I recently bought swap magic 3.6 and the slide tool thingy and I am pleased to say all is working as it should be. I just have one question, which googling hasn't been able to provide an answer for.
The Question is - For what do I use the special boot for? Does it make it load faster, or does it have some other purpose. I haven't used it as I Dont have a clue what will happen if i do use it.
Also, I've been toying with the idea of getting a flip top cover for my ps2, to negate risk of knocking cd tray off the rail, but I've seen on a couple of sites that some people have had bother with swap magic after installing a flip top. apparently it stops working after a while. is this true or is that just because they are numbskulls and havent installed the flip top properly? because if it's true then i dont think i'll bother with the flip top, as i'm pretty fast(but still careful) with the slide tool now.
yeah man, i had the same question kinda rollin along in my mind in what the special boot does, was wonderin if it helps in some games that dont work or load properly or somethin, i still havnt figured it out, but i tried loading a back-up of NBA 2K6 [PAL] version, to see if the special boot made the screen adjustment, but special boot didnt do anything to make the screen adjustment as i wished...but anyways who knows what special boot really does?. . . so if anyone really knows what special boot does on swap magic please let us know, thanks
You know, I'm wondering the same thing, only the other way around:
What's the NORMAL boot for???
The thing is, I have never been able to make a game work under Normal Boot. I always choose Special Boot and over 99% of the games I tried work perfectly. The only ones that i've had problems with were Double Layered DVDs, which do not work. And Black Hawk Down, which I was never able to figure out why it doesn't work. All the others work fine.
One recomendation, though. Try getting the Memory Card Exploit. That way you don't force the lens too much trying to read the SM discs. I've had SM w/flip top for more than a year now and never had any problems. Although I rarely use the discs. I usually use the memory card exploit, and save the SM discs for emergencies.
EDIT:
Forgot to say: I think the different between Special and Normal Boot depends on your version of PS2. In my PS2, Normal boot doesn't work. And in some, Special boot doesn't work. I guess they just put it there so that it would work with multiple versions of PS2.
special boot is for elf's. Additional programs. Example I have the SNES Emu and about 200 games on a CD. When I load SM you have to press Square for the special boot for it to load. Normal boot will not load it. This also goes for a number of other utilities out there. In all I have about 6 different CD's with various emulators, and utilities that I use the special boot for.
so "tstephens" you are saying i can put Game Boy Advance Emulator and some games on a CD and burn it. . . then put Swap Magic 3.6 in my ps2, load it, and then put the CD with the GBA Emulator w/ games on the CD in my ps2, and hit Special Boot, and it will load up and i will be able to play the GBA Emulator on TV on my ps2?
As far as i know tstephens is correct. Special Boot is for loading homebrew discs like ones with emulators on. There is currently no working GBA emulator for ps2 been released, but there are people working on one.
"This is how it works. Whatever you sink, we build back up. Whomever you sue, ten new pirates are recruited. Wherever you go, we are already ahead of you. You are the past and the forgotten, we are the internet and the future."-Brokep
yes and no! You can load emulators that are designed for the PS2 and other homebrew apps onto a CD and then use special boot in SM to boot the disc and run it. Andrew691 is correct there are no GBA emulators for the PS2 at this time. I do have a NES, SNES and SEGA emulator for the PS2. These ARE NOT the emulators that you download onto your PC to run ROMS with. The ROMS are the same so if you have a bunch of SNES or NES ROMS on your PC you can use them but you need the PS2 SNES or NES Emulators as well. It has been a while since I created my disc but if I recall there were also some utilities you needed to use to make the disc with. You can not just drop the ROMS and Emu onto a CD project in Nero and burn it. You have to change the LBA of some files on the image so that they are on specific locations on the disc so that the PS2 reads it corectally. I am not at home right now but when I get there I will look over what utilities I used and post the names of them any possiable locations and instructions on how to use them.
Read the above for information on the various emulators avaliable. Please not that in a couple places it is said that there are GBA emulators but they are still in the works and not avaliable.
