Format an HDD for PS2 with a PC?

has there been a program developed yet to format a hard drive for the PS2 from your computer instead of formatting on the PS2 console? the reason i ask is because i dont have a modchip so i cant run a burnt backup of the hdd utilities, and im pretty savvy when dealing with hard drives so, anyone hane any idea where i could get one or an way to use backups without a modchip?

any info would be very thankful, if these things are shady and dont like to be discussed on the forum, my email is seckscow@yahoo.com

PS. REO loadtimes are nasty!

 

I'm looking for the same.
Is there a proggy for the PC to format a HD in ps2 format.
Or even a memory card proggy?

My laser went dead and I'm just trying to find away around it without replacing it..
Does HDhandiness do a format?

thanks in advance.

 

I'll do you one better. There is a program that will let you transfer you game iso files from a pc directly to your hdd that you formated with HD Loader. HD loader takes 20 seconds to format an empty drive, longer if its full. You would then take the hd out of your ps2, connect it to a pc and dump iso files on it.

3 programs that I know of do this:

WinHIIP
PC Handiness
HDL Dumb, dump

These also allow you to make a iso backup from ps2 HDD to pc HDD if you want.

 

how is that better? We still can't format a HHD with out a mod chip? those would help once we get a HHD formated properly.


So is there a way to format a HHD on a PC that is ready to shove into a Playstation 2?

 

what difference does it make

if your lense is buggered, you still wont be able to boot games

you need the lense to read the hdloader cd, or to read the psx game for your mem card exploit

either way, their is no way to get to hd loader without using the cd drive

-x-x-x-

 

sECKScOW

I've read from other posters on this site that you can copy backups with the HD Loader and a slide card. No swap magic disc required.

 

If your lense is messed you could format the HD and the memory card on a friends ps2 and then put them into your own. But then every time you got a game youl'd have to go to a friends house with your HD to back it up, but i bet it's possible to create and copy the iso's to your HD with your PC once the ps2 disk is formated at a friends house.

 

even if they did that

YOU STILL NEED THE LENSE TO READ THE PSX CD THAT WILL LAUNCH HD LOADER FROM THE MEMORY CARD

there is no way to boot anything from an unofficial hard drive without using a cd

-x-x-x-

 

hey dlocke, im thinking of getting a new hd for hdloader. i just have a few questions regarding the method u said. can the cracked hdloader or exploit from a memory card also format an empty hd? and also, what do u mean then take out the hd and connect it to the pc? how do u do that, do u mean with the cables?

 

aznbound,

A little disclaimer, I haven't used WinHIIP or PC handiness myself, so I can't really speak about that with much confidence. I can tell you that you would disconnect your hdd from the ps2 (remove from network adapter too, of course), connect it by either a ide cable directly to your pc or to an external hd enclosure (that isn't being used at the moment) and connect that to your pc via usb or firewire.

I would assume that the cracked or memory card exploit would format the drive in order to mimic what the hd loader does. I have a copy of the official hd loader so I only know about it, really. The drive would be useless to your ps2 if it is formated by a pc in the standard way. Someone hypothesized that the system structure is similar to that of Linux but that is beyond my understanding of computers.

 

yes, the free hdloader will format a new hdd

-x-x-x-

 

Thanks for the info but i dont quite get it that much. im not so good with this stuff but i take the hd out of the ps2 and connect it to the pc with an ide cable? is that all i need to move iso's to the hd? i dont get where u said "then connect it via usb or firewire." Do i connect the hd with ide then with usb?

 

Yes. That's how a hdd connects to an external enclosure. This route is a little more practical than opening the case to your pc each time you need to connect your hdd to transfer iso's to it.

 

well, ill have to research on how to connect all of it together. u said i can hook it directly with an ide OR usb. do u mean to ide THEN to usb, or will any one of them work? also, does any ide or usb cable work? where can i get the cables needed to hook the hd to the pc?
_X_X_X_X_X_[small]What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion. - Sephiroth[/small]

 

Okay. You're hd must be connected to your PC via a ide or sata cable (if you got one). The ide cable plugs into your motherboard (don't ask me where, they're all different, consult you mobo makers website).

If you're going to use an external enclosure (that's a portable harddrive that you can slip just about any standard ide hdd into) you're going to plug that into an ide cable as well. But that enclosure will have either a firwire or usb cable running out of it to be hooked up to your PC (via a usb or firewire port). You would power on the external enclosure and hopefully your OS will see it and recognize it. Happy transfering if it does, install drivers that come with the enclosure if it doesn't.

Does that clear it up a bit? If not, find a nerdy friend you could bug or a guy at Circuit City or Best Buy.

 

Got it, thanks.

 

hi guys

can u install a HDD without a network card?? and can any HDD work??

thanx

 

NO

the network adapter has the hdd connection for ide and power.

without the network adapter it is not possible to connect a hdd

-x-x-x-

 

helloo..
i'm just want to confirm about the program..
WinHIIP
PC Handiness
HDL Dumb, dump

these three can use to transfer ps2 or psx games in iso format from pc to ps2 hdd if u connect the ps2 hdd in the comp?
if so, will the win "XP or 2000" detect the ps2 hdd. without need of formatting it first?
i just new at this..
i'm using Hd Advance...
will it work too?

 

Those are the 3 programs that I know of. There could be more.

Only ps2 games work with HD Advance and HD Loader. No ps1 games.

The whole point of these 3 programs is to allow your pc to transfer files to the hdd that has already been formated for use in your ps2 (ps2's file structure) without you needing to ever format it again (if you did you'd erase all games on your ps2 hdd and it would need to be reformated by the hd loader/advance before it would work again anyway. So don't do that).

I guess you don't understand what formating a hdd means.

Format, computer science: To divide (a disk) into marked sectors so that it may store data.
To determine the arrangement of (data) for storage or display.