SONY PSX DESR-5100 queries

Hi everybody,

Just joined so that I can post and hopefully get an answer...

Anyway, what I want to know is can the PSX's HDD be used to install PS2 games? I don't mean illegally, but will it act as a PS2 with official external/internal HDD/BB Unit installed? Japanese games including Ace Combat 04 and Final fantasy X amongst others allow you to install to the HDD in order to reduce load times and also offer direct saving to the HDD, like what you can do with PS3 games. Can the PSX also do this?

 

So here are some news after testing with swap magic and HDadvance and some homebrew apps:

Swap magic boot fine and you can launch elf with USB stick
I did a dump of the bios and apparently it's a custom jap bios 2.10 like the SCPH-10000 and apparently even the util romdir couldn't extract anything looks like they change the manner to pack things....

HDadvance or HDloader don't detect any HDD just say hardware not supported...USB HDD should work ok....

I tried MCboot this don't work because of a missing Xsioman: -203
Ulaunch works but when you select the HDD it looks like it is reading it (HDD access on) for a while but then no files.
cdfs read the current DVD/CD already loaded but when you eject it and load another one nothing happen it still reads the old disc.
Unfortunatly I don't have any ntsc/j games supporting HDD so I can't try them to see if they see the HDD.
I shared these infos with l_oliveira from psx-scene forum....

 

Great newzzzz!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

Done!!!:dance:

 

hello folks!

well I hope this is the right thread for my problem with my PSX DESR 5100.

I've got my psx two years ago.
but I've never played with the psx because there is a big problem.

the problem:

when I start the psx everything looks fine. on the TV I see the PSX logo and I hear the sound when the psx boots. but after the logo the psx gets no signal, well the image is like "snowblind".

here is a video I've made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhjRX2JG1Co


well some people said, that the psx doesn't work in Europe because of the TV-Tuner inside it.

I'm living in Austria (Europe).

I hope somebody can help me^^

 

A hdd failure is the most probable cause of the problem, does it make any noise?
And welcome to the board!

 

thanks for your fast answer! well I've not noticed any strange sounds in the PSX. I think the PSX sounds "normal" for example, if I power on my Playstation 2 Fat thats the same noise ^^

Maybe I'll put my PSX out of the box today and test it again, but I don't think that there is anything different than one year ago since I've last tested it.

 

Shouldn't any lights (power and HDD Rec) be flashing when there's something wrong with the harddisk?

One would think that the tuner accepts only a NTSC signal but that has nothing to do whether the system as such works or not.

 

Your video is too short. It cuts out just at the interesting part.

I had 2 of these unit, now I only have the one, but on both they did precisely the same as your unit. The unit is meant to receive a TV signal and as we are not in Japan it goes into RF static (snowblind). However, you should see the dashboard icons appear. If you re-record the video, but this time let it run for a few seconds I'd be able to see whether it was precisely the same as the PSX I have here.

As you have no RF signal going in, you then just move along the dashboard icons and select out of TV.

I would have thought you'd have mentioned icons appearing on the screen, however so...

The HDD light flashes as it boots.
The other lights should be constant (if memory serves me well)

 

hello!

well I will test the psx when I'm at home!

I only remember that the blue light is on, but it is not blinking. (I've ehard that when it is blinking somethign with the HDD is wrong)

I've also tried to play japanese ps2 games bot the video was still snowblind. same with japanese dvd's.

so what should I do?

@Parris

I don't see any icons or any menue.. jsut the psx logo vor 1-2 seconds and the tune of the startup and then it gets snowblind. but I sure will make a longer video but the snowblind will continue...


here the new video:

http://ocarinaoftime.de/IMG20247.MPG

 

From memory (I don't have a PSX in front of me & I can't play mpg files on this compy), the PSX will normally go to displaying the RF input video after booting - ie: it's probably acting normally. Since you're in PAL land you'll not see anything other than snow, unless you connect it to an NTSC source. I think you need to bring up the crossbar menu & put it into game mode - it's one of the buttons on the remote, though I can't remember which off the top of my head (blue?). I'll check on my unit later tonight (though someone here will probably be able to confirm before then).

 

well has someone a translation of the instructions?

 

I assume you desperately pushed all the buttons available anyway but if it helps: the home button should bring up the menu.

I also browsed through the user's manual yesterday but couldn't find anything that hinted at your problem. I didn't read all the 147 pages though.

Good luck!

Edit: Yeah, make sure the Remote Control Mode is set to the correct position for your unit ("1" probably).

 

thanks I'll try it

 

well I did't made it to solve the problem has anybody a clue what to do?^^

 

hello and greets from linz, austria .... i had the exactly same problem with my DESR ... as i couldnt get any help with it i just sold it some months ago ;(

 

hm maybe I've connected it false. must I do more than just connect it via the TV cables (white, yellow and red)?

 

your PSX has a failed HDD. i know that when i try to clone the current 160GB HDD of my PSX to another larger HDD but i've never succeed. it'll boot the PSX screen up and that it's. no XMB or anything. however, when i swaped the original HDD back. the XMB will come up.

i tried all clonning softwares i know (acronis, paragon, ghost) but none of them be able to clone the PSX HDD.

 

i got two psx firmware update discs if some1 is interested at, sold my psx but keept those to put at ebay, but never remember that i got the discs when i list stuff at

 

It's possible that the PSX uses CUSTOM FIRMWARE HDD.
Just like the original 40 GB HDDs for normal Playstation2s, which also happen to have custom firmware (custom security and extra ATA commands).

Considering how the PSX is compatible with japanese PS2 HDD software (FFXI and other original games that run from HDD) it's really safe to assume that the PSX uses a custom HDD.