PS2 Interested on buying a PSX

nickxab

Glitta
Hello team :D

These days i'm searching a lot about the PSX, i want to have as much info as i can before i proceed to buy one.
I saw that if the HDD dies then it's kinda a useless machine.

1)
First of all i wanna say that i have a spare official Sony PS2 HDD 40GB (SCPH-20401).
In case i find one with broken HDD should i buy it and put the SCPH-20401 HDD in it ? Will the DVR function 100 % ?

2)
If i find a donor HDD from a PSX does it worth to buy one with broken HDD ?

3) Is there any replacement dvd laser lens ? Because i can't find any.

4) Which model is more worthy to own ? For modding i mean.
 
Hello, long time no see. ;]

Ad1. Yes and no. You need additional tasks to perform to restore logic structure and data on it (i.e card with FMCB for DESRs). Seek DESRs with last firmwares installed (1.31 or 2.11, depend of model) because their HDD files be easy to find.

Ad2. Only if You can replace it by original HDD. Also seek DESR with working BOTH lasers.

Ad3. No. But there are some stock ODDW which can serve as donors.
 
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Yeah long time no see :D
Thanks for the replies Berion.

I was thinking something about the HDDs. Sony's official disks are rebranded HDDs.
So why we don't do the same as the PS3 bluray drivers replacement ? I mean use the same board of the original HDD to a donor HDD.

For example mine






As you can see it's a rebranded Seagate ST340015A.
108099-600x600.jpg


What if we use the original HDD board onto a disk like this ? Did anyone try that ? :sco hmmthink:
 
PS2 and DESR disks using special firmware (I'm talking about disks fw, not consoles fw). You cannot swap PCBs because some part of firmware and disk security (like e.g HDD ID sector) lies on platter. Also, You should never swap them in any case because you can loose disk geometry data, which leads to disaster (depend where it is stored, in flash or DFA/SA).

That fw supporting custom ata commands used for i.e retrieving HDD ID key, to mix it with his static key, to forge from both final disk encryption key by which UA is encrypting/decrypting. Speaking of which, I recommend to dump it (for future usage). You can do this by PS2HDH (keygen script). HDD ID is unique per PS2/DESR disk unit.
 
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You can restore DESR functionality with dead HDD to working unit by only using SCPH or DESR disk. For now, no other public solution is available (IDE Emulator turned to be a scam :(). But it is annoying process anyway. So yeah, best if you will search for working console (both lasers, and HDD, booting to XMB, no translations applied, last 1.xx/2.xx fw).
 
You can restore DESR functionality with dead HDD to working unit by only using SCPH or DESR disk. For now, no other public solution is available (IDE Emulator turned to be a scam :(). But it is annoying process anyway. So yeah, best if you will search for working console (both lasers, and HDD, booting to XMB, no translations applied, last 1.xx/2.xx fw).
Oh there was such a project ? Daaamn ! :(
 
I don't want to create another thread for this so i will continue here.:D
In the past year i was busy and i hadn't time to search for them, now i have some free time so i'm searching for info.

After some search i found that DESR-5000/5100/7000/7100 models even with broken HDDs will work as PS2s with freemcboot.
So i will get one and use it as PS2 and i hope someone will find a way to replace HDDs on these beasts one day.

By the way did anyone try the new HOSDMenu with PSX ?
 
Another project related to IDE emulation is nearly finished. So that day will come soon.

HOSDM will not work on DESR, because DESRs have not contains in fw OSDSYS or HDD OSD.
 
Another project related to IDE emulation is nearly finished. So that day will come soon.

HOSDM will not work on DESR, because DESRs have not contains in fw OSDSYS or HDD OSD.
Oooh i see !

Really ? which project ? I saw somewhere that a HDD expertise who helped the XBOX community wanted to take a look at PSX HDDs but i don't know what happened next.
 
I don't remember the link, but the author is Mena, and he published his emulator on PS2Scene and PS2Space discord channels. AFAIR it already working, just author trying redesign PCB to be smaller.

Nothing probably, that's didn't goes anywhere forward - at least in public.

from other news, SPEED has been "decaped". Maybe that will help to retrieve the part of disk key.
 
An update.
I converted the PSU from the white DESR-7100 to 220V and i gave it a go. It booted straight to the XMB.
Does it mean that it has a fully working HDD ?
 
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yeah that was my next plan, i want to disassemble it again anyways to clean it up so i will check the disk as well. :D
 

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