help with ..... something related to PS2 HDD's

[energy_keeper]

Okay So im a bit of a noob at this.
My PS2 came with the network adapter already installed, so I had NO clue there was an expansion bay to slam a hard drive in. Cool, SO i was reading the basic info that comes with the console, and lone behold its there. So i rip it apart, and jam a standard HDD in there. Awsome it fits... but it doesn't read... why?

Duh.. because it doesn't have a boot record or a file system that the PS2 can understand....

Yeah so after some quick googling (thx Firefox for that quick search window there). and A few minutes later im downloading a program called "WinHIIP_V1.6.5". Nice.... I formated the drive in PS2 format, using default settings. Now I slam the bad boy back into my PS2 and IT STILL Dont read... okay now I'm like WTF!!!.

So I Fdisk it and find that theres NO partitions on the drive.. well WTF... there has to be a partition.... at least 1 anyway. Damnit.... whats up with this program.... ?

Alright so now Im tring again... I've formated the drive in PS2 format again, next step is to put an ISO on there right... cool.. how about a .cue... yeah proggy says thats cool. Except when I try to drop my Mega Man X6.cue on the HDD.. it complains about some file missing thats supposed to be associated with it. "huh.. what?!?!?!!!" last time i checked exicutable files dont need anything external to run. ePSXe runs it just fine.

Please don't say that I should burn the file. My PC doen't have a burner, I have limited HDD space (20 GB) and I have to get rid of some of theese files. My only option is to move it directly to the HDD i'll be using in the ps2.

Also, My PS2 does not have a MOD CHIP installed, and I dont plan on putting one in anytime soon. (not while its under waranty). LOL.

So now... where is the step Im missing.. what did I forget to do?

help is appriciated.
thx guys,

[AKUMA™]

Try here: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/500/500522p1.html

the site covers some of this stuff

[energy_keeper]

IGN site didnt help.

I have a standard Maxtor J50 hdd in there, not the one that comes with FFXI I cant afford that game, nor can I aford the service.

I called Sony...
When I get this son of a bitch to work right, Im gonna call them back and call every prick in there an asshole.

Im not paying for a game I cant play just so I can get their special hdd... F- them.
This will work. All hard drves use a standard EIDE controler and a PS2 is no different. They are telling me its because I'm using an "unliscenced product"... bastards.

[GundamGuy]

Also, My PS2 does not have a MOD CHIP installed, and I dont plan on putting one in anytime soon. (not while its under waranty). LOL.

That could be why your HD is not working...

I think i read somewhere that you need a mod chip if your not going to run the offical HD.

[Cyberxion]

Um, I'm pretty sure not every old HDD is compatible. Also, I think you might have to switch the jumpers, if that makes sense. I don't know much about this sort of thing, but my roomate tells me you might have to switch it to the 'master' jumper for it to work in your PS2, whatever the shit that means. So yeah, try whatever that is, and let us know if it works.

Oh yeah, you'll still need a program to load up the ISO's, so unless you have a program called HD Advance, this is all a moot point anyway. Last I checked, you couldn't simply load a program onto a HDD and boot it from the dash. You had to load up the HD Loader/HD Advance and then boot the game from a menu there. So yeah, do you have one such program, or an alternate method of booting the games from the HDD?

As an aside, you may think you're being clever saying that you're going to call Sony back and call their employees, who have nothing to do with making the companies business decisions, assholes. You're not. It's pretty lame, actually. They're just customer service reps who are payed to take calls, and they have to follow certain procedures. They can't just tell you that any old HDD will work in your PS2, even if it's true that it would. Being that they do indeed work for Sony, who's out to make money as a business last I checked, I'm pretty sure these people would find themselves fired if they got caught telling you that you don't have to buy the Sony HDD and that any old one will work. So yeah, rather then take your anger out on them, just relax, cope with the fact that Sony is a business and wants you to buy their HDD, and be happy that you really don't have to.

[AKUMA™]

Cyberxion, you are absolutely correct. Okay, one more thing you can check is this compatibility chart: http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/

maybe this would help? I dunno. Oh and BTW, shouldn't this thread be in the Technical part of the forum???

[energy_keeper]

this particular HDD takes a J50 jumper setting to be deamed "master". there is also a slave setting which simply means i take all the jumpers off of it. older hdd's had different settings. Jumpers are conectors that tie a set of pins together on the HDD. I made sure right off that the jumper setting was correct before installing it.

I build PC's thats kinda force of habit by now.

as far as your last paragraph, the guy I talked to was pretty obnoxious about it and thats the primary reason Im upset. and support for anything should not be hidden. I dont care if they are a business, it's called ethics.

I'm aware that i'd need an proggy with a half decent GUI that can allow me to select the game I'd like to load. And I got that.. the problem right now is getting the PS2 to understand that there is a drive installed. It would normally show up in the browser no?

[AKUMA™]

Like I said check the compatibility chart at the link I posted. Your HDD probably is NOT compatible with the PS2. Sony is a business. They are all about the almighty dollar or yen or whatever. They want people to buy THEIR products. You don't see XBOX or Game Cube DVDs running on a PS2 do you? Of course not, cuz then they would not make any money, that's why consoles and their respective peripherals can't run on a competitor's system, although it would be nice. MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEEEYYY....MONNNEEEEYYYYY!!!!

[Cyberxion]

as far as your last paragraph, the guy I talked to was pretty obnoxious about it and thats the primary reason Im upset. and support for anything should not be hidden. I dont care if they are a business, it's called ethics.

Well, you have a case if the guy was being obnoxious. Even so, I'd call them back and complain about the customer service rep who handled your call, rather then calling back and chewing out some random guy who likely has nothing to do with why you're pissed off. Now with that having been said, if you think this is about ethics, then you're out of your mind.

You'd see it as a matter of good ethics for Sony's CS reps to be straight-forward about the fact that almost any old HDD will work in the PS2. They would see it as a potential PS2 HDD sale down the drain, which is just bad business sense. Being that businesses are all about the almighty dollar, it's simply not in the interest of the bottom-line to screw themselves out of a potential sale like that.

I'm rather surprised that you actually expected to call 'em up and get them to help you with this, truth be told. I'm even more amazed that it's angered you that they didn't. What did you expect?

[energy_keeper]

no.. i'll be asking for him i have his name writen down.

The HDD im using is a Maxtor 6GB. Perfectly suported by HDLoader.

I accually expected them to tell me that they already had a program or something i could get that would allow a wider ranged support for HDD's

I also found out that PS1 games are not supported by HDLoader...

[Josh]

I thought that the harddrive had to be at least 40 GB to be able to be used in the PS2.

[polokitty]

I thought that the harddrive had to be at least 40 GB to be able to be used in the PS2.

CORRECT Ding Ding Ding lol 6 Gb, the ps2 only supports 40 and up sorry but i think your out of luck. i was waiting for someone to say that but then again maybe im wrong since on that compatability list it says that it supports a 4.3 GB drive

Edit: ill try it with ky older 9 gig hd and see what happens

Edit Again: Tried it and it worked for me

[energy_keeper]

woot, glad you found that out..
I had heard that only 40GB - 130 GB were suported by the ps2, but also read about that 4.3 GB.

Im still not having any luck with the hard drive.. but Im giving up on it for now.

Ive decided to go another route, since HD Loader doesn't support PS1 games, I'll have to get that proggy that will let me burn the ISO's and then play them on the unit. I found a neat little CD package that works like a gameshark / mod chip combo, and no soldering. Prob now is coming up with the 30 bucks i need for the program.

Switching topics:
I downloaded all of FF7 from this site. and I need to know if any one else is having trouble with the battle system. The music keeps jumping tempo's (i think thats something that is unavoidable and tolerable. The bigie is that none of the batle data nor is the comand window being displayed. Is there a special driver I should be using for ePSXe?

I've made it past the first boss and out of the mako reactor, only by using the in battle help window, so i can kinda tell what comand / magic / item i have selected rofl. any help here would be appriciated.
Thanks again guys,

[Cyberxion]

no.. i'll be asking for him i have his name writen down.

You do that. Just keep in mind that calling him an asshole isn't going to get you anywhere. It'd be best for you to ask to talk to a supervisor and tell him what they guy did that pissed you off so. If he was being an ass, he'll get reprimanded for it.

I accually expected them to tell me that they already had a program or something i could get that would allow a wider ranged support for HDD's

Why would you expect that? Sony's own PS2 HDD works fine, so why would they develop something that would cost them HDD sales by allowing you to use any old HDD in your PS2? That just doesn't make sence, man.

I also found out that PS1 games are not supported by HDLoader...

Of course not. It only works with PS2 games.

[AKUMA™]

ROTFLMFAO!!! This just keeps getting better...