Does the HDLOADER.ELF have to be packed when patching CD?

Does it make a difference in packing the HDLOADER.ELF for an HD Loader CD? Does the .ELF have to be packed or is it only useful to pack the .ELF when booting from Memory Card? I just replaced the .ELF file in the ***O*NZ version (which was SLUS_203.44) with my modified .ELF renamed to SLUS_203.44 but left the file uncompressed. I noticed though that between the O*NZ version (which was just a straight burn) compared to the iso I created through NERO with files from the O*NZ version and my modified .ELF that the original O*NZ version (if you could call it that) booted up faster from CD than mine.

Should I have used a different program to create the iso or image to burn or should I have packed the .ELF? Any info would be appreciated. Everything works fine though. Thanks.

Packing the HDLOADER.ELF is generally used for saving space in the memory card, but I have also noted an increase in the loading time (it take more time to go from the splash to the menu screen) when using an unpacked HDLOADER.ELF, so I always use a packed file.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to go pack the .ELF file and create a bin/cue from CDGENPS2, reburn, and see if I can match the load time of the O*NZ version. Thanks again.