Originally posted by CyberA:

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I have a Version 9/10 PS2 (the fat one) with a Matrix Infinity.

Some of my games have annoying loadtimes. This appears to be a fault of the game itself, not my PS2. Ar Tonelico is a big one that has some annoying pauses in gameplay in order to load.

Since I already have a fat PS2 and all I would need is an official network adapter to attach a HDD to it, I figured I would just start putting the games I play often or have long loadtimes on it.

Now, what I want to know is, I heard the os/bios on the DMS4 includes a type of HDD loader, does the Matrix Infinity have any way to load games like this or would I have to use some sort of bootdisk?How would I get games to work off my PS2's harddrive with a Matrix Infinity?

Yes. As far as i know, matrix infinity has some sort of DEV 1 mode allowing it to load ELFs off a memory card or somewhere else so you can load the HDLoader elf off a memory card and then use it to play your HDD games.

I remember hearing about games requiring patches to work on the HDD before with HD Loader, but that product went out of production long ago and is probably outdated now, will I still need to patch my games? Is there a list anywhere of what games and how to patch them?

No. Not all games require patches. Most games can just be installed on HDD with no problems or patches and will work great. However, certain games are HDD-proof and will require patches. Like Jak 3 or God of War. However, this only applies to about 5 percent of all PS2 games. Look up PS2 HDD FIX in google for more info.

Will this improve loadtimes? This is the main reason I want to do this.

Yes. Playing off HDD will improve loadtimes.

What is the maximum size harddrive I can use? Would a 500gig one work?

Well, the max size a PS2 can handle with an HDD is 127GB. So if you use a 500gig HDD, you will only be able to use 127gig of the HDD. However, if you get a clean HDLoader ELF, you can patch it to support larger HDDs.

Would enabling/disabling ATAD support (IIRC this makes the PS2 think an unofficial drive is official) cause any problems?

As far as i know, no.

How would I get the games on my harddrive? Is there a way I can just put the disk in the ps2 and copy it over to the harddrive? Thats how I do it on my modded Xbox and the program auto-patches any games that need patching as well.

It is very easy. The HDLoader has an option to install games. You put a game in the disc drive and it installs it for you.

Would there be any way for me to use GameShark, Action Replay, or Codebreaker with games loaded off my harddrive?

Yes. But it requires burning HDLoader to a disc.

Put in ARMax/CoderBreaker/GameShark.
Select the cheats for the games you want
Load the cheats with the HDLoader disc
In HDLoader, select your HDD game.

And it should work, never tried it though.

Anything else i need to know?

As far as i can remember, no.

Thanks.

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Originally posted by CyberA:

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Ok, thanks for the reply, but that was a little confusing to read since my post and your replies were all put within the same quote.

I still have a few questions though. and it seems I confused a few features.

I thought ATAD patch made the harddrive look like it was an official one, not enable past 130 gigs. Is there anything that also lets the PS2 recognize the drive as an official one? There were a few US games that supported it, like FFXI or Resident Evil Outbreak. Would I be able to play FFXI on it? I won't need my old PS2 taking up space anymore if I could.
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Well, i know ATAD patching makes an unofficial harddrive look like an official one, don't know about the other feature though. You might need to patch your HDD or maybe ATAD patching lets you do both...
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So I need to use HDLoader to load games off my PS2's harddrive? How will I start HDloader if that's on the harddrive too though?
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Well, if you want the simplest way you can just burn HDLoader to a disc and load it using Matrix infinity. However, if you don't wanna waste discs, you can load the ELF file off a Memory card/HDD with the Matrix's DEV1/DEV2 modes.
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How do I know what games don't work with HDLoader and what I can do, if anything, about it?
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About a good 90% percent of all games work with HDLoader. Some games can be patched to work.
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And how exactly would using a Code Breaker or Action Replay (copied to my HDD if possible) work with a game that is already on my HDD as well? I heard about using a program called uLaunch on MMC but I have no idea what those are, are they an alternate type of HDloader? A plugin? What?
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(THIS METHOD REQUIRES BURNING HDLOADER TO A DISC)
Put in ARMAX/CODERBREAKER/GAMESHARK
Select the cheats
Instead of loading up the game disc, load up the HDLoader disc
Choose the game with the cheates
And it should work.
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I was looking at newegg, and this seems to be their highest recommended 500gig harddrive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148135
Any idea if this one will work? It's not on the PS2 list.

The ONLY one I could find on newegg that was also on the PS2 compability list was this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822147008

Seems the biggest problem with a drive being incompatible is it not fitting with the power/ide connectors on the network adapter. Would it be possible for a drive with the SAME model name having a revision that changes the placement of these? Or will all harddrives of the same model number look physically the same?
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I personally have a Maxtor 160 GB HDD and it works great. Go to your local Fry's shop or someplace that sells electronics.
Go there with your network adapter. Look for the HDD you want, then look if it fits in the Network Adapter. So basically check before you buy. You shouldn't really have problems fitting them, though.
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Also, how is a game stored once on the HDD? Is it in .iso format? The files dumped onto a directory? Is there a way to get them back to iso format if I ever lose/break my original so I can burn another?
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When games are dumped on the HDD they are turned into .PPF files i think. So no you can't, just make sure you have a backup at all times.
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Finally, is there a guide anywhere on how to format the drive, load HDloader on it, transfer PS2 games to it, use gameshark/codebreaker if possible, etc?
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To format the drive you need the HDD utillity disc, to load HDLoader off the HDD you need an exploit like DEV1 or something. By transfering games to it, do you mean transfering games from the computer to the HDD? And i already told you how to use cheats on HDD games.

Thanks

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Originally posted by CyberA:

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Sorry for the double-post but I forgot to mention, and will this official disk work with a 500gig drive?

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Originally posted by CyberA:

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Thanks for all the replies.

Ok then, after formatting I just need to get a copy of HDloader, patch it to 0.8b/c then put it on my HDD right?

You don't have to format your HDD to put HDLoader/games on it. Just burn the HDLoader 0.8b that you can download in SKSAPPS.COM to a disc and load it with your Matrix and your all set. No patching or formatting at all.

How do I get it on the HDD? The PS2 uses a propitery file system IIRC.

What?

And would any of those 500gig hdds from newegg work?

They should. Get a Maxtor brand drive or a Seagate brand drive. NEVER get western digital.

Also, though this is likely a no, is there any way to use this for ps1 ganes too?

You're right. It is a no.

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Originally posted by CyberA:

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Ok, I got my drive (Segate ST3500641ARK, 500GIGs) and network adapter, and now I have two new problems.

1. As I was putting it in I realized something, I have no caddy/tray for it. While I can still fit it in the slot, I am worried about it coming loose or short-circuiting from the bottom of it coming into contact with the metal bottom of the HDD bay. I checked my official drive and the tray makes it fit peftectly in the slot as well as insulate the bottom of the drive. Where can I get one of these trays, caddies, whatever they are called without buying the entire HDD with it? Is it a risk?

2. I cannot seem to get the HDD utility program to work. I am using version 1.10, and it just hangs on the following screen:
Checking the HDD.
Wait a moment

Yes, the ATAD patch on my MI is enabled, without it the HDD Utility cannot even tell that a harddrive is connected.

Any help?

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Originally posted by CyberA:

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Ok, exchanged the HDD for another one and it works now, guess there was something wrong with that one.

Anyway, so I was trying a 48-lba patched hdloader, and it formatted my drive without any option to choose no or opt out. So, am I screwed now when it comes to installing HDloader/ulaunchelf/anything to the HDD itself? What kind of partions/file systems are used by what? (Official, hdloader, homebrew, anything else).

I don't know. It never asked me to do that. As long as it's working and let's you load games and homebrew off of it. The partitions are basically +Partitions. Don't know what kind of partitions they are though.

Can I reformat/partion? HDLoader had VERY few options avaliable on it

You can! HDLoader just lets you install games on the HDD,remove,and play them. To really manage your HDD, you uLaunchELF. uLaunchELF is basically like an Operating System (OS) for the PS2. It lets you manage your PS2 (load files off different places such as HDD,USB,CD,MC, it has a JPEG viewer, it is also a PS2 FTP client) and it's a really nice program. The interface reminds me of old windows.

Is there any point to making an official partion on it?

Making a partition is the only way you'll be able to put files on your HDD.

What IS ulaunchelf exactly anyway?

Explained above.

I have to admit, I am completely clueless about what to do and what I can do at this point. I mean, I could boot HDloader off a disk but id rather it be on my HDD, plus everyone is telling me to use that ulaunchelf thing, whatever it does.

To boot HDLoader/uLaunchELF off the HDD, you need to use the MI's DEV1/DEV2 modes or flash memory to put the ELF on.

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