PS2 HDD questions

Post by **Pulsar_t** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:22 pm

Hello, my PS2 is nearing its retirement, but I wish to get more life out of the old dog yet. I have a Maxtor drive (the same model that came with FFXI) but not the ethernet board. I'll try finding one. But that's not my main issue; a couple of years ago I looked into this and got conflicting messages. Do I need a working lens to boot into hdloader? It's impossible to launch elf apps from the memory card browser (it even locks up in my case-which is why I use Codebreaker to manage my saves). My unit is V7 modded with an old solder-chip (no idea what it is) and I use the PS1 exploit to transfer savegames and such, but putting games on flash doesn't work at all (that would simply have been too good to be true). But it's becoming a pain getting CD's to boot. Is there a way to make use of the HDD without resorting to the lens?

Post by **turbolegs** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:27 pm

Hi, im pretty sure there is a way, but i still boot from a disc.

This is the only thread i can find, maybe its of some use, maybe not.

http://www.console-exploits.com/forums/ ... -1459.html

Post by **miked** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:44 pm

http://ashholt.googlepages.com/ps2softmod.

That explains how to do a PS2 softmod that will allow you to boot hdloader without using the disc. Only problem is you need to use a ps1 "trigger disc" to start the softmod every time so it might not work too well for you.

Post by **Mozgus** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:23 pm

The PS1 trigger disc method is obsolete. Free MCBoot is by far the better means. However you say your memory card cant boot ELFs. I'm not sure what you mean. The card is corrupted or something? Because with Free MCBoot, you sure can.

Post by **Pulsar_t** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:53 pm

Thanks for the replies. What I meant by my memcard not booting elfs was concerning the PS2's own browser which is invoked when a disc is not present in the drive.. should've clarified sorry

I'll check the MCBoot hack thanks!

Edit - after reading a few dozen posts here and there, I've decided that if I can't find a network adapter for a reasonable price it's not worth it. USB hard drives are simply too slow (I was surprised to learn the PS2 drive rates at 4x, always thought it was half as much!)

Consoles with mechanical components are prone to fail. My Dreamcast retired back in 2003, and it gave me a hard time for months prior.