PS1/2 best method of playing backups on a slim PS2?

[Sakitoshi]

For the games I have to split, do I throw them in sub folders named by the game, with all the files or does that have to be in root directory too

split games need to be put at the root of the shared folder along with the opl folders (ART, CD, CFG, DVD, etc...).

Can OPL read the blue disc based games bin/cue ?

blue ps2 discs are actually cd's, you need to put those isos in the CD folder of opl.
also opl can't read bin/cue at all, if you have bin/cue you need to convert those to iso. google winbin2iso, it's the only converter I've found that works.

 

[playstays_shun]

split games need to be put at the root of the shared folder along with the opl folders (ART, CD, CFG, DVD, etc...).


blue ps2 discs are actually cd's, you need to put those isos in the CD folder of opl.
also opl can't read bin/cue at all, if you have bin/cue you need to convert those to iso. google winbin2iso, it's the only converter I've found that works.

I can also put image [Game name] as the naming convention right, in the root folder?

Too many generic same image names. I assume as such but need to ask

And thanks for advice on bin/cue

Is it just root/cd, where the disc iso’s Go? Would it work with PSX as well if I were to start buying a few of those? can I emulate memory card saves with OPL or is that something else, on the hard drive? And can i use my Logitech wireless controller with PS1 and emulate game saves too, or do i have to hunt down a ps1 controller and ps1 memory card?


Also is a USB thumb drive at all feasible? Or bad performance / hitting too many reads and writes? I doubt it but curious!

Or maybe could get one of those mini SSD usb drives? Hmm, probably wont but just curious of options



OH and lastly what do i do with these ul.cfg files for the >4gb splits? Do i need those at all? If so how would i handle unique ones in root folder?

 

[Sakitoshi]

I can also put image [Game name] as the naming convention right, in the root folder?

Too many generic same image names. I assume as such but need to ask

And thanks for advice on bin/cue

Is it just root/cd, where the disc iso’s Go? Would it work with PSX as well if I were to start buying a few of those? can I emulate memory card saves with OPL or is that something else, on the hard drive? And can i use my Logitech wireless controller with PS1 and emulate game saves too, or do i have to hunt down a ps1 controller and ps1 memory card?


Also is a USB thumb drive at all feasible? Or bad performance / hitting too many reads and writes? I doubt it but curious!

Or maybe could get one of those mini SSD usb drives? Hmm, probably wont but just curious of options



OH and lastly what do i do with these ul.cfg files for the >4gb splits? Do i need those at all? If so how would i handle unique ones in root folder?

where goes which game is pretty self explanatory:
blue disc/less than 700MB = CD
silver disc/more than 700MB = DVD
bigger than 4GB = split with usbutil to the root

file names on iso files are like this: GAME_ID.*any name you want*.iso.
to make your life easier on that point you can use opl manager:
http://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=189
file names on split games are like usbutil calls them. the ul.cfg file contain the name you entered when splitting them and other information relevant for opl so it's mandatory.

USB drives work fine, most USB drives have read speed much higher than the real bottleneck which is the ps2 network interface. SSD is probably overkill since its speed will go largely to waste, but if you have one lying around, sure why not.
opl has an option to create virtual memory cards, but I've never used it (I have a 32MB memory card and if the need arises I can move saves to the internal hdd or pc) so I don't know how it works.

ps1 games are handled in a completely different way, you need to set popstarter, you can find information about popstarter here:
https://bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/wiki/Home

 

[playstays_shun]

where goes which game is pretty self explanatory:
blue disc/less than 700MB = CD
silver disc/more than 700MB = DVD
bigger than 4GB = split with usbutil to the root

file names on iso files are like this: GAME_ID.*any name you want*.iso.
to make your life easier on that point you can use opl manager:
http://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=189
file names on split games are like usbutil calls them. the ul.cfg file contain the name you entered when splitting them and other information relevant for opl so it's mandatory.

USB drives work fine, most USB drives have read speed much higher than the real bottleneck which is the ps2 network interface. SSD is probably overkill since its speed will go largely to waste, but if you have one lying around, sure why not.
opl has an option to create virtual memory cards, but I've never used it (I have a 32MB memory card and if the need arises I can move saves to the internal hdd or pc) so I don't know how it works.

ps1 games are handled in a completely different way, you need to set popstarter, you can find information about popstarter here:
https://bitbucket.org/ShaolinAssassin/popstarter-documentation-stuff/wiki/Home

thanks

and it says 'cfg' no for all my dvd and cd games.. but I renamed the files and grabbed artwork

any idea what thats all about?

also I tried putting all the split files and ul.cfg for just one game >4gb in original iso form, in root and relaunching OPL manager, didn't seem to pick it up tho..

and if I were to just, without renaming the split in any way from what imgburn iso -> usbutil output named them... but throw all the 1gb + spillover splits in root, how do I deal with all the different ul.cfg , because I can only have one ul.cfg named as such in root .. ya follow what I mean?

you've been tremendous help! and is there any significance to the fact opl manager gave me a lot more folders than just cd and dvd in the target folder? any of them important?

 

[Sakitoshi]

thanks

and it says 'cfg' no for all my dvd and cd games.. but I renamed the files and grabbed artwork

any idea what thats all about?

also I tried putting all the split files and ul.cfg for just one game >4gb in original iso form, in root and relaunching OPL manager, didn't seem to pick it up tho..

and if I were to just, without renaming the split in any way from what imgburn iso -> usbutil output named them... but throw all the 1gb + spillover splits in root, how do I deal with all the different ul.cfg , because I can only have one ul.cfg named as such in root .. ya follow what I mean?

you've been tremendous help! and is there any significance to the fact opl manager gave me a lot more folders than just cd and dvd in the target folder? any of them important?

by 'cfg' you mean the cfg folder that opl manager created??
that folder can contain configurations of specific opl modes that some games need, better leave that folder alone.

lets start at the beginning.

with the first game that you split with usbutil it will create that "ul.cfg" file, I advise you to select the destination folder as the same folder that has all the opl folders (CD, CFG, DVD and all that).

after that, whenever you open usbutil again to add another game you need to use the first option "open games list [ul.cfg]"

and you'll see the games you have already split.

then you can proceed as normal to add more games.

my folder looks like this:

you can ignore the "USBUTIL v2.2 rev1.0" folder, it's there for convenience, not because it's necessary.

opl manager should see them as illustrated here

you'll know they are split games because in the path field it says ul.*name of the game*

 

[Spider_Man]

i'd like to steer away from burnt discs / using the disc laser... these are all games i own as well so that sorta defeats the purpose. Hard drive form of playing is what seems most intriguing to me

and i have a fat ps2 but really want to use the slim instead,

if you buy decent discs burned games dont cause damage to your lense, its all hocus pocus.

problem even with a hdd adapter the compatibility isnt great.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

With FMCB, I see little reason to use SwapMagic. SwapMagic was great in its day but is not needed now.

if you cant esr patch your iso then swap magic is handy

 

[Sakitoshi]

problem even with a hdd adapter the compatibility isnt great.

get with the times, old man.
internal hdd is 99.9% compatible now, problem games like ratchet 3 and klonoa 2 work without problems with the right compatibility modes enabled.

 

[playstays_shun]

by 'cfg' you mean the cfg folder that opl manager created??
that folder can contain configurations of specific opl modes that some games need, better leave that folder alone.

lets start at the beginning.

after that, whenever you open usbutil again to add another game you need to use the first option "open games list [ul.cfg]"

Thanks. So the way I did it, separate destination folders for split files, each with its own ul.cfg, I did it improperly and need to re-split with same root path huh? I see what you mean showing the list of current Games split. Cool

And do I wanna rename these split games with OPL manager or just leave them alone?


when I find an external to use and format it fat32, just use windows built in partitioner or what tool? and what byte size fat32?

is there any thing else I really need to know or should be good to go?

got a fmcb memory card on the way, I hold triangle to boot or it just launches by itself (fmcb, I understand OPL will be in the menu there) in the memory card slot upon boot up?

 

[Sakitoshi]

And do I wanna rename these split games with OPL manager or just leave them alone?

better rename them with opl manager. opl isn't certainly picky about file names but opl manager ensures that there will be no problem at all and it's recommended by the devs themselves.

when I find an external to use and format it fat32, just use windows built in partitioner or what tool? and what byte size fat32?

better use an external formatter, windows won't let you format in fat32 if the unit is bigger than 32GB via its normal means, but you can still do it the old fashioned way with commands ("format /FS:FAT32 X:" replace "X" with the letter of the disk you want to format). outside of that any formatter that claims it can format to fat32 should do.

is there any thing else I really need to know or should be good to go?

not really, you got everything down with the how to. the remaining steps require you to have the actual hardware to proceed.

got a fmcb memory card on the way, I hold triangle to boot or it just launches by itself (fmcb, I understand OPL will be in the menu there) in the memory card slot upon boot up?

it's completely plug'n play. once you insert the fmcb memory card you turn on the console and see the magic happen.

 

[playstays_shun]

better rename them with opl manager. opl isn't certainly picky about file names but opl manager ensures that there will be no problem at all and it's recommended by the devs themselves.


better use an external formatter, windows won't let you format in fat32 if the unit is bigger than 32GB via its normal means, but you can still do it the old fashioned way with commands ("format /FS:FAT32 X:" replace "X" with the letter of the disk you want to format). outside of that any formatter that claims it can format to fat32 should do.


not really, you got everything down with the how to. the remaining steps require you to have the actual hardware to proceed.


it's completely plug'n play. once you insert the fmcb memory card you turn on the console and see the magic happen.

Thanks and hopefully last question but cant promise,

When I rename the games with split files, opl manager will automatically update the ul.cfg to be aware of the renaming ? I’m assuming so

And is performance horrible fmv aside on usb if i were to hook up an external y cable connected or externally powered in the interim, waiting on the mini router ?

I think the memory card will be here sooner than the networking piece

 

[Sakitoshi]

Thanks and hopefully last question but cant promise,

When I rename the games with split files, opl manager will automatically update the ul.cfg to be aware of the renaming ? I’m assuming so

split games need to be renamed in usbutil, opl manager doesn't even attempt to do it, but generally any name smaller than 32 characters is fine, no GAME_ID needed, the additional info inside the ul.cfg file takes care of that. to rename them open usbutil, open the ul.cfg, select the game and press the rename button below.
you can't change file names though, the files need to named like that.

 

[playstays_shun]

split games need to be renamed in usbutil, opl manager doesn't even attempt to do it, but generally any name smaller than 32 characters is fine, no GAME_ID needed, the additional info inside the ul.cfg file takes care of that. to rename them open usbutil, open the ul.cfg, select the game and press the rename button below.
you can't change file names though, the files need to named like that.

so if I have fmcb, and a y-cable hard drive, I can try both for now while still waiting on the mini router, even being horrid performance? just format fat32 and keep file structure? how do I point the ps2 to look off the USB port?

 

[Sakitoshi]

so if I have fmcb, and a y-cable hard drive, I can try both for now while still waiting on the mini router, even being horrid performance? just format fat32 and keep file structure? how do I point the ps2 to look off the USB port?

yup, correct. the folder structure is the same.
using usb or eth it's no rocket science, but you better take a look at the official documentation to learn how to use opl:
http://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=36

 

[playstays_shun]

yup, correct. the folder structure is the same.
using usb or eth it's no rocket science, but you better take a look at the official documentation to learn how to use opl:
http://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=36

thanks

whats the best way to spin down a drive before turning off system to not just end it all of a sudden, if possible?

and with IGR , if I chose path 'mc0:/boot/boot.elf' and L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+select returns me to memory card management menu, does that mean it failed? should it return to OPL or just exit the game? If that didn't trigger a proper IGR, whats another good path to try ? OPL version is 0.9.3

 

[Sakitoshi]

thanks

whats the best way to spin down a drive before turning off system to not just end it all of a sudden, if possible?

and with IGR , if I chose path 'mc0:/boot/boot.elf' and L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+select returns me to memory card management menu, does that mean it failed? should it return to OPL or just exit the game? If that didn't trigger a proper IGR, whats another good path to try ? OPL version is 0.9.3

opl igr takes care of the drive, so it's advised to use L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+Select to restart the system if you want to play something else or L1+L2+L3+R1+R2+R3 to power down the system whenever possible, some games don't work with igr but that's fine, hdd's don't go bad from a sudden shutdown unless they are writing something when that happen (and even in that situation you'll only lose or corrupt what was being written, nothing more).

I don't use the igr path option so I don't exactly know how it works, but if you have it to execute mc0:/boot/boot.elf it should do exactly that I think, you can use ulaunchelf to navigate to that elf file and manually execute it to see what it does, maybe it does open the memory card menu and nothing more or doesn't exist and that's why you are being kicked out to that menu.

 

[playstays_shun]

opl igr takes care of the drive, so it's advised to use L1+L2+R1+R2+Start+Select to restart the system if you want to play something else or L1+L2+L3+R1+R2+R3 to power down the system whenever possible, some games don't work with igr but that's fine, hdd's don't go bad from a sudden shutdown unless they are writing something when that happen (and even in that situation you'll only lose or corrupt what was being written, nothing more).

I don't use the igr path option so I don't exactly know how it works, but if you have it to execute mc0:/boot/boot.elf it should do exactly that I think, you can use ulaunchelf to navigate to that elf file and manually execute it to see what it does, maybe it does open the memory card menu and nothing more or doesn't exist and that's why you are being kicked out to that menu.

Thanks

I think it boots to that menu and can’t find it because I pointed it to opl.elf instead and it redirected me there too but that’s fine it’s probably better that way to keep non fmcb memory card the larger store of saves and transfer as needed to slot 1

Brings me to one of my last questions until mini router arrives , should I do virtual memory card or the existing method I described in your opinion?

 

[Sakitoshi]

Thanks

I think it boots to that menu but that’s fine it’s probably better that way to keep non fmcb memory card the larger store of saves and transfer as needed to slot 1

Brings me to one of my last questions until mini router arrives , should I do virtual memory card or the existing method I described in your opinion?

respect to vmc (virtual memory card), do whatever you want. I personally don't need them so don't use them, but I've read that the compatibility is quite high. you can put the fmcb card in slot 2 if you decide to use a real memory card.

 

[playstays_shun]

respect to vmc (virtual memory card), do whatever you want. I personally don't need them so don't use them, but I've read that the compatibility is quite high. you can put the fmcb card in slot 2 if you decide to use a real memory card.

That’s brilliant it boots from slot 2!

Thanks I’m not gonna do virtual memory card and I’ll just use slot 1 for my
Saves

 

[playstays_shun]

don't even try to flash openwrt the mini routers I pictured, the flash memory they have is tiny, you can barely fit the packages needed to enable samba shares. and the stock firmware does the job out of the box.

long story short is you plug the mini router on your pc to set up a couple parameters (enable usb sharing and optionally connect it to your wifi as ap client), then plug a usb drive with the opl folders and games and configure opl on your ps2 accordingly.

for more technical details I helped someone get the mini router set up in this other thread:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ps2-scph-70003-v12-hacks-in-2018.522588/#post-8450536


I've never used ESR (I have a modchip too), but burning discs in general is a waste when you can do the same and better with eth and a flash drive or hdd.
I wouldn't say is useless though, just a last resort, since there are some games that give problems with eth or internal hdd and the only way to play them is via discs.

so it arrived, I connected to the IP address printed on label and share was already enabled

which settings am I adjusting in OPL? SMB server, share (with login / pass), or IP address where its DHCP ?

 

[Sakitoshi]

so it arrived, I connected to the IP address printed on label and share was already enabled

which settings am I adjusting in OPL? SMB server, share (with login / pass), or IP address where its DHCP ?

login and pass should be admin for both.
use this image as reference, replace the server ip address with your own. you can use dhcp but I personally prefer to use static ip.
that should be enough to make it work.