not another (how do) BIOS thread!
#1
well, after trawling through google and guides and forums and hitting the wonderful 404 bedrock feeling like i've just watched inception back to back about 15 times here i am.....

so, usual short version of the same old story, ps2 disc drive dies, looks at emulation, finds pcsx2 then falls down a rabbit hole of technical information.....

basically, my ps2 is dead, one of the first of the original "fat" versions that hit the uk and i've kept it alive all these years, until the reminiscing bug caught me a few days ago to have another blast through ratchet and clank only to be met with a dead disc drive.

well, it's not completely dead, everything spins, and after cleaning the head moves ok, the laser flashes, but after every home-brew adjustment the internet has to offer it won't read anything, even brand new dvd's.

and this is where the catch 22 comes in- i want to go for emulation so i can play my games, and also back them up for the future. but as far as i can find all the guides out there cover either modded consoles, or using discs, needless to say my unmodded unreading console can do neither.

so basically i seem to have 3 options:
1. get the bios via usb, if that's even possible
2. get another console and remember to get the bios off before it breaks
3. give up and go back to playing borderlands on pc
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#2
Have you got a friend with a PS2 who can prepare a FreeMCBoot memory card? if they can do that, you can boot from the bios in to the bios dumper, avoiding the DVD drive altogether.

You do have another option, get a replacement laser and replace your one Smile But that said, booting a disc isn't the easiest way to dump your bios.
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#3
(02-26-2018, 09:50 PM)refraction Wrote: Have you got a friend with a PS2 who can prepare a FreeMCBoot memory card?
If not, you should be able to buy one of those on ebay or one of its alternatives.
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#4
(02-26-2018, 09:50 PM)refraction Wrote: Have you got a friend with a PS2 who can prepare a FreeMCBoot memory card? if they can do that, you can boot from the bios in to the bios dumper, avoiding the DVD drive altogether.

You do have another option, get a replacement laser and replace your one Smile But that said, booting a disc isn't the easiest way to dump your bios.

i can have an ask around, but off the top of my head i cant think of anyone who i know has a functioning ps2, i'm not fussed on preserving saves so should be fine to sacrifice the card. does freemcboot need a modded console to install initially to the card?

replacement laser is a possibility, i swore i'd never go on ebay, but i guess for £3 it could be worth a shot. i know mine still sorta works (red flash when you power up with the thing cracked open) but i've tried all the voltage/calibration adjustments and it still wont read.

come to think of it, folk are selling freemcboot cards on the bay anyway, so i'll give one of them a shot first and see. i feel dirty now, awaiting the obligatory "help i've been scammed" thread Laugh
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#5
FreeMCboot does not require a modded console to use only to make.... though a console running freeMCboot can make a freeMCboot card (chicken hello egg) as freeMCboot allows for running homebrew like the kind tht can create the card.

The easiest solution is a to get a freeMCboot memory card and that will allow you to do what you need to do to get the files you want from your PS2 (broken dvd drive will not matter)
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#6
(02-26-2018, 10:33 PM)TkSilver Wrote: FreeMCboot does not require a modded console to use only to make.... though a console running freeMCboot can make a freeMCboot card (chicken hello egg) as freeMCboot allows for running homebrew like the kind tht can create the card.

The easiest solution is a to get a freeMCboot memory card and that will allow you to do what you need to do to get the files you want from your PS2 (broken dvd drive will not matter)

yeah, i've gambled on one from ebay, will see how that goes. note to self: once i get the bios off this thing make all the backups

and backup all the games too.

kind of a shame this is the sort of thing folk have to resort to because sony doesn't understand the phrase "backwards compatibility". although that said i'm sure i'll be equally screwed when steam goes bust and i lose my entire game library.

come to think of it, should probably look into doing this for my ps3 as well, while it's still working.
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#7
You generally do not have to "backup" your games (unless you are worried about damaging the discs). The PS2 DVDs generally read perfectly fine in most PC DVD readers.

If you want to make game backups (because you want easy access to your collection at the cost space) then almost any DVD ripping software can work, thoigh IMGburn seems to be a general favorite among users here. Unlike PS1 backups there really are very few if any ways to make a bad backup.
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#8
Can confirm imgburn is flawless for PS2 disc dumps. Only word of warning, download the software via ninite.com instead of the developer site, just to avoid any bloatware that may come with it.
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#9
(02-26-2018, 10:33 PM)TkSilver Wrote: FreeMCboot does not require a modded console to use only to make.... though a console running freeMCboot can make a freeMCboot card (chicken hello egg) as freeMCboot allows for running homebrew like the kind tht can create the card.

The easiest solution is a to get a freeMCboot memory card and that will allow you to do what you need to do to get the files you want from your PS2 (broken dvd drive will not matter)

There are methods that allows you to install FMCB on unmodded PS2 but the dvd drive must work and to have one of the games or softwares that allow that
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#10
I guess to be fair I should have said that you need a modded console to make a freeMCvoot card. How you mod the console to run .elf files really does not matter. Though with a broken DVD laser the only way I know to mod a PS2 is with a freeMCboot card that was already made and using a card is still the easiest way to do it even if you can use the other methods.
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