TUTORIAL: How to play backups w/o mod chip, only Max Drive Pro Memcard

[bold]EDIT:
IT seems that Codejunkies has discontinued the Max Drive Pro from their site. This means it is no longer possible to buy the MDPro from them. I do not know where else you could buy them either. If anyone knows anywhere else where these are available, please post it and I will add it here. Until then, if you don't already have the Max Drive Pro, you are outta luck on this method. Sorry

EDIT2: It seems that the MAXDrivePro is now back in stock! So if you want to buy it than feel free. Please disregard the above edit.

EDIT3: It seems that the MDPro is out of stock and discontinued for good this time. Sorry for all who missed out. Maybe eBay or forum members will get tired or sell theirs.

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If you enjoy this tutorial plz sticky it so others can as well.

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OK. I have received the Max Drive Pro in the mail today (about time) and am pleased to say it works FLAWLESSLY!

I will post a tutorial on how ridiculously ez it is to go from just a gamecube to being able to back up GC games!

Step 1: Buy the Max Drive PRO Memory card from:

http://us.codejunkies.com/shop/product.asp?c=US&cr=USD&cs=$&r=0&l=1&ProdID=297 North American Nintendo Fans Buy here[/url]

http://us.codejunkies.com/shop/product.asp?c=GB&cr=GBP&cs=£&r=1&l=1&ProdID=297 European Click Here[/url]

Note 2 Things:
1. You MUST buy the Max Drive PRO (Not Max Drive EVO or any other Action Replay memcard)
2. The only place to actually buy these is directly from the website. They aren't on eBay or in stores.

Step 2: Here you have 2 options. You can either buy some blank Mini-DVD's (recommended) from you favorite store or online retailer, OR you can buy a replacement top for your GC and use Standard DVD-R (Note it MUST be DVD-R not +R, +RW or -RW).

A good place to buy blank minis: www.blankmedia.ca

I find that Ritek Ridata Mini DVD-R 4x works very well. I've heard even no-namers will do the job, but personally have only used Ritek.

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100633sw.jpg[/URL]

Replacement tops: http://www.interesting-devices.com/asp/product.asp?product=446&ph=related

This tut. deals with Mini-DVD's, so if you decide to go the replacement top route, you need to find out how to install it elsewhere. This method works, but I haven't tested it personally.

Step 3: Wait for everything to arrive in the mail.

Step 4: When your package arrives, the MD Pro supplies should look a little something like this:

http://img394.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100551er.jpg[/URL]

PLEASE NOTE: If your discs do not say PRO, please throw out this memory card and your blanks because it won't work. IT MUST BE MAX DRIVE PRO

Step 5:
Download the most recent version of GcoS (Currently 1.5). You can get 1.5 from http://www.dlxserver.com/gcos1.5.rar . Extract it to a folder.

Step 6: Insert the Computer Software MiniDVD into your DVDWriter. It should autorun and install the software. You may have to reboot after this.

Step 7: Once this is finished, open up the MDPro Software.

http://img503.imageshack.us/my.php?image=aaaaasddddd7ov.jpg[/URL].

Plug the USB Cable provided into the little hole on top of the memcard. It should look as pictured below when finished, don't try to push the metal all the way in because it won't go.

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100563da.jpg[/URL]

Now, open the folder in which you extracted GcoS1.5, and drag the file called GcoS 1.5(PSO).dol into the Cube window in your MDPro program. It will ask if you want to convert this to a memcard file, press yes. It will upload the file onto your memory card.

NOTE:If you are having troubles with this step, or the gamecube recognizes GcoS files as corrupt, you may need to update your MDPro Software to version 1.1, available here: http://us.codejunkies.com/support_product.asp?c=GB&cr=USD&cs=$&r=...

Step 8: OK, the "Hacking" part is all done. What you need now is to find some gamecube iso-, err, "Backups" of your games. (These can be made yourself with a BBA, or, found from torrents, ftp, usenet etc.) I'm not gonna tell you where to get ISO's, this is one step you need to do by yourself, and should be able to do by yourself.

Step 9: Extract your iso and burn it w/ Nero. (I have only used Nero v7 and I have not yet had a problem). If you get a .gcm file, rename it to .iso and burn away w/ nero. NOTE1: If your GCM is <~1.3GB in size, you must use a tool called http://www.lekkertjooos.nl/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=53 Wiped GCM Fixer[/url]. This requires the knowledge of MS-DOS but will fix your gcm, so u can rename it to .iso and burn. NOTE2: When burning w/ Nero, it is IMPERATIVE that you tick the FINALIZE Button, otherwise your games will not work. You should now have the memory card with GcoS 1.x loaded on it, and an ISO. Your almost there!

Step 10: Insert your Max Drive Pro into memory card slot 1 of your gamecube. Note that this can be used as a (HUGE) memory card normally while your playing your games too!!!

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100575le.jpg[/URL]

Step 11: Insert the MiniDVD That came with your MDPro (the one for the gamecube, not the one that says PC Software) into your gamecube.

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100609an.jpg[/URL]

Step 12: Turn on the gamecube. It will take a while for the program to load, but only the first time. From there on in it will be quick. Now you should be at the main screen. Select the GcoS 1.5(PSO).dol file and press start (it should be the only one on there right now so just press start).

http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100612yv.jpg [/URL]

Step 13:
Now you should be at the GcoS main menu. Select the Boot Game option, from here on in it's pretty simple. It will tell you to swap your game so open up the lid and put in your backup. After this, it will detect the game, and give you 3 loading options.

http://img468.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100624cs.jpg[/URL]

-If your backup is the same region (PAL or NTSC) as your gamecube, just choose the Autodetect Region function (Press A)

- If your backup is differently region coded than your gamecube (IE PAL game NTSC Gamecube) force loading for the region of your gamecube (X or Y depending on your region, IE if you have a PAL gamecube force load as PAL).

Step 14: Wait for the moment of joy, than jump for happiness! Your laughing now. Enjoy the game and thanks for reading this long-winded craP!

Step 14.5 (NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY): Did you follow this tutorial to the letter, yet you have one of the following problems:

* Game Wont Boot
* Game TOC Loads, but fails to boot (You get the Cube setup screen)
* Onscreen Error "Can't read disc, etc"
* Onscreen Error "Refer to instruction manual, etc"
* Random Game Freezes
* Choppy Movie Playback
* Black Screen of Death

?

It could be due to many things, DVD-R Quality, Burner Type/Speed, Laser POT Adjustment etc. Check out the following link (brought to you by the boys @ ModThatCube) to solve that problem.

http://modthatcube.pxn-os.org/content/dre.htm

Still Skeptical about the Magic? Thanks to forum member badmonkey, you can see the MaxDrivePro in Action for yourself. (Please disregard the reset, it was a coincedental accident).

Link 1: http://www.rapidsharing.com/758d525b36782524ca3e7b8585a83cb6
Link 2: http://dlxserver.com/MaxDrivePro.wmv


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Comments? Questions?

 

i have a hard mod so there no need for me personally to use this guide

but i thought i'd let u know the guide was written very well, very clear and easy to understand

 

Many thanks this is just what I was looking for I intend to buy the Max Drive Pro, but excuse my ignorance but what is a BBA
"Backups" of your games. (These can be made yourself with a BBA,

 

BBA is the broadband adapter. The old Phantasy Star Online trick of streaming games over the network is also good, but takes a lot more time than brucedlx's method. Way to go!

 

Wow man many thanks. Very well written.

 

[bold]brucedlx[/bold] deserves MAJOR props. So much for being "new", right?

 

so ur saying that after doing all the steps ... you got your backups to work no problem?

i have a max drive pro and the media wasnt recognized at all... i am waiting for a gamebit *from Aheadgames.com ...which idk if youve experienced it... but doesnt have quite a good rep* to open up my gc and tweak the laser because the thing just doesnt recognize any media ive burned

i use Ritek G04 *Office Depot Mini DVDs* and yeah no luck ..


anyone tweaked the laser to success after the initial steps taken in the guide were done?

 

Yes I can boot any backup and even SNES/N64/NES Emulators using the method described above.

Their is nothing wrong with your Blank Mini's most likely. I know people who use bulkpaq nonamers and boot w/o problems. My experience tells me that what is more important is the burner. Pioneer and NEC burners generally do a better job w/ GC backups, while I've heard that HP, LG and Sony DVDWriters are notoriously bad for Gamecube backups. I don't know if the laser tweak will help.
Hope this helps,
Ciao.

 

well ^ if that is the case i could have sworn there are people here with those exact dvd burners that you mentioned as being "uncompatible" and finding that they do actually work.

rite... there are people out there that have gotten on problems using lets say a sony burner ...

 

Other than not voiding the warranty, what are the benefits and drawbacks of using the Max Drive PRO MC -vs- a modchip? Are there any BIOS dates that this won't work with? Like the oldest GC or the newest ones? Sony updates their firmware often enough, I don't know what N* policy is.

 

There aren't any drawbacks. Once it's set-up, it works just as well as a mod chip provided a good BIOS is being used.

 

Fozzebear: I'm just telling you what I've seen m8, people I talked to had the same problem as you, one in specific had a Sony Drive, burned 3x different blank mini's and none worked. He ordered a pioneer (which is under 40USD these days anyways) and burned the same ISO on the cheapest media he had and it worked w/o flaw. Others describe similar stories. If you've met others who have had success w/ every burner than more power to you. Just tryin to share some experiences is all.

xHardcore:

Advantages of Softmod w/ MDPro:
- No need to open the GC, void the warranty
- No need to learn how to use a soldering iron
- Can run any .dol file (basically any bios, emulator) perfectly well
- Doubles as a massive memory card on which you can save all your games
- Much easier to set up

Cons of Softmod w/ MDPro:
- Having to swap discs instead of straight boot
- Takes some time to load if you put new files from your comp on it
- Only one place to buy it online, and the shipping is hit or miss, can take anywhere from 1 week to 3 months in some cases I've heard

 

major props here, just wish it would have been posted about 1.5 weeks ago so i wouldnt have gotten all the stuff to do it the BBA way

i guess on the plus side it's at least really easy for me to create backups to burn later now

 

Just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, once you've got GCOS on your max drive and have it inserted into your gamecube, all you have to do is boot up the GC, go to whatever screen I'm assuming the max drive brings up, execute GCOS, boot game from GCOS, insert disc into GC, and you're good to go no matter if it's backup, homebrew, or import?

 

the problem ^ with getting the mdp setup is the media / burner / and your gamecube ... how tolerant it is to taking in a backup will be determined if the pot laser is set in the realm that will be necessary to read those discs ..

the dilemma im gonna have to face ... opening the damn gc and do a tweak but i cant find a damn 5/32 nut driver anywhere =X *local store no websites plz*

 

Tigerfire: Yes, once you get GcoS on the memory card, you can do anything you'd expect it to on a modchip which includes imports, homebrew, emu, backup (i've done it all).

Fozzebear: If you really must do a laser tweak, I can vouch for www.divineo.com (or .ca for Canada) they are an international and reputable company and I *think* I saw the screwdriver you are looking for on their site, I don't think you will find it in a store.

 

a well needed bump for an awesome thread for the GC community that doesnt want a mod chip

 

How long should it take a game to boot?
I did everything exactly as you said, and just to test it out, since I don't have any dvd mini's right now, I tried booting one of my import games, and after the whole disk swap, and press A, now it looks like it's stuck on "Setting up 06 Drive..."

 

It won't let me boot a regular, legal gamecube game either. It stops at Setting up 06 Drive..., the disk is still running, and when I open the disk cover, then it says, "Media Wasn't recognized! Press A to boot original IPL... Press B to retry..."

 

Are you force loading the region of your GC?