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[teiresias]

I haven't kept up with the whole HDLoader hoopla back when it was first released, but was it ever discontinued, taken to court, etc.?

I have my PS2 Linux Kit HDD laying around collecting dust, so I was thinking of getting HDLoader to use with it if it was still available (completely legitimate uses, I have a big enough back-log of legal games to play to bother with trying to do any kind of pirating - however, if for some reason this topic is not allowed a mod can feel free to delete it as per the TOS.)?

 

[EGM92]

I haven't kept up with the whole HDLoader hoopla back when it was first released, but was it ever discontinued, taken to court, etc.?

I have my PS2 Linux Kit HDD laying around collecting dust, so I was thinking of getting HDLoader to use with it if it was still available (completely legitimate uses, I have a big enough back-log of legal games to play to bother with trying to do any kind of pirating - however, if for some reason this topic is not allowed a mod can feel free to delete it as per the TOS.)?

I think HDLoader infringed on some copyright laws or something, but HDAdvance it still around and I have both Sony stopped HDloader but I haven't heard anything about Sony sending a C&D to the HDAdvance team.

 

[SickBoy]

I actually had a question about HDLoader (or HDAdvance) I'd been meaning to ask. How exactly does it work with non-Sony hard drives? Do you use a drive enclosure or something? Or how would it hook up?

My brother had been having some disk issues with his PS2, and while they seem to be done for now, it does seem a bit slow loading. If they come back in full force, I've been thinking of getting him it and giving him an old HDD for his system.

 

[8bit]

I actually had a question about HDLoader (or HDAdvance) I'd been meaning to ask. How exactly does it work with non-Sony hard drives? Do you use a drive enclosure or something? Or how would it hook up?

My brother had been having some disk issues with his PS2, and while they seem to be done for now, it does seem a bit slow loading. If they come back in full force, I've been thinking of getting him it and giving him an old HDD for his system.

You connect a normal 3.5" IDE drive to the HDD/Ethernet expansion and stick in the back of your PS2 if you've got the original form factor. Maxtor drives are a good fit, so I supposed they're good for something. I think you can use a USB drive enclosure with the slimline, but the transfer rate isn't going to be good enough for FMV in some cases.

 

[Lord Error]

Sony shut down the HDloader team by threatening them with a legal action. It never went to court, but HDL guys would probably lose as the software wasn't licensed.

HDAdvance is just a "re-branded" (hacked more likely) HDLoader but if it's still selling, the guys selling it are probably operating from Hong Kong or somewhere where Sony's legal threats can't hurt them.

I actually had a question about HDLoader (or HDAdvance) I'd been meaning to ask. How exactly does it work with non-Sony hard drives? Do you use a drive enclosure or something? Or how would it hook up?

Many regular 3.5" HDDs work just fine and you don't need any special enclosure or anything. The only advantage of having an official Sony HDD is that you can back up your game saves normally through the PS2 user interface, and you can also play FFXI. You can't do either of that with non-official HDDs, but on a positive side, you can use a lot bigger HDDs than the official 40GB one.

 

[Suikoguy]

Well, the discs still need to be legitmate, so its not bypassing encryption, but it might infringe on something.

 

[DarienA]

Sony shut down the HDloader team by threatening them with a legal action. It never went to court, but HDL guys would probably lose as the software wasn't licensed.

HDAdvance is just a "re-branded" (hacked more likely) HDLoader but if it's still selling, the guys selling it are probably operating from Hong Kong or somewhere where Sony's legal threats can't hurt them.

and you can still purchase both online.

 

[teiresias]

I've never bought one of these unlicensed things before, but I definately would like to put this HDD to at least some use, so maybe I'll try and get HDAdvance. Will the software allow you to partition the HDD too? Right now it's partitioned for a Linux install (obviously), but I guess I'd want one big partition when using it with something like this. Can HDAdvance do that or will I need to repartition it in my PC or through the Linux kit setup (I'm guessing it uses some version of FAT).

 

[Lord Error]

and you can still purchase both online.

HDL is not being developed anymore, the team that made it stopped any development after the legal threats.

I've never bought one of these unlicensed things before, but I definately would like to put this HDD to at least some use, so maybe I'll try and get HDAdvance. Will the software allow you to partition the HDD too? Right now it's partitioned for a Linux install (obviously), but I guess I'd want one big partition when using it with something like this. Can HDAdvance do that or will I need to repartition it in my PC or through the Linux kit setup (I'm guessing it uses some version of FAT).

It doesn't let you partition anything. Basically, it's best to just clear the whole HDD and let the sotware format it for it's use.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Avoid Western Digitals as they don't fit.

You don't need to buy HDL... The elfboot files are all over the net. You just need a way to get them on your memory card.

 

[Lord Error]

Well, the discs still need to be legitmate, so its not bypassing encryption, but it might infringe on something.

Nah, it's not licensed. It's using some trick, and the discs are factory printed which allows them to actually boot on a PS2.

 

[Raven.]

How about with the ps2-slim?

I've heard usb-hdds worked on that one, and mine's having trouble recognizing when the lid's closed.

 

[8bit]

IIRC, HDLoader has the boot sector of Crazy Taxi or some other legit game.

Just checked, it's SLES_502.15 whatever that it.

 

[Lord Error]

IIRC, HDLoader has the boot sector of Crazy Taxi or some other legit game.

Just checked, it's SLES_502.15 whatever that it.

Yep, that's it.