HD Advance/Loader for ps2?

[Niku-Sama]

ok so which is better for PS2 Advance or Loader? or does it not matter?

also whats your guy's personaly experence with it if any?

i want to use my extra PS2 i got earlier this week to play imports (which it says it can do) and so i cant take the system to parties and what not and not have to take all of my games i'm gonna have to get a hella big hard drive though.

[ProgrammingAce]

HD Loader and HD Advanced are the same program with a different interface. It doesn't really matter which you use.

Word of caution for imports, if you're not using a modified ps2 you're either going to need to load the games by putting the ps2's hard drive in your pc, or you're going to need the swap magic discs.

[roushimsx]

Don't buy either, if that's what you're looking to do. The legitimate copies of HDLoader haven't been available in nearly 2 years and the only stuff that's out there now are bootleg copies of the original (such as HDAdvance) or repackaged copies of the community-patched versions which are available for free.

Buy yourself an Action Replay Max (or Codebreaker, which also works fine but with which I've got zero experience) and a USB thumbdrive of some variety and I'd be more than happy to step you through the process of installing the doo-dad onto your memory card (a patch recently came out fixing Shadow of the Colossus, for instance!).

Also, piggybacking on what ProgrammingAce said, you're going to probably want an external Hard Drive enclosure of some sort for your PC. Not only will you need to use your PC to install japanese games, you're going to want to use it to install normal games as well. The PS2 DVD ROM will only install at ...~700k/s? Pretty darn slow compared to your average PC DVD ROM (expect 6mb/s - 10mb/s).

I pretty much use HDLoader exclusively anymore, though if a game doesn't work then I'll play off the disc...but my god have I been spoiled by now.

[MrRoboto19XX]

Either way the software is a great investment of time, loading is so smooth now, I love it.

That and whats the deal with the discs for HD Advance, they look odd on the bottom, does anyone know what the story is with those?

[Niku-Sama]

Don't buy either, if that's what you're looking to do. The legitimate copies of HDLoader haven't been available in nearly 2 years and the only stuff that's out there now are bootleg copies of the original (such as HDAdvance) or repackaged copies of the community-patched versions which are available for free.

Buy yourself an Action Replay Max (or Codebreaker, which also works fine but with which I've got zero experience) and a USB thumbdrive of some variety and I'd be more than happy to step you through the process of installing the doo-dad onto your memory card (a patch recently came out fixing Shadow of the Colossus, for instance!).

Also, piggybacking on what ProgrammingAce said, you're going to probably want an external Hard Drive enclosure of some sort for your PC. Not only will you need to use your PC to install japanese games, you're going to want to use it to install normal games as well. The PS2 DVD ROM will only install at ...~700k/s? Pretty darn slow compared to your average PC DVD ROM (expect 6mb/s - 10mb/s).

I pretty much use HDLoader exclusively anymore, though if a game doesn't work then I'll play off the disc...but my god have I been spoiled by now.

so your tellin me its basicly some thing run off a thumb drive and a memory card?

and links to this free way so i canr ead up on it?

i got a thumb drive and a old 40 gig hard drive to try it out with, i was thinking about downloading a version of it too but i donno.

[roushimsx]

so your tellin me its basicly some thing run off a thumb drive and a memory card?


Well, you're going to need a PS1 game as well. What you'll wind up doing is:

a) Building a save file using some free utilities (I'd be more than happy to take care of this step for you) that includes a title.db that references the PS1 game(s) you want to use as the "trigger disc", a bootloader, and the HDLoader executable.
b) Transfering that save to a thumbdrive
c) Using the Action Replay Max to uncompress the savegame onto your memory card
d) Boot up your PS2 with the PS1 game of choice in the drive and the memory card in slot 1. A menu will come up, and you'll have to configure it to point to the HDLoader executable.

As a seperate process, you'd need to set up your new PS2-dedicated hard drive for the hard drive love. Make sure you have a compatible hard drive! (http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/?p=list). If it's listed as incompatible, most like the power and IDE spots aren't positioned to properly mate with the PS2 network adaptor, but that can be fixed by removing the metal plate on the network adaptor and dicking around a bit. Nothing too difficult, but an extra step that's nice to avoid if at all possible :)

a) Grab a copy of WinHIIP (which I'd be more than happy to host for you)
b) Hook up the hard drive to your PC (either on the IDE chain or via an external enclosure of some flavor)
c) Format the hard drive using WinHIIP (or whatever other PS2 hard drive managing utility you feel like using)!
d) Remove the hard drive from your PC and hook it up to the network adaptor
e) Screw it into the back of the PS2

After that, whenever you want to boot up to the hard drive, you'll just have to have both the memory card in slot 1 and the selected PS1 game in the drive. Remove either from the equasion and it functions as a plain jane PS2 (well unless you have a crappy disc drive, in which case it probably doesn't function very well at all!)

...but yea, if anyone needs any of the files (including the most recent HDLoader builds) just let me know and I'll hook you up. I just don't want to post 'em in the open because then they'd wind up on google and other message boards and stuff. I'm not really looking to hook up the entire internet or anything :) None of the stuff is hindered by shady copyright status and IMO it's the best way to play imports on your system without voiding your warranty.

oh, and it looks like a lot of stuff to do, but it's really not that bad! The biggest problem you're going to run into is realizing that you want to install a lot more than what you have space for :)

[Niku-Sama]

alright well i'll give it a shot tommorow or some time later in the week...tommorow may wind up being hella busy and i HAVE to see venture brothers and i have to go to some one elses house to see it.

any way this is the hard drive i'll be using if its still functional:
http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/?p=drive&did=3255

its only 40 gig, enough to get a few games on there but inorder to get them all i am gonna have to get a 250 gig drive and well that would be awsome

edit:

i dont see in your little walk though where you put the games on the drive though the computer while the hard drive is hooked up directly over IDE

[roushimsx]

i dont see in your little walk though where you put the games on the drive though the computer while the hard drive is hooked up directly over IDE

You would do that through WinHIIP. It's quite the swiss army knife when it comes to working with your PS2 Hard Drive :)

I left it out of the little overview up there to leave open the possibility of installing straight from your PS2 DVD ROM, but in hindsight I probably should have thrown it in there anyway :(

[Oobgarm]

If you can do what's mentioned above, you're better off than buying one from a seller. I've been doing OK with the original release version, but I know the updated one would be awesome.

Also, isn't the max HDD size 120GB? Or does the patched version accept larger?

[Mayhem]

Can go up to 200GB now I believe.

[smork]

HD Loader fried my PS2.

Worked well for a while, then one day, poof! No PS2. It gave me good cause to buy a slimline, so all was not lost, but it pissed me off.

I think maybe my HD came loose in the mounting and caused a short, but I am not sure. Took it to a tech, they told me some board was fried and it'd cost $50 or $60 to fix. Too much for a PS2. Anyway, the program generally worked, but I didn't want to risk blowing another console so I never tried it again.

Sure made load times nice, though!

[roushimsx]

Also, isn't the max HDD size 120GB? Or does the patched version accept larger?

In the original release the maximum hard drive size was 137mb because of a limitation of the PS2's HD file system, but that's since been patched and now drives of just about any size work dandy (what I wouldn't give to throw a 500gb drive in there :) )

[c0ldb33r]

I've been usig HDLoader off a 80GD for awhile now - no problems. I just downloaded it onto a USB stick and copied it over to the HDD.

[youruglyclone]

hdl is great for lazy people...I mean I don't have to swap games I just get to select my games on a drive.

although it can be used for illegitimate means, it's still an awesome tool.

[Niku-Sama]

well that hard drive i have is toast and i am outa money.

some one should write a walk through with the USB do it your self way, alot of it still isnt making any sence to me

[Mr. Smashy]

Does anybody know of any good software compatibility lists (which, if so, they would care to link)?

Edit: Thanks. Got it. :)

[Niku-Sama]

Niku-Sama uses Ressurect on Thread: HD Advance/Loader for ps2

HD Advance/Loader for ps2 Regenerates 10 HP and 1 MP
so its been a while and i have been looking for a drive all this time but its time to say screw it

alright i cant seem to track down a decent hard drive or who i am lookin to buy from fell off the face of thye earth so i am using a 20 gig to get it workin...

i nabbed a network adaptor for my Extra PS2 for $10 new the other day, using WinHIIP to format the drive and transfer games, Burnout Revenge is being coppied as i type because i figured it would be a good one to see about the load times...just finished, now an import (MvsC2).

but i got a few questions.

and how do i get the thumb drive way to work?
i read some where it needed Max Media center or something like that from ARmax...i dont have a ARmax thumb drive but i do have a Imation 32 meg thumb drive i used for GT4 pics off my ps2 so i know it works.

By thumbdrive i mean thumb drive only. i have seen people referencing to a way to use ONLY a thumb drive and no memory card to boot.

and is there a list of DVD-9 Games?

edit:
took out a dumbass question and tried to make it more clear on another.

still cant find a DVD-9 list

[Joker T]

hdl is great for lazy people...I mean I don't have to swap games I just get to select my games on a drive.

although it can be used for illegitimate means, it's still an awesome tool.

Dont you need to reset the ps2 to access the games since it still thinks your using a disk?

[Howie6925]

That and whats the deal with the discs for HD Advance, they look odd on the bottom, does anyone know what the story is with those?

It is so you cant burn copies of them

[Niku-Sama]

hdl is great for lazy people...I mean I don't have to swap games I just get to select my games on a drive.

although it can be used for illegitimate means, it's still an awesome tool.

Dont you need to reset the ps2 to access the games since it still thinks your using a disk?

what do you mean by this mr west?

any way i got it working kinda, i used the exploit for USB and replaced one file with HD loader and it boots from hd loader instead....uses a few funky programs like cogswap, elfloader and some exploit make on your PC. you also need Action Replay Max to get it to work, been thinkin of making a write up and putting it some place but i donno.


stuff like this to me is really fun i can usually figure out another way of doing it.

[Oobgarm]

hdl is great for lazy people...I mean I don't have to swap games I just get to select my games on a drive.

although it can be used for illegitimate means, it's still an awesome tool.

Dont you need to reset the ps2 to access the games since it still thinks your using a disk?

what do you mean by this mr west?

Yes, you still have to reset the PS2 between games. The HD Loader has to be launched each time, since some games require that the HD Loader be out of the system's memory or they won't work.


any way i got it working kinda, i used the exploit for USB and replaced one file with HD loader and it boots from hd loader instead....uses a few funky programs like cogswap, elfloader and some exploit make on your PC. you also need Action Replay Max to get it to work, been thinkin of making a write up and putting it some place but i donno.


stuff like this to me is really fun i can usually figure out another way of doing it.

I'm glad to see you got it working. I've got a co-worker that I'm probably going to end up doing this for, and maybe even myself since I'm still using the original HD Loader disc.

[Oobgarm]

Blast! A double post! Damn search table errors!

:embarrassed:

[shadowkn55]

any way i got it working kinda, i used the exploit for USB and replaced one file with HD loader and it boots from hd loader instead....uses a few funky programs like cogswap, elfloader and some exploit make on your PC. you also need Action Replay Max to get it to work, been thinkin of making a write up and putting it some place but i donno.


It's already been done.

http://www.exploitstation.com

[Niku-Sama]

i dont really see in there where it says to use a usb thumb drive...i didnt really find a tutorial for this piticular thing, i found this tutorial for the independence complier (http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2/337567#2076536)
and went over to SKS Apps (http://www.sksapps.com/) and grabbed a HD loader Elf file and since the complier has an option to stick an elf file in there i did it then, then i took the file, did something to make it so AR max can read it, un crushed it on my PS2's memory card, stuck the PS1 disc in, turned it on, configured it to boot from the HDL elf file and lowered the time out so i dont wait so long and its going.

i can usually figure this stuff out if i have a good starting point....the PS2 i am using this on was broken, botched mod chip install but i was able to fix it (previous owner dripped a ball of solder over 2 contacts) and it was HELLA dirty inside, after i fixed it it would read blue discs and cleaning it fixed that....paid $20 for the thing

burnout revenge isnt working but i deleted it before i could try mode 3 and i cant install it over the PS2 drive at all....mabe i should make a write up specificly for this because i dont see one any where.

[shadowkn55]

I found two tutorials:

Using ARMax (http://exploitstation.com/articles/armax_exploit_usb/ARMaxExploitUSB.html)

Using Code Breaker (http://www.exploitstation.com/articles/codebreaker_exploit.php)

[shadowkn55]

burnout revenge isnt working but i deleted it before i could try mode 3 and i cant install it over the PS2 drive at all....mabe i should make a write up specificly for this because i dont see one any where.

Try consulting ps2hd (http://www.ps2hd.com) to see if any games need modes enables to make them work.

You can also use Winhiip to transfer games. It is pretty straight forward to use so a tutorial really isn't needed.

[Niku-Sama]

Blast! A double post! Damn search table errors!

:embarrassed:

i know ARGH but dont be ebbarased its not your fault...when ever i suggest something in the sticky that shows up explinging these problems it dissappears so forget it, i may not have been here very long but its a vital tool and osme times its needed to be up when its often not.

any way shadowkn55 i know your trying to help, in the post i used to ressurect the thread i had already been using winhiip and the thumb drive thing was i rember seeing some where to boot it completely off the thumb drive, mabe i imagined it or it was something some one was still working on either way, i dont quite see a walk through quite how i did it.

mode 3 helped burnout, load times arent much faster in it but its better than it was, haveing only 20 gigs blows because i think i have a total of 5 games (one cd) on it.
itsa good way to play imports.

i'm going to start transfering them over the network though, much easier it seems so i'll have to do an all in one with the exploit, loader and network stuff, i also better get on AR max and copy all my saves to the thumb drive so i dont screw them all up when i mes up the files on the card, already had one scare today....close one

[shadowkn55]

i'm going to start transfering them over the network though, much easier it seems so i'll have to do an all in one with the exploit, loader and network stuff, i also better get on AR max and copy all my saves to the thumb drive so i dont screw them all up when i mes up the files on the card, already had one scare today....close one

If I remember correctly, I think you need to setup PS2 Link on the ps2 side and use HDLDump on the pc side. 100 BaseT was a bit too slow for me. I bought one of those caseless usb-ide connnectors so I could transfer games a bit faster. Since you are able to use the latest patched HDL, you should try skinning it. It gives a nice personal look to HDL when it loads up. Also be careful about using MC Format, I think it comes with one of the packs. One false move and your mem card is wiped clean. Although it does come in handy when you have loads of files you can't remove using the browser.

[JWKobayashi]

Question on a somewhat related note:

Is it possible to play PS1 games off of the Hard Drive? I don't really have much of a use to play PS2 games off of it, but I've been itching to play some PS1 imports that my PS2 won't play with Swap Magic.

Anyway, I've looked around and found that some people said that you can do it, but any links to info that I found were dead. If anyone has tried it, is it close to the same process that you use to play PS2 games?

[shadowkn55]

It's not possible to play ps1 games using the hard drive. The hardware that controls the network adaptor and hdd is the same hardware that carries out ps1 emulation. You have to pick one or the other.