Is it possible to install games to an internal HDD via USB?

[RandQalan]

Ok code see if it will work they are different file types and you have the HD for PS2 going 10 or more times faster then USB and on top of that 32M memory to work with o yea nothing to get to work

33mhz IO no Problem just slap it on it

[dis astranagant]

I've worked with worse. Try implementing printf on a microcontroller with with 512 bytes of ram, half of which needed to be reserved for your string buffer and display driver.

[RandQalan]

Ok see your point on it is possible but is it practical like I said maybe like a few will ever use it because of limitation

You going to try to code it maybe a few would use it but I know I would not with PC install PS2 DVD install and network install but it would prove it can be done

[SP193]

Yes, such complicated code to pull files out of an iso and put them somewhere else on the drive. Oh wait we already have several tools that do that, they're just needlessly picky about where the files come from.


And ps2dev would have to be down. Angry code is fun code

You don't seem to understand: The PS2's internal HDD doesn't use FAT32 or any common filesystem. It uses the APA partitioning scheme, and HDLoader uses it's own filesystem on top of APA (In place of the usual PFS filesystem).

You need to know that APA partitions have size limitations, and you have to calculate the size (It's irregular too, since the number of reserved sectors will vary) and number of parts to split the game into.

And then you have to copy the game over sector by sector. No nice file I/O routines are available for that. I've worked on a filesystem driver for that, but it's largely untested.

Finally, you need to know how to set up the partition's attribute data properly, or the Sony OSD will treat your game installation as "Corrupted data".

There are no functional debuggers for this system, so developing software is simply... hell.

If you still want to try programming your own program to install games from a USB device, I don't mind helping you with getting started. However, I cannot and won't commit any resources into turning this into a new project for me as I'm still trying to polish up my SMAP driver and network protocol stack setup.

(And then I still have to complete my HDLoader game installer, which is an even further milestone away... D: )

[dis astranagant]

Well, I was thinking about a more generic approach and more or less extending ulaunchelf to handle hdloader's filesystem. The general theory being that if I can see the iso file there I should be able to do whatever the hell I want to with it. How the file got there really shouldn't have anything to do with how it gets processed. It'll be some work and maybe there will be some limitations that need working around but I can't see any reason why it shouldn't work. The lack of a decent file system library is unfortunate and time wasting but if writing enough of one to get the job done is what it takes then so be it.

[spud42]

OR, you could get a IDE to USB adaptor plug the PS2 HDD into it and then the pc and use winhiip to install the game iso's to the hdd. no need to crack open the PC and its only 2 screws on the NA.

[LocalH]

Note that, at least from my own personal experience, this does not work with all IDE to USB adapters. I have owned two such adapters of this style and neither one was recognized by WinHIIP with a drive attached, whether it be SATA, 2.5" PATA, or 3.5" PATA. However, most PATA drive enclosures should work (I have an old SimpleTech enclosure that came with a 120GB drive, that was subsequently damaged on my own unrelated to the PS2, which I can successfully attach a PATA HDD to and use with WinHIIP). Your mileage may vary of course, but don't assume that all adapters will work with WinHIIP.

[spud42]

i use a coolermaster external enclosure. never had a problem with it....

[SP193]

As long as Windows has no problems with your enclosure, I don't see why WinHIIP will have problems with it... since it runs on Windows.

But what's wrong with making installs over LAN? Other than speed and superior reliability (For some people who can't get the HDL Dump server to work right), it's probably the best way to install games without ripping your disk out of the console.

[tpb]

All your wall of text proved is that I was being overly pessimistic with my USB figures, since I was considering a 6 hour pull stuck in 1.5 Mbit mode.

As far as "paying for electricity goes", a fat ps2 draws 65 watts at peak so a 2 hour transfer costs no more than 1 cent at current rates.

LOL

dis_astranagant you'd better be careful, your flagrant disregard to your 1 cent of electricity usage will have the European Global Warmists accusing you of being hell-bent on destroying the planet.

SP193, we all respect your knowledge and expertise with OPL, which is far greater than mine, along with 99.9% of other users. But nonetheless, sometimes other people can have opinions with merit.

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I agree that USB transfer to the internal HDD would be handy.

My PS2 network card is some Chinese clone that connects to an IDE HDD only ... it doesn't have a LAN port. That rules out using HDL Dump.

So, my ONLY method of tranferring backups is physically removing the HDD - I need to unplug the PS2, then unscrew the network card from the PS2, then hook up the HDD to the PC using a fiddly IDE to USB connector with cables hanging everywhere, then use WinHIIP, then pack away all the fiddly components for the IDE to USB connector, then re-screw the network card back onto the PS2, then reconnect the cables to the PS2. This is a pain.

My other option, would be to look around for a genuine Sony PS2 network card. But that's easier said than done. I thought I had purchased one already ... the one that I have, which I purchased off Ebay, was advertised as "genuine Sony", and even has the "Sony" brand name engraved into the plastic, and "Made in Japan" printed on the back. But ... when I peeled off the yellow sticker covering what I thought would be the LAN port underneath, there was no port at all, just an empty cavity where the port should be.