PS2 PSX DESR needs hdd

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

some people said that from some Sony's DVRs)

This part was actually disproven. The DVR in question, the RDR-HX900, was tested by myself and someone else on here (Davewatts?) and they use standard HDDs. The DVRP refused to connect to it. wLE showed the HDD Status as not connected.

The only drives currently compatible for the PSX are the 160/250GB drives that came in the DESR consoles and the official 40GB PS2 HDDs (SCPH-2040X). A fix is in the works to patch out the authenticity check. No ETA yet sadly.

You will end with dead console if it one day failed.

Not entirely, you can use FMCB to boot wLE, OPL, and everything else (well, except GSM... it crashes the console for some reason). You can even MechaPwn it thanks to AKuHAK's MP 3.0 builds and my beta testing. The latest public build black screens on the end of installation but works fine. Latest private beta works as intended but isn't done on the PS2 side.

If you go with a more reliable 40GB drive, getting the XMB back is nearly impossible without a couple private beta homebrews.

But if the HDD does die, you now have the fanciest PS2 Slim.

 

[Berion]

@Green Hawk If XMB have such option and formatted it in that way, it means it is proper. But... how is this possible? That's totally new information for me, and thanks for the detailed description.

Those are not folders but partitions.

None of the uLE can do that because expecting 128MiB allocating. The only solution here I see is to goes to uLE, format HDD, create all needed partitions and copy files there without reboot in the middle. But, this will kill all the partitions past and included second index.

@MonkeyBoyJoey Thanks for the informations!

Yes, thanks to FMCB You can still use it, but I have in mind HDD as it (currently) cannot be replaced by any HDD, only those "special HDD".

- - -

BTW: Since You guys have DESR models, could You check current wLE build if they support fully DESR HDD? Older builds seen space covering by second index as "bhdd:/", while newer - I don't know because I cannot test it - as standard "hdd0:/" but with visible "__xdata" and "__xcontents" or as "dvr_hdd0:/". I would also be glad for a screenshots.

 

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

XMB doesn't have a format HDD option, you have to factory reset it or low level format the drive and restore from an image. Even then, I'm not sure if a factory reset will repartition the drive. Pretty sure the Update Discs can do it but it won't update a console on the same firmware as the disc. If the drive is missing some partitions in the PS2 area, it will error out with an HDD error (this happened on a 40GB drive, haven't confirmed it on a 160/250GB drive). @krHACKen can correct me if I'm wrong there.

@MonkeyBoyJoey Thanks for the informations!

Yes, thanks to FMCB You can still use it, but I have in mind HDD as it (currently) cannot be replaced by any HDD, only those "special HDD".

Yeah, you are right. I was just confirming that for those that may be confused and try to buy a useless DVR to fix our lovely doorstops... I may have done that... I won't confirm this... Nor deny it... The RDR-HX900 looks very nice underneath my 34" 16:9 WEGA

BTW: Since You guys have DESR models, could You check current wLE build if they support fully DESR HDD? Older builds seen space covering by second index as "bhdd:/", while newer - I don't know because I cannot test it - as standard "hdd0:/" but with visible "__xdata" and "__xcontents" or as "dvr_hdd0:/". I would also be glad for a screenshots.

Interesting, I'll fire up the test PSX and try it out. I'll either edit this post or make a new one if someone posts after this post. (double posting bad! )

EDIT:

Looks like I can see the videos in there. Does this build have networking? Copying out to USB is soooooooooooooooooooo slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Copying to a new HDD partition and using smbLaunchElf is not an option on my 5100...

 

[Berion]

Thank You for the tests and screens. Awesome news. @uyjulian have written both implementations (first (bhdd) have problem to access data beyond LBA28 if I remember correct) and it seems that finally the last one has been merged into main tree.

So DESR also have USB 1.1? Maybe host works, I dunno. @krHACKen using his own network tool for push/pull data via network on DESR so maybe he could publish it (or already did it but on dead assemblers forum?).

 

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

Thank You for the tests and screens. Awesome news. @uyjulian have written both implementations (first (bhdd) have problem to access data beyond LBA28 if I remember correct) and it seems that finally the last one has been merged into main tree.

No problem, I'm just glad to see it is finally in the main builds.

So DESR also have USB 1.1? Maybe host works, I dunno. @krHACKen using his own network tool for push/pull data via network on DESR so maybe he could publish it (or already did it but on dead assemblers forum?).

Yeah, just a single USB 1.1 port on the front.

krHACKen's method was to use a build of wLE that supports dvr_hdd0:/, copy the files to a new partition in the 40GB PS2 area, and then copy them out to a PC using FTP in a different build or the smbLaunchELF build.

That method is great for consoles that aren't on the verge of death. I nearly killed one trying this so I would like a build that supports both dvr_hdd0:/ and either FTP or SMB. I need to save the first run of some popular anime off the 5100 for a friend.

 

[Green Hawk]

I managed to increase the size of the partitions, system, sysconf and commom, I formatted the HDD on the PSX2 7500. Now I have the Xmb again, but when I turn on the PSX it crashes on the xmb icon screen. I think I have to use the update disk to resolve this.

Hangs on this screen of the last image.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

Hello people!

I read all the post, and I have got confused.

I have 5 psx that they are not working. Unfortunately, they are not reading CDs and DVDs. Well, two of 5, I removed the HDD and checked them. There weren't any bad sectors. They are completely new. I have researched and the information are confused and incomplete. Suddenly, I found a Russian website that it is so clearly.
My doubts are about HDD. Once you plugged it, you need the CD to install everything? I will format the HDD before I plug it.
Any suggestion about lens?
In aliexpress I bought +10 khs 400c and they didn't work.

 

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

Hello people!

I read all the post, and I have got confused.

I have 5 psx that they are not working. Unfortunately, they are not reading CDs and DVDs. Well, two of 5, I removed the HDD and checked them. There weren't any bad sectors. They are completely new. I have researched and the information are confused and incomplete. Suddenly, I found a Russian website that it is so clearly.
My doubts are about HDD. Once you plugged it, you need the CD to install everything? I will format the HDD before I plug it.
Any suggestion about lens?
In aliexpress I bought +10 khs 400c and they didn't work.

When the console doesn't read discs, it's usually because the DVD Burner laser is dead. It uses that to detect the disc and then sends it over to the PS2 lasers for reading. This prevents the PS2 lasers from blowing up if a blank disc is inserted.

For PSX1 (5000, 7000, 5100, 7100), you'll need the KWS-200A. For PSX2 (5500, 7500, 5700, 7700), you will need a SF-DB11. You can find them in the following:

KWS-200A

• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 3
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 7
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 300

SF-DB11

• Sony IDE DVD Drive DRU-710A
  
• Sony IDE DVD Drive DW-Q28A

A blank HDD cannot be formatted with the PSX Update CDs. You need to have a functioning XMB. If you do not, krHACKen may be able to assist. In addition, it has to be a drive directly from a PSX or the official 40GB PS2 HDD (SCPH-20401). You cannot use any other HDDs.



EDIT: See niino's post below for correction about the SF-DB11.

 

[niino]

When the console doesn't read discs, it's usually because the DVD Burner laser is dead. It uses that to detect the disc and then sends it over to the PS2 lasers for reading. This prevents the PS2 lasers from blowing up if a blank disc is inserted.

For PSX1 (5000, 7000, 5100, 7100), you'll need the KWS-200A. For PSX2 (5500, 7500, 5700, 7700), you will need a SF-DB11. You can find them in the following:

KWS-200A

• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 3
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 7
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 300

SF-DB11

• Sony IDE DVD Drive DRU-710A
  
• Sony IDE DVD Drive DW-Q28A

A blank HDD cannot be formatted with the PSX Update CDs. You need to have a functioning XMB. If you do not, krHACKen may be able to assist. In addition, it has to be a drive directly from a PSX or the official 40GB PS2 HDD (SCPH-20401). You cannot use any other HDDs.

The DW-Q28A will NOT work; it has a different revision of the SF-DB11 and will either blow the 5V fuse on the PSX board or burn the laser flex cable. Only revisions T01 to T07 of the SF-DB11 are ok (don't know about T08, but T09 and later are definitely NOT ok, and all variants with an S before the revision, like S03, also don't work, only T01-T07).

 

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

The DW-Q28A will NOT work; it has a different revision of the SF-DB11 and will either blow the 5V fuse on the PSX board or burn the laser flex cable. Only revisions T01 to T07 of the SF-DB11 are ok (don't know about T08, but T09 and later are definitely NOT ok, and all variants with an S before the revision, like S03, also don't work, only T01-T07).

That's good to know, I found this info a while back on Twitter. One of the big PSX guys posted it. Apparently it is a standard ATAPI laser so either switching it out for a different one via software or emulating it entirely on FPGA is possible. Nobody has come up with a solution for this though.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

When the console doesn't read discs, it's usually because the DVD Burner laser is dead. It uses that to detect the disc and then sends it over to the PS2 lasers for reading. This prevents the PS2 lasers from blowing up if a blank disc is inserted.

For PSX1 (5000, 7000, 5100, 7100), you'll need the KWS-200A. For PSX2 (5500, 7500, 5700, 7700), you will need a SF-DB11. You can find them in the following:

KWS-200A

• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 3
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 7
• Sony DVR Recorder RDR GX 300

SF-DB11

• Sony IDE DVD Drive DRU-710A
  
• Sony IDE DVD Drive DW-Q28A

A blank HDD cannot be formatted with the PSX Update CDs. You need to have a functioning XMB. If you do not, krHACKen may be able to assist. In addition, it has to be a drive directly from a PSX or the official 40GB PS2 HDD (SCPH-20401). You cannot use any other HDDs.

Dear friend, I already do a very extensive research about PSX on the internet, and unfortunately, I have no programming knowledge to decrypt a hdd. If not, I already would.
As I mentioned, I have 5 PSXs, 2 I removed the hdd thinking that both were not working, it was just the black screen after the psx logo. They are new, and I formatted them. What I studied a lot is that you can replace the HDD only with the PS2 HDD or a Maxtor or Seagate 160 gb HDD, which are the originals present in the PSX. The question I have, once formatted, they will need the operating system inside them, so I would have to use another psx that is working to read cd?
Now this one about the cd and dvd player, I didn't know. I thought it was just the PS1 and PS2 player the KHS-400C, according to these sites below, the one responsible for reading games is the KHS-400C DVD and CD, and the other laser only for DVD-RW.
http://thepsx.blogspot.com/
https://www.savagemessiahzine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=944435
But researching further, I found that it actually passes to another KHS-400C reader when the media is not compatible with it.
What do you think using DD to copy the HDD from one, and paste the files on another Maxtor, Seagate or Sony HDD?

 

[Berion]

and unfortunately, I have no programming knowledge to decrypt a hdd.

You don't need have any programming knowledge. But besides that, no one know how to decrypt it (how to retrieve keys, what algo is used, with what seeds/iv etc.).

DESRs are still terra incognita for most of stuff which not exist in standard retail, dev and debug models. That's because it was available only in Japan, with cosmic price and have several hardware time bombs. ;]

What do you think using DD to copy the HDD from one, and paste the files on another Maxtor, Seagate or Sony HDD?

If encryption is done per unit, then for another DESR, HDD from different unit will be visible as empty.

And You misleading conceptions... Disk image is not the same as disk logic. Written disk image is not putting any files anywhere but writing each sector from this disk image without need of understanding the logic (that's the point of making disk image). You can putting files from working unit to another if You already have formatted and encrypted HDD which DESR will see (and probably You are wrong, as I read, are all DESR HDDs can be used and all PS2 official HDDs).

 

[Lady_Yuna]

You don't need have any programming knowledge. But besides that, no one know how to decrypt it (how to retrieve keys, what algo is used, with what seeds/iv etc.).

DESRs are still terra incognita for most of stuff which not exist in standard retail, dev and debug models. That's because it was available only in Japan, with cosmic price and have several hardware time bombs. ;]


If encryption is done per unit, then for another DESR, HDD from different unit will be visible as empty.

I know the HDD can be replaceable. How do I do?

 

[Lady_Yuna]

New ways to get PSX lens:

KWS-200A Sony Drivers:
1. - DW-U10A
2. - DW-U11A
3. - DW-U12A
4. - DW-U14A
5. - DW- U15A
6. - DRU-500A
7. - DRU-510A

 

[Berion]

You need to make disk image (but You formatted already disks so You won't be able to do it) and write it to another compatible disk. That's what I know.

However... there was works allowing to use any HDD but this needs a device between controller and a disk to translate ata communication. Not published yet, no release date too.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

You need to make disk image (but You formatted already disks so You won't be able to do it) and write it to another compatible disk. That's what I know.

However... there was works allowing to use any HDD but this needs a device between controller and a disk to translate ata communication. Not published yet, no release date too.

Yes, I will extract some image from other 3 PSXs I have, and paste to inside of these two HDDs. One day, I hope someone can make this console useful all its functionalities

 

[Berion]

If encryption is made per unit, You cannot write HDD image made on another console because it will be encrypted by different key, so for this console HDD will be blank.

You still don't get it and mixing few different things with each other. HDD compatibility is one thing. Encryption HDD is another. And contents is yet another.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

Se a criptografia for feita por unidade, você não poderá gravar uma imagem de HDD feita em outro console porque ela será criptografada por uma chave diferente, portanto, para este console, o HDD ficará em branco.

Você ainda não entendeu e mistura algumas coisas diferentes umas com as outras. Compatibilidade HDD é uma coisa. Criptografia HDD é outra. E o conteúdo é outro.

So what do you suggest? -.-

 

[Berion]

I don't know what are procedures to restore environment with empty drive. You need somehow force DESR to format it on this specific DESR unit, for sure You need both: compatible ODD and HDD or else DESR will not even boot. After that, You could thinking about cloning files from working units etc.

Personally I don't have any of those PS2 (yet ), and my knowledge based on what I've read here and there. So it is not very valuable. Wait for @MonkeyBoyJoey, @niino, @krHACKen or @uyjulian could write.

 

[MonkeyBoyJoey]

A hack is in progress to allow non-Sony drives but there is no ETA.

As always, MAKE SURE TO BACK UP WORKING HDDs USING HDDRAWCOPY TOOL BEFORE MESSING WITH THEM!

The update disc will throw a HDD needs servicing error if the drive is blank. Empty drives pulled from other PSX systems will need krHACKen's repartition program he made a while back. You will have to ask him about it. That program was how I was able to install the XMB onto an official Sony 40GB SCPH-20401 PS2 HDD.

You cannot use a regular HDD, it must be one from another PSX or the SCPH-20401. This is due to Sony modifying the drives at the factory with a custom firmware on the HDD itself. The custom firmware adds extra ATA commands that the console uses. It will run an authenticity check every single time the HDD is accessed. Non-Sony modified drives will respond to the console with "command not supported" and the console will instantly shut off the HDD.

In addition, if you swap the drive with one from another PSX, the firmware of the console needs to be the same as the installed XMB or you will not be able to use the XMB. For example, swapping a 1.31 XMB into a console with version 1.10 will work but you won't be able to use the XMB without running the update discs or krHACKen's private utilities.