Help With My PS2 BIOS Dump

[TheMarkNelson]

I'm wanting to use my PC for the few PS1/PS2 games I have and get rid of an extra console on my shelf.  I'm more of an out of the box user and have never modded something in my life.  However, I am pretty good at following steps that someone else provides me.

From what I have read so far, in order to get the BIOS from my PS2 I need to have special code running on the PS2.  Then plug in a USB with an ELF file to dump it onto my flash drive.  I read the instructions in the PDF here https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Guide-to...s-over-LAN and aside from being very overwhelmed by how complicated this already sounds, there is STILL a part in there that says "steps do not cover Modchips and how you will boot your custom code onto your ps2" which means nothing to me.

Is there an updated, fool proof process that someone can provide me a link to?  I need the entire process from "I have a factory PS2" to "now I have the BIOS on my flash drive".  Please and thank you to anyone that can help.  This must be something that everyone here did without issue so somehow I am making it harder than it really is.

[pandubz]

The two popular options these days are FreeDVDBoot and FreeMCBoot. Mod chips were, once upon a time, the go-to method for PS2 exploiting, but those days have long since passed.

FreeDVDBoot is a newer exploit that just recently came out. It only works for a few specific slim models and is a bit more technical to set up, but in the end all you need is a blank DVD and you're ready to go: https://github.com/CTurt/FreeDVDBoot

FreeMCBoot is an age old method that works for all but the newest 9xxxx series slim PS2s. Simply get your hands on a FreeMCBoot exploited memory card, plug it in, turn on your PS2 and you can then boot uLaunchELF (usually included in the memcard) and run any ELF you want. You can find FreeMCBoot exploited memory cards online for ~10 USD, or if you know someone whose PS2 is already exploited, you can give them one of your memory cards and ask them nicely to install FreeMCBoot to it.

[TheMarkNelson]

Wow...thank you. That seems pretty cut and dry. If I do that, do I need to have the Ethernet adapter like that guy said and follow the memory card exploit instructions?

In other words, can I just stick that memory card in and boot uLaunchELF without all those other steps? The actual BIOS dumping piece seems easy. It’s everything before that I’m terrified of.

[TheMarkNelson]

I also meant to ask, the big PS2 BIOS should work okay with PS1 games? But not the slim model BIOS. Correct?

[pandubz]

Yes, and yes. Once you have FreeMCBoot, running the BIOS dumper is as simple as clicking a few buttons. And the fat PS2 BIOS is usable for PS1 in PCSX2, but slim BIOSes will not work. Should add an extra note, PS1 games are bootable but not going to run super well. There is a thread that explains it here: https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-PSX-Mode...ility-List

[vsub]

And one extra note
If your flash drive don't have any activity indicators,don't think the dumper crashed\freezed
I had a flash drive with activity led and on my ps2 it took 4 minutes without anything changing on the screen until I got the success message from the dumper.

[Saiki]

FreeMCBoot is an age old method that works for all but the newest 9xxxx series slim PS2s. Simply get your hands on a FreeMCBoot exploited memory card, plug it in, turn on your PS2 and you can then boot uLaunchELF (usually included in the memcard) and run any ELF you want. 

You can use uLaunchELf on a "new" slimline PS2, but you can't freeMcBoot it