PS1/2 Softmoddding Chipped PS2

[rockstar99]

I have a PS2 with a modchip(dont know which) and I really wanna try some homebrew now i have 3 questions:
1.Can a hardmodded PS2 get softmodded without any additional hardware like Swap Magic, Action Replay etc.?
2.Is there a USB loader to load ISOs from a HDD?
3.Are there any custom menus like an XMB?

 

[Magsor]

1. You can just run a cd(dvd?) with your modchip. http://freemcboot.psx-scene.com/disc.html

2. Yes but PS2 usb port is only USB1.1 which means usb loading is very slow vs. disk loading. PS2 network adapter (only for fat ps2) has a very good speed tough because the hdd is internal. another solution is to stream games thru network . http://opl.psx-scene.com/

3. No not really. you can customize the choices in ps2 menu but thats it.

 

[rockstar99]

But my lens are kinda broke so they wont play most games and I have no network adapter

 

[WiiPower]

If your laser is near dead, then go network loading(slim) or internal HDD(fat + networkd adapter). You can try usb loading, but the read speed is only 1.1 MB/s(or lower) then, while the dvd speed should be 4x(~5MB/s).