buying 1st ps2

[daywane]

saved up the $$$ to mod my game cube and a PS2 landed in my lap.
Friend needs the cash so I am buying his PS2 for $100.00 used 3 times
 might be a bit high for a used one but I know it has been used next to never.
plus he really needs the cash.

well now I have to save up again to get a mod chip for both a PS2 and a game cube. I would prefer to order both at same time, same place.
any place you people like best?

[Chemixtry]

I have not used them but I have heard good things about norcalmods.com

[Varao]

I have modded about 4 different PS2 systems about 10 diferent times just for myself its a pain in the ass!! That and they always seem to go out after about a year but I do play it prety hard with hacked backups. My last one that burnt out was the last one for me I bought a slim PS2 and I am now using the Swap Disk takes a bit longer but no more headaches of checking 32 points if it dosent work!

Here is the one I bought: http://www.modchipstore.com/customer/product.php?productid=16204&cat=0&page=1

I found it cheaper afterwards here though: www.console.com

Hope that helps!

*EDIT* If you decide to go to the swap I suggest not getting the flip top thats what I got and it feels a bit cheap. Go with one of the tools and if it is the silm go with the drive plugs I wish I did now.

[JoyMonkey]

You're probably better off not modding the PS2 and just doing a memory card exploit. Oh, and slap a big hard drive into it.

[Chemixtry]

You're probably better off not modding the PS2 and just doing a memory card exploit. Oh, and slap a big hard drive into it.

How well does that work? I have hdavance and swap magic. They are  both nice but Ive gotten used to my xbox where it just fires up the game. Some games dont work with hdadvance or swap magic.

[Hoagie_one]

i like my swap disk.  Only problem I've had is with God of war.

[JoyMonkey]

You're probably better off not modding the PS2 and just doing a memory card exploit. Oh, and slap a big hard drive into it.

How well does that work? I have hdavance and swap magic. They are  both nice but Ive gotten used to my xbox where it just fires up the game. Some games dont work with hdadvance or swap magic.

It works great, there's been a couple of threads floating around here about it. Using the xploit, you can boot the newer HDLoader (much better than HDAdvance) and other stuff straight off the memory card or HD. You should try it out, it's not as difficult as it sounds to set up- especially if you've got a retail version of HDLoader or HDAdvance (all you do is make an ISO using Independence Compiler, then transfer it onto your HD using WinHIIP, then run it from HDAdvance/HDLoader)

[tommy]

No reason to buy any of the old consoles at that price when the new XBOX is right around the corner.

[TalkingOctopus]

I think you should probably go the hdloader route as well.  I was considering chipping mine, but after I'd opened up the ps2 and saw how tiny the solder points were, I'd rather play it safe by using hdloader instead. 


Sorry to hijack your thread but a question for joymonkey:

all you do is make an ISO using Independence Compiler, then transfer it onto your HD using WinHIIP, then run it from HDAdvance/HDLoader)

I tried to do this and I got and error message when I executed the exploit.  Any suggestions?

[spiffyshoes]

Were you useing the latest version of Indipendence Compiler or an older version?

[TalkingOctopus]

Well actually when I got the error message, I searched the boards on ausdigital.

[spiffyshoes]

If you have the retail version of HDL or HDAdvance you can use it to do the swap trick and then load the installer to your hard drive.

[TalkingOctopus]

Great.  I'll give that a try when I have some time.  Thanks!

[JoyMonkey]

If you have the retail version of HDL or HDAdvance you can use it to do the swap trick and then load the installer to your hard drive.  If you don't have a slide card which I'd assume you don't since neither of those comes with one you can either make one or take the top cover off of your playstation to do the swap...

Wow! That seems a huge amount of work. I've never done the swap trick and don't have a slide card. I assumed that the Ausdigital compiler would simplify things, here's how I did it initially (based on the tutorial and files at PS2HD);

• I made a PS2 ISO that boots ExecFTPs using CDGenPS2
• I made a Title.DB file for my PS1 disc using Title.DB Maker
• Transfered the ISO to the hard drive by plugging the PS2's hard drive into my PC and running WinHIIP
• Put the HD back in the PS2, loaded HDLoader and ran the ExecFTPs that I just put on
• Connected the PS2 to my network router
• Back on your PC, ran an FTP program to connect to the ExecFTPs server on the PS2
• Via FTP, replaced the Title.DB on the PS2 memory card with the one I prepared. Also, replaced the BOOT.ELF on the memory card with a KeyLauncher.ELF and put a HDLoader.ELF onto the memory card somewhere
• Restarted the PS2 with my PS1 game in the drive. The PS2 boots straight to KeyLauncher on the MC
• Configured KeyLauncher to link the X button the HDLoader and a bunch of other stuff.

This way you don't have to open up your PS2 at all.

[spiffyshoes]

I don't know.

[skim36]

The Memory card exploit is real simple....I did mine with AR Max with the usb drive and using the exploits off exploitstation.com.  You take the usb drive, plug it into the ps2 and copy over your system settings file off the memory card.  Use the included cd.  Then open it with a program called savebuilder that you can get off said site and add whatever exploits you want...I used launch and hdloader.  Then add a title.db file you can get off the site and then save it to the usb drive.  Plug the usb back into the ps2, delete the original system settings file off your memory card, and replace it with the one on your usb....if you have the right "trigger" ps1 disc.....(there are many)..it will boot up the exploits you installed....make sure the exploit you want to boot is renamed to boot.elf.  That's it....once I found the right ps1 disc....it took five minutes....

[JoyMonkey]

Swaping the HardDrive in and out of your computer seems like just as much work to me.

If you've got a USB external hard drive enclosure, it's really easy. You don't even have to turn off your PC.

[elpresidente]

I just ran the exploit on my PS2 this last week and installed a hard drive. I wish I had done it earlier. I also used AR max with usb drive to run the exploit. I've got a fully patched hdloader, execftp, the dms format tool, as well as toxicloader on there now. Here's a couple site that were invaluable to me during this process.

http://exploitstation.com
http://ps2hd.com

I highly recommend them and there forums are active and helpfull.

[daywane]

Ok I am over my head here.
I think I will go the hard drive route , ( I do not understand a bit of what you guys are talking about but seems the best way to me)

first question how big of a hard drive should I get?
I hope a 80 to 120 gig hd is fine 

[TalkingOctopus]

I have a 120 gb maxtor.

[daywane]

Hope my tax return is in the mail today.
i fell like the ladie on the TV adds. (ripping the mail box out of the ground waiting for her check  )
I am getting the PS2 and using a hatachie 80 gig hard drive. buying a 200 gig for this PC.

now for a real noob question... I do not know nothing about networks, I have many PC's in my house ( some were around 7 only 4 running at this moment. Others are sitting in my arcade room waiting to be turned on again)
I own a D-link router. New in box never used.
Given to me becouse no software is in box. (sister is that way, I should be able to find the software for it EZ enough)

now what can I do with this and a PS2? I know the answer is above but over my head. speak slow and plain please 
I will take you up on your help Joy monkey, (thanks ) still like to learn what is going on. Helps when bragging to know what you are bragging about.

[JoyMonkey]

I don't think routers are supposed to come with any software. You just plug them and they do their job. If your internet connection needs a username and password, you might have to go to the routers IP address (probably 192.168.0.1) in any web browser and set it up there along with any security options, but other than that they don't really need any interaction to get working.

As far as using it with your PS2, there's nothing too exciting you could do with it, other than use it to share an internet connection with your PC's and transfer stuff to and from your memory cards using HDL_Dumb and ExecFTPs (but you could do that without a router using a patch cable instead).

[crashwg]

I don't think routers are supposed to come with any software. You just plug them and they do their job. If your internet connection needs a username and password, you might have to go to the routers IP address (probably 192.168.0.1) in any web browser and set it up there along with any security options, but other than that they don't really need any interaction to get working

Mine is 192.168.2.1