Originally posted by jjax:

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Wanna play PS2 CD and DVD backup games without installing a modchip or paying for expensive software? Action Replay Max is all you need to buy out your high-street store and the rest is easy when you learn how...

HOW TO: Load Backups using Action Replay Max

This guide works for: Fat PS2 & Slimline PS2 (instructions for both bellow)

You will need:

- Action Replay Max PS2 CD
- Max Media Creator PC software (comes with ARMAX)
- 2 blank CD-Rs

That?s all you need, if you read the following carefully you?ll have your backups playing in no time. To start off, the PS2 ?program? you?re going to use to load your backups is called cogswaploader. It?s a 57KB elf file you can download from here: http://www.exploitstation.com/index.php?page=elfs

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Action Replay Max is a ps2 cd disc you can buy out most high street console stores. It sports 30,000+ cheats for your ps2 games, a media player, all region dvd playing and a memory card manager. There are two versions on sale (the older one and the newer one - the newer one comes in a silver tin) - although fundamentally the same, there is a bit of difference in the way you use ARMAX to load cogswaploader on each.

So, you've got ARMAX and wanna load cogswaploader.elf to load all your backup discs. Here's how:

1. Right, to start with you need to get cogswaploader onto a medium that ARMAX understands. For the older version, you can just put the file on a pendrive(flashdisk). For the newer version (the one that comes in a silver tin), you need to put the file on a specially formatted cd.

2. If you have the old version, just put cogswaploader on your pendrive, load the media player on ARMAX and then select your cogswaploader.elf file, it will load.

3. Assuming you have the newer version, we need to make a specially formatted cd - here's how to do it:

i. download the "Independence Compiler Program 3.0" from the link here (you need to click the small floppy disc icon to download): http://www.console.iscentral.net/download.php?view.1

ii. extract the files from the .rar file you've downloaded (you'll need a compression program such as WinRAR to do this)

iii. now load the independencecompiler3.0.exe (i'll call it IC3 from now on) file.

4. Right - you now need to make a decision that will largely be based on whether you have a Fat ps2 or Slimline ps2. I'll try and explain this simply: The IC3 program gives you the option of installing cogswaploader onto the memory card for instant loading when you put in a ps1 game of your choice. This function is otherwise known as the "memory card exploit/independence exploit". You can only do this if you have a Fat ps2. If you have the new Slimline ps2, you do not have this option and must load cogswaploader through ARMAX every time.

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ARMAX: Loading cogswaploader on a Slimline PS2
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1a. Load IC3 (see step 3 above)
2a. Select the following options:

STEP 1: make no change.
STEP 2: select "other" and find cogswaploader.elf on your computer.
STEP 3: make no change.
STEP 4: make no change.
STEP 5: If in America, choose NTSC, if in Europe choose PAL
STEP 6: make no change.
STEP 7: make no change.
Output format: cdimage (bin/cue)
Installer only?: NO (this option is essential!!!)

3a. Click START - IC3 will ask you if you want to continue twice: click YES on both occassions and it will load an MS-DOS window whilst it creates the bin/cue files. It'll then tell you it's done and has put your bin/cue files in C:\AusDigital\

4a. Burn your bin/cue file to a blank cdr using Nero or equivalent (always select the .cue file when it asks which file to burn - the .cue is a link to the .bin!)

5a. You've just made your cogswaploader boot disc!

6a. Now you need to be able to load your cogswaploader boot disc through ARMAX - there's only one way i know of doing this on an unmodified ps2 - the file cdloader.elf. You'll need to source 3 things for this:

i. cdloader.elf - there's several versions of this around, and there's only one version that'll work (downloadable here: http://www.geocities.com/jjax1975/CDLOADER.zip )
ii. another blank cdr!
iii. A way of getting cdloader on your cdr - this is Max Media Creator PC software that comes with ARMAX. You only need one file, the cdloader.elf, on your cd - burn it with Max Media Creator (or make a bin/cue with Max Media Creator and burn it with Nero)

7a. You should now have 2 cdrs: a) Cogswaploader boot disc b) Cdloader.elf on a cdr to load through ARMAX.

8a. It's all easy from now on!!!! - do the following:

i.) Load ARMAX, select "Media Player"
ii.) Put in your cdloader.elf disc and it should say cdloader.elf on the screen - press Play to load.
iii.) The cdloader screen should display and if you press O on the controller, it'll show in English text!
iv.) Press the eject tray and put in an official PS2 cd (ARMAX cd will do!)
v.) Now swap the disc for your cogswaploader boot disc (without the ps2 knowing, so no pressing eject!) - use a flip top or slide tool (recommended - see here if you're unsure how: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/288331)
vi.) Press X on the controller and cogswaploader will load!!!!

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So, you've got everything setup and running - to load cogswaploader in future you just need to repeat the list in step 8a.
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ARMAX: Loading cogswaploader on a Fat PS2
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Right you have 2 options:

a.) Follow the instructions for the Slimline PS2 which means loading cogswaploader through ARMAX everytime - read above.

b.) Install cogswaploader onto your memory card (memory card exploit) using ARMAX - you'll need to use cdrs only to write the files to memory card. After then, you put in a PS1 game of your choice and up comes cogswaploader and any other elfs you want to use. (REDUCED LOADING TIME!) - read below...

1b. Load IC3 (see step 3 at top of page)
2b. Select the following options:

STEP 1: Put your chosen PS1 trigger disc in your cd drive and click "Get", making sure it's looking in the right drive or it'll not find the disc! Once it displays the SLES (or SLUS) code, click "Add" and the code will appear in the box at the right.
STEP 2: make no change (LaunchELF 3.4 is selected)
STEP 3: Browse for, and add Cogswaploader.elf (and any other elf files you want) - the ones u've chosen will appear in the box on the right.
STEP 4: make no change. (No - unless u want to network PS2 with PC)
STEP 5: If in America, choose NTSC, if in Europe choose PAL
STEP 6: make no change.
STEP 7: Select the "Keylauncher" button.
Output format: cdimage (bin/cue)
Installer only?: YES (this option is essential!!!)

3b. Click START - IC3 will ask you if you want to continue twice: click YES on both occassions and it will load an MS-DOS window whilst it creates the bin/cue files. It'll then tell you it's done and has put your bin/cue files in C:\AusDigital\

4b. Burn your bin/cue file to a blank cdr using Nero or equivalent (always select the .cue file when it asks which file to burn - the .cue is a link to the .bin!)

5b. You've just made your Memory Card Exploit Boot Disc (MC boot disc)!

6b. Now you need to be able to load your MC boot disc through ARMAX - there's only one way i know of doing this on an unmodified ps2 - the file cdloader.elf. You'll need to source 3 things for this:

i. cdloader.elf - there's several versions of this around, and there's only one version that'll work (downloadable here: http://www.geocities.com/jjax1975/CDLOADER.zip )
ii. another blank cdr!
iii. A way of getting cdloader on your cdr - this is Max Media Creator PC software that comes with ARMAX. You only need one file, the cdloader.elf, on your cd - burn it with Max Media Creator (or make a bin/cue with Max Media Creator and burn it with Nero)

7b. You should now have 2 cdrs: a) MC boot disc b) Cdloader.elf on a cdr to load through ARMAX.

8b. It's all easy from now on!!!! - do the following:

i.) Load ARMAX, select "Media Player"
ii.) Put in your cdloader.elf disc and it should say cdloader.elf on the screen - press Play to load.
iii.) The cdloader screen should display and if you press O on the controller, it'll show in English text!
iv.) Press the eject tray and put in an official PS2 cd (ARMAX cd will do!)
v.) Now swap the disc for your MC boot disc (without the ps2 knowing, so no pressing eject!) - use a flip top or slide tool (recommended - see here if you're unsure how: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/288331 )
vi.) Press X on the controller and the MC Exploit Installation Program will load - All of your files on the disc will be put on the memory card in slot 1 (so make sure there's a couple of MBs free on there first!)


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So, you've got everything setup! - to load cogswaploader, and any other elf files for that matter, it's simple! - reboot your PS2, put in your chosen PS1 game (the same one you put in your pc at setup) and within a few seconds the menu of elf files will appear! - just select the one you want to load (cogswaploader etc.)!
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How To Use Cogswaploader
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Once you've got cogswaploader loaded (it'll show your PSX boot game as a black circle), you load a PS2 dvd game backup like this:

1. Eject disc tray normally and put in an "big"/"high TOC" official PS2 game (like GTA)
2. The screen will say PS2 DVD
3. Press "X" on the controller
4. The screen will say "Use Cogswap"
5. Manually eject the disc tray (by slide tool or fliptop method as above)
6. Replace the official PS2 game with your backup DVDR
7. Push the disc tray back in and pull white cog to the left to close (or close fliptop if that's the method you're using)
8. Press "X" on the controller
9. Your backup game will load as normal!

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This guide is full and easily done if you read through it properly and make sure you follow each step as you go - you don't really need to understand each step, just completing it as said will get the difficult parts of setup done - once you've got your disc/s made it's easy!


Peace to the People,


Jonathan.

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Originally posted by madara222:

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now what excatly does it mean when he says burn cdloader.elf with max media creater

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