PS2 running homebrew & backups from HDD via "softmod"

[xdaniel]

Using a PS2 Network Adapter, an old IDE hard disk of 20+ GB and up to 128 GB (or more, but only that will be usable) and certain HDD disk images floating around, one can easily get their PS2 to run homebrew software, game backups, etc. from the HDD - just hook it up to your PC, write the disk image to it, put it back into the PS2 and you're done. No need to somehow copy stuff like Free McBoot to a memory card anymore, everything is on the hard disk!

 

...well, almost everything. The program that backs your game disks up to the HDD, called Kermit, needs to be copied to and run from a memory card, otherwise the games won't be made bootable from the Browser. Also, out-of-region import games cannot be read by the PS2 itself no matter what, so those you'll need to install either via network - with the PS2 as a server, and a program on the PC shoveling the game over - or by plugging the HDD into your PC - using another program to write a game either from ISO or a DVD drive to the HDD.

 

Also, getting software onto the HDD in general seems a bit... complicated, just like customizing their appearance in the Browser. To, say, have the game's cover art display in the Browser, you currently need to hex edit sectors on the HDD itself, as there doesn't seem to be a program (neither on PS2 nor PC side) that allows you to do this. I probably won't bother doing that unless I can find such a program.

 

Note: I don't think I can link you to said HDD images, tho, as they contain some copyrighted stuff - at the very least the HDD-capable PS2 Browser - but Google and "HDD-OSD" should do the trick. Maybe "PSBBN" too, as that, the "PlayStation Broadband Navigator", is the main feature of the disk image I used.

 

 

(Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced installed on HDD; the game running without the DVD in the drive)

(Also, please excuse the crappy photos, it's past 3 am and I can't be bothered to take better shots right now...)

 

[Conker]

I remember when I dabbled around in this.

I need to get PS2 games setup on my HDD again.

[Mallos31]

Mine just plays burned games. But it's pretty awesome!

[xdaniel]

Mine just plays burned games. But it's pretty awesome!

 

Well, mine doesn't, so I have to mess around with software solutions to get any homebrew, imports or copied games to run   Granted, I can run burned games if I first patch the ISO image for the ESR loader application, burn it to a DVD, then insert the patched DVD and run the game through ESR. That doesn't work for all games, tho - IIRC only single-layer DVD-based ones, everything else has to be rebuild or something - and is kinda annoying if you have an original import game you just want to play but can't, unless you rip, patch and burn it first...