Sorry for such a "creative" topic title, but this is starting to make me really damn sore. Recently, my TEST PS2 has started to die in the DVD department, and I decided to get a hard drive/network adapter. Oh and how the fun began. First, I downloaded a "52-in1" utility disc off bitgamer.com. All the tools are close to the newest, if not the newest. I learn of "FREE MC BOOT." I search for a good ten minutes through fucking torrent googlespam, (Why haven't they filtered that yet?!) and about two dozen 404s. I finally tracked down FREE MC BOOT 1.2, which isn't the newest, but I figured it would be fine. (It wasn't.) (First, lemme add a little more frustration. I loaded up FREE MC BOOT 1.2 on my thumb drive, but then my thumb drive died. So I got a new one.) I load FREE MC BOOT 1.2 on it. I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. Fuck. Ok, I figure it must be the memory card is full. I empty it out, I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. !#$@ Ok, perhaps it's not formatted right. I format the card in the PS2 bios. I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. ################## Ok, I read that 3rd party cards don't seem to work. OHHHHHH! derrrr. Ok. I go out and buy an official ps2 memory card, which is $16 at it's CHEAPEST round here. Still too fucking much. I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Ok, I do some research, and I find out there's a FREE MC BOOT 1.8! That will solve my problem! I put it on my thumbdrive, I run the utility disc, launchELF, and now it has a pretty GUI and seems easier to us. Thank GOD. install, ERROR. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!! Well at least this god damn thing tells me what's wrong. "Failed to load DVDELF." Hmmmm, TEST units have no DVD player..... Maybe that's the issue? I do some searching, damn near every link and article is 404. I FINALLY find info on it, and it seems I can pit the DVDELF.BIN into my "inject" folder and it will install. Oh thank you dear sweet buttery jesus. I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. Failed to decrypt DVDELF. I do some web surfing, and find a guy with a page of info, including all kinds of DVDELF files. I follow his guide, as it's targeted towards this error. After careful study of each instruction, I feel confident. This is it! This time it will work! I run the utility disc, launchELF, install, ERROR. So I buried the whole lot in a shallow inmarked grave in the back yard andhelped the dirt settle by urinating on it. So here's my question, is it POSSIBLE to install FREE MC BOOT on a TEST unit, or am I just fucked? With the drive dyng, is it possible to get it fixed without too many questions being asked? Is it possible to just send my memory card to someone, have them install it, and run it on my system? I have followed about a dozen different guides, and researched the hell out of my every issue, but I'm at a dead end.
Hi, I had no trouble at all using an HDD with my PS2 Test, but I never used the memory card solution. I'd just boot from a disc. However, I believe UJ boots a PS2 Test from memory card successfully. On another note, the laser dying in your Test is easy to replace with a 3rd party laser. Depending on the version of Test unit depends on the laser that can be inserted (obviously), but if it is a an older style version then download the PS2 Tool PDF file located in the Sony dev section of this site. There is a very clear guide to replacing and setting up a newly refurbished Sony PS DVD drive. The only thing you have to remember is to remove the static solder point!
You can have someone else install it for you, but I believe they have to use a console from the same region. Sony won't fix your TEST for you, unless you're on their development program then you won't even get to talk to someone that knows TEST units exist. Using a TEST to run freemcboot is a bit pointless, you're much better off buying a retail console. Unless you want to run PS1 imports/backups/homebrew. Freemcboot works by exploiting the dvd player update, Sony have taken that out of the latest pstwo's. It wouldn't suprise me if the TEST consoles didn't have it either, because it doesn't have a DVD player to update.
I'm really irritated that my topic about MODDING my system ended up in a development forum that has nothing to do with what I was trying to do.
Can your laser work with an original PS1 game? You could use the PS1 independance exploit, FMCB won't work on a Test, except on one rare model maybe... What model do you have?
Certain models of TEST PS2 have Magic Gate encrypted ELF files (KELF) execution disabled on purpose on it's ROM. If this is the case, there's absolutely nothing you can do to make freemcboot work on your TEST PS2. And honestly, why would you do that if you can just burn uLE on a CD-R disc and make it a "MASTERDISC" ? The thing has no lockout after all...
I was quite specific when I said CD-R. Most PS2 consoles fail reading DVD-ROMs while keep perfectly fine reading CD-ROMs. I don't know if you're aware of the fact that the PS2 is capable of reading native PS2 software from CD-ROM discs. Early games such as Ridge Racer V, Tekken Tag Tournament, Gradius III and IV, Silpheed and even the japanese and north american releases of ICO were released on CD-ROM. Also, the HD LOADER software you intend to use were originally released on PS2 CD-ROM format.
Actually mine is the polar opposite. It reads dvds more often then cds. It often times mistakes PS2 materials i burn onto CD as PSX games, and then it gives me some type of wacky bios screen that just ends up crashing.
It's possible that you have blown tracking coils on the optical pickup, then. Or the machine got bumped and the lens are now bent, causing miss-alignment of the laser beam. The reason for early DVD laser failure (on normal situations) is abuse of DVD-R media use. They have lower reflectivity than pressed media, requiring more laser energy to be read. This cause early failure of the DVD laser diode. Also it happens that the DVD laser operate in a higher frequency (red instead of infrared), is built of different chemicals and naturally operates with a higher current than a infrared laser diode. All those factors contribute to the red laser used on all kinds of DVD-ROM drives having shorter lifespan than that of the CD-ROM lasers. Still you should check your laser coils for a impedance of approximately 5 ohms on both focus and tracking. You can ask a technician to perform the measurements if you have no idea how to. Also it might be worth to look for a normal retail PS2 of the same kind of your Debugstation (region does not matter, just the major model number be the same) and salvage the parts required for the repair. Undoubtessly the Debugstation is worth more than any retail unit, modded or not.
Don't tamper with the coils though as it's more likely that you'll screw the laser up completely, it's not a job to go guessing about. Some test units have a step motor which finds the laser depth sweet spot for you, so if it's failing to read then it's not adjusting accordingly. Have a look: http://www.modchipstore.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=90 Like I said, just replace the current laser with a suitable 3rd party one. Also, give the DVD drive a really good clean, replace the tracking arm and you'll be good to go. Depending on the version of unit, you can easily transfer over parts from a retail unit, but I would strongly recommend obtaining a new laser rather than only get another few months, or a year out of the unit and have to go through the same thing again.
Once it's fixed, then unless you have a specific purpose for it that can't be duplicated with a retail, then I'd sell it. You can boot any region games off dvd-r or harddrive with a retail console. The only thing you can't do is boot off a cd-r. The advantage of a retail is that if it breaks then you just buy another one. It doesn't look quite as good, but not all tests have the logo anyway. I've switched to a slim line model as it's much quieter and I'm going to try usbadvance from a 16gb cruzer (which just turned up today).
