Sano wrote:So, I have a modded memory card to be able to play PS2 games.
1) What is the best way to burn PS2?
2) What software should I be using to burn games and/or hex clients an such
3) How do you know if an ISO is going to work?
The answer to the first question (and the first half of the second) hasn't changed at all. Use good quality media (Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden, Sony), use ImgBurn, set the burning speed (the slower the better).
Not really sure what you mean by "hex client," but in answer to question 3... So you installed FMCB on a memory card? If you used the Noobie Package, then you should already have an app called ESR. This app allows you to play burned PS2 DVDs.
Here's the catch: You have to patch the ISO before you burn it. There's a little PC utility that'll ESR patch PS2 ISOs for you. The reason you have to patch the ISO is because of the way ESR works. It changes the DVD type so that the PS2 doesn't realize it's a game (I think it will see it as a movie) and skips any security checks, then ESR can boot the game. At least, that's what I think ESR is doing... Even the official ESR thread doesn't really explain clearly what it does.
Here's another catch: Because of the way this trick/exploit works, you can only boot patched DVDs (the important part being DVDs). You cannot use ESR to boot burned PS1 games. For PS2 games that are on CD, you'll have to convert it to DVD (then ESR patch it, of course) in order to boot it with ESR.
You can get the app and patching utility here:
http://psx-scene.com/forums/f164/esr-public-beta-58441/So how do you know if an ISO is gonna work? If you created the ISO yourself, it's NOT going to boot with ESR. You have to patch it first. If you're downloading the ISO, someone might have already ESR patched it. Check descriptions, people usually will specify if it's ESR patched or not.
People on this site usually specify ESR or not:
http://theisozone.com/downloads/playstation/ps2-isos/***
But honestly, if you have a PS2 phat, don't even mess around with ESR. Get a network adapter if you don't already have one and throw a HDD in there. The Noobie Package comes with HDL or OPL, but be sure to upgrade to the latest version of OPL (Open PS2 Loader). Loading games off the HDD fixes everything. You don't have to worry about patching games or bad burns, games will load faster, virtual memory card support (optional), etc.