PS2 IDE HDD Upgrade Procedure.

[xnamkcor]

I ran out of room on my 40GB "Official" PS2 HDD. So, I bought myself a larger HDD. Does WinHIP or anything have utilities for transfering the games from one HDD to the other? Doing it over the network is fine. The PC I have to use only has one IDE port, so I can't hook up both HDD unless I decide not to have a Optical Drive or OS drive.

I'll also need to format the new HDD. I assume winHIP can do that, but also, what jumper settings do I use for Slave/Master?

The HDD is WD3200AAJB

I guess I'll have to plug the HDD into my computer, format it with WinHIP, plug it into the PS2, plug my old HDD into the PC and then run WinHIP or HDL-dumx or something and transfer over the network.

Or I could find that old PCI IDE RAID controller I have. That would let be have another IDE line.

[Berion]

If You have only one IDE slot, unconnect optical drive and connect both HDD. OS HDD to master channel, PS2 to slave channel. OS HDD must have jumper set up as Master, PS HDD also which is impossible on the same slot... Try Cable Select for both HDD.

Second solution is set optical drive as slave and PS2 HDD as master and boot some LiveCD Linux distro from CD/DVD and launch WinHIIP through Wine.

Third is similar but making Windows livecd which is a little bit much harder (and illegal). :P

[xnamkcor]

I found out that I can format it directly on my PS2. So now my problem is just getting the old files from the old HDD to the new HDD over the network.

PS: Am I to understand that I can't access a PS2 formatted HDD unless it is set as Master? Which would mean I need more than one IDE channel?

[Blagus]

I don't see why PC/WinHIIP wouldn't access PS2 HDD on slave channel.
If I'm not mistaken, WinHIIP can make backup of HDD (but can't check that ATM, and it's been a long time since I used it), so you can do it, then swap drives and restore backup to new HDD.

[xnamkcor]

I don't see why PC/WinHIIP wouldn't access PS2 HDD on slave channel.
If I'm not mistaken, WinHIIP can make backup of HDD (but can't check that ATM, and it's been a long time since I used it), so you can do it, then swap drives and restore backup to new HDD.

Yeah, that makes sense. But it seem WinHIIP can't see the drive unless it is formatted as a PS2 HDD. So I'll have to format it with the PS2.

It's a whole other issue that I'll solve myself, but the Molex cable I got doesn't seem to fully contact the pins in the Molex connector in the PS2. So I'll have to take it apart and just put the pins in manually. I have a flat ribbon cable and a Molex extension cable plugged into the BBA, and I have the ribbon and cord come out of the top of the gap between the BBA and the PS2.

[Blagus]

WD HDDs are known by this issue, they don't fit properly in Network adapter. I think it's solved by cutting the NA, or freeing the IDE connector off the case, so you can insert it fully into HDD.

[xnamkcor]

WD HDDs are known by this issue, they don't fit properly in Network adapter. I think it's solved by cutting the NA, or freeing the IDE connector off the case, so you can insert it fully into HDD.

I got the new HDD in my PS2 and formatted and I transfered a couple games that I happened to still have backed up on my HDD, but WinHIIP refuses to see my old PS2 HDD. I took out the jumper so it's using the Slave setting. My computer sees the physical disk, but WinHIIP just refuses to see it as a PS2 disk.

[Blagus]

I got the new HDD in my PS2 and formatted and I transfered a couple games that I happened to still have backed up on my HDD, but WinHIIP refuses to see my old PS2 HDD. I took out the jumper so it's using the Slave setting. My computer sees the physical disk, but WinHIIP just refuses to see it as a PS2 disk.

Are you sure you selected correct disk in WinHIIP?
If you're using Vista/7, run WinHIIP as Administrator (right click -> Run as Administrator) - even if you have UAC disabled.

[xnamkcor]

Are you sure you selected correct disk in WinHIIP?
If you're using Vista/7, run WinHIIP as Administrator (right click -> Run as Administrator) - even if you have UAC disabled.

Ah, Run As Administrator! We meet again. I should have known.

Edit: That worked, and everything is working. And to simplify things for anyone with the same question.

Part A: Backup PS2 HDD
1) Remove PS2 HDD
2) Set Jumper to Slave(Remove Jumper for "Official" HDD)
3) Attach PS2 HDD to PC
4) Download WinHIIP
5) Run As Admin
6) Select the proper HDD("Official" should be 37-40GB)
7) Check mark all the games you want to transfer
8) Wing It

Part B: Put Files on New HDD
1) Set Jumper to Slave(Read the manual, or the HDD itself)
2) Attach New HDD to PC
3) Run WinHIIP As Admin
4) Select the proper HDD(Be VERY Careful)
5) Choose, "Add Image"
6) Wing It(I didn't use this method)

Part C: Install New HDD
1) Set Jumpers to Master(Read the manual, or the HDD itself)
2) Put the New HDD in the Network Adapter
3) Put the Network Adapter in the PS2
4) Boot the PS2 and use your favourite HDD program
5) Wing It

As an optional course of action(the one I took), you can format the New HDD with your favourite HDD utility on the PS2 and transfer the files over a network, but this is slow.

If you get an error about the MBR, just click Utilities and choose Repair. Let it do its thing. Then Select Drive again and it should work

Always ignore any of Windows attempts to modify or make the PS2 drive ready. Window cannot and will not ever use the drive correctly. If you try to let it try bad things will happen.

I know almost no current software supports it, but does the IDE controller in the network card support multiple drives? If I were to attach an IDE cable and set the right jumpers, could I hook up 2 HDDs?

[Blagus]

I know almost no current software supports it, but does the IDE controller in the network card support multiple drives? If I were to attach an IDE cable and set the right jumpers, could I hook up 2 HDDs?

I doubt Sony implemented that. I believe it would be discovered already if it was possible. I think you could test it, by hooking two HDDs, set one to master, second to slave and run HDL, see if master HDD is detected, then shut down, swap master/slave jumpers (jumpers only, don't swap them on cable) and see if second, previously slave HDD is detected.