I've been looking into backing up my old PS2 games for the past 5 days so that I could preserve my library, however, this past week has been nothing but heck... Coming from a more tightly strung sim racing community, I've felt like a fish out of water while trying to get a grasp on how I would setup my old Playstation... Browsing through the internet, I have became very confused on the procedures leading to creating a boot disk, ripping a game, burning a copy, then playing it. You wouldn't believe how many inactive and misleading sites are out there for a noob like me to trip up on, actually, you probably would.
Anyway, what I am looking for is a step by step introduction and tutorial to backing up and such. I need to create a boot disk, backup some games, download some ISOs of games I own-but are scratched and damaged beyond repair (I hope you don't consider that piracy), then finally burn the backups. Best part about all of that? Five days of reading stuff has scratched my knowledge beyond repair, so to speak.
If anyone wouldn't mind:
1: What exactly does a boot disc do? Other than allowing you to play games other than retail discs.
2: Do I absolutely need a mod chip? Or could the boot disc completely replace any hardware additions?
3: What programs do I need (or are the most user-friendly) to rip and burn games (and boot discs)?
4: Where can I find guides and resources for learning and brushing up on Playstation moding?
5: What's the difference between different boot disks, like HD Loader and Swap Disk?
6: Will I need a special tray (or something like that) for using boot disks with an American Slimline?
7: What are some rules of thumbs when it comes to things like this subject?
Sorry for so many questions. I had finally broke down and decided I needed to ask someone... Also, I have read the forum rules and did use the search feature before even thinking about typing this up. It took me about 4 topics to realize that some of these posts are turning me around, confusing, upsetting, and even did not apply to me... Any help is appreciated :)
