PS2 PS2 HDD Decryption Helper 2024-12-04

[Berion]

Bunch of bash scripts for automate PS2 HDD mounting and unmounting etc. In future, also DESR disks decryption. Read more about this resource...

 

[Berion]

To assemble full PS2HDH you need in addition to download:

1. https://www.mediafire.com/file/geoqlf8j4m63air/PS2HDH+Exploits+Pack+(2024-12-04).tar.xz/file
MD5: 2f631a4ea73ab818fb8eef73f35b991d

Unpack "PS2HDH Exploits Pack (2024-12-04).tar.xz" and move "exploits" to "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/". Without it, you will not be able to add any exploits, apps etc. to disk. I couldn't do that because of file size limit in resource section, so I split it into important and less important packages. This archive will be updating from time to time independently from PS2HDH so bookmark this thread for future updates.

2. If you want HDD OSD (so called Browser 2.0), you need to provide files unpacked from HDD OSD file, from SUDC4 disc. This is proprietary data so I cannot add it to Exploits Pack. What files and how to name them, along to checksums, you will find in "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/exploits/HDD OSD/missing files.txt".

3. If you want been able to i.e format PS2 Memory Card (in future more tasks related to mc). You need to find PS3MCA Tool and place it in "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/PS3MCA Tool.elf". Sony highly not like that application, due to MechaCon emulator and some Magic Gate keys, so I also couldn't add it to PS2HDH.

 

[Berion]

PS2HDH release, introducing first time finished APA-Jail specification plus scripts allowing to format disk (or convert existing) into that way. More details in readme PDF. In short: APAJ, allows user to boot PS2 to i.e FHDB but ALSO placing disc images in the same way as on pendrive. No more need of dedicated toolkits and apps like i.e hdldump, WinHIIP, PFS Batchkit Manager or HDL Batch Installer!

APAJ is supported only by: OPL GD (Grimmdoomer's fork), uOPL (unofficial OPL) and latest official OPL 1.2.0 beta builds.

However, user must aware of few Linux oriented issues:

1. PFS Shell and PFS Fuse will reject working on drive if it is mounted. And if you mounted "OPL" partition from MBR/GPT space (do not mislead it with "+OPL" from APA space!) then most of tasks APA related will not work.

Best will be if you disable in Nemo (default file manager in Linux Mint) automounting removable media:



2. After copying i.e disc images to OPL partition using USB controller (i.e SATA reader on USB), always choose that option in Nemo (the same in Explorer on Windows):

 

[Berion]

Examples of usage:

Scenario A. Disk formatting to APA LBA48 (standard formatting):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "1. APA - Native PlayStation 2 partitioning scheme."

Scenario B. Disk formatting to APA-Jail (for storage 2TiB and smaller):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
2. After that choose option: "A. Format drive to APA-Jail type-A (APA LBA48 and MBR).".

Scenario C. Disk formatting to APA-Jail (for storage larger than 2TiB but smaller than 512TiB):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "1. APA - Native PlayStation 2 partitioning scheme."
2. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
3. After that choose option: "B".

Scenario C. Disk formatting to APA-Jail (for storage larger than 2TiB but smaller than 512TiB):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Tasker.sh" and choose option "4. Change maximum disk size.".
2. After that, choose "A" or "B" or "C" or "D" (depend what size you want for APA).
3. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "1. APA - Native PlayStation 2 partitioning scheme."
4. Run "PS2 HDD Tasker.sh" and choose option "4. Change maximum disk size.".
5. After that, choose option "A" and restore original sector count for your disk.
6. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
7. After that choose option: "D" or "F" (depend of size you want to reserve for APA, all else will be used for recovery partition and exFAT).

Scenario D. Disk converting to APA-Jail (for storage 2TiB and smaller):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
2. After that choose option: "C" or "E" (depend of size you want to reserve for APA, all else will be used for recovery partition and exFAT).

Scenario E. Disk converting to APA-Jail (for storage larger than 2TiB but smaller than 512TiB):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "1. APA - Native PlayStation 2 partitioning scheme."
2. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
3. After that choose option: "D" or "F" (depend of size you want to reserve for APA, all else will be used for recovery partition and exFAT).

Scenario E. Disk converting to APA-Jail (for storage larger than 2TiB but smaller than 512TiB):

1. Run "PS2 HDD Tasker.sh" and choose option "4. Change maximum disk size.".
2. After that, choose "A" or "B" or "C" or "D" (depend what size you want for APA).
3. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "1. APA - Native PlayStation 2 partitioning scheme."
4. Run "PS2 HDD Tasker.sh" and choose option "4. Change maximum disk size.".
5. After that, choose option "A" and restore original sector count for your disk.
6. Run "PS2 HDD Formatter.sh" script and choose option: "4. APA-Jail - Mixed together APA and MBR or GPT.".
7. After that choose option: "D" or "F" (depend of size you want to reserve for APA, all else will be used for recovery partition and exFAT).

In case of conversion to APA-Jail for disks larger than 2TiB, you can use disk image of existed APA disk to avoid step 1-4. It is not recommended but if your BIOS/UEFI or Linux not allows to setting up HPA area, then that will be your only solution.

Scenario F. Installing FHDB, PS2BBL, apps etc.
Warning: disk must be already formatted to APA or APA-Jail.

1. Run "PS2 HDD Exploiter.sh" script and choose option "6. Install Free HDBoot." or "7. Install PS2 Basic Boot Loader.".
2. If "6", then "A" or "B" or "C", allows you to install different versions. Majority of modchips conflicting with 1.966, so choose for them older. Otherwise, use always newest.
3. After that, you can considering adding HDD OSD if you are interested in its functionality (saves backups, bootable partitions etc.).
4. If "7", then choose "A" or "B", depend if you want clean PS2BBL or PS2BBL which automatically launch FHDB (for some modchips, that's the only solution).
5. After installing FHDB or PS2BBL run "PS2 HDD Exploiter.sh" script again and choose option "2. Add additional homebrew applications.".
6. Option "A" puts uLE and ESR on "hdd0:/__common". "B" and "C" unpacking apps packed to *.psu, to OPL resouce partition (of course user need to put SAS apps into "${HOME}/ps2/apps/exploits/misc/SAS/").

 

[eliminator14]

Hi, I used PS2 HDH on linux mint with my sata hdd connected using sata to usb adapter, the hdd formats fine with the included formatter, but when trying to install DEV2, ps2bbl, fdhb etc it gives error and unmounts the respective partition its writing to automatically.

 

[Berion]

@eliminator14 Which version of Mint are you using? I tested only on 22.0 in live mode but that shouldn't matter anyway.

For whom ps2 folder (and all files and folders inside) belong to? That's permissions and mappers issues. To use Exploiter script, none of PS2 HDD partitions must be mounted (I assuming, some are in your case if "ps2" belong to "shaan"). Eventually you trying different exploits without clearing old. That will not work because PFS Fuse not supporting overwriting etc.

 

[eliminator14]

@Berion, I'm using the Linux Mint 22 installed version, also tested on live mode, yes I mounted some partition to try this but before I did it without mounting and it was also giving some error. I formatted the HDD again and it shows me this when applying for DEV2 exploit

[UPDATE]
I formatted the HDD again, re-read the instructions pdf and asked gpt about root access commands, I also saw that only desktop was showing up in root and not ps2 so it gave these commands

sudo ln -s /home/ps2 /root/ps2
sudo ls -l /root/ps2

And after launching the file explorer through this command "sudo nautilus /root/ps2", it completed successfully without any error .
However, once plugging the hdd in my ps2 slim 7000X, DEV2 does not boot gives black screen, and FHDB also does not boot it takes me to the dashboard after flashing FMCB logo twice but the dashboard has shutdown and Launch disc option.

 

[Berion]

@eliminator14
Hello, sorry for late answer. I will look into that in January and mention you in new post. So far I couldn't replicated that issue(s) on Mint 22.0 with Cinnamon in live mode.

 

[eliminator14]

@Berion
No worries, I will wait, because this tool is a game changer where you can do everything on the pc

 

[LFarinha92]

During my tests on PS2 games in ISO/BIN/ZSO, everything worked perfectly, but I would just like to report a few things about "APA-JAIL", in my case using APA/EXFAT/MBR HDD1TB.

- The official OPL works, but it does not save the settings in the APA or EXFAT partitions. However, when activating the MBR/GPT mode in OPL, it activates the language that was previously chosen.

- POPSTARTER unfortunately does not work, the OPL (Official and uOPL) lists but does not run, it gives a black screen and returns to the home screen.

 

[Berion]

The official OPL works, but it does not save the settings in the APA or EXFAT partitions. However, when activating the MBR/GPT mode in OPL, it activates the language that was previously chosen.

That's OPL bugs which I hope will be fixed in future.

POPSTARTER unfortunately does not work, the OPL (Official and uOPL) lists but does not run, it gives a black screen and returns to the home screen.

Unfortunately, does functionality needs special drivers which would do similar job to BDM Assault. Such software not exist yet so currently POPStarter cannot read/write to exFAT on internal drive (no matter if on APA-Jail, exFAT on MBR/GPT or exFAT alone).

 

[Dominic363]

To assemble full PS2HDH you need in addition to download:

1. https://www.mediafire.com/file/geoqlf8j4m63air/PS2HDH+Exploits+Pack+(2024-12-04).tar.xz/file
MD5: 2f631a4ea73ab818fb8eef73f35b991d

Unpack "PS2HDH Exploits Pack (2024-12-04).tar.xz" and move "exploits" to "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/". Without it, you will not be able to add any exploits, apps etc. to disk. I couldn't do that because of file size limit in resource section, so I split it into important and less important packages. This archive will be updating from time to time independently from PS2HDH so bookmark this thread for future updates.

2. If you want HDD OSD (so called Browser 2.0), you need to provide files unpacked from HDD OSD file, from SUDC4 disc. This is proprietary data so I cannot add it to Exploits Pack. What files and how to name them, along to checksums, you will find in "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/exploits/HDD OSD/missing files.txt".

3. If you want been able to i.e format PS2 Memory Card (in future more tasks related to mc). You need to find PS3MCA Tool and place it in "${TOOLKIT_PATH}/apps/PS3MCA Tool.elf". Sony highly not like that application, due to MechaCon emulator and some Magic Gate keys, so I also couldn't add it to PS2HDH.

Hi , i have downloaded the exploits pack and extracted its content into apps folder but still i am getting an error where the directory cannot be found. i even copied the exploits folder there and still getting the same message.

another inquiry i am in process installing freehdb i just formatted my hdd to APA-Jail . now to install the fhdb which partition i should choose ?i assume its suppose to be the ssd1 ?

 

[Berion]

@Dominic363
Exploit Pack must be unpacked to apps, it cannot be anywhere else. Look at the screenshot:
https://www.psx-place.com/attachments/nemo_1-png.44831/

You cannot manipulate APA space while any MBR/GPT partition is mounted. Probably that's why You've got errors (because PFS Fuse doesn't mount APA partitions, when "OPL" is mounted). Look at this post, point no.1: https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ps2-hdd-decryption-helper.45447/#post-403927

No, You don't feeding script by partition name because Linux, just like Windows, not understand APA, so it doesn't listing its partitions. What you see are MBR/GPT partitions which PS2 fw not understand (remember, it is hybrid disk, each environments doesn't know about existence of each other). So you feeding it by device name, and script will figure out the rest (in example from your screenshot: "/dev/sdd", not "/dev/sdd1" which is closed APA space to protect it from overwritten).

 

[Dominic363]

@Dominic363
Exploit Pack must be unpacked to apps, it cannot be anywhere else. Look at the screenshot:
https://www.psx-place.com/attachments/nemo_1-png.44831/

You cannot manipulate APA space while any MBR/GPT partition is mounted. Probably that's why You've got errors (because PFS Fuse doesn't mount APA partitions, when "OPL" is mounted). Look at this post, point no.1: https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ps2-hdd-decryption-helper.45447/#post-403927

No, You don't feeding script by partition name because Linux, just like Windows, not understand APA, so it doesn't listing its partitions. What you see are MBR/GPT partitions which PS2 fw not understand (remember, it is hybrid disk, each environments doesn't know about existence of each other). So you feeding it by device name, and script will figure out the rest (in example from your screenshot: "/dev/sdd", not "/dev/sdd1" which is closed APA space to protect it from overwritten).

thank you very much for your reply. i have made sure the correct path of the exploits folder is being placed into apps folder. however, i am still having the issue.Even though i have unmounted the drive by selecting the unmount button. i have placed a screenshot of the log i am getting when i am trying to install fhdb

 

[Berion]

Dirs looks fine but PFS Fuse reported that APA is broken. Which can be only a trivial thing like bad APA checksum (which should not happen, script correcting it) or can be broken really. You should reformat it now.

 

[Dominic363]

Dirs looks fine but PFS Fuse reported that APA is broken. Which can be only a trivial thing like bad APA checksum (which should not happen, script correcting it) or can be broken really. You should reformat it now.

thank you very much for your reply again, i have reformatted the hdd as you suggested it and gave it a try again and here's the log whenever i am trying to install the FHDB even though the files directory are correct and the exploits folder is correctly placed in apps folder

 

[psydefx]

thank you very much for your reply again, i have reformatted the hdd as you suggested it and gave it a try again and here's the log whenever i am trying to install the FHDB even though the files directory are correct and the exploits folder is correctly placed in apps folder

I get similar errors when trying to install softdev2 :/

 

[Berion]

@Dominic363 / @psydefx

First issue:
It seems that executables (like eg. "HDL Dumb.elf") have not execute attribute set on each of pc ELF files (if you unpacked *.tar archive, all *.elf and *.sh should have them). Or latest Mint live not allows to run applications from "/home" (noexec flag for it, but it works always for me). I will check that later, maybe Mint 22.1 disabled that.

Second one:

You cannot manipulate APA space while any MBR/GPT partition is mounted.

And on screenshot above, I see that you have mounted exFAT partition from MBR/GPT space, with label "OPL" under "/media/mint/OPL"). Disable automounting in Nemo like I described in post no. 3 (Eventually start "PS2 HDD Unmounter.sh" which unmounting both: APA and MBR/GPT stuff; or type in Terminal "sudo umount -l /media/mint/OPL", before run "PS2 HDD Exploiter.sh").

 

[psydefx]

@Dominic363 / @psydefx

First issue:
It seems that executables (like eg. "HDL Dumb.elf") have not execute attribute set on each of pc ELF files (if you unpacked *.tar archive, all *.elf and *.sh should have them). Or latest Mint live not allows to run applications from "/home" (noexec flag for it, but it works always for me). I will check that later, maybe Mint 22.1 disabled that.

Second one:

And on screenshot above, I see that you have mounted exFAT partition from MBR/GPT space, with label "OPL" under "/media/mint/OPL"). Disable automounting in Nemo like I described in post no. 3 (Eventually start "PS2 HDD Unmounter.sh" which unmounting both: APA and MBR/GPT stuff; or type in Terminal "sudo umount -l /media/mint/OPL", before run "PS2 HDD Exploiter.sh").

Ive tried from various locations and same. Dont know if it matters but the PSBBN english files from @CosmicScale work fine on latest Linux Mint

 

[Megoosa]

With this script I can create a APA-Jail scheme from scratch on a 250GB drive and have more then 200GB of space for PS2 games (exFAT).

But I want a additional APA partition of around 25GB too for POPStarter. How can I do that? In the APA-Jail topic I read that creating partitions in uLaunchELF will destroy the exFAT part.

There's a option in the scripts to convert a existing APA drive to APA-Jail, so theoretically I can format and partition in uLaunchELF, then convert it. But it takes a minimum of 128GB for APA. That's too much, in my case that's more then half of the drive while around 35GB (essential APA parttitions+ 25G POPStarter) is more then enough.

How can I have a POPStarter partition without wasting so much space?