WTB: IDE HDD

No, you can/must connect the hdd with the computer off in a proper way, hot-swappoing is not a good thing to do with ide drives anyway...

 

I m starting to get a grip of the concepts presented here, which is a good thing!

I just wish there was a PSO-like expoit to access the memory card through the network in order to add .elf files heh.

I don't own any original PS1 games though.

What's my starting point? (TOOLS: a) software, b)hardware c)procedure)

 

It depends on what you buy, hdadvance retail, swap magic or action replay.
You need a original ps1 game, it shouldn't cost you a lot those days...
You might use only the hda retail disc, but some games are incompatible like shadow of the colossus and gow2

with hda:
-format your hdd either with the retail disc or with hdldump
-make an iso with the tool called cdgenps2 containing the necessary files (launchelf set as the boot file in the system.cnf, a suitable title.db for your ps1 game and the various elf you want to copy on your memory card, the only file really needed here is launchelf, you can copy all the other files through ftp)
-install the .iso on the hdd and your games dumped by dvddecrypter with hdlump or one of its GUI (hdldumb or lordbogami)
-put back the hdd in your ps2, insert your ps1 game and your memory card
-if all goes well, ulaunchelf should run, and it's easy to figure out how to use it

With a swap magic and a compatible usb flash drive:
-format the usb drive to fat32
-create a directory called SWAPMAGIC
-copy the latest ulaunchelf.elf renamed as SWAPMAGIC.ELF
-boot swapmagic, ulaunchelf should run, set up its ftp, transfer the files you want (latest hdloader, the sms mediaplayer if you want, etc...)
and run them, no need for a ps1 game although I recommend it, the swap magic discs are made in a way such that they tend to being badly recognized after some time...leading to the rsod "insert a ps1 or ps2 disc"

The official ulaunchelf forum is here http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/ , you'll need to register...

Otherwise, you have some tutos and all the needed files here:
http://www.sksapps.com/index.php?page=ps2.html

With the action replay, there is a way to use its network update fuction to install the files on the memory card, but I haven't tested this method, so I can't help you if you decide to go dow that road...

Yes that would be nice, but there are not a lof of games wich can download contents from the net onto the memory card, and something like the 007 game exploit on the xbox would require a way to put files on the memory card in the first place...

 

I think the Swap Magic technic is the more familiar one to me. A list of compatible Flash-drives? (damn, the cost of a new flash drive+swap magic+psone game, hmm!)

 

The list of working ones I found:
http://images.imagehotel.net/f0f7410973.jpg
Sandisk minicruzer 256 MB
PNY 1GB

I have an old PNY 512MB, it doesn't work with swapmagic but it's work with ulaunchelf...

The problem is that you'll only use the usb flash drive once, at least for the ps2 setup, do you really need one?

I just thought about it, but you can use the swap magic to run a burned cd with ulaunchelf, thus eliminating the need for the usb flash drive, you'll have to do the disc swap thingie, wich can be annoying at first, entire procedure => http://www.swapmagic3.com/Swap_Magic_Feature.htm
you'll have to remove the cd drive faceplate for it to work...

Probably the same price as the ps2 itself!
The best technique is to find someone to prepare the memory card and send it to you you should have asked Parris!

 

thing is.. the PS2 cost me 12 pounds thanks to a certain member on this board Thanks for your step-by-step posts unclejun, thanks for your time too

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

nice!

Does HDload 0.8b allow me to dump PS2 games on the internal IDE drive? or is this a feature solely present in HDAdvance?

 

hdadvance is a for sale copy of hdloader, so what you have for free with a community of people dedicated to patch it for supporting the latest games, you can pay for and never be able to play with some of the best ps2 games...

Dumping a game directly on the ps2 is a bad idea for bigger games, the drive is so slow, and some games won't even work if they are not installed with a PC utility, gow2 is one of them.

A PSP might work as an usb flash drive with swap magic, if you have one.

12 pounds, good price, the swap magic is not that cheap, something like 20€ to 30€, you can find an old hdadvance for 13€ on chipspain.

 

i think ironically, it's a good thing that one of my DVD drives on the PC died. It's IDE spot will be filled by a PS2 HDD (as soon as i can snag one!)

 

We should talk again of all this when you have everything you need, you're wtb thread has gone totally off-topic...

 

it sure has, but it's in the right vector!