FreeMCBoot Version History: From 1.8 to 1.966
FreeMCBoot (FMCB) began in 2008 and reached its latest stable release, version 1.966, on 13 April 2019. If you are installing FMCB today, use 1.966. The earlier versions in this guide matter mainly because old tutorials, old cards, and old forum posts still mention them, and it helps to know whether a number you have seen is current, recent, or long superseded.
FMCB was created by Neme and jimmikaelkael, and the 1.9 series has been maintained by SP193. That continuity is part of why the version line is short and stable: this is a mature bootloader for a console that stopped production years ago, not software with monthly feature releases.
The timeline at a glance
| Version | Release date | How to treat it today |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 and earlier | Older releases, referenced in early guides | Historical only; do not seek these out for a fresh install |
| 1.953 | 16 December 2016 | Older 1.9-series release, still seen on old cards and guides |
| 1.965 | 8 December 2018 | The release immediately before 1.966 |
| 1.966 | 13 April 2019 | Latest stable release; use this for a fresh install |
This guide deliberately does not reproduce detailed changelogs for every intermediate version. The checked changelog material for this batch covers 1.966 in full, and the dates above for 1.953 and 1.965. Inventing a feature list for a version you cannot check would be worse than leaving a gap, so the gap is stated plainly: if a site gives you a long, specific changelog for 1.953 or 1.965 without a source, treat it as unverified.
What the timeline does tell you is useful on its own. First, 1.953 circulated for about two years, which is why it appears so often. A card prepared in 2017 or 2018, or a tutorial written then and never updated, will naturally mention 1.953. Second, 1.965 was current for only a few months. That short window explains why fewer guides mention it. Third, nothing newer than 1.966 has replaced it as the stable release. A higher number quoted without a source is a red flag, not an upgrade.
The 1.8 era and why old guides still circulate
Version 1.8 belongs to an earlier period of FMCB, when the installer and the surrounding guides looked different from the 1.9-series material most people meet today. Older guides survive because they were copied, mirrored, and linked for years, and because the basic idea — install a bootloader to a memory card, then boot homebrew from it — has not changed.
That survival creates two traps. The first is following an old guide’s file list literally when the current package has different contents. Always match your steps to the package you actually downloaded, and use the Download page as your starting point rather than a random mirror linked from a decade-old post. The second trap is assuming that because a guide is old, its warnings are outdated. Some are not: the need for an entry point to run the installer, the fact that a card cannot be prepared by copying files on a PC alone, and the compatibility limits for late Slims all still apply. See FreeMCBoot 1.966: What’s New vs 1.965 and 1.953 for what the current version does and does not change.
What stayed the same across versions
Version history is usually read as a story of change. For FMCB, the constants are just as important, because they stop a new version number from being oversold:
- The job never changed. FMCB boots homebrew from a PlayStation 2 memory card. It does not become a game loader, a media centre, or an emulator by changing version.
- No applications were added to the author’s package. Open PS2 Loader, uLaunchELF, and ESR remain separate applications, or parts of community bundles. A version bump does not bundle them in.
- Compatibility limits never disappeared. Late SCPH-90000 consoles from the third quarter of 2008 onward (datecode 8C and later, boot ROM 2.30 and newer) and the PS2 TV still cannot auto-boot FMCB. Check the ROM version, since datecode 8C was a transition period. Those consoles need the Fortuna route, covered in FunTuna, Fortuna, and OpenTuna Versions for Late PS2 Slims.
- FMCB alone never added import or copied-disc support. That is a hardware limitation described in the author’s FAQ, and it applies to every version in this timeline.
Which version should you use?
Follow this checklist:
- Fresh install: 1.966. Do not install an older version first and then “upgrade” unless a guide gives you a specific reason tied to your console.
- Working card on 1.953 or 1.965: Leave it alone if it works. Version age alone is not a fault.
- Rebuilding a broken card: 1.966, because its recovery path through mass:/RESCUE.ELF, forced with START+R1, gives you a way back from a bad configuration.
- Fat PS2 hard drive setup: 1.966, because of its updated HDD modules and recompiled disk-checking tool.
- Card or tutorial mentions 1.8: Treat the material as historical. Use a current guide for the actual install steps, and keep the old guide only for background.
Also keep the installer number separate. The installer source code named alongside 1.966 is version 0.987. That is the tool that writes FMCB to the card, not a separate FMCB release, and it should not be confused with the FMCB version itself. See FreeMCBoot Installer Versions and the Noobie Package Explained for how the installer, the release package, and community bundles fit together.
FAQ
Is FreeMCBoot still being updated? The latest stable release is 1.966 from 13 April 2019. No newer stable release has superseded it in the author’s release history used for this guide.
Why does my card say 1.953 if 1.966 is latest? Because 1.953 circulated for about two years and was used to prepare many cards and guides. A 1.953 card is old, not broken, but a fresh install should use 1.966.
Can I update from 1.953 to 1.966 without losing saves? Back up your saves and configuration first, then treat the update as a reinstall following one current guide. Do not update FMCB, your loader, and your storage setup all in the same session, or you will not know which change caused any new problem.
Does a newer version support more consoles? No. The compatibility limits for late SCPH-90000 consoles and the PS2 TV apply across the versions in this timeline. A version number does not remove a hardware limit.
Where should I get 1.966? Start from the Download page on this site, and check the author’s release notes for the version and date before installing anything from another source.