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

@KazAdley,
Glad you got the MDPro afterall. I think you will like it if your Cube will read the discs. Mine has liked all games but one or two. I have burned about twenty or so and brucedlx has helped me to narrow the problems I'm having. Be sure to follow the TUT to the tee and you will have good results. If you have any problems just post and the knowledgable will answer. Hopefully brucedlx will reply, he's the man.

@brucedlx,
I found a couple of the BBA's and I'm getting them. If you want one let me know and I will give you the details. They are [bold]NEW[/bold] from EBGames.

............c

 

You got em' for 2$? Yea sure i'll take one. PM Me a bill.

 

The MDPro has been a piece of cake, haven't had any of the corruptedness like others and that is despite turning the Cube on and off repeatedly in frustration.

It is the running backups that has me scratching my head. I have burned 15 now, and all of them hanged on "Setting up 08 Drive" ... various brands, speeds and ISO's. It never reaches the DRE, only when I open the lid after waiting forever.

About to scream ... I then turned the Cube upside down and it loaded straight away, ran for a few seconds and then there was this whizzing noise, kind of like what you get when you stick a scrap of paper in a fan. All 15 have done this too, even a 2 year old unused Princo that was laying around. Now for that rubbish to load I must have an *easy* Cube when it comes to media choice .

Only thing I can think is the bigtop replacement is interfering with the Disc when it gathers speed? The top, although expensiveish seems bodgy - the open/close button is horridly stiff and it doesn't quite click into the base fully.

Any ideas as to why it only works upside down? If it's something to do with the bigger discs (momentum, gravity, I dunno?) then I will find the cheapest mini's and put the real cover back on.

 

yea it may be the replace.top. When I did it for my PS2, there was this piece of plastic that stopped this disc from fitting into the tray all the way. The discs would never read. Examine the top closely, make sure you put it on correctly, and if it don't work, try a mini-dvd w/ the case back on.

 

OkiDoki, I'm a happy camper

The top required screwing in **extremely** tight to pull it right down into the base - the whizzing noise was the disc brushing against the base of the tray. It seems to be a millimetre or so out of shape and the eject button is hopelessly stiff and jammy but it shall suffice. For anyone else wanting one but worried about the Cube's warranty - at no time whilst installing it did it seem to void the warranty. There were no hidden screws or outer / inner ripped stickers. I only have the top bit, perhaps it is different for the sort where you get the base too. Anyone?

After a bit of trial and error I have found the perfect combination of disc and burner and have not had one dud since. I (the kids!!!) have been playing non stop now, game after game with no issues. Yee Har!!! Sometimes the card complains of Hardware Error but take it out and put it in a couple of times and it's fine (and one RSOD).

To anyone else about to dump it all in the trash - Don't Give Up!!! I was very disheartened with the first few coasters but now I am thrilled with it. Even using discs with the same media code but an alternate brand made a huge difference.

So Thanks Guys

 

I got my maxdrive and of course it did not work. I tried all the logical steps and finally it was the laser pot. I checked it and it was set at 206 ohms. I lowered it to 175 and it still did not work. I lowered it again to 96 finally and it worked. It works all the time with these discs I got from www.foundnmy.com I have no idea what brand they are. They are plain, inkjet printable, no label or markings, and are very purple on the burn side. I also bought some Sony's from Staples and only 1 works and only when it feels like it. Can anyone recomend a Brand that I can buy locally like at Staples, Sams, Walmart, etc.. that will work.
Also am I right in understanding that everytime I wish to switch to a different game I must place the Maxdrive Gamecube disc back in and reboot the whole thing just like when you first start up a game.

Thanks for answering any of my questions!

Barney

 

@KazAdley,
Good job on the cover! I'm glad that your games starting working and the kiddies are having a go of it. btw which media seems to be giving you the best results?

@my7of9,
Yes you must "switch" the boot-up disc every time you start a new game, but it's not that difficult. I think that Office Depot has the discs you want. Office Depot brand mini-DVD-R 1.4GB. I think the regular price is $19.99/10 Pack but they may be on sale this week for $14.99. They should code out as [bold]Ritek G04[/bold] if I'm not mistaken. You can get them (Ritek Ridata G04) much cheaper from www.meritline.com, www.supermediastore.com, or www.allmediaoutlet.com if you are from the US or www.blankmedia.ca from Canada (I think that's right).


..........c

 

Nothing but success with Imation DVD-R 8X, burnt at 8X with Nero / Alcohol. They are picked up as 'CMC MAG. AE1'. Oddly, I also have some Verbatim's that appear identical - same media code / speed - but they all crapped out. Using an LG GSA - 4167B burner via USB. Using the Imation's in a slimline laptop burner (TSST something??) also crapped out. Surprised to see where and why the differences.

Not sure if I am just lucky, but I have now 43 backups that are running just like the real thing. Keep waiting for the bubble to burst though!!!

BTW - for anyone in Oz, I know of an online shop where you can get a sample pack of their top selling blank medias, two of each brand with free postage.

 

when i try some of my backups there blurry is there anyway to fix this?

 

That is because of your TV i guess... A backup is a replica of an original so it should behave the same also. Try some settings on your tv, maybe its TFT or plasma and its using interpolation?

 

well i do have a plasma tv but half the games work and half the games go blurry and flickers.

 

so uhhhh does anyone have a site i could order this memory card from? and how much is it?

 

Read the topic start. All you need to know is in there...

 

all the info you need is in the topic start.

 

One thing I thought I might ad in regards to media and burning.
I use a pioneer 111d burner with ritek G04 mini dvd media, laser lens tweek at 76 and software is Nero version 7. {Do Not use Clone DVD!} If I burn with Nero 7 at 1x speed I get way more errors according to dvdinfo pro than if I burn with 2x speed. I noticed that some discs were actually not playable using 1x burn speed. Oh and deffinately do not use clone dvd. All discs were chock full off errors and unplayable. Use nero at 2x speed with the above setup and all play perfect with no DRE's.

Why is it worse with 1x speed?

 

When you say errors does that include a blurry screen? because half of the ones i backup do that its anoying

 

I tried starting my own thread to get attention about this new MDPro replacement, but it didn't get much notice. After reading through the details of it though, it seems to be identical to the MDPro and thus, I think it could be used in the exact same method to boot GC games without a modchip. The URL is below and I hope people will visit it and start talking about it.

http://us.codejunkies.com/shop/product.asp?c=US&cr=USD&cs=$&r=0&l=1&ProdID=308

 

Nope. Only the pro edition will work. EVO will not, unless you have tested it yourself and found a new method, and MDPro is out of circulation now.

 

No I do not get a blurry screen they just do not work at all.
Unless of course you are talking about accidentally burning a PAL iso and it wont play on an NTSC.

 

nope its a direct copy of one of my games.