PS1/2 PS2 HDD questions

[nodnyl10]

Hi guys,

I bought a PS2 Fat with FMCB, including an 80gb external HDD connected through USB and played the heck out of it. However, one thing that prevents it from being perfect is the FMV cutscenes being choppy and jumpy. I read this is due to PS2 usb port being usb 1.0 so its slow on the read and there is nothing we can do about it.

Then after more research i stumbled upon the HDD thingy at the back of PS2 Fat. Only fat models can have HDD at the back. Anyway, fast forward to my questions.

1 = i will soon acquire a Network Adapter (SATA mod). The external HDD i currently have, do i just take it out of the enclosure then put the HDD on the network adapter and it will work or do i have to format the HDD and redownload all games and transfer via winhip?

2 = if the Network Adapter HDD loader turns out to be good and im able to play games, will i still use the memory card with FMCB? I read i should use OPL rather than HDloader for more compatibility.

 

[Dimensional]

1 = i will soon acquire a Network Adapter (SATA mod). The external HDD i currently have, do i just take it out of the enclosure then put the HDD on the network adapter and it will work or do i have to format the HDD and redownload all games and transfer via winhip?

winhip does have a network feature in it, I believe, so you shouldn't have to, though it may be faster in some cases to plug it into PC.

2 = if the Network Adapter HDD loader turns out to be good and im able to play games, will i still use the memory card with FMCB? I read i should use OPL rather than HDloader for more compatibility.

You can install FCMB onto the HDD and from there never need a memory card again to load the mods. FCMB has instructions on how to do it included.

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

Also worth noting that yes you should switch to OPL instead, as it has great compatibility with internal HDD installed games, with cheats, loading modes, and other stuff. Also be sure to install the proper file browser, which should come with FCMB.

 

[nodnyl10]

winhip does have a network feature in it, I believe, so you shouldn't have to, though it may be faster in some cases to plug it into PC.

The 80gb hdd i have is already loaded with games. Though i always use and play them via FMCB and OPL through USB. When i switch to network adapter, i just plug my external hdd on it and it will read the games too?[/QUOTE]

 

[switchbricker]

The 80gb hdd i have is already loaded with games. Though i always use and play them via FMCB and OPL through USB. When i switch to network adapter, i just plug my external hdd on it and it will read the games too?

No, you need to install games to it. Preferably over network with HDLGI or locally with HDL_DUMB.

Edit: worth noting youll need to either get a SATA upgrade kit for your network adapter, get a cheapo SATA network adapter from China (not recommended) or use a 2.5 inch drive and an IDE2SATA adapter.

 

[uyjulian]

No. You need to format the HDD using uLaunchELF and then install games using HDLGameInstaller (preferred) or hdl_dump.

 

[nodnyl10]

Oh man. It sounds more complicated than i thought. Umm this is the network adapter i plan to buy. Its built so SATA can go in instead of IDE HDD.

So lets say i decided to format that 80gb external HDD using a PC. Then how do i put games on it? I mean, i wanna put games on it on the PC if possible so when i put the HDD to network adapter, it will be awhile before i take it out again. Is that even possible?

 

[uyjulian]

Oh man. It sounds more complicated than i thought. Umm this is the network adapter i plan to buy. Its built so SATA can go in instead of IDE HDD.

So lets say i decided to format that 80gb external HDD using a PC. Then how do i put games on it? I mean, i wanna put games on it on the PC if possible so when i put the HDD to network adapter, it will be awhile before i take it out again. Is that even possible?

Yes, you can. Format HDD using uLaunchELF, then use SATA to USB adapter on PC, then use HDL_Dumb to insert games onto HDD.

 

[nodnyl10]

Yes, you can. Format HDD using uLaunchELF, then use SATA to USB adapter on PC, then use HDL_Dumb to insert games onto HDD.

Im sorry but.. Format HDD using uLaunchELF? Is there an option there? Also, this HDL_Dumb. I just download it on my PC, connect my SATA HDD via USB, insert games using HDL_Dumb, then connect SATA HDD to network adapter, to PS2, and play i go. Is that correct?

EDIT = cant i just format the 80gb HDD on my PC instead of formatting it on uLaunchELF?

EDIT2 = that 80gb, is it gonna be enough or be able to be read by the network adapter SATA without any problems?

 

[uyjulian]

Im sorry but.. Format HDD using uLaunchELF? Is there an option there? Also, this HDL_Dumb. I just download it on my PC, connect my SATA HDD via USB, insert games using HDL_Dumb, then connect SATA HDD to network adapter, to PS2, and play i go. Is that correct?

EDIT = cant i just format the 80gb HDD on my PC instead of formatting it on uLaunchELF?

EDIT2 = that 80gb, is it gonna be enough or be able to be read by the network adapter SATA without any problems?

You can format the 80GB HDD on your PC, but the latest version of uLaunchELF included with FMCB is recommended using MISC -> HDD Manager -> Format. That is correct.
80GB is plenty for about 18 games. Up to 2TB HDD is supported.

 

[nodnyl10]

You can format the 80GB HDD on your PC, but the latest version of uLaunchELF included with FMCB is recommended using MISC -> HDD Manager -> Format. That is correct.
80GB is plenty for about 18 games. Up to 2TB HDD is supported.

Thank you very much. You answered everything and gave me all the info i needed. Lemme recap for a bit, in a quick way.

- I download the latest uLaunchELF so it have FMCB when formatting HDD (this is recommended)
- Once HDD is formatted, plug HDD to PC to put games using HDL_Dump
- insert HDD to Network Adapter and plug it to back of PS2 fat
- Then i power on PS2, choose OPL and with the right settings, games should appear in there in HDD instead of USB

I still have the option to use my memory card for saving right? Its 128mb so i wanna use it. Is that possible?

I didnt forget anything, did i?

 

[xs4all]

Oh man. It sounds more complicated than i thought. Umm this is the network adapter i plan to by. Its built so SATA can go in instead of IDE HDD.

So lets say i decided to format that 80gb external HDD using a PC. Then how do i put games on it? I mean, i wanna put games on it on the PC if possible so when i put the HDD to network adapter, it will be awhile before i take it out again. Is that even possible?

Most likely this is the Chinese knockoff version as the original network adapter with the LAN port is very rare and hard to come by and they are a bit pricey, also the original one only supports IDE HDD which can be modded to accept SATA HDD.
The one in the picture looks like mine, it's SATA and doesn't have LAN, the port is there but has nice yellow sticker covering it saying there is NO LAN port.

As for installing games to the HDD, I use WinHIIP program on the PC, as long as you still have the PS2 ISO's, it's just a simple few mouse clicks and the game will start to install on the HDD, as others has already mentioned, just use a HDD (SATA) to USB adapter to connect to the PC so you can transfer the games across using the app.

 

[nodnyl10]

Most likely this is the Chinese knockoff version as the original network adapter with the LAN port is very rare and hard to come buy and they are a bit pricey, also the original one only supports IDE HDD which can be modded to accept SATA HDD.
The one in the picture looks like mine, it's SATA and doesn't have LAN, the port is there but has nice yellow sticker covering it saying there is NO LAN port.

As for installing games to the HDD, I use WinHIIP program on the PC, as long as you still have the PS2 ISO's, it's just a simple few mouse clicks and the game will start to install on the HDD, as others has already mentioned, just use a HDD (SATA) to USB adapter to connect to the PC so you can transfer the games across using the app.

So that chinese knockoff SATA network adapter is reliable? I mean, you have one sir. So that means, its safe to buy these things? I will either use winhiip or HDL_Dump, as long as i can play without any choppy jumpy cutscenes, i am good.

 

[slaphappygamer]

Yes. There is more than one way to install games to the hdd. My favorite is to use winhiip and format your drive (if you like, sounds like you may not need to), read the hdd, install/uninstall games.

 

[xs4all]

So that chinese knockoff SATA network adapter is reliable? I mean, you have one sir. So that means, its safe to buy these things? I will either use winhiip or HDL_Dump, as long as i can play without any choppy jumpy cutscenes, i am good.

My PS2 was collecting dust for a couple of years and that's when the HDD caught my attention recently, I read some reviews/tutorials/youtube about these and I just purchased the cheapest one possible on ebay.
It pretty much worked as intended, booting PS2 games from the HDD Installed it a few months ago and haven't had any issues, yep you can use any of those two apps, though I have not used HDL_Dump so I can't comment on this, but WinHIIP worked fine.

Only negative thing I can say about FreeMCBoot is you can't boot PSX games like you do with PS2 games from ISO, not a problem since my PS2 is already chipped so I can always boot from backup CD's but it would be nice to be able to boot PSX ISO's on the HDD. I remember there is a way but it was a long process and probably not worth my while.

Added Notes:
Oh hang on, just noticed something called PS2PSXe which can boot PSX ISO's from USB or Internal HDD, I didn't come across this back when I was searching, so I will now look into this and see what the fuss is about.

 

[slaphappygamer]

My PS2 was collecting dust for a couple of years and that's when the HDD caught my attention recently, I read some reviews/tutorials/youtube about these and I just purchased the cheapest one possible on ebay.
It pretty much worked as intended, booting PS2 games from the HDD Installed it a few months ago and haven't had any issues, yep you can use any of those two apps, though I have not used HDL_Dump so I can't comment on this, but WinHIIP worked fine.

Only negative thing I can say about FreeMCBoot is you can't boot PSX games like you do with PS2 games from ISO, not a problem since my PS2 is already chipped so I can always boot from backup CD's but it would be nice to be able to boot PSX ISO's on the HDD. I remember there is a way but it was a long process and probably not worth my while.

Booting a psx iso from the hdd is a pain in theass. You have to first check a compatibility list to make your game will even work, then convert your iso to a vcm file (or whatever it is). The conversion takes about 30-45 minutes. Then you put that on your usb drive to copy it to the hdd, which takes another half hour. Open that vcm file with the elf program and wwwwwoooooooooosssssshhh! Game on! Just boot from disc. You’ll save a frustration that isn’t worth it.

 

[nodnyl10]

My PS2 was collecting dust for a couple of years and that's when the HDD caught my attention recently, I read some reviews/tutorials/youtube about these and I just purchased the cheapest one possible on ebay.
It pretty much worked as intended, booting PS2 games from the HDD Installed it a few months ago and haven't had any issues, yep you can use any of those two apps, though I have not used HDL_Dump so I can't comment on this, but WinHIIP worked fine.

Only negative thing I can say about FreeMCBoot is you can't boot PSX games like you do with PS2 games from ISO, not a problem since my PS2 is already chipped so I can always boot from backup CD's but it would be nice to be able to boot PSX ISO's on the HDD. I remember there is a way but it was a long process and probably not worth my while.

Added Notes:
Oh hang on, just noticed something called PS2PSXe which can boot PSX ISO's from USB or Internal HDD, I didn't come across this back when I was searching, so I will now look into this and see what the fuss is about.

Quick question since i just started to do things and i decided to use Winhiip.

When i insert my HDD in my PC, and use Winhiip app, it says "The selected hard drive does not have a valid PS2 Master Boot Record"

What does that mean? Will that go away once i format my HDD in uLaunchELF? Because i just tried some things first, i havent formatted my HDD. Just wanna make sure.

 

[uyjulian]

Quick question since i just started to do things and i decided to use Winhiip.

When i insert my HDD in my PC, and use Winhiip app, it says "The selected hard drive does not have a valid PS2 Master Boot Record"

What does that mean? Will that go away once i format my HDD in uLaunchELF? Because i just tried some things first, i havent formatted my HDD. Just wanna make sure.

You need to format your HDD

 

[slaphappygamer]

If it’s easier, you can use winhiip to format your hdd. Here is a nice video guide. Yes I know, ugh a video guide. This guy is good and the PS2 scene hasn’t changed much. His guides are legit.

 

[nodnyl10]

If it’s easier, you can use winhiip to format your hdd. Here is a nice video guide. Yes I know, ugh a video guide. This guy is good and the PS2 scene hasn’t changed much. His guides are legit.

Thanks a lot. Video guide or not, its better than nothing. I cant wait for the network adapter to be delivered to me

 

[duwen]

I can vouch for the cheap Chinese sata adapters being good - I've been using one I bought off of Ali-Express for a couple of years with no problems (and I regularly remove and replace the drive to hook it up to my pc).
As someone else mentioned, FreeHDBoot is an excellent replacement for FreeMcBoot on a memcard, but I would recommend keeping a memcard with FreeMcBoot on it in case you ever have an issue booting directly to the HD.