PS2 [Testers Needed] OPL internal exfat 2TB+ HDD and multi-BDM devices

[Berion]

Not sure why you would want that, but my changes to bdm should already be able to mount that if you're using exfat. It will only work if the fs starts at LBA 0 on the device.

On Linux it is far way easier and faster to format device just by mkfs.exfat instead of using any GUI oriented app like eg. GParted or GnomeDisk.

Cool, I' will check it then.

@Bat_Rastard (Are You a Rat Bastard from ps2scene.org? ): AFAIK, cluster size is only a user preference choice. If You using large files, like here disc images, in theory the larger the better but it is hard to tell if this is true on such RAM restricted console like PS2.

 

[0x417450]

Some problems that I noticed.

• Running OPL from MC0/MC1 won't launch any game, my solution was running it from the usb instead.
• Transformers, Downhill Domination & Crash Twinsanity wont launch with exfat, I tried later with Winhiip and works.
• Some Games running fine atm:
  • God of war I
  • Burnout Revenge
  • Crash Nitro Kart
• PS2 Model : 50000 NTSC-J

• List of all storage devices connected, and which one the game ISO was on if game related.
  • 1 FAT32 USB 8GB (Kingston data traveller)
  • 1 FMCB 1.966 (64 MB Clone)
  • 1 Internal SATA HDD 500GB Seagate (Original Sony Adapter + bitfunx sata)
• Name of the game, game ID, and MD5 of the ISO.
  • Crash Twinsanity / SLUS-20909P3 / MD5: 24588dbb3a0ec54fe7e2a7f813096849
  • Transformers / SLUS-20668 / MD5: 0662529bcfd29553d3193d952d380d1e
    
  • Downhill Domination / SCUS_971.77 / MD5: 3654a6f4438c899be4a1f5236cfdcd74
• What the issue with the game is: failed to load, videos not working correctly, crashes at level 2, etc.
  • Failed to load / Black Screen
• Include as much information as possible, the more information you provide the easier it will be for me to go debug.
  • exFAT formatted with windows 10 22H2
  • Using external enclosure (Baseus USB3.1) & Direct Sata Connection
  • Tested with a Zadak SSD 500GB & Seagate HDD 500GB

 

[grimdoomer]

Okay the new build is ready: https://github.com/grimdoomer/Open-PS2-Loader/releases/tag/v1.2.0.2-beta

Change log for this release:

• [Fixed] OPL displaying error 221 no hard drive connected when no HDD is plugged in.

• [Fixed] OPL corrupting GPT formatted hard drives. APA driver ends up writing a bunch of data to the drive which corrupts the GPT partition table.
• [Fixed] Needing to have HDD support enabled in addition to BDM devices. "HDD" has now been added to the list of BDM devices in the settings menu.
• [Fixed] There's a "phantom" HDD Games menu that shows with nothing in it.
• [Fixed] BDM device hot plugging support. BDM devices that can be removed (USB, iLink, MX4SIO) can now be "hot-plugged" while in OPL and the game menus for them will appear and disappear accordingly.
• [Fixed] Not being able to set UDMA mode for games on exFAT HDD.
• [Fixed] Issues with games that have online support. See the list of games below for more details.

I tested this build while running it from a memory card. If you have issues I would suggest backing up and deleting any old config files on all attached devices and trying to run OPL again.

Since the previous builds I released have the potential to corrupt data on the HDD I would recommend doing a fresh format of your HDD if you are experiencing any issues. I have removed the other two releases from my github to spare anyone else from using them and potentially corrupting their drive.

IMPORTANT: There are a number of people who have been confusing "sector size" with "cluster size" or "Allocation unit size" when formatting their HDDs. The sector size is nothing something that is configurable in Windows or MacOS without 3rd party tools. When formatting your HDD in Windows/MacOS what's being shown is the cluster size (labeled as "Allocation unit size"), this is NOT the sector size. The sector size must be 512 and cannot be configured in Windows/MacOS. The cluster size (or "Allocation unit size") must be set to "default".

Setting the cluster size to 512k WILL cause issues with reading and playing games!!

Here is a list of "problematic" games that were reported which I have tested and confirmed working on this build. I didn't have time to test every single game reported but if issues persist after trying with this build of OPL please report again and I will investigate further.

• .Hack Fragment: Seems to play fine, was able to connect and play online
• Devil May Cry: Seems to play fine, I was able to play through all intro cut scenes and the first level
• Final Fantasy XII: Main intro plays fine and does not stutter
• Gitaroo Man: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first song just fine
• Gradius 5: No stuttering and passed first boss with no issues
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica X: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first ~20 minutes of the game without issue
• Resident Evil: Outbreak: Seems to load fine , was able to make a network profile, test the connection successfully, but unable to join a game, DNAS error -611 (maybe I need a patch to actually connect?)
• Rumble Roses: Was able to play a match without audio issues
• Shadow of The Colossus: Was able to play the game just fine (NTSC version)

When using an internal HDD formatted as exFAT you no longer need to turn on HDD support. Instead you should turn on BDM support and under the BDM Devices menu enable "HDD". If you plan on swapping between APA and exFAT drives you can turn on BDM HDD and normal HDD support at the same time. Doing so will always show the HDD menu for APA supported drives regardless if you have an APA drive connected or not.

You can now hot-plug BDM devices while in OPL. This means you can launch OPL and plug/unplug BDM devices while it's open. If a new device is connected you should hear a sound indicating the device was detected, and a menu for the device should become available (you'll need to scroll left or right to find it). Similarly, disconnecting a device will play a sound and the menu will disappear. Devices that support hot plugging are USB, iLink, and MX4SIO.

While I have tested this feature quite a bit the one thing I have no tested with it is themes, or language packs. There's most likely some issues here as OPL was never designed to do something like this, so I would recommend loading any themes or language packs off a device you don't plan on removing while using OPL.

Once again huge thank you to everyone who has tested and reported feedback!!

 

[0x417450]

Some problems that I noticed.

• Running OPL from MC0/MC1 won't launch any game, my solution was running it from the usb instead.
• Transformers, Downhill Domination & Crash Twinsanity wont launch with exfat, I tried later with Winhiip and works.
• Some Games running fine atm:
  • God of war I
  • Burnout Revenge
  • Crash Nitro Kart
• PS2 Model : 50000 NTSC-J

• List of all storage devices connected, and which one the game ISO was on if game related.
  • 1 FAT32 USB 8GB (Kingston data traveller)
  • 1 FMCB 1.966 (64 MB Clone)
  • 1 Internal SATA HDD 500GB Seagate (Original Sony Adapter + bitfunx sata)
• Name of the game, game ID, and MD5 of the ISO.
  • Crash Twinsanity / SLUS-20909P3 / MD5: 24588dbb3a0ec54fe7e2a7f813096849
  • Transformers / SLUS-20668 / MD5: 0662529bcfd29553d3193d952d380d1e
    
  • Downhill Domination / SCUS_971.77 / MD5: 3654a6f4438c899be4a1f5236cfdcd74
• What the issue with the game is: failed to load, videos not working correctly, crashes at level 2, etc.
  • Failed to load / Black Screen
• Include as much information as possible, the more information you provide the easier it will be for me to go debug.
  • exFAT formatted with windows 10 22H2
  • Using external enclosure (Baseus USB3.1) & Direct Sata Connection
  • Tested with a Zadak SSD 500GB & Seagate HDD 500GB

Lol 1.2.0.2 Works fine, fixed my problems.

 

[djhazardous]

Once again huge thank you to everyone who has tested and reported feedback!!

And I'm sure I can speak on behalf of everyone here that a huge thanks is in order to you for developing this functionality. I'm sure you have spent a great deal of time in doing so.

I look forward to trying it out later today and providing further comments with my experience on the new build. Thank you.

EDIT: First thing I've noticed (not mentioned in the changelog) is the smaller file size of the ELF, originally 3mb+ and now 1.2mb like the standard OPL. This is much appreciated.

 

[Berion]

Because has been packed.

 

[Puppydogpals]

30003 R
3TB hard driv
Gamestar sata

I have opl 1.2.0.1, not tried updated one yet but does not mention my issues.

I have it to autoload from freemcboot in slot 2.

1. If I make any setting changes in opl main menu it says saved to mc.01 but nothing actually saves. Sure someone mentioned this as well in first couple of pages in thread.

2. Are Game specifc settings saved to memory card or HD, I changed game resolution and saved it says saved but it did not save (write permissions are on). Tried using slot 1 and it worked.

3. I created a VMC slot 1 for jaws and when I saved it froze, tried again same issue, I then tried again but booting from slot 1 and it worked. I want mcboot in slot 2 to prevent any vmc corrupting my mcboot card on slot 1.

4. Deus ex will freeze on loading screen but from what I can gather its a known issue when it hits a certain number of loads, but it happens mostly on menu load or first level load. Even after a full reboot. However sometimes it will work first time.

Had no issues with games populating like some.

Tired about 5 or 6 games now issues apart from the ones above. Jaws is the only one I have tried with vmc so i will test other games later while my real card is on slot 2

 

[free1616]

Hello,
does anyone want to share the directory structure of FHDB?
I would like to have a system because I'm a bit confused.
Directory examples:
-OPL.ELF

In general, where do you add additional ELF files for example?
In the end it doesn't matter because of ODSYS, but still.

I would be really grateful!

 

[free1616]

I have the problem that the OPL start page cannot be changed.
Since I have an HDD inside, I want HDD games to be displayed and not BDM.
The remaining settings can be saved, except for the HDD game list.

 

[Lobster]

OPL is not saving my settings, always says saving to mass0. I deleted the cfg files hoping that OPL would make new ones from scratch, but I can't find any

 

[djhazardous]

It doesn't like Slim consoles. I think you need to test this more with Slims. I have to shut down the console a lot. Quick-restarting results in the app not finding the games. I have to keep shutting down the console/hard reset for it to realise.

I've tried GPT/MBR etc. Alot of different methods.

PS2 just hard freezed after removing a 4GB fat32 usb drive with only other device MX4SIO plugged in. This is not my regular USB drive which also has issues.

There's something still wrong with USB devices + MX4SIO on Slim.

MX4SIO card is 256gb using ExFAT 16kb cluster - works fine with regular OPL - when I try it with multiple USB devices (1 at a time) it keeps scanning or crash.

I probably need to make a video of this.

-

EDIT 2

black screen issue still present on fresh boot - when you say delete config, are you talking about the games.bin file or other files like OPL folder on mc0?

EDIT 3

Just deleted all files (including config files on mc0) - black screen. I could get 2 devices to show up after hot plugging devices in the last update. Now I canThis requires a lot of work for PS2 slim. This build is worse for slim as far as I can tell. I am unable to get both devices to show at the same time now.

EDIT 4

Keeps black screening - have to restart console. I have a USB 250GB HDD + MX4SIO w/ 256gb 16

I think there must be a major problem with slim consoles not visible with OG/FATS.

EDIT 5

It's not even checking the memory card for the ELF resulting in black screen. There is still a massive bug here on slim consoles.

In the last version I used to be able to get both devices detected after plugging in the USB AFTER MX4SIO list had loaded. Now I can't get the USB device list loaded at all. There is a massive bug here I think probably related to PS2 Slim.

use mx4sio as mx4sio:\ instead of mass:\ like israpps wlaunchelf. I am willing to help BETA test future builds.

 

[rrggee]

Started OPL 1.2.0.2 clean (no cfgs) and make a first save setting will always be directed into "mass:0" which is the USB flash even the OPL.ELF is located in the Memory Card.

One workaround is to copy the new cfg file from the USB flash into the OPL folder of the Memory Card. The OPL.ELF (in the Memory Card) can load that copied cfg and save any new settings into it. (USB flash removed)

Compatibility rate for the games has improved a bit. However majority of the games can no longer soft reset (L1,L2,R1,R2,Sel,Start)

PS2 Fat 50001
Gamestar HDD Sata Adapter
1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD formatted in EXFAT.

BTW this new OPL version is Godsend. Managing the game files is very much easier. Goodbye Winhiip/HDL.

 

[KingGiddra]

I updated to the latest version and reformatted the SSD again. I am pleased to report it did not take multiple hours to generate a list of games. It was nearly instant when I enabled HDD in the BDM menu.

Additionally, it does NOT take a long time to load config files, either. Games are loading about as fast as the old OPL.

This takes care of all of the major issues I was having with OPL. As noted in the post above mine, I was not able to soft reset either. I tried while in Baroque and the game softlocked.

SCPH-50001
OPL running off a FCMB memory card
Samsung 870 Evo SSD - GPT formatted on a Windows 10 computer with default Allocation Size

 

[Puppydogpals]

Further to my post bit further up, I updated to new version. Auto loading from fmcb on memory card slot 2. Also deleted the opl folder from memory card to have a clean slate.

1. Saving settings said saving to mass but did not save. I had left the usb in from copying opl to memory card by mistake so removed it.

2. Saving settings said saved to hhd again did not save

3. I then moved card to slot 1 said Saving to mc:0 and it worked.

4. I then moved card to slot 2 saved settings said Saved to mc:1 which now works.

Game settings now save properly when changing screen resolution (again is this saved on the opl folder on card or on the Hardrive like specific game cfg files are)

VMC is now working with jaws when fmcb is in slot 2.

 

[lil_pump_kin]

Wanted to report that v1.2.0.2 is working good for me. 77001, usb (FAT) + mx4sio(exFAT) FMCB autobooting OPL from usb. I do not hear a sound when hot plugging devices, but the feature otherwise appears to be working (Edit: I forgot that I turned off opl sounds. it works now ). Loading games works just as good as OPL BDM 4.7.1 from my testing of games from mx4sio.

Would it be possible to add a feature to combine every device into a single list? That is, instead of a list for usb games and a separate list for mx4sio games, could there just be a single list with all the games?

 

[Moronz]

I tested the new version and all the games I reported are now working
I had some problems though
I deleted the OPL folder from my MC and when I tried to save the setting of the new version, OPL freezed, I turned off the PS2 but the OPL folder was created even though OPL freezed
All games now freeze when using IGR

 

[AmandaRoxwell]

Hey, thank you so much for the new version, it did fixed the issue with Obscure, at least the pal version I have, now it runs flawlessly! (Splinter cell sadly still doesn't work but oh well)
The only thing is that you mention a fix about the phantom HDD but it still showing for me, even after deleting the opl config and everything.

 

[Puppydogpals]

Okay the new build is ready: https://github.com/grimdoomer/Open-PS2-Loader/releases/tag/v1.2.0.2-beta

Change log for this release:

• [Fixed] OPL displaying error 221 no hard drive connected when no HDD is plugged in.

• [Fixed] OPL corrupting GPT formatted hard drives. APA driver ends up writing a bunch of data to the drive which corrupts the GPT partition table.
• [Fixed] Needing to have HDD support enabled in addition to BDM devices. "HDD" has now been added to the list of BDM devices in the settings menu.
• [Fixed] There's a "phantom" HDD Games menu that shows with nothing in it.
• [Fixed] BDM device hot plugging support. BDM devices that can be removed (USB, iLink, MX4SIO) can now be "hot-plugged" while in OPL and the game menus for them will appear and disappear accordingly.
• [Fixed] Not being able to set UDMA mode for games on exFAT HDD.
• [Fixed] Issues with games that have online support. See the list of games below for more details.

I tested this build while running it from a memory card. If you have issues I would suggest backing up and deleting any old config files on all attached devices and trying to run OPL again.

Since the previous builds I released have the potential to corrupt data on the HDD I would recommend doing a fresh format of your HDD if you are experiencing any issues. I have removed the other two releases from my github to spare anyone else from using them and potentially corrupting their drive.

IMPORTANT: There are a number of people who have been confusing "sector size" with "cluster size" or "Allocation unit size" when formatting their HDDs. The sector size is nothing something that is configurable in Windows or MacOS without 3rd party tools. When formatting your HDD in Windows/MacOS what's being shown is the cluster size (labeled as "Allocation unit size"), this is NOT the sector size. The sector size must be 512 and cannot be configured in Windows/MacOS. The cluster size (or "Allocation unit size") must be set to "default".

Setting the cluster size to 512k WILL cause issues with reading and playing games!!

Here is a list of "problematic" games that were reported which I have tested and confirmed working on this build. I didn't have time to test every single game reported but if issues persist after trying with this build of OPL please report again and I will investigate further.

• .Hack Fragment: Seems to play fine, was able to connect and play online
• Devil May Cry: Seems to play fine, I was able to play through all intro cut scenes and the first level
• Final Fantasy XII: Main intro plays fine and does not stutter
• Gitaroo Man: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first song just fine
• Gradius 5: No stuttering and passed first boss with no issues
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica X: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first ~20 minutes of the game without issue
• Resident Evil: Outbreak: Seems to load fine , was able to make a network profile, test the connection successfully, but unable to join a game, DNAS error -611 (maybe I need a patch to actually connect?)
• Rumble Roses: Was able to play a match without audio issues
• Shadow of The Colossus: Was able to play the game just fine (NTSC version)

When using an internal HDD formatted as exFAT you no longer need to turn on HDD support. Instead you should turn on BDM support and under the BDM Devices menu enable "HDD". If you plan on swapping between APA and exFAT drives you can turn on BDM HDD and normal HDD support at the same time. Doing so will always show the HDD menu for APA supported drives regardless if you have an APA drive connected or not.

You can now hot-plug BDM devices while in OPL. This means you can launch OPL and plug/unplug BDM devices while it's open. If a new device is connected you should hear a sound indicating the device was detected, and a menu for the device should become available (you'll need to scroll left or right to find it). Similarly, disconnecting a device will play a sound and the menu will disappear. Devices that support hot plugging are USB, iLink, and MX4SIO.

While I have tested this feature quite a bit the one thing I have no tested with it is themes, or language packs. There's most likely some issues here as OPL was never designed to do something like this, so I would recommend loading any themes or language packs off a device you don't plan on removing while using OPL.

Once again huge thank you to everyone who has tested and reported feedback!!

Like mentioned in previous comment all my original issues are now fixed with new version.

However as others mentioned igr has regressed. Its not fully broken. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

Games that worked previously freeze upon igr but next time they work. I managed to igr reset 4 different games in a row without a hard reboot.

After a hard reset the games that worked before freeze and again then work on occasions.

 

[free1616]

Okay the new build is ready: https://github.com/grimdoomer/Open-PS2-Loader/releases/tag/v1.2.0.2-beta

Change log for this release:

• [Fixed] OPL displaying error 221 no hard drive connected when no HDD is plugged in.

• [Fixed] OPL corrupting GPT formatted hard drives. APA driver ends up writing a bunch of data to the drive which corrupts the GPT partition table.
• [Fixed] Needing to have HDD support enabled in addition to BDM devices. "HDD" has now been added to the list of BDM devices in the settings menu.
• [Fixed] There's a "phantom" HDD Games menu that shows with nothing in it.
• [Fixed] BDM device hot plugging support. BDM devices that can be removed (USB, iLink, MX4SIO) can now be "hot-plugged" while in OPL and the game menus for them will appear and disappear accordingly.
• [Fixed] Not being able to set UDMA mode for games on exFAT HDD.
• [Fixed] Issues with games that have online support. See the list of games below for more details.

I tested this build while running it from a memory card. If you have issues I would suggest backing up and deleting any old config files on all attached devices and trying to run OPL again.

Since the previous builds I released have the potential to corrupt data on the HDD I would recommend doing a fresh format of your HDD if you are experiencing any issues. I have removed the other two releases from my github to spare anyone else from using them and potentially corrupting their drive.

IMPORTANT: There are a number of people who have been confusing "sector size" with "cluster size" or "Allocation unit size" when formatting their HDDs. The sector size is nothing something that is configurable in Windows or MacOS without 3rd party tools. When formatting your HDD in Windows/MacOS what's being shown is the cluster size (labeled as "Allocation unit size"), this is NOT the sector size. The sector size must be 512 and cannot be configured in Windows/MacOS. The cluster size (or "Allocation unit size") must be set to "default".

Setting the cluster size to 512k WILL cause issues with reading and playing games!!

Here is a list of "problematic" games that were reported which I have tested and confirmed working on this build. I didn't have time to test every single game reported but if issues persist after trying with this build of OPL please report again and I will investigate further.

• .Hack Fragment: Seems to play fine, was able to connect and play online
• Devil May Cry: Seems to play fine, I was able to play through all intro cut scenes and the first level
• Final Fantasy XII: Main intro plays fine and does not stutter
• Gitaroo Man: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first song just fine
• Gradius 5: No stuttering and passed first boss with no issues
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica X: Seems to play fine, was able to play the first ~20 minutes of the game without issue
• Resident Evil: Outbreak: Seems to load fine , was able to make a network profile, test the connection successfully, but unable to join a game, DNAS error -611 (maybe I need a patch to actually connect?)
• Rumble Roses: Was able to play a match without audio issues
• Shadow of The Colossus: Was able to play the game just fine (NTSC version)

When using an internal HDD formatted as exFAT you no longer need to turn on HDD support. Instead you should turn on BDM support and under the BDM Devices menu enable "HDD". If you plan on swapping between APA and exFAT drives you can turn on BDM HDD and normal HDD support at the same time. Doing so will always show the HDD menu for APA supported drives regardless if you have an APA drive connected or not.

You can now hot-plug BDM devices while in OPL. This means you can launch OPL and plug/unplug BDM devices while it's open. If a new device is connected you should hear a sound indicating the device was detected, and a menu for the device should become available (you'll need to scroll left or right to find it). Similarly, disconnecting a device will play a sound and the menu will disappear. Devices that support hot plugging are USB, iLink, and MX4SIO.

While I have tested this feature quite a bit the one thing I have no tested with it is themes, or language packs. There's most likely some issues here as OPL was never designed to do something like this, so I would recommend loading any themes or language packs off a device you don't plan on removing while using OPL.

Once again huge thank you to everyone who has tested and reported feedback!!

BIG THANKS!
So, where is the link for the language folder?

 

[grimdoomer]

I've identified the problem with IGR but don't have enough information to implement a fix just yet. For anyone who's experiencing issues with IGR, were these issues also present on either of the previous two builds, or just the latest one (1.2.0.2)?

BIG THANKS!
So, where is the link for the language folder?

I haven't modified any of the language files so I believe the latest language pack for official releases will work. But since I use english (which is the default) I'm not really sure how to use this feature.