PS3NEWS.COM PS2 HDD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTiONS

NOTE: HD Advance is NOT compatible with these Japanese PS2 models: SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000, and SCPH-18000 so anything you read below will NOT work if your PS2 console is one of them! The reason for this is because those three models utilize a PCMCIA expansion port instead of a 'DEV9' expansion port.

1) What do I need to play PS2 games from an internal Hard Disk Drive?

You will need three things: the HD Advance software, an official Sony PS2 Network Adaptor, and a suitable internal Hard Disk Drive. Either type of Network Adaptor (Ethernet only, or Ethernet and Modem) can be used as pictured below... however, if you haven't purchased one yet we recommend getting an Ethernet & Modem.



2) What is considered to be a suitable Hard Disk Drive to use?

Serial-ATA Hard Disk Drives do NOT work with the HD Advance so you have two options here- the official Sony Hard Disk Drive, or a standard IDE Hard Disk Drive with a capacity of AT LEAST 40GB. If you use a standard IDE drive, you will need to make sure that it actually fits into your Network Adapter. There are a few known compatibility issues with some non-Sony Hard Disk Drives such as some modern Segate drives. These cause problems when used in conjunction with older models of the official Sony PS2 Network Adapter.

NOTE: If HD Advance says that there isn't a Hard Disk Drive installed, or it freezes at the splash screen for you, then it is due to this conflict. In order to resolve this you will either need to purchase a new Hard Disk Drive or newer model PS2 Network Adapter.

Both a Sony and a standard IDE hard disk drive are shown below. We recommend using a Maxtor non-Sony HDD ranging in size from between 40GB to 120GB. It's NOT currently recommended to get a non-Sony Hard Disc Drive larger than 120GB simply because the official PS2 Network Adaptor only supports drives up to 137GB total. Maxtor drives fit perfectly with the official PS2 Network Adaptor. ;)



3) Why doesn't the PS2 Network Adaptor support 137+ GB drives?

It's not possible to actually add code to the ATAD IRX driver which is what would be needed to enable 48-bit LBA support. Also, 48-bit support would cause conflicts related to the APA partition system, so the APA driver would most likely need to be patched too. The current APA driver is 32-bit which means up to 2 TeraByte can be addressed by the driver. However, since the current ATAD driver only reports a 28-bit value to APA (actually it can report a 32-bit value, but it requires a new method of querying the HDD), so APA will just use the value given by ATAD which starts at 0x9ce80 and ends at 0x9fcbf.

4) How do I connect/install my Hard Disk Drive to my PS2?

If you have an official Sony Hard Disk Drive, then please install it according to the directions in its manual. If you will be using a standard IDE Hard Disk Drive, then please install it according to the directions below.

The first step is to make sure that the Hard Disk Drive you intend to connect to your PS2 will actually fit into your PS2 Network Adapter. Check that the IDE and power ports on your Hard Disk Drive properly align with the IDE and power connectors on your Network Adapter as shown in the picture directly below.



The next step is to configure the jumper setting on the Hard Disk Drive so that it is set to MASTER. To find the correct jumper settings for your Hard Disk Drive, either check the label on top of the HDD, or consult your reference manual. Now, attach the Hard Disk Drive to the Network Adapter by lining up the IDE and power connectors and pressing firmly, as shown in the picture directly below.



Carefully slide the Hard Disk Drive into the PS2 expansion bay now, while making sure the HDD stays plugged into the Network Adaptor.



Finally, push until the Network Adapter is connected to the back of your PS2, and then screw in the screws on the back of the Network Adapter to secure the Hard Disk Drive and Network Adapter in place.



Congratulations, you have successfully connected a Hard Disk Drive to your PS2 console! Be sure to check out our site's HD Advance page for the most up-to-date compatability list of PS2 games. Enjoy!