How to modify the Playstation 2 without mod-chip and without swap magic
Introduction
Here is the alternative to the mod-chip / Swap Magic.
By following the instructions in this guide, it is possible to make Playstation 2 backup games work without the need to install a chip in our beloved console ... and without the need to use the boring Swap Magic or other things !!!
The principle is based on the use of a hard disk to be connected to the PS2: the games, whether original or backup, are saved on this hard disk and to start them and be able to play with them (without hardware modification of any kind) it is necessary to install a little program (free) on the memory card.
Once everything is ready, all you have to do is turn on the PS2, sit on the sofa, while the console loads the program that will allow you to choose the game among those you have installed on the Hard Disk, and at this point PLAY!
Among other advantages
With this method the lens of the PS2 is not used, so forget all those problems due to the wear of the lens.
The games will have significantly shorter loading times, being loaded directly from the hard disk.
As you will have understood, you must not open the PS2, therefore it does not risk being damaged in any way (and you will not need any expert welder, in fact you can very well do everything yourself !!!)
If, for any reason, you have to change your console, all you have to do is move the Hard Disk to the new PS2 (much simpler and safer procedure than having to "move" a chip to the new PS2 ...)
The disadvantages
Not all games work with this method, but fortunately they are a MINIMUM amount.
Let's see in detail how it works
What do we need
A Hard Disk to be connected to the console, just know that it must be an IDE standard HD (not Sata or Scasi or external .. etc).
Not all models are compatible, however here http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/ you will find a list of many HDs for which it is specified if they are compatible (choose between those Fitting and Working = YES).
It is not an official list and there is no 100% guarantee that if it says YES they really work, but in principle it is to be trusted.
I recommend HD 80 GB or 120 GB, also because over 137 GB are still not recognized by the PS2 in any case.
There is also the original Sony HD which, however, is only 40 GB ... but it can be a good choice if you are satisfied.
I personally use a HITACHI-IBM 180 GXP / 7K250 80 GB U-ATA100 2 MB (HDS722580VLAT20) which works very well and also heats very little (consider that if it gets very hot, the console will also suffer a little).
Most Maxtors also have excellent compatibility (very compatible ... but I do not recommend them as a brand of HD, then you are free to do as you please !!!)
Unfortunately most of the excellent Western Digital are not compatible.
There are also good percentages of Seagate compatible.
A Network Adapter, PS2 accessory necessary to connect the HD to the console (costs around € 30 and can be found in many shops or hypermarkets, as well as on the net).
A memory card does not need to be empty, the important thing is that it has at least (about) 1 MB free (a little more).
An original PSX cd (an original demo is fine too).
A PS2 Modified to load the program, or alternatively a Swap Magic (CD version), don't worry, it will only be used to load the program on the memory card ... then you will never need it again.
The hdloader ps2menukloader mc exploit pal.rar file (downloadable with Emule, few KB), which contains, among other things, the FREE version of the HD Loader.
A PC
And now let's start with the explanation
Unzip the .rar file in a folder of your choice and insert the original psx or demo cd into your pc drive.
Look for the file system.cnf from the cd and open it with notepad: you will find a string, like SLES_012.34. Take note (the string will actually be longer, you only note that part as in the example XXXX_XXX.XX)
Now open the dos prompt and go to the directory where you unzipped the files and type
titleman -a sles_xxx.xx(replace the xs with your annotation, for example type titleman -a sles_012.34) and enter ... done!
Run cdgenps2 (unpacked from the .rar archive) and insert the following files in the following order:
- sytem.cnf
- expinst.elf
- cdvd.irx
- title.db
- file folder
P.S. insert them in this order, and if when you insert them you see that some file or folder moves to other positions, that's okay, it's normal, leave everything as it is automatically positioned.
Very Important
At this point go to the file system.cnf and select it with the right mouse button, choose edit, select fix and put in the box of the lba 12231 Once this is done, create the image by pressing the IMG icon and burn the ISO with Alchool 120% by setting the Playstation 2 option.
Now insert the created CD in the modified PS2 (or swap it as if it were a PS2 backup game on CD, if you don't have a modified PS2, but you only have the Swap CD) and it will take care of installing everything on the memory card, in seconds.
Once this is done, take the Hard Disk and the memory card, put them in the unmodified PS2, insert the original PS1 cd or demo that is and instead of starting the psx game, the hdloader screen will open allowing you to select the games loaded on hard disk.
So remember that you need to put the PSX game you used in the procedure into the console!
To select another game after having already loaded one, you need to restart the PS2.
If, on the other hand, you still have to format the HD, just wait for the HD Loader to ask for it ... formatting takes a few seconds.
How to load games on the hard disk
First, if you haven't already, format the HD from the PS2 as explained above.
Now you can connect the HD to the PC like a normal PC HD.
You need a program to load the games.
You can choose between Hdl gui 1.6 and Winhiip v1.5
With Hdl gui 1.6 you can load PS2 games directly from PC to HD PS2. Support .ISO image files or copy directly from CD / DVD.
With Winhiip v1.5 you can load PS2 games on HD from PC, it supports various types of image files: .BIN, .ISO, .MDF, .MDS, .NRG ... and others, but does not support direct copy from CD \ DVD.
Choose the one you like best, the important thing is that you always use the same program to avoid conflicts and messes on the PS2 Hard Disk !!!
F.A.Q.
I inserted the cd to load the HD Loader on MC and it tells me that the program has been installed correctly, but I can't see it on the memory card, why?
The program on the memory card is not displayed with its own icon, but is inserted in the “System Information” file (the one with the PS2-shaped icon in which the time and other settings are stored).
Looking at the properties of that file you will notice that it no longer takes up a few KB but a little more than 1 MB.
For each game you want to copy to the HD, do we have to remove the HD itself from the ps2 and connect it to the PC or is there any cable to connect the PS2 to the PC?
There is a way to transfer games with a network cable without having to connect the HD directly to the PC, but in the guide I have not even mentioned it, as the transfer speeds that the current programs that handle this offer are very low, reaching a maximum of 500KB \ s! This implies that transferring 1 GB of data would take at least 35 minutes ... and most games are larger than 1 GB, often even reaching 4 GB (over 2 hours to transfer).
In the future, higher speeds will probably be reached and we will be able to think about it ... not for now!
HD Loader does not start if it does not find the HD, confirm?
NO! If you have inserted the memory card with the PSX program and game in the PS2, HD Loader must start in any case, even if there is no HD in the PS2 ... if it does not, it is surely an error occurred during the creation of the CD!
