Boot from HD with broken lense

[3HeadedMonkey]

I have a PS2 with broken lens and I have a MI flying around.
Now I have a few questions, which couldn't be answered from browsing your forums:

1) Is it possible to completely install a boot-from-dev1/dev2-solution without having to use the CD/DVD Drive a single time, and without having a second modded ps2?

2) Can the HDD be prepared (on a pc) so that it can directly be booted from? What fs does the PS2 use for the HD?

3) Is there a possibility to access files on the memory stick? Does the Infinity support boot from usb mass storage devices?

Note: I have more modded ps2 consoles, but they are far away from my current location, so it would be easier if there was a way to perfom all these actions on a single vanilla ps2. But if you know a way to accomplish what I want which requires a second modded ps2, please post it anyway.

[kidman64]

1. i'm not sure about booting from MC, since there's no easy way to copy stuff to MC without PS2 that has working drive.
2. you can format hdd for ps2 using your computer, but copying files will be complicated since the application isn't stable (and you can lose some data on from that hdd) from what i know. you can give it a try tho. PS2 uses its own FS and can't be easily accessed from windows or any other OS.
3. i'm not sure it's possible, but you need to check MI's readme.txt file.

I'd go with option 2, and if that fails well you better get one ps2 that has ulauncherELF working and prepare your MC using it

[3HeadedMonkey]

thanks, I have formated the HDD with WinHIIP and when I put it into the PS2 using dev2 mode the hdd powers up and after about 10seconds the normal ps2 menu boots up.

I guess it is looking for something on the HD, but I do not know where and for what =)

Some pointers on what to do would be nice.

[FahadSaid]

Install a manager for the HDD in hdd/boot/boot.elf.

[Animaniac]

I have the same problem as 3headedmonkey. A detailed explanation on a solution for point 2 would be welcomed. My lense is very weak, near broken, it only works on rare occasions. On one of those rare ones I have tried the DEV2I Installer from the infinitymod site but unfortunately it crashed during the hdd check. =/

[keledek]

hi m8..

1) used to have same problem as yours. all solution still require another modded ps2 with working cd drive (i think you know of the process but for other's benefit)
a) using the modded ps2 with the working lens, use DEV1 install CD to install either hdloader or uLaunchelf as mc boot
then you can use the MC on the ps2 with bad lens to install the hdloader or uLaunchelf as boot on this HDD as DEV2
b) using the modded ps2 with the working lens, use DEV2 install CD to install either hdloader or uLaunchelf as hdd boot
then you can install the hdd on the ps2 with bad lens
2) so far i dont think there is any solution for question 2. If there is please inform me too. Winhiip can only format hdd to ps2 format but cannot make it bootable. However it can copy images from one hdd to another so the closest thing right now that i have done is use winhiip with both a hdd with dev2 (hdloader as boot.elf) and some game images installed on it and a "fresh" hdd connected to my computer. i used winhiip to copy the games from the working DEV2 hdd to the "fresh" hdd. Need not copy all games. i terminated the copy halfway. somehow winhiip copies the boot sector (with the hdloader.boot) on the "fresh" hdd.
I made iso's of ARMAX EVO CD, ulaunchelf CD, and Matrix firmware CD.
Using winhiip again i transferred these onto the "fresh" hdd but set it up as DVD image (click on the button).
Hook up the "fresh" hdd to the ps2 with bad lens
All these after installing the MI to this ps2 first of course.
Go to MI setting page upon power up this ps2.
Set ps2 to boot as DEV2.
Reset and voila! boot to hdloader.
after the licence page thing i ran the MI firmware upgrade and run it from hdloader - upgraded to the latest firmware of course
since i now have ARMAX evo running from hdloader, i can do DEV 1 install on the MC with it (full tutorial beyond this scope)
or i can run uLaunchelf from hdloader and make boot directories and istall these programs on MC as DEV1 (theoretically painless but i cannot make uLaunchelf run from hdloader most of the time (i know someone can explain why but not my concern)
Cheerios

[ps2dragon]

I have the same problem as 3headedmonkey. A detailed explanation on a solution for point 2 would be welcomed. My lense is very weak, near broken, it only works on rare occasions. On one of those rare ones I have tried the DEV2I Installer from the infinitymod site but unfortunately it crashed during the hdd check. =/

As far as I know, what kidman64 was referring to in 'point 2' is using PS2 PFS Explorer on your PS2 HDD while it's connected to your PC. PS2 PFS Explorer was designed to access a HDD formatted in PFS (Playstation File System) from your PC. However, this software is very buggy and is known to corrupt your HDD, so use at your own risk. Maybe you can use it just to get the boot.elf onto a test HDD, and then use uLaunchELF to copy itself (if you can launch it) to a MC from the test drive?

Location of boot.elf (case sensitive)
- Location of boot.elf [HDD] = 'hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf' (lowercase)
- Location of boot.elf [Memory Card] = 'mc0:/BOOT/BOOT.ELF' (uppercase)

So the goal would be to use PS2 PFS Explorer to:
1) copy the boot.elf to 'hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf' (use uLaunchELF as your boot.elf)
2) boot in DEV2 mode (Hard Drive) and hope boot.elf loads
3) use boot.elf (uLaunchELF) to copy itself to 'mc0:/BOOT/BOOT.ELF'
4) restart your PS2 and try booting in DEV1 mode (Memory Card).

NOTE: I have never done this, it's just theory. The 'hdd0:/__boot' folder would be created during the format process of your PS2 HDD, and the 'mc0:/BOOT' folder would be created using PS2 PSF Explorer or uLaunchELF (would would be better since uLE is not buggy).

EDIT: Also, if your using a HDD bigger then 137GB and you want to use 'Infinity DEV2 Install Software v1.1', then you will need to use dlanor's 48-bit version of 'Infinity DEV2 Install Software v1.1', which you can get from my messy post here.

[3HeadedMonkey]

First of all thanks for your answers.

For me it didn't boot the boot.elf from hd0:/__boot/ putting it there with PS2 FPS Explorer, probably because I have to install the Infinity DEV2 Install Software before (This cannot be done without a CD though).

I will have access to a modded ps2 soon, it still would be interesting to get this work as I could imagine this is a problem for lots of people as more and more old lasers are dying.