Can I use a PS2 with hard drive but with broken DVD drive ?

[Valhalla1]

I just bought my first ps2, a slim ps'two' and GTA: SA

what I want to do now, is buy a cheap old ps2 with broken dvd laser

then get a hard drive and network adapter.. take them to a friend's house with non-slim ps2, install hard drive and network adapter, install HDloader and GTA: SA to the hard drive, then take out the drive and put it in my broken ps2

I am wondering if then I can play GTA:SA off the hard drive on the broken-dvd ps2? or will you always need to boot from some disc ?

[akitotheZ]

if you use the mem card exploit you can boot from a psx CD -- you probably mean the entire drive is broken, but on my personal ps2, it won't read dvd's at all (no movies, no games, nothing, even after adjusting pots and cleaning and all the usual stuff), but it reads cd's fine. so i am using hd loader with a broken dvd laser...but my cd laser works, you have to be able to boot something, be it a psx cd with the exploit, or a ps2 dvd with real hd loader/advance discs.

[Valhalla1]

ok thanks much

[Schnitzel]

some modchips (which can boot directly from internal flash or memcard) could efface the need of an working dvd-drive.

[Nu Child]

in which case you might as well just buy a new lens .