PS2 Stop-gap updating my old PS2's hacks

C

Cyber Akuma

Member
I have a PS2 with a Matrix Infinity chip, I had asked before on how to really update it's ancient hacks from back when the PS2 was still a modern console a few years ago here:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/what-options-do-i-have-for-my-hard-modded-ps2-going-forward.41175/

But I am still trying to figure all that out. For now though, I just want to use my PS2 again as-is.

Basically, I have a Matrix Infinity that uses DEV2 mode to auto-launch BOOT.ELF, which I renamed a uLaunchELF executable to, from there I had a menu to launch various other homebrew, including HDD-Loader (OPL wasn't a thing yet). This also means that my HDD is not formatted in any standard file system like FAT32, exFAT, or anything like that, but is apparently using something called APA with the games all inside partitions within that APA partition.

I was looking around and noticed that both elaunchELF and OPL updated four days ago after years:
https://github.com/ps2homebrew/wLaunchELF/releases
https://github.com/ps2homebrew/Open-PS2-Loader/releases

Would I be able to just replace my ancient BOOT.ELF of uLaunchELF with this recent release of wLaunchELF? And then would I just be able to put the recent release of OPL on my HDD and launch it through wLaunchELF? Or would it not be compatible with the old HDDLoader formatting on my HDD and not be able to read/load my games that way?
 
One thing I know for certain - do not use official wLaunchELF
Better off with @El_isra 's working versions (israpps on github)
Everything you're trying to do can be done, personally I would just rebuild the data side of things with FHDB or HOSDMenu or even PSBBN.

@R3Z3N knows more about chips than I do, and if they can be a headache sometimes in the way.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
I have a PS2 with a Matrix Infinity chip, I had asked before on how to really update it's ancient hacks from back when the PS2 was still a modern console a few years ago here:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/what-options-do-i-have-for-my-hard-modded-ps2-going-forward.41175/

But I am still trying to figure all that out. For now though, I just want to use my PS2 again as-is.

Basically, I have a Matrix Infinity that uses DEV2 mode to auto-launch BOOT.ELF, which I renamed a uLaunchELF executable to, from there I had a menu to launch various other homebrew, including HDD-Loader (OPL wasn't a thing yet). This also means that my HDD is not formatted in any standard file system like FAT32, exFAT, or anything like that, but is apparently using something called APA with the games all inside partitions within that APA partition.

I was looking around and noticed that both elaunchELF and OPL updated four days ago after years:
https://github.com/ps2homebrew/wLaunchELF/releases
https://github.com/ps2homebrew/Open-PS2-Loader/releases

Would I be able to just replace my ancient BOOT.ELF of uLaunchELF with this recent release of wLaunchELF? And then would I just be able to put the recent release of OPL on my HDD and launch it through wLaunchELF? Or would it not be compatible with the old HDDLoader formatting on my HDD and not be able to read/load my games that way?
Click to expand...

Matrix Infinity hdd boot mode (called Dev2) doesn't look for BOOT.ELF but rather boot.elf on hdd (again if legit MI) at hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf

I dont recommend booting anything from HDD. Its slower, easier to screw up...just put stuff on memcard. If you can buy a SD2PSX, PSxMemCard Gen2 or MemCard Pro2.

I have Crystal Chip, Matrix Infinity, DMS3, DMS4, and GHOST2v2 stuff... Everyone here at https://ps2store.com/thanks worked to make this superior and universal over the individual quirks of many setups. I verified they work on all the modchips as well that I own.

If you want something universal use the downloads from https://ps2store.com/exploits
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Why? Is there something wrong with the official versions?
Click to expand...
It is on a rolling release I think everytime the sdk or somethin gets updated it recompiles and releases? I might be wrong on that part.
But the part I'm certain of is no one uses official due to it freezing/crashing on different tasks. Its kinda luck of the draw there.
 
R3Z3N said:
Matrix Infinity hdd boot mode (called Dev2) doesn't look for BOOT.ELF but rather boot.elf on hdd (again if legit MI) at hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf
Click to expand...

So case is important? All the launchers I downloaded were called BOOT.ELF and not boot.elf. And yes, my MI is legit, I made sure of it years ago.

I dont recommend booting anything from HDD. Its slower, easier to screw up...just put stuff on memcard. If you can buy a SD2PSX, PSxMemCard Gen2 or MemCard Pro2.
Click to expand...

Again, this is a PS2 that was hacked this way like 20 years ago, I just want to play games on it again for now, not totally revamp it just yet. I already find it annoying that I have to store a config file on my memory card for ulaunchelf, since I have multiple memory cards, I don't want to put the launcher itself on the case and waste space on it.

I have Crystal Chip, Matrix Infinity, DMS3, DMS4, and GHOST2v2 stuff... Everyone here at https://ps2store.com/thanks worked to make this superior and universal over the individual quirks of many setups. I verified they work on all the modchips as well that I own.

If you want something universal use the downloads from https://ps2store.com/exploits
Click to expand...

Also according to that link I posted form what I tired looking up how to revamp my system in 2023 the mod chip will apparently interfere with modern memorycard exploits anyway?:
Berion said:
FMCB/FHDB 1.9xx will not work with majority of modchips, including Yours. But FMCB v1.8b/c works fine.
Click to expand...

Ripto said:
It is on a rolling release I think everytime the sdk or somethin gets updated it recompiles and releases? I might be wrong on that part.
But the part I'm certain of is no one uses official due to it freezing/crashing on different tasks. Its kinda luck of the draw there.
Click to expand...
Even the new version that just came out 4 days ago?

Ok, I can just use the israpps one then, this one right?
https://github.com/israpps/wLaunchELF_ISR

Would there be any issues with me using the "BOOT-EXFAT-DS34-MMCE.ELF" version even though I don't have an exFAT partition or MMCE? Those are only optional features for if I have those, not mandatory right?
 
Your not understanding the benefit of mmce devices...its the ultimate time saver, no more juggling memcards

As far as wle usr, the more things it supports. In general the more things break. Ds34 is only useful for wired ds34...

For example not all apps can be booted from mmce version even if app is not on mmce

And yes case matter on some things. exFAT no...but mi cant use exFAT natively
 
R3Z3N said:
Your not understanding the benefit of mmce devices...its the ultimate time saver, no more juggling memcards
Click to expand...

I am familiar with the Memcard Pros and similar devices, I just don't have time to change my setup entirely for now, I just want to play games on it again for now. I will re-do it entirely some other time.
 
Well...its unlimited memcards, bootcard, downloadable exploit vs signing (you already have modchip that supports 3 auto paths, plus some hotkeys), and can host isos and some homebrew from mmce side (what you would see on the sd card...)

But ya..redoing setup takes so little time.... I do it often for testing.

That why the guys at https://ps2store.com/thanks made the downloads....download and pretty much done except for isos and some homebrew setup...sooo fast


Anyway you do you....dealing with the MI dev2 installer is annoying. You can leave your apa "formatted" drive as is...OPL and Neutrino still support it
 
Last edited:
Berion said:
Do you understand difference between:
Code: 
hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf
and
Code: 
mc0:/BOOT/BOOT.ELF
? ;)
Click to expand...

I am confused, the post I replied to didn't mention mc0, just hdd0. My boot.elf of my old ulaunchelf is already in hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf, the only thing on my memory card is the config file for it since I could not figure out a way to make it load the config file off the HDD with my setup. I was talking about replacing the boot.elf in hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf with a new version of ulaunchelf for my Matrix Infinity to auto-boot from in DEV2 mode.
 
You were surprised why case differences so I showed you why.

Besides that, you using crap really. If you booting from MC, then use something handy and modern like FMCB or PS2BBL+OSDM.
 
R3Z3N said:
You wrote the hdd path incorrect though as BOOT.ELF not hdd0:__boot/boot.elf
Click to expand...
I wasn't writing the entire path there, just the filename. Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse anyone.

I currently have uLaunchELF v 4.12 installed as hdd0:__boot/boot.elf,m which my Matrix Infinity chip that is set to DEV2 mode auto-boots.

I was asking if I can just overwrite/replace the boot.elf in hdd0:__boot/boot.elf with a modern version of wLaunchELF renamed to boot.elf or if I need to do more to replace this ancient uLaunchELF with a modern one.

Likewise if I can just copy over the latest OPL to hdd0:__boot/ and launch that through uLaunchELF

Berion said:
You were surprised why case differences so I showed you why.

Besides that, you using crap really. If you booting from MC, then use something handy and modern like FMCB or PS2BBL+OSDM.
Click to expand...

I am not booting from the MC

Ok, my setup is that I have a Matrix Infinity chip set to DEV2, when I turn on my PS2 it automatically launches uLaunchELF from my hard drive, the uLaunchELF executable is located in hdd0:__boot/boot.elf

The only access to my memory card is for the configuration file for uLaunchELF (Since I coult not figure out a way with my setup to make it load it's configuration from the HDD), there is no actual executable or exploit on my memory card, just the uLaunchELF configuration file and my normal game saves.

IIRC, I had it setup so it loads a configuration file from the memory card that just tells it to load a configuration file from the HDD. It has been years, but as I recall when I last configured this ages ago there was no way to make uLaunchELF just load it's configuration file from the HDD directly, it would check the MC, but I could just put a basic configuration file on my MC that redirects it to load a configuration file from my HDD. No idea if that's changed now, at least, when still using a Matrix Infinity.

Actually, now that I think about it. I don't recall, how would I edit/update the configuration file on my HDD, not the one on my memory card? I am going to need to add a new entry now for OPL in u/wLaunchELF's menu.
 
By using KELFBinder from R4D, install PS2BBL (it will also add OSDM and wLE ISR exFAT). This will bring you hacked OSDSYS which allow to add apps to list and even starting apps from MC from saves browser level.

In case you would not like it, you can make image of 1st 128MiB of HDD before you use KELFBinder. This will allow you to restore your current setup (because in __mbr DEV2I wrote bootstrap which will be overwritten). By tools like dd, DMDE etc.

uLE/wLE read/write cfg from/to LAUCHELF.ELF in the same dir (or on "mc0:/SYS-CONF/LAUNCHELF"). However, maaaany wLE forks have that broken and CNF not loads from HDD automatically. Maybe that's your case.
 
Berion said:
By using KELFBinder from R4D, install PS2BBL (it will also add OSDM and wLE ISR exFAT). This will bring you hacked OSDSYS which allow to add apps to list and even starting apps from MC from saves browser level.

In case you would not like it, you can make image of 1st 128MiB of HDD before you use KELFBinder. This will allow you to restore your current setup (because in __mbr DEV2I wrote bootstrap which will be overwritten). By tools like dd, DMDE etc.

uLE/wLE read/write cfg from/to LAUCHELF.ELF in the same dir (or on "mc0:/SYS-CONF/LAUNCHELF"). However, maaaany wLE forks have that broken and CNF not loads from HDD automatically. Maybe that's your case.
Click to expand...

Does the MechaCon have any influence on memory card management? between dex & cex units?

The dummy .mec file pcsx2 creates alongside the .nvm can be resused on real hardware?,
I don't need to extract this from a binary dump? like rom0 & erom or it to be valid.
 
Berion said:
By using KELFBinder from R4D, install PS2BBL (it will also add OSDM and wLE ISR exFAT). This will bring you hacked OSDSYS which allow to add apps to list and even starting apps from MC from saves browser level.
Click to expand...

Would I be able to load homebrew apps from the HDD as well? I really really want to avoid having such things on the MC as much as possible, I have about 10 different cards for my saves and don't want to have to mess with putting homebrew on each one.

Though for now I am not looking to re-do my entire setup. I would want to buy a new drive (and likely a SATA adapter for my current original PS2 Modem, it's still running off my old IDE drive) and likely will also get a Memcard Pro 2 to go along with all that once I can, but for now I just need to get it running without reformatting or buying anything. For now I just want to get my current setup running with OPL and hopefully also a modern u/wLaunchELF without redoing everything or reformatting anything on the drive.

I tried launching the latest version of israpps's wluanchELF through my old uLaunchELF just to test it before setting the new one as boot.elf, but I just got a blank screen. Can I not chain-load it like that or did I choose the wrong version? There are about two dozen versions with different features enabled/disabled. Or is the modern israpps wLaunchELF just not compatible with me having a modchip installed and/or my old harddrive formatting?

I didn't want to replace boot.elf with a new one just yet just in case it didn't work, since then I would be stuck and need to burn a disk or something to get my PS2 to boot into homebrew apps again.

In case you would not like it, you can make image of 1st 128MiB of HDD before you use KELFBinder. This will allow you to restore your current setup (because in __mbr DEV2I wrote bootstrap which will be overwritten). By tools like dd, DMDE etc.
Click to expand...

So would that _boot partition then still exist after I redo my drive with KELFBinder, just what it would get wiped during the process of installing KELFBinder and I would have to copy my apps back to it?

Regardless, once I do eventually go about redoing everything with KELFBinder I am just going to do it on a new blank drive, rather than converting my old current drive. For now I just want to try to get a modern version of OPL and is possible also uLaunchELF running on my current drive as-is.

uLE/wLE read/write cfg from/to LAUCHELF.ELF in the same dir (or on "mc0:/SYS-CONF/LAUNCHELF"). However, maaaany wLE forks have that broken and CNF not loads from HDD automatically. Maybe that's your case.
Click to expand...

It's config file is in the same folder as boot.elf (which is uLaunchELF), in hdd0:__boot/, but it does not automatically load that.

It's been probably around 15 years at this point, but I recall back then there was no way to make uLaunchELF load the config directly from the HDD (or maybe, just not with my Modchip, I think FMCB didn't even exist back when I last worked on this). I just have a basic config file on all my memory cards that just basically tells uLaunchELF to reboot but load the config from the HDD instead. When I turn on my PS2 I see uLaunchELF load with an empty config for a second, but then reboot with the message "Loading HDD modules" and then launch with the settings from hdd0:__boot/LAUNCHELF.CNF

I don't recall if I did it like this years ago because of a limitation of uLaunchELF or of my modchip's DEV2 loading. If I can just make it launch directly with the LAUNCHELF.CNF on my HDD and not touch the MC at all that would be ideal.
 
Would I be able to load homebrew apps from the HDD as well? I really really want to avoid having such things on the MC as much as possible, I have about 10 different cards for my saves and don't want to have to mess with putting homebrew on each one.
Click to expand...

This is why MMCE is awesome.
1 memory card with bootcard for homebrew, "unlimited" cross save compatible grouping... never again need to swap a memory card. Dealing with HDD for Homebrew is just an annoyance
 
@Cyber Akuma
Not many apps supporting HDD. Nearly all which not seeking external resources. And nearly all which does, not supporting HDD.

If you have 10 cards with saves, just replace all by MMCE. Really, it will give you damn freedom in saving (100% game compatibility with VMC due to hw emulation) and 2TiB space max for them. Instead MCP2 (to many problems with it last time), buy PSXMCG2 (open src fw).

DEV2 will not start all apps. There are plenty of methods to start PS2 applications and depend of models, many pitfalls awaits. That's another reason why to use PS2BBL/OSDMBR/OSDM/FHDB.

You would not stuck if you will make backup of first 128MiB of disk as I said in preview post.

You will not redo drive by KELFBinder but installing bootstrap in __mbr and needed osd update data in __system/__sysconf partitions.
 
Sorry, forgot to post an update that I got it working.

I was able to get wLaunchELF to work by using the one that just has exFat support, for some reason the one that supported both ex Fat and MMCE was not booting. Setting that as boot.elf now has my chip auto-boot it through DEV2.

OPL worked fine just by loading it's ELF through wLaunchELF, just like how I used to launch HDDLoader through uLaunchELF.

So it's both working now, was surprised that even coverart works while having that APA partition.

Berion said:
If you have 10 cards with saves, just replace all by MMCE. Really, it will give you damn freedom in saving (100% game compatibility with VMC due to hw emulation) and 2TiB space max for them. Instead MCP2 (to many problems with it last time), buy PSXMCG2 (open src fw).
Click to expand...

Yeah, planning to get one of those someday, just for now I wanted to play some specific games that I have the space for on my current cards. Does Memcard Pro 2 still have those problems? I know at launch it had issues but haven't a lot of them been ironed out in firmware updates? I haven't seen people complaining about it lately. I remember looking into the SD2PSX and it had some issues as well that turned me off from it, including the potential to damage a PS1 if you had accidently left the card in PS2 mode and plugged it in.

DEV2 will not start all apps. There are plenty of methods to start PS2 applications and depend of models, many pitfalls awaits. That's another reason why to use PS2BBL/OSDMBR/OSDM/FHDB.
Click to expand...

I was looking into that but I recall our conversation back in 2023 you mentioned that versions of FMCB/FHDB newer than 1.8b would freeze because I have a modchip installed and to wait for an alternative that was being developed called XEB+
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Back
Top