Question about DTL-H30101, networking and retail games.

The utility discs are Magic Gate encrypted so they only work on a console that matches 100% the intended region.

While a Japanese utility disc is branded NTSC-J it will only boot on a Japanese console. Any other NTSC-J console will get a "PlayStation 2" logo and a black screen afterwards.

That's the origin of the folklore that utility discs don't work when modchips are installed. What doesn't work is cross region booting.

 

Thank you for your answer. Now I got another question regarding this. I have a NTSC-J console, I'm sure of it because aside from buying it when I was in Japan the Utility Disc 1.0 I have does boot.

But I haven't been able to boot a burned copy of the disc using ESR or any other utility disc for that matter (NTSC-J discs that is).

How can I boot a utility disc backup on its intended region console? Is the only solution a modchip?

 

you can also use my guide to install hdd-utility disc on your japanese console, but it will remove the japanese language support from your console and add other languages like german etc...
but you have to follow every step in my tutorial, replaceing the mbr via a hexeditor and replacing the hosdsys.elf file in he __system partition with the hacked-ule...

but after the installation i suggest to remove the bb-navi partitions with the hacked-ule's hdd-manager, their named like "linux" something..

 

Thanks to your guide I was able to format and install BB Navi on my JP console, and all I had to do was run the BB Navi ELF from the disc you provided. The BB Nav installer formatted the HDD and all, I am able to boot the PS2 in BB Nav mode and japanese PS2 games do detect the HDD and install to it (official HDD). But I wanted a japanese HDD Utility disc, the one that comes in that red sleeve.

What did you do to make the BB Nav and Util disc boot form an ELF?

I know for fact that the Japanese HDD Utility disc 1.00 and the American NTSC-U 1.10 disc are the same just in different language. Can I just grab your disc and replace the files from a japanese HDD Utility ISO into your ISO and will it boot from the ELF on your disc?

Sorry if this all sounds confusing, let me know if I have to make it clear.

 

The files on the USA disc are incompatible with JPN consoles, you would end with a installation which works only on US consoles, so no.

Also, the elf you used was ripped by SJEEP (HDLoader author) several years ago. It's the elf from the US Utility disc, but the menus work right because the ELF will read screen drawing, fonts scripts and everything else from the .PAK files on the disc.

So if PSBBN boots straight without any patching, it's safe to assume your utility disc is damaged. Perhaps it suffered CD Bronzing ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_bronzing

 

I never had the utility disc, I just had the japanese PS2, and some time after I got my hands on an official hard drive and network adapter, I installed them and to my surprise the HDD wasn't detected. I thought it was because it's a US HDD in a JP console, but then I found out it didn't matter, because they aren't region locked; that I only needed the japanese utility disc to format it and the JP PS2 would recognize it. I could never find the dreaded PBPX-95211 disc or any of the BB Nav ones. It wasn't until I found Richi902's blog post and ISO that I was able to format that HDD to work on my japanese PS2.

So it works now, BB Navi and all, and I'm happy. But I noticed Richi902's ISO is basically a compilation of the US 1.10 utility disc and BB Nav 0.32 disc in a single ISO and they're acessed through ELF files. I was wondering that if I replace the US 1.10 Utility disc files in his ISO with the Japanese 1.00 Utility disc files (I checked, they're basically the same except for the size of 1 or 2 files (different text size I'm guessing) would his disc be able to boot the Japanese utility disc.

I'll have to find out, I'll try later tonight and let you know of my results.

 

That would work, but hey you can simply use the original iso on a CD-R if you have a modchip ...

 

I don't have a modchip, only means of loading a backup is through ESR for me.

 

I don't think these would work with ESR ...

If you feel like trying, PSBBN 0.20 is a DVD disc.

 

Ok, I did that thing about replacing the american utility disc files with the japanese ones and it worked. What I wanted out of that disc was the option to defragment the drive. Thank you so much for your help. I guess I ought to post a tutorial of my experiences or something

 

I tried running BB Nav 0.20 backup but it didn't work through ESR. No matter, I know for fact it does work on SJEEP ELF's.

On another thing, why doesn't the DVD player 3.02 enable progressive scan? I always thought it was a software function because even V1 PS2s that don't have progressive DVD playback do support progressive output on the games.

I installed the 3.02U update from the US 1.10 HDD Utility disc (original disc) into a memory card, then tried the DVD player on a 39001 PS2, and I did get the extra functions, but no progressive output.

 

That's a good question. Even 3.1x versions wont show the Progressive Scan option when running in my V6:moody:.

 

You guys think SONY would give a feature like that for older machines when they were trying to make everyone "upgrade" to the new 50K model ? lol

The driver has the function disabled on purpose on anything but 50K or newer.

 

Interesting. We should hack that.

Another interesting project would be to break the regional lock (For legal uses; E.g. I have a Japanese PS2 but live in a region where Region 3 DVDs are only legal), since it's done in software.

I think that it would be easier if I could find the text message strings within the DVD player, but I didn't manage to do so before. Now I think that I know why I couldn't achieve that previously: The strings are written in UTF8 (Or are scrambled or perhaps stored elsewhere). D:

 

If it had worked I would have made a "perfect" PS2 revision, a 390001, that has a good laser, expansion bay, iLink AND progressive, but alas, no progressive. So I guess I'll stick to my 50001 without iLink but with everything else. I don't play any games that support iLink, so I guess it doesn't matter...

 

Anyone know how many US DVD Player disc are there? I have DVD Player 2.12 from a DVD Remote Disc, and 3.02 from the US HDD Utility disc. Any other DVD player discs besides those? And what are the differences between the DVD player versions? Compatibility issues?

 

PBPX-95216 | HDD Utility Disc Version 1.00 [DVD Player Version 2.12]
SCUS-97395 | HDD Utility Disc Version 1.10 [DVD Player Version 3.02]
PBPX-95210 | DVD Player/Lecteur DVD Version 2.10
PBPX-95218 | DVD Player/Lecteur DVD Version 2.12
PBPX-95223 | DVD Player/Lecteur DVD Version 2.14

 

Thank you very much.

 

Do such a list exists for PAL and JPN region ?

Edit: I should have at least some JPN versions here on the original discs, though.

 

Unfortunately loads of product IDs are missing, but here I go...

NTSC J Discs :
PBPX-95201 | Utility Disc Version 1.00
PBPX-95202 | Utility Disc Version 1.01
PBPX-95211 | Utility Disc Version 1.00 HDD [DVD Player Version 2.10]
SCPN-60101 | PlayStation BB Navigator Version 0.10 Prerelease [DVD player Version 2.10]
SCPN-60130 | PlayStation BB Navigator Version 0.20 [DVD Player Version 2.14]
SCPN-60140 | PlayStation BB Navigator Version 0.30 [DVD Player Version 3.00]
SCPN-60150 | PlayStation BB Navigator Version 0.31
SCPN-60160 | PlayStation BB Navigator Version 0.32 [DVD Player Version 3.04]
PBPX-95206 | DVD Player Version 2.01
PBPX-95207 | DVD Player Version 2.10
PBPX-95221 | DVD Player Version 2.12
| DVD Player Version 2.14
| DVD Player Version 2.16
| DVD Player Version 3.00
| DVD Player Version 3.04

PAL Discs:
PBPX-95208 | DVD Player Version 2.10 (Europe)
PBPX-95209 | DVD Player Version 2.10 (UK)
| DVD Player Version 2.14 (Oceania)


More info about Japanese versions :
http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~yato/dvd/ps2faq.htm
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~yato/dvd/ps2faq.htm&act=url