PS1/2 Really WEIRD issue with FreeMCboot

[Bumblefoot]

Help me GBA Tempers! You're my only hope!

I've encountered a really strange issue with a FreeMCboot card I bought off Ebay (I know, I know - it just seemed like a better option than messing about with my own install. That stuff intimidates me.)

Basically, here's the scenario:

I bought a PS2 fat a while back which came with a MCboot card and a network adapter. It's an SCPH 50003 model.

The first issue I noticed was that the software on the MCboot card was all outdated. It didn't have OPL on there, which was a bit of an irritation for me. I decided I wanted to add a bigger hard drive to back up my old PS2 games, and I figured buying a new FreeMCboot version 1.953 card with OPL on it would save a lot of hassle. Better compatibility, plus more software I could format a 1TB drive with from directly within the PS2.

Only trouble is, my new card arrived, and the Fatty PS2 can't even detect it.

I decided I'd try it in another PS2 I have - a silver slimline 77003, which has barely been used (its a beaut!)

Now this is weird: The card works in that silver PS2. But the fat won't read it at all.

Both are PAL consoles, and I'm using the card in port 1 on both. I just can't think of a reason why the fat isn't able to read it. When I pop it in that one, the console boots into the regular PS2 front end, but there's no sign of the contents of the memory card at all.

This is kind of frustrating, as I really want to get down to backing up some games.

I'm wondering if anybody on the forum might be able to advise me what the issue here could potentially be? It's really confusing.

I'm happy to splash a bit of cash on another ready made MCboot card if I have to. But of so, could somebody point me in the direction of a reliable source?

 

[PewnyPL]

Do you have uLE on the memory card that came with the FAT PS2? If so, you can just install OPL on the card using a USB stick and uLE, no need to buy more memory cards.

 

[Bumblefoot]

Do you have uLE on the memory card that came with the FAT PS2? If so, you can just install OPL on the card using a USB stick and uLE, no need to buy more memory cards.

Thank you! This is good to know, and I'll certainly attempt it.

The only thing is, I'm a little twitchy about such things. I worry (probably unduly) about messing up the single working MCboot card I've got. I'm big on having redundancies, so if possible I'd like to have a whole other card that's ready to go.

 

[Bumblefoot]

Just a follow up to this... and this in itself is puzzling.

Out of exasperation, thinking 'surely this won't work' I tried booting the PS2 Fat with the newer v1.953 MCboot card in the second memory card slot.

And now it works!

Very odd. For now, I'm just happy that I got it to work. But I'd be really interested and grateful if anyone more knowledgeable about this stuff than me could offer a possible explanation as to why it works like this.

Enquiring minds must know!