Playing PS2 games from HDD

Well on this case, what I understood is if you're not tampering with an existing file you're not exploiting an flaw. On FMCB 1.8C you're using a feature, not exploiting a flaw.
Same thing booting a non SONY built MBR from a generic Hard Disk Drive and using a PC to put it there. Well I suppose there's several different ways of looking at it. SONY uses the MBR mechanism and a modified OSD to boot ARCADE games on the Konami Python2 hardware... (http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=831)

I don't think that Python2 design is exploitation even if it's re-purposing of something.

 

Exactly!

But to be clearer, it's more of unauthorized repurposing of the system. It wasn't designed for giving us freedom from Sony, but we're doing that anyway.

As for the Python2, the arcade game is the OSD. Like how we can sometimes find Windows PCs in shops that have the desktop program set to some program or game for demonstration purposes.
On the System 246, AFAIK, it boots the game directly as well from the OSD... doesn't it?

Actually, I brought up this matter to give others a clearer understanding of how this actually works (So I can finally stop seeing incorrect things like "I hacked my PS2 with FMCB, after hacking my memory card"). I know that you know how it works.

 

Look - here is simple example of how to exploit Fat PS2 without Memory cards, joypads or dvd disks. Only Network adapter+2Gb hard drive, only hardcore.
Look here is my hard disk drive collection.

 

Did you steal them from some 200x cloud storage server closet ? :biggrin-new:

 

not server )) normal office machines but yea from 200x

 

Ok, so I am about to buy a fat PS2 to use FreeMcBoot with it. I am in PAL-landia and found an SCPH-30004r. Before purchasing one, is there anything I should know, like incompatible revisions? Thanks!

 

Any fat should be okay. But my favourite is a V7. Next a V4.


Rgds.

 

Any particular reason?

 

The V7 is the most robust before the next gen (V9+).
And a V4 (the versions before, too) could be hw modified to output dvd video via rgb.

Your SCPH-30004R should have a GH-010 to GH-014 main board so it's a V4...


Rgds.

 

Ah ok, thanks!

 

You forgot to mention that the SCPH-50000 line (v9-v11) has the 2nd worst case of their CD/DVD drives being "sabotaged" by Sony, behind the SCPH-70000 series.

 

my SCPH-50000(second gen i believe) still has its first laser, and i used it alot with dvd-r's, dvd+r's and even dvd-rw's!
it's still working fine.

 

My SCPH-50000 is going strong after many many years.

 

Yeah, the lens coils prob...



Rgds.

 

sabotaged lasers? i remember reading something about that and the so-called summon-one fix... but i gotta say that my 70004 still has its first laser, and i threw a lot of burned discs at it after getting FMCB... and its working like a charm

 

Hi!

I had a few of the next gen consoles in the last years, but none was in the need to make a coils fix.
Really strange...


Rgds.

 

Not the laser, but the MECHACON. According to l_Oliveira, they weren't happy with the fact that people kept modding their consoles... so they made the "bugs" in the MECHACON's firmware more delibrate and disabled some functions that were being used by hackers to get around DNAS banning (so the drives cannot be recalibrated with the old Sony tools, the i.Link and console numbers can't be changed, and the console model string can't be changed).

But like the SCPH-70000 series, part of the increased vulnerability of its laser is caused by Sony cutting costs: They removed the SYSCON, so the lasers in the v9s were vulnerable to getting toasted before the MECHACON gained enough power to start up. They also switched to the LA6505, which seemed less tolerant than the older BA chips. And then when the laser went, it might actually take the LA chip along with it... which might in turn take any new lasers that were installed into the faulty system.

They also replaced the resistors on the IOP's bus with cheap ones, so they would blow when the system was modded. This gave rise to the "Golden disc syndrome".

The SCPH-70000 series had an actual problem that Sony tried to fix: The MECHACON was prone to crashing really easily (this time, the user can actually provoke a crash by even simply pressing the power button repeatedly), usually surging the laser with high current when that happens. The first revision of the SCPH-70000 was the most affected by this issue, although it was only fully fixed starting with the SCPH-75000 series.

Poorly modding a v12 (the first SCPH-70000) with badly-designed modchips might cause MECHACON crashes. So if you did it right, you're probably safe... unless the MECHACON detected something weird connected to its bus and decides to slow down the system fan.

I don't actually think that the problems were so bad that they outrightly affected every single unit out there upon power-on, otherwise Sony would have to issue a product recall. It was bad enough that they got sued for making bad goods though.

Some of the stuff here might be incorrect or inaccurate, as I don't own a SCPH-50000 series or a SCPH-70000 series unit. Neither have I done repairs on these consoles before. I am speaking based on my research done on this issue and by reading what other people on PSX-scene had to say about their consoles (including the comments from l_Oliveira himself).

 

Did Sony change the voltage of MC slots of slimlines ? I had loads of third party PS2 memory cards that were not detected on slims but worked on fats...
I first thought that $ony wanted to block unofficial (non-MG) PS2 memory cards, but the "memory card not formatted" issue with my semi-PocketStation PS1 MC sounded like the slim doesn't output enough power for the MC EEPROM:moody:.

 

8v pin was removed on 7500x series forward. Fake cards which use 5V flash chips won't work.

 

Thank you for the answer.