PS2 hard drives

Curry_Queen

Me again ... (what would I do without the techie experts here LOL!)

My son has informed me (having been told by someone else) that it's possible to hook up a PC hard drive to a PS2 to maximise storage, and even download complete games to it, thus no need to use the original discs.

Can anyone tell me if this really is possible, and if so, how I would go about doing it as I have a couple of spare HDD's knocking about.

Cheers :beer:

£$&*"($£&(

I think you need the official drive because you need to use the hard drive utility and that only works with the official drive. Only a few games make use of the hard drive and the new slimline PS2 doesn't support it's use. However using a program called HD Loader you can rip games and store them on the hard drive and run them from there as well - however Sony lawyers stopped the makers producing and selling HD loader. I don't know if other programs are available.

Curry_Queen

I had a feeling there would be more to it than I imagined, and yes, he has got the slimline version so I guess it's not an option anyway. He couldn't remember all the details he was told, being only 12 he doesn't grasp all the technical stuff yet bless him, so I said I would check it out for him.

We thought it would be a good idea if it worked as he's forever taking his games to his dad's and forgetting to bring them home again :rolleyes: ... so would have been great to have them all on a HDD to play instead.

Oh well, thanks anyway

Rex_Mundi

You can download a free trial of Alcohol 120% . This software will copy PS2 games to another disc.

Former_MSE_Abuse_Controller

Just the usual MSE note/disclaimer

Make sure you're only backing up copies of original games you own - anything else is breaking the law

Be careful guys

malolo

I read on another forum that that only applied in America and that copying anything in Britain, whether it be for back up or not, was illegal

Which information is correct?

Toxteth_OGrady

The UK has a very restrictive view of 'fair dealing' rights. The relevant bit of UK law is s.50A(1) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]quote:[/font]
50A.-(1) It is not an infringement of copyright for a lawful user of a copy of a computer program to make any back up copy of it which it is necessary for him to have for the purposes of his lawful use.

There are two issues here. Firstly, the wording "any back up copy of it which it is necessary for him to have". In the days of floppy disks and tapes backups were certainly necessary; in the days of CD and DVD-ROM this is viewed by the courts (viz. Sony v Owens 2002) as unnecessary, therefore 50A(1) doesn't apply. Secondly, in the case of games, it is argued that 50A is not relevant as a game consists of a number of copyrights, e.g. soundtrack and film, that may not be backed up under 50A.

Of course, you are free to weigh up the prospect of prosecution for copyright violations for doing something that most would regard as fair use.
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica]Obviously if backup rights are granted in the EULA then there isn't an issue, but you can't actually restrict s.50A(1) rights in an agreement, viz.

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]quote:[/font]
S296A.-(1) Where a person has the use of a computer program under an agreement, any term or condition in the agreement shall be void in so far as it purports to prohibit or restrict-

(a) the making of any back up copy of the program which it is necessary for him to have for the purposes of the agreed use;

However, the key point is again "which it is necessary for him to have". In the view of Mr Justice Jacob in Sony v Owen,

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]quote:[/font]
The fact is that if you spoil your CD, which has a recording of music on it, you have to go and buy another. The same is true of a CD carrying a game. Backups are not necessary at all.

You might quite reasonably think that this is a bit of a daft comment from the judge, and the academic view is that the judgement in Sony v Owen is flawed, but until a higher court disagrees he's stating the law.

:cool:

TOG[/font]

Joe_Bloggs

Disks scratch up with use. If the issuers of the disks would re-issue on an exchange basis then this need for a backup would be eliminated.
Much praise for the eloquent words of TOG.
J_B.
Fair use or Fair exchange ?

Toxteth_OGrady

Sorry to disappoint J_B, but not my words. Plagiarised to help pass on the info.

:cool:

TOG

Rex_Mundi

Fair use or Fair exchange

lol....Fair use is what TOG was using under copyright to quote from another site (although to be fair, a link is meant to be provided from where the quote was taken)

RHDerby

Hi

This is my first post. In answer to Curry_Queen it is possible to install a harddrive in a PS2 - the old version, not the new slimline one. You don't need the official harddrive i've fitted an IBM 120GB drive to my son's and it works fine and I believe you can fit up to a 200GB. All you need to complete the installation is the official Sony PS2 network adapter which includes an IDE HDD interface and which i believe are on sale on Amazon for approx £18.00 and HDAdvance software which comprises of a DVD boot disk for the PS2 this allows you to format the HDD for use. This software can be obtained on EBay or from https://www.hdadvance.com . In total the installation took me approx 5 mins including formatting the disk. Storing the games on the HDD means that they run much quicker than from disk and it also reduces wear and tear on the DVD drive in the PS2. Hope this helps.