. Power on again the PS3 keeping the power button, until you hear one beep followed by a
double beep.
8. You are now in recovery mode, connect a PS3 controller to any USB port, choose option 6 in the
screen, and follow any other on screen instructions.

Note: Cobra CFW will behave like a 3.55 ofw if the PS3 is booted without Cobra USB connected. It is
useless to install this CFW if you don’t have a Cobra USB device.
Cobra USB requires certain binary files of the firmware not to be changed. Changing these files may
make Cobra USB not to work at all, or to behave incorrectly. Changing fonts, xml, etc is fine, if the user
knows what he is doing.

Advice: if you want to update the system again to install other firmware, we recommend to do it
booting the PS3 without Cobra USB connected. It will probably work with Cobra USB connected too,
but it is safer to update without Cobra patches present.

Factory Service Mode

Factory Service Mode is used to perform operations like downgrade.
To enter factory service mode using Cobra, follow these instructions.

1. Power off your PS3.

2. Insert Cobra USB in the PS3. Make sure that it is in factory service mode (switch in right
position).
3. Turn on PS3 and press eject quickly.
4. Blue and green led’s of Cobra will flash while booting, green led will be the final led on success.
If you are on a regular ofw or cfw, the console will shut down. If you are on cobra CFW, the
console will continue booting normally (unless it is semibricked, in that case it will stay on
forever). In both cases, don’t worry, despite that, the PS3 flag that sets factory service mode will
 have been written, just shutdown your PS3 manually and next time you will be in factory service
mode.
5. You are now in factory service mode. Don’t connect Cobra USB while in factory service mode.
You can find tutorials on the internet to perform operations like downgrade, exiting factory
service mode, etc.

Making game backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from the XMB.

2. Insert the game to backup. It will appear at the beginning of the games list.
3. Select it, press circle, and choose the destination device from the list.
4. You will be asked if you want the dump in iso or in the standard format. Choose the desired
option and wait for the copy to complete.

Pros and cons of iso format compared to the standard directory based format:

Pros
· Support of backups with files bigger than 4 GB on external drives is possible. Iso files with a size
bigger than 4 GB are split in parts.
· Less files on hard disk, it can help to reduce fragmentation.

Cons
· It is a less standard format for ps3 backups.
Playing game backups
Game backups are started from Cobra USB Manager with the X button. Backups can be loaded with or
without disc; compatibility may differ in each mode.
If the game is in jailbreak directory format, game can be launched either from disc icon or from
app_home. Since Cobra firmware 3.00, a disc icon will appear too if there was no disc at the moment of
loading the backup. Launching the backup from disc icon will usually have better compatibility than
doing it from app_home.

Cobra USB Manager loads game backups from the following directories:

· /dev_hdd0/GAMES
· /dev_hdd0/BDRIPS
· /dev_hdd0/GAMEZ
· /dev_hdd0/PS3ISO (for iso backups)
· /dev_usbXXX/GAMES
· /dev_usbXXX/GAMEZ
· /dev_usbXXX/PS3ISO (for iso backups)
And it writes game backups to:

· /dev_hdd0/GAMES
· /dev_hdd0/PS3ISO (for iso backups)
· /dev_usbXXX/GAMES
· /dev_usbXXX/PS3ISO (for iso backups)

You can use the copy function of Cobra USB Manager to transfer games between drives.

Iso files bigger than 4GB can be split on external disks using the following naming convention:
filename.iso -> filename.iso.0, filename.iso.1, filename.iso.2, etc.
Each part must have a size between 4,096 and 4,294,967,295 bytes, although the recommended size for
each part except the last is 4,294,901,760 bytes. Maximum number of parts allowed is 32.

To unload a game, just start Cobra USB Manager again, load another backup or just quit it if you want to
play the original disc inserted.

Covers: Cobra USB Manager looks for covers in /dev_hdd0/BDCOVERS. Covers must use
GAMECODE.PNG name convention, e.g.: BLUS30266.PNG, and have a size of 260x300.

Making Blu-Ray backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from the XMB.
2. Press square to change to Blu-Ray mode.
3. Insert a blu-ray (BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE). It will appear at the beginning of the list.
4. Select it, press circle, and choose the destination device from the list. Wait for the copy to
complete.

Warning: although Cobra USB Manager allows original blu-ray movies to be copied, backups won’t work
because of AACS copy protection. However, you can transfer these backups to your PC, decrypt them
using some tool such as AnyDvd HD, DVDFab, etc, and transfer the decrypted iso back to the PS3.
If you have a blu-ray reader on your computer, you may want to do the full process there instead.

Playing Blu-Ray backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from the XMB.
2. Press square to change to Blu-Ray mode.
3. Choose the backup from the list and press X.
4. Cobra USB Manager will mount the backup and exit. You can play your movie backup using the
XMB player.
5. When you are done playing the backup, you can start Cobra USB Manager again if you wish to
unload the backup.
Cobra USB Manager uses the following directories to load/write Blu-Ray backups in iso format:

· /dev_hdd0/BDISO
· /dev_usbXXX/BDISO

Iso files can be split using the same naming convention used for game backups in iso format.
Blu-Ray backups are not limited to movies; any kind of iso file having a file system recognized by the PS3
can be mounted as a Blu-Ray.

Making DVD backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.
2. Press square twice to change to DVD mode.
3. Insert a DVD-ROM, DVD+/-R or DVD+/-RW. It will appear at the beginning of the list.
4. Select it, press circle, and choose the destination device from the list. Wait for the copy to
complete.

Warning: although Cobra USB Manager allows original DVD movies to be copied, backups won’t work if
they use CSS copy protection. In these cases, it is a better idea to do the backup in a computer using any
program that removes CSS, and then transfer the unprotected backup to the PS3.

Playing DVD backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.
2. Press square twice to change to DVD mode.
3. Choose the backup from the list and press X.
4. Cobra USB Manager will mount the backup and exit. You can play your movie backup using the
XMB player.
5. When you are done playing the backup, you can start Cobra USB Manager again if you wish to
unload the backup.

Cobra USB Manager uses the following directories to load/write DVD backups in iso format:

· /dev_hdd0/DVDISO
· /dev_usbXXX/DVDISO

Iso files can be split using the same naming convention used for game backups in iso format.
DVD backups are not limited to movies; any kind of iso file having a file system recognized by the PS3
can be mounted as a DVD.

Making PSX backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.
 2. Press square three times to change to PSX mode.
3. Insert an original PSX game or a backup in a CD-R disc. It will appear at the beginning of the list.
4. Select it, press circle, and choose the destination device from the list. Wait for the copy to
complete. If the game only contains the data track, the backup will be in iso format; if it contains
more tracks, cue/bin format will be used instead.

Playing PSX backups

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.
2. Press square three times to change to PSX mode.
3. Choose the backup from the list and press X.
4. Cobra USB Manager will mount the backup and exit. You can start the psx game backup from
the XMB.

Cobra USB Manager uses the following directories to load/write PSX backups:
· /dev_hdd0/PSXISO
· /dev_usbXXX/PSXISO

Allowed format are:

· Iso (mode 2/2352).
· Cue+bin. Data track must be mode 2/2352.
Cue+bin+wav is not supported: audio tracks in wav files are ignored.

Playing PSX backups in CD-R

Cobra USB allows PSX backups in CD-R discs to be transparently started from XMB without the need of
Cobra USB Manager.

PSX region

Cobra USB bypasses psx region for original psx games, and backups in both CD-R and iso/cue format.

Making PS2 backups

This feature is mainly for backwards compatible models (CECHA, CECHB, CECHC and CECHE). PS2 mode
won’t appear in other models unless the software emulator option is unlocked (see “Settings menu”
section)

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.

2. Press square four times to change to PS2 mode.
 3. Insert an original PS2 game or a DVD+/-R or CD-R backup. It will appear at the beginning of the
list.
4. Select it, press circle, and choose the destination device from the list. Wait for the copy to
complete.

Playing PS2 backups

This feature is mainly for backwards compatible models (CECHA, CECHB, CECHC and CECHE), although
PS2 backups can be loaded in other models if the software emulator is unlocked (see “Settings Menu”
section).
Currently, ps2 backups can only be loaded from internal disc, and not from external drives. You can
however transfer backups between them.

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.

2. Press square four times to change to PS2 mode.
3. Choose the backup from the list and press X.
4. Cobra USB Manager will mount the backup and exit. You can start the PS2 game backup from
the XMB. Don’t forget that you must assign slots to virtual memory cards in the XMB if they
aren’t already assigned.

Cobra USB Manager uses the following directories for PS2 backups:
· /dev_hdd0/PS2ISO
· /dev_usbXXX/PS2ISO -> currently, only for transferring, not loading

Allowed format are:

· DVD backups: iso files with 2048 bytes per sector.
· CD backups:
1. ISO files with 2048 or 2352 bytes per sector; CD backups with 2352 bytes per sector are
more compatible.
2. Cue+bin: Data track must be mode 2/2352.
Cue+bin+wav is not supported: audio tracks in wav files are ignored.

PS2 iso backups are automatically unmounted when returning to XMB from the game.

Because of the special nature of the PS2 emulator, Cobra USB must be connected when exiting a PS2
game from the emulator menu. If Cobra USB is not connected, you will return to a normal not patched
3.55 XMB.

Playing PS2 backups in CD-R/DVD+-R

Cobra USB allows PS2 backups in CD-R and DVD+-R discs to be transparently started from XMB without
the need of Cobra USB Manager.
A note on dual layer backups: these backups must be burn from an iso with a mds file. Without an
appropiated mds file describing layer break, dual layer backups won’t work.
PS2 region

Cobra USB bypasses all region checks for original, optical backups and backups in iso format.

Playing PSP backups

Initial setup: install the “Cobra-USB_PSP-Launcher.pkg” package available on www.cobra-usb.com.

Do not run this package when you see the “NO GAME” icon or the ps3 will crash/reboot.

Once PSP-Launcher is installed, follow these instructions to play a psp backup:

1. Start Cobra USB Manager from XMB.

2. Press square five times to change to PSP mode (four times if PS2 is not enabled).
3. Choose the backup from the list and press X.
4. Cobra USB Manager will mount the backup and exit. Now PSP-Launcher has the icon of the PSP
backup and you can start the game from there.

Cobra USB Manager uses the following directories for PSP backups:
· /dev_hdd0/PSPISO
· /dev_usbXXX/PSPISO

Allowed format are:

· ISO, the typical backup format used by the psp homebrew community. CSO format is not
supported yet. EBOOT.BIN in the iso can be either encrypted or decrypted.

Known issues:
- Savedata loading/saving fails: this problem will be addressed in a future update.
- Not all games play: the emulator is not perfect, but we fixed some sony bugs on it and it now
loads more games that it originally did. In the future, we expect to be able to do more patches
to increase its compatibility.

Settings menu

Settings menu can be entered in Cobra USB Manager by pressing R1. Use left-right to change settings.
Currently, the following settings can be changed:

· Blu-Ray region: you can fake here the region for blu-ray playback, allowing the playing of movies
of different regions. This process doesn’t write anything in the system flash, region is only faked
when starting the console with Cobra USB.

· DVD region: you can fake here the region for DVD-video playback, allowing the playing of DVD-
video of different regions. This only applies to RCE protected titles, standard DVD regional
 protection is already bypassed by Cobra USB. This process doesn’t write anything in the system
flash, region is only faked when starting the console with Cobra USB.

· Games launch mode: you can change here how games are launched. XMB mode means that
Cobra USB Manager will exit back to XMB when selecting a game and you must start it from
XMB. In direct mode, Cobra USB Manager will launch the game directly, this may lower
compatibility.

· PS2 Software emulator: this option appears only on not backwards compatible models. If
enabled, users of these models can test ps2 original games and backups in iso format using the
ps2 software emulator.
This option is disabled by default because the software emulator doesn’t have much quality; it is
slow and has several problems like virtual memory card not working, graphical glitches, and
hangs. In ps3 slims, it has some additional problems, like controller only working if connected to
an usb port.
Once this option is enabled, users of not backwards compatible models can follow the
instructions in the PS2 sections to load and make backups.

Blu-Ray region, DVD regions and PS2 software emulator settings are saved on Cobra USB internal flash.
If you have removed Cobra USB, please insert it again before saving settings.

FTP

You can use FTP to transfer files to the PS3 from your computer. To activate FTP, press L1 on Cobra USB
Manager.
In the PC, use an ftp client such as FileZilla.
In host field, type the IP address of your PS3. As username, specify CBUM01234. Password can be left
blank.