Hard Drive Loader Tutorial

This tutorial will cover on how to use hd loader in 2 different ways, if you do not understand what HD loader is or have questions, please scroll to the bottom of this Tutorial. If you do not have a swap method or a modchip to boot backups, please skip both of these methods, and read the frequently asked questions at the end and buy HD loader or HD advance on like http://www.ebay.com/ or wherever on the net.

The 2 methods of using HD loader.

Boot HD Loader through a CDR
You can burn it to a cdr or dvdr and boot it like that, this is the best choice for people who do not use swap methods like swap magic and such and who have a modded ps2.Now the question of the day is "where do I obtain files to make my own hd loader disc"? Well according to the ruls on this forum, I cannot post direct links to downloads, but I can help guide you to the right direction. You can find more information on mIRC chat program, server EFnet, channel #ps2bins.

Boot HD Loader through the memory card using a PSX game.
This method is for people who do not have a modded ps2 and must use a swap method like swap magic.

This method involves making a disc that will install hd loader to your memory card so that HD loader will start up through your memory card upon a boot of a ps1 game of your choice that you choose to use during the making of the install disc. (Not all ps1 games, just 1 of your choice you choose to make hd loader boot up).

Now the question is, how do I make this install disc?

Ok first you need to find Mr. Brown's exploit for the ps2 (the mIRC channel I explained above in method 1 will help you find this software), if you need help PM me, anyways, once you have the exploit, you will then need to stick the hdloader.elf file ya got on your computer into the files folder where you extracted Mr. Brown's exploit. You will see a file called title.db, this is the file that tells the ps2 which particular ps1 game will have it boot up hd loader when it reads this game. So obviously we must edit this file somehow to have it boot up your ps1 game you choose. You can either use the program called titleman.exe (run it in msdos to use and type "titleman.exe help" if you need help) or you can use the graphical version of the program called Title.db Maker v0.1.exe which you can find on the net probably with ease. You will find the information you need on the ps1 game under a file called system.cnf (you can use notepad to open this file and obtain the info you need to use titleman.exe to patch your title.db)

Then after you get the hdloader.elf in the files folder and patch the title.db, renamed hdloader.elf to boot.elf (boot.elf is the default program that is booted when using this exploit). All you gotta do is burn all those files to a cdr in ps2 format (use this software to make the disc: cdgenps2) And just use swap magic to boot this disc up and that will be the last time you will need to boot it.

Then all you got to do to load hd loader is to have the memory card in slot 1, put in the ps1 game you choose to use and let it boot the game normally, but if everything went well, it will boot HD loader instead of the ps1 game, neat huh? Now you never need to use a swap trick or anything, it's like you have the retail version. The reason you might want this version rather than the one you buy is because with the one you buy, you cannot put on backups onto the hard drive, meaning you cannot install games that you have burnt onto the hard drive, you will need to use the downloaded versions online.


Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What is HD Loader?
Answer: HD Loader is a PS2 Program that allows the user to store their games on their hard drive to play the games from the hard drive.

Question: So what's the advantage of having HD Loader?
Answer:Imagine a world where all you have to do is turn on your PS2, and pick a game from your list and play it without having to wear out your laser lens, oh and did I mention your games will load 2-4x faster at loading times? =)

Question: Do I need an offical PS2 Network Adapter in order to use a hard drive with HD Loader?
Answer: Yes, this is required to connect the hard drive to the PS2.

Question: What kind of hard drive do I need?
Answer: Ok, you can use the offical Sony PS2 Hard Drive (the one you get when you buy Final Fantasy 11), but be warned, the offical Sony Hard Drive is only 40GB which will let you only put on an estimate of 10-25 games on the hard drive.
Or, I recommend buying a normal PC IDE Hard Drive (to be able fit more games) and hook it up with your PS2 Network Adapter just like you would with an offical Sony PS2 Hard Drive. (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GETTING A MAXTOR DRIVE, they fit very nicely in and they are all compatible) The maximum size of a hard drive you can use is 120gb. Please try to get a hard drive in 1 of these sizes for best results (40gb, 80gb, 120gb, 160gb if you want 137gb) (If you were to use a 160gb+ hard drive, it would only use the first 137gb because of the BIOS in the PS2.) So first go on yahoo or google and search for PS2 Hard Drive Compatibility List and make sure the hard drive you plan on using is listed.

Question: Can I use HD Loader to store my saved games on the HDD?
Answer: No, no saved games can be stored in HDD.

Question:Can I still use my memory card to store gaved game data?
Answer: Yes.

Question: What buffer size/rpm/ATA speed should my HDD have?
Answer: HD Loader will work with most HDD's, regardless of the buffer size etc. You dont need to worry about these details.

Question: Can I use a Serial-ATA HDD with HD Loader?
Answer: No. IDE Only

Question: HD Loader freezes at the splash screen! Help!
Answer: A few HDDs (specifically, a few recent Seagate models) are not compatible with the older models of the Official PS2 network adapter.

Question: If you have a modified PS2 do you still need a Slide Tool or Flip Top Cover to load backups or imports onto HDD?
Answer: Slide Tool or Flip Top Cover is not needed if the PS2 is modified

Question: Can I use a cheat device such as Action Replay or Gameshark with HD Loader?
Answer: No, unfortunately this is not possible at this time.

Question: Does my PS2 have to modded in order to use HD Loader?
Answer: No it does not.

Question: Do I need a modchip to use a hard drive that is not an offical Sony PS2 Hard Drive?
Answer: No you do not.

Question: What is the difference between HD Loader and HD Advance?
Answer: HD Loader will only allow you to install ORGINAL games onto your hard drive (unless you found the cracked version of HD Loader). And HD Advance will allow you to put on backups on the hard drive if you have a modchip or some other method of booting backups such as Swap Magic or Fliptop.

Question: Do I have to have the HD Loader disc in my ps2 everytime I want to play a game on my Hard Drive?
Answer: As of now, yes you do.

Question: Where can I find HD Loader or HD Advance, all there sites are down?
Answer: Well, as you may or may not know, these companies that supply this software are in a lawsuit with SONY, so they are now stopping the sales of HD Loader and HD Advance and shutting down. But do not worry, for people without a modchip or a way to boot backups, please look on ebay.com for some that are left, but you better hurry before that all run out! For people with modchips that cannot find it for buy, or want to find it on the internet for download or anything else, please send me a PM and I will help you out.

Question: Can I transfer games from my computer to my ps2 hard drive through a crossover cable or a network?
Answer: Yes of course you can, you will need to use method 2 on the hd loader guide and install the software called faplink on your ps2 memory card and on your computer. To install on the ps2 memory card, do as method 2 says, but download the software called keylauncher (allow you to have a software menu on your ps2 to choose what you want to boot up) Configure that to link to whatever .elf files you want (.elf files are like .exe in windows) and save the config file and instead of renaming hdloader.elf to boot.elf, rename KL.elf (keylauncher executable) to boot.elf and leave hdloader.elf the same name) Then burn that to a disc and your set.

Question: Can I install multiple software on my memory card?
Answer: Yes you can, read the question above and use the software keylauncher and add any software you want to use in the files folder of the exploit and configure the KL.dat file in keylauncher to set what keys to boot which software and burn that to a disc to install.

Question: How do I make a disc readable in a ps2 that uses a swap method or is moddeD?
Answer: Use the program called cdgenps2 and use your favourite burning program to burn the .bin or .iso you make and that's it.

Please post any corrections and suggestions on this guide and I will update it.

Note to Moderators of this Forum: I would love to say thanks for putting a sticky on this post, I have worked hard into making it for everyone. I am sorry that this post was so sloppy at first, but I fixed it all up and would kindly like to ask if you could please rename this post to "Hard Drive Loader Tutorial". Thank you very much.

it might be helpful if you post some FAQs about HDAdvance too:

If you have a modified PS2 is it possible to play PS1 games from the HDD?
No. HDAdvance is only for PS2 games.

If you have a modified PS2 do you still need a Slide Tool or Flip Top Cover to load backups or imports onto HDD?
Slide Tool or Flip Top Cover is not needed if the PS2 is modified

Do I need a modified PS2 in order to use HDAdvance?
No - No modification is required.

What HDD is recommended for use with HDAdvance?
The most recommended HDD is the official internal HDD. It is guaranteed to work. However, the maximum capacity is up to 40GB Only. If you want a larger drive capable of storing more games then we recommend that you purchase a 80 or 120 gigabyte Maxtor HDD. Please keep in mind that this is only a recommendation and we cannot take any liability if you purchase a drive which is incompatible with HDAdvance.

XXX does not work with HDAdvance! What can I do?
Please check the compatibility page and see if the game you are having problems with is listed. If not please contact us to inform us of the incompatibility.

I have a HDD installed in my PS2, but HDAdvance says there isn't one installed! What gives?
Your HDD is not compatible with HDAdvance.

HDAdvance freezes at the splash screen! Help!
A few HDDs (specifically, a few recent Seagate models) are not compatible with the older models of the Official PS2 network adapter. Please see the compatibility page for more information.

Can I use a Serial-ATA HDD with HDAdvance?
No.

Where can I purchase HDAdvance?
Please go the Where to buy page for related links.

What are the maximum and minimum HDD sizes supported by HDAdvance?
The maximum HDD size supported by HDAdvance is 120GB, and the minimum size is 40GB.

Can I play PS1 games with HDAdvance?
No. HDAdvance does not support PS1 games..

Can I use HDAdvance to store my saved games on the HDD?
No, no saved games can be stored in HDD.

Can I still use my memory card to store gaved game data?
Yes.

Will I need the HDAdvance disc inserted in my PS2 each time I wish to play a game from my HDD?
Yes, you must load the HDAdvance disc first and then launch the game from the GUI.

Will HDAdvance be able to format my 3rd party HDD?
Yes, HDAdvance will give you the option to format your HDD if it detects that it is not already formatted.

Is HDAdvance compatible with modchips?
Yes.

How fast are games transferred from the disc to the HDD?
That depends on the media type and amount of data to be transferred. The approximate maximum transfer rate for a CD is 700kb/second, and for DVD it is 1.5mb/second. Please note that the transfer rate is not constant, it starts off slow and gets faster.

Do I need to be connected to the internet to use HDAdvance? Is this why a network adapter is required?
No, you do not need to be connected to the internet to use HDAdvance. The network adapter is only required because it is used to physically connect a HDD to your PS2.

Can I use a cheat device such as Action Replay or Gameshark with HDAdvance?
No, unfortunately this is not possible at this time.

Can I use HDAdvance to play my games online?
You can play any games which do NOT use DNAS online. As stated on the compatibility page the DNAS check will fail when HDAdvance is used, so it is not possible to play DNAS enabled games online using HDAdvance.

Does HDAdvance conflict with other HDD enabled software such as PlayOnline, FFXI etc?
No, HDAdvance does not interfere with any other HDD enabled software.

What buffer size/rpm/ATA speed should my HDD have?
HDAdvance will work with most HDD's, regardless of the buffer size etc. You dont need to worry about these details.

Will future games work with HDAdvance?
As the future games are not yet released, it is impossible to determine if these will work with HDAdvance or not.

(taken from http://www.hdadvance.com/hd_advance_faq.htm)

*Updated* Thank you very much for that extra information, anything else that could be added or questions or comments?

HERES ALSO A BIG BIG FAQ'S ABOUT HDLOADER AND HDADVANCE...

*HDLOADER[original]THE BEST ONE [since its dms product]

*HDADVANCE[clone or its the cracked version of hdloader]
they did some edit some on it by using hex editor
they just modified its appearance and other words on it and added some new feature BUT this features can be also done on HDLOADER(by doing swap... and added gayness YELLOW skin....

so if i were you dont support this HDADVANCE <= CLONE AND TRYING TO RIP UR MONEY IF U BOUGHT THIS SHIT

HDLOADER FROM TEAM DMS (creator of dms3 chips...)
HDADVANCE FROM UNKNOWN TEAM......(no info about this team)

Hi, newbie here. I saw that you listed that ATA will not work except IDE HD. I know there's ATA HD that is IDE compatible. Would it still work or not? Thanks.

What format does HD Loader and HD Advance rip games to the HDD? I ask this cause is it possible to just connect the HDD you're using for your PS2 to PC and transfer isos to it or is that not possible because of the way the HD Loader/Advance formats the HDDs?

ddrhazy, from what I read from the forum here HD Loader/Advance have a program to copy data to the harddrive in your PS2 without the use of USB or any connection from your PC.

Gurus, correct me if I'm wrong.

there are programs for burning from pc to ps2 hdd and vice versa, personally i use pchandiness

Like aestoney said, there are a few programs, I happen to like Winhiip, if you wanna give that a try.

KCflyGuy - Pretty much ANY IDE hard drive will work, as long as it physically will plug in to the network adapter. I actually had to detach the plugs from the network adapter because they weren't lining up, which can be done as well, but makes it a little harder to swap quickly. The FAQ above is talking about Serial-ATA, aka SATA, which has a new, way smaller plug. As long as the HD says IDE, you should be OK.

1) HD Advance is not compatible with Japanese SPCH-1000 Ps2...And the HD Loader?
2) If I had a PS2 Jap SPCH-10000 modify with Origa 1.0 Chip, I can use a HDD broadband PAL? And wich versione of HD loader?

VERY thanks if you reply...

I was under the impression that the 3 versions listed are only incompatible because you can't use the network adapter on them...?

No, the problem is this:
1) I read on the site of the hd loaader advance 2.0 that is incompatible with my Ps2 model. You know if the old HD Loader (no Advance) had the same problem? The site is closed and I can't read anywhere...
2) I can use my Ps2 Jap with a broadband PAL?
3) The Ps2 Jap with origa chip, wich version of hd loader can use? All or only NTSC Jap?
Thanks :)

This may be a stupid question but i am going to ask it anyway. I got the HD Loader it load couple of my game. But the biggest problem i have is it will not load up any of my EA Sport games. Can i get some help! Also i have the ps2 HD drive.

your EA Sports games will work provided you enable the correct modes......Madden 2005 requires mode 3 to be enabled and NHL 2005 requires modes 1,2, and 3 to be enabled....I'm not sure about any other EA sports games as of right now but i do know that they will all work...the most common mode required is mode 3 so try that with your EA sports games and they will most likely work fine

I need some help.
I have the new HD loader advance because i couldn't find the old one. I had a 130 Gig seagate and it said can't find hardware so then i bought a Maxtor 130Gig but when i hooked it up and put in the disc, it said can't find hardware. Whats the difference between the ATA and IDE because all of the hard drives i have seen say ATA-133-EIDE?? Any suggestions of what might be wrong.

Hi, please dont make fun of me what what do you mean by mode because i have the same problem?my 2005 ea sports games wont load

GOSPURSGO, I had a similar problem with my Madden 2005 and was told to try mode 3.

What is mode 3? Try pressing "select" on the menu screen and then it will take you to the mode screen. Go to mode 3 and toggle it on and the press select to take you back to the main menu screen. You will only need to do it once for that game.

hi i download hdloader can i use swap magic to boot hdloader. have tryed but just get black screen

thanx for the info. works great now

hi i was wndering if i can put a HD that is less than 5G. and how can i download HD LOADER plz help asap

from the offical advance/loader site they say the min. hardrive you can use is 40GB. i know people who have used less then a 40GB and worked.

will a 5GB HDD work? maybe. but why bother? you could only put 1-2 games on it

noobie here,
Will Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model 6Y080P0, OEM Drive Only, IDE ULTRA ATA133 be compatible with HD Advance?

Oh and how can you find the version of your PS2?

ok i know my version, but another ?.

can you get new skins instead of yellow for HD ADVANCE?

i have a question if i buy a hd with the ff do i have to buy something else

Hi, I would just like to know if there is any special reson y u gys support HDloader? Cuz I thot that HDadvance can load burned copies.
PLZ reply