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How-to: Create a working PlayStation 2 master CD-R or DVD-R image

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Cut Into Fourteen Pieces

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It took me forever to figure out a couple of these variations when I was rebuilding the Twisted Metal: Harbor City prototype, because it seems like some of this knowledge has been lost to time, at least as far as the internet is concerned, so I wanted to get it all together in one place. It's probably old hat for most of the long-time scene members, but hopefully is useful to newer members.

It's pretty easy to build an ISO that will work in an emulator like PCSX2. It's a little harder to build one that will work 100% on a PS3 DEX. Building an actual "master disc" image that will boot on a real, unmodified PS2 debug station can be a bit tricky.

Corrections and additions appreciated.

There are three valid types of PS2 master disc that I know of:

1. DVD-ROM (ISO + UDF)
2. DVD-ROM (ISO filesystem)
3. CD-ROM (ISO filesystem)

This guide provides several methods for making the first and third types, but not the second (yet?).

Why would someone want to do this?

If someone wants to make a customized (or completely homebrew) PlayStation 2 ISO or physical disc, this is how they would go about doing it.

Why are all these steps this necessary?


TLDR: the PlayStation 2 (like the PlayStation) is very strict/inflexible about the structure/layout of a disc, as well as the size of the lists of files and folders on the disc. If you make a valid PS2 disc, your PC should have no trouble reading it. However, the converse is not true: it is very easy to make DVDs and CDs that a PC will read just fine, but which will cause bizarre failures to occur when read on a PS2. PS2 emulators are generally more forgiving than real hardware in this respect, but it is still true to some extent (see the discussion of ISO + UDF below). Following the instructions in this guide should give you discs that are compatible with real PS2 hardware, although of course you'll need a mod-chipped PS2 or a PS2 Test or TOOL to read DVD-Rs and CD-Rs.

Tools

You can grab most of the tools (except IsoBuster and Nero) mentioned in this guide from: https://mega.nz/#!TzhihCjJ!5JCb_DNUklakDtO1t99ZOY0AI_XWXKUiI2BfZhmvjow

I collected them in one place because some of them were very hard to find in 2019.

* CDVDGEN 2.0 (official Sony disc-mastering tool) (1.5 is also included in case it's useful)
* CDVD2IML 5.30 (uses IML files from CDVDGEN to build ISOs)
* this isn't used in these tutorials currently, but some other guides refer to it, and it was hard to find
* CDGenPS2 3.0 (unofficial clone of CDVDGEN)
* DiscPatcher 3 (unofficial tool by Loser for patching regular PS2 ISOs to look like master discs)
* ImgBurn 2.5.8.0 (free software for authoring and burning disc images)
* wnaspi32.dll (needed by CDVDGEN after installation - put it in C:\Windows\System32 and run regsvr32 wnasp32.dll)
* 20,971,520 and 52,428,800-byte dummy files (so I can leave out instructions for making one) (I usually use the larger file)
* Custom scripts I wrote:
* cdvdgenbin2normalbin.py - Converts a CDVDGEN .000 binary CD-ROM image into bin/cue format
* fiximgburnmode2bin.py - this doesn't work, but I've provided it for reference

On dummy files versus setting the LBA of the first file versus doing nothing at all

PS2 discs are supposedly less likely to work if the first file on a disc that's actually used (usually SYSTEM.CNF) has too low of an LBA. There are exceptions to this rule, like Unreal Tournament, but some people swear by putting some padding before that first used file. There are two ways of doing this: adding a dummy/padding file to the disc layout before anything else, or (in tools that support it, like CDGenPS2) manually setting the LBA of that first file to a higher value. Both techniques can work, as long as the authoring tool supports it. I'll note where to include this step if you want to. I generally don't for CD images, but either a dummy file or increasing the LBA of SYSTEM.CNF seem to be required for some (maybe all) DVD images.

On "magic" file-ordering

Due to the very strict/quirky way that a PS2 interprets filesystem data, it's generally recommended that the initial files needed by a game are placed first in the layout of the disc. It's possible to build discs that work which don't follow this rule, but it never hurts, so I recommend doing it just to save yourself some headaches later. Typically, the SYSTEM.CNF file should be the first file (after the dummy file, if using one), and the ELF which is referenced on the BOOT2 line of SYSTEM.CNF should be second. The ELF is the executable which is named after the release serial on commercial games (SLPS_123.45 for Japanese releases, SLUS_123.45 for North American releases, SLES_123.45 for European commercial releases, etc.). For preproduction/alpha/beta/etc. discs, the ELF may be named almost anything, but usually follows the same naming convention.

On "secret magic" file-ordering in ImgBurn and Nero

ImgBurn and Nero don't explicitly support changing the order/layout of files when creating a disc, but both applications order the disc filesystem by the order in which files (not folders) were added to the project.

For example, if I create a new project, and add three files one-by-one in this order:

1. Z.DAT
2. A.DAT
3. M.DAT

The files will appear in alphabetical order in Nero (unless you've sorted them differently), but will be written to the disc in the same order they were added to the project (Z.DAT, A.DAT, M.DAT). This is important due to the "magic" file ordering discussed above, as well as the need for a dummy file (if present) to be the first file in the filesystem.
 

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DVD-ROM (ISO + UDF)

This is probably the most common type of PS2 disc for commercial releases, and is the only type of DVD which can be generated using CDVDGEN 2.0.

It is usually very easy to make these, but when making custom discs, there is a catch: some very valid-appearing sets of files will cause filesystem content to be unreadable, and the game will not boot. See the troubleshooting section below for a discussion if you think this is happening to you.

I'm only documenting two ways to make ISO + UDF discs, because CDGenPS2 v3.0 cannot make them.

DVD-ROM (ISO + UDF) in CDVDGEN:

CDVDGEN SHOULD set up everything correctly for you, so you shouldn't need to add a dummy file or change the LBA of SYSTEM.CNF, but YMMV.

  1. From the initial popup, choose "Create new project" and click OK.
  2. Choose "DVD-ROM Master Disc" and click OK.
  3. Click the Volume button near the top of the window.
  4. In "Disc Name", enter the licensing area (e.g. "SLUS", "SLES", etc.) for your release, and then its serial number.
  5. In "Volume" and "Volume Set", enter the complete serial number, e.g. SLUS_12345.
  6. In "Producer Name", "Copyright Holder", "Publisher", and "Data Preparer", enter any text you want in all caps. If you're rebuilding a custom version of a game, these should probably match the fields from the original disc in case the game checks them.
  7. Make sure the "License Area" option matches the licensing area code you entered, e.g. "America" for "SLUS", "Europe", for "SLES".
  8. Click the Directory button near the top of the window.
  9. If you want to add a dummy file to the disc, do so now (before adding anything else).
  10. Add the SYSTEM.CNF file for your image to the disc.
  11. If you want to manually increase the LBA of the SYSTEM.CNF file:
    1. Switch to the Layout tab.
    2. Scroll down until you reach the entry for SYSTEM.CNF.
    3. Right-click on it and choose Location.
    4. Enter a new LBA for the file. The recommendation I've usually seen is 12231.
    5. Switch back to the Directory tab.
  12. Add the ELF file for your image (SLUS_123.45, etc., whatever you've named it) to the disc.
  13. Add any other files that should go in the root folder of your disc to the disc.
  14. Add any remaining folders to the disc.
  15. If your content totals less than 1.4GB, add a dummy file at the end which brings the total to at least 1.4GB. Otherwise, CDVDGEN won't let you create a DVD image.
  16. Click the "Rec..." button near the top of the window.
  17. Save the .iml file somewhere convenient.
  18. Click OK in the "The Recording Unit is not connected" window.
  19. Click OK in the "Initialization failed" window.
  20. In the File menu, choose "Export image".
  21. Save the .lst file somewhere convenient.
  22. Wait for the process to complete
  23. You should end up with at least two large binary files in the same folder as the .lst file, with extensions .000, .001, etc.
  24. Open a command prompt and use the copy /b command to concatenate all of these files together into a single file with the .iso extension. If your binary files are named MY_PS2_GAME.000, MY_PS2_GAME.001, and MY_PS2_GAME.002, the command would be:
  25. copy /b MY_PS2_GAME.000 + MY_PS2_GAME.001 + MY_PS2_GAME.002 MY_PS2_GAME.ISO
  26. Make sure the .bin file boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator. If you are rebuilding a customized version of a game that came from a pressed DVD or publisher-issued DVD-R prototype, this will probably be totally fine. If you get weird errors about missing files, ESPECIALLY if you are building something from scratch, or trying to get content from a dev kit to run from a DVD instead of a hard drive, AND you get this kind of error, try using an ISO-only filesystem. This is discussed a little more in the Troubleshooting section.
CDVDGEN supports dual-layer disc layouts, but does not output a coherent dual-layer image. I do not know of a way to make dual-layer ISOs using this tool. If you do, please reply to this thread. You can make a dual-layer image that will work in an emulator using Nero. It will not have the manual layer configuration that CDVDGEN permits.

DVD-ROM (ISO + UDF) in Nero:

  1. Create a new "DVD-ROM (UDF/ISO)" project.
  2. Switch to the "Multisession" tab.
  3. Make sure "No Multisession" is selected.
  4. Switch to the "ISO" tab.
  5. Set "File system" to "ISO 9660 only".
  6. Set "File name length (ISO)" to "Max .of 11 = 8 + 3 chars (Level 1)".
  7. Set "Character set (ISO)" to "ISO 9660 (standard ISO CD-ROM).
  8. Make sure none of the "Relax restrictions" options are enabled.
  9. Switch to the "Label" tab.
  10. In "Disc name", enter the serial number for your "release", e.g. SLUS_12345. This should match the name of the main ELF for the game, without the "." near the end.
  11. Click the "More Labels" button.
  12. In "System identifier" and "Application", enter PLAYSTATION.
  13. In "Volume Set", enter the serial number for your "release", e.g. SLUS_12345. This should match the name of the main ELF for the game, without the "." near the end.
  14. In "Publisher" and "Data preparer", enter any text you want in all caps. If you're rebuilding a custom version of a game, these should probably match the fields from the original disc in case the game checks them.
  15. Click OK.
  16. If you want to make the dates match an existing disc, switch to the "Dates" tab and configure that now. This should never be required.
  17. Click the "New" button to close the window and switch to the project editor.
  18. If you want to add a dummy file to the disc, do so now (before adding anything else).
  19. Add the SYSTEM.CNF file for your image to the disc.
  20. Add the ELF file for your image (SLUS_123.45, etc., whatever you've named it) to the disc.
  21. Add any other files that should go in the root folder of your disc to the disc.
  22. Add any remaining folders to the disc.
  23. Save the project.
  24. Make sure the DVD writer is set to "Image Recorder".
  25. Click the "Burn" button.
  26. Click the "Burn" button.
  27. In "Save as type", choose "ISO Image Files (*.iso)".
  28. Save the ISO file somewhere convenient.
  29. Make sure the ISO file boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  30. Open the ISO file in DiscPatcher.exe.
  31. Make sure "Console" is set to "PS2".
  32. Check the "Master Disc" box.
  33. Make sure "Disc Type" is "DVD".
  34. Make sure "Region" is set to the region you want your disc to be valid for.
  35. Leave "Exe Filename" blank.
  36. Click the "Patch" button.
  37. When the patching process is complete, close DiscPatcher.exe.
  38. Make sure the patched .bin file still boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  39. If you want a physical DVD-R, like for a PS2 debug station or modded PS2, burn the patched ISO to disc using Nero, ImgBurn or similar.
 
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DVD-ROM (ISO filesystem)

I haven't actually figured out a way to make an ISO-only filesystem (no UDF) DVD image that boots in PCSX2, let alone a real PS2. I know it's possible, because I have at least one DVD-R (the "Alpha 61" prototype of Need for Speed ProStreet) which works, and which was mastered using CDVDGEN 2.0. I just don't know what the magic is yet. CDVDGEN doesn't seem to have an option to not include the UDF information, and I haven't made an image that works using any other tool.

That Need for Speed prototype is a bit weird, in that the filesystem contents don't start being listed until offset 0x82800, which is way past where they'd normally be for an ISO or ISO/UDF disc.
 

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CD-ROM (ISO filesystem)

Figuring out how to making a CD-R that would boot in a real PS2 debugging station was the original reason I wrote this guide. There was almost no information left online about how to do it at the time.

There are three ways I've successfully built CD-Rs that will boot in a real PS2 debug station. One can be done entirely with free tools. The others require non-free tools.

The most important things to keep in mind from a technical perspective are that the disc needs to be a "Mode 2" disc, and most authoring software either doesn't support that, or its support is totally broken (like ImgBurn). This means you can't have the image in ISO format at any stage, or critical information will be lost. You'll be working with bin/cue files (which preserve that data), or equivalents like .nrg files.


CD-ROM (ISO filesystem) In CDGenPS2 3.0:

  1. Click the "VOL" button and enter the serial number for your "release", e.g. SLUS_12345. This should match the name of the main ELF for the game, without the "." near the end.
  2. If you want to add a dummy file to the disc, do so now (before adding anything else).
  3. Add the SYSTEM.CNF file for your image to the disc.
  4. If you are not adding a dummy file, but want to manually increase the LBA for the first file, right-click on SYSTEM.CNF and choose "Edit". Check the "Fix LBA". Enter a new LBA for the file. The recommendation I've usually seen is 12231.
  5. Add the ELF file for your image (SLUS_123.45, etc., whatever you've named it) to the disc.
  6. Add any other files that should go in the root folder of your disc to the disc.
  7. Add any remaining folders to the disc.
  8. Save the project.
  9. From the File menu, choose "Save Image".
  10. In "Save as type", make sure "BIN files (*.bin)" is selected.
  11. Save the bin/cue files somewhere.
  12. Make sure the .bin file boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  13. Open the .bin file in DiscPatcher.exe.
  14. Make sure "Console" is set to "PS2".
  15. Check the "Master Disc" box.
  16. Make sure "Disc Type" is "CD".
  17. Make sure "Region" is set to the region you want your disc to be valid for.
  18. Leave "Exe Filename" blank.
  19. Click the "Patch" button.
  20. When the patching process is complete, close DiscPatcher.exe.
  21. Make sure the patched .bin file still boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  22. If you want a physical CD-R, like for a PS2 debug station or modded PS2, burn the patched bin/cue to disc using ImgBurn or similar.


CD-ROM (ISO filesystem) In CDVDGEN:


  1. From the initial popup, choose "Create new project" and click OK.
  2. Choose "CD-ROM Master Disc" and click OK.
  3. Click the Volume button near the top of the window.
  4. In "Disc Name", enter the licensing area (e.g. "SLUS", "SLES", etc.) for your release, and then its serial number.
  5. In "Volume" and "Volume Set", enter the complete serial number, e.g. SLUS_12345.
  6. In "Producer Name", "Copyright Holder", "Publisher", and "Data Preparer", enter any text you want in all caps. If you're rebuilding a custom version of a game, these should probably match the fields from the original disc in case the game checks them.
  7. Make sure the "License Area" option matches the licensing area code you entered, e.g. "America" for "SLUS", "Europe", for "SLES".
  8. Click the Directory button near the top of the window.
  9. If you want to add a dummy file to the disc, do so now (before adding anything else).
  10. Add the SYSTEM.CNF file for your image to the disc.
  11. If you want to manually increase the LBA of the SYSTEM.CNF file:
    1. Switch to the Layout tab.
    2. Scroll down until you reach the entry for SYSTEM.CNF.
    3. Right-click on it and choose Location.
    4. Enter a new LBA for the file. The recommendation I've usually seen is 12231.
    5. Switch back to the Directory tab.
  12. Add the ELF file for your image (SLUS_123.45, etc., whatever you've named it) to the disc.
  13. Add any other files that should go in the root folder of your disc to the disc.
  14. Add any remaining folders to the disc.
  15. Click the "Rec..." button near the top of the window.
  16. Save the .iml file somewhere convenient.
  17. Click OK in the "The Recording Unit is not connected" window.
  18. Click OK in the "Initialization failed" window.
  19. In the File menu, choose "Export image".
  20. Save the .lst file somewhere convenient.
  21. Wait for the process to complete
  22. Use cdvdgenbin2normalbin.py from the tools collection to convert the .000 output file from CDVDGEN (should be named the same as the .lst file other than the extension) to bin/cue format. CDVDGEN doesn't set the EDC/ECC data correctly - it's all zeroes - so if you use disc-verification tools with the resulting bin/cue they'll detect errors, but the image is fine as far as an emulator or debug station is concerned. See the comments/rant in the script for more details.
  23. Make sure the .bin file boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  24. Open the .bin file in DiscPatcher.exe.
  25. Make sure "Console" is set to "PS2".
  26. Check the "Master Disc" box.
  27. Make sure "Disc Type" is "CD".
  28. Make sure "Region" is set to the region you want your disc to be valid for.
  29. Leave "Exe Filename" blank.
  30. Click the "Patch" button.
  31. When the patching process is complete, close DiscPatcher.exe.
  32. Make sure the patched .bin file still boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  33. If you want a physical CD-R, like for a PS2 debug station or modded PS2, burn the patched bin/cue to disc using ImgBurn or similar.


CD-ROM (ISO filesystem) In Nero:


  1. Create a new "CD-ROM (ISO)" project.
  2. Switch to the "Multisession" tab.
  3. Make sure "No Multisession" is selected.
  4. Switch to the "ISO" tab.
  5. Set "Data mode" to "Mode 2 / XA".
  6. Set "File system" to "ISO 9660 only".
  7. Set "File name length (ISO)" to "Max .of 11 = 8 + 3 chars (Level 1)".
  8. Set "Character set (ISO)" to "ISO 9660 (standard ISO CD-ROM).
  9. Make sure none of the "Relax restrictions" options are enabled.
  10. Switch to the "Label" tab.
  11. In "Disc name", enter the serial number for your "release", e.g. SLUS_12345. This should match the name of the main ELF for the game, without the "." near the end.
  12. Click the "More Labels" button.
  13. In "System identifier" and "Application", enter PLAYSTATION.
  14. In "Volume Set", enter the serial number for your "release", e.g. SLUS_12345. This should match the name of the main ELF for the game, without the "." near the end.
  15. In "Publisher" and "Data preparer", enter any text you want in all caps. If you're rebuilding a custom version of a game, these should probably match the fields from the original disc in case the game checks them.
  16. Click OK.
  17. If you want to make the dates match an existing disc, switch to the "Dates" tab and configure that now. This should never be required.
  18. Switch to the "Burn" tab.
  19. Set "Write method" to "Disc/Session-at-once".
  20. Click the "New" button to close the window and switch to the project editor.
  21. If you want to add a dummy file to the disc, do so now (before adding anything else).
  22. Add the SYSTEM.CNF file for your image to the disc.
  23. Add the ELF file for your image (SLUS_123.45, etc., whatever you've named it) to the disc.
  24. Add any other files that should go in the root folder of your disc to the disc.
  25. Add any remaining folders to the disc.
  26. Save the project.
  27. Make sure the DVD writer is set to "Image Recorder".
  28. Click the "Burn" button.
  29. Click the "Burn" button.
  30. Save the .nrg file somewhere convenient.
  31. Convert the .nrg file to bin/cue format using the tool(s) of your choice. Mine is IsoBuster:
    1. Open the .nrg file in IsoBuster.*
    2. Right-click on the "CD" entry and choose "Extract CD <Image>", then "RAW (*.bin, *.iso)".
    3. In "Save as type", choose "*.bin".
    4. Save the .bin file somewhere convenient.
    5. Save the .cue file in the same location when the second window appears.
    6. Manually edit the .cue file (in Notepad or similar) and change this line:
      1. TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
    7. to:
      1. TRACK 01 MODE2/2352
  32. Make sure the .bin file boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  33. Open the .bin file in DiscPatcher.exe.
  34. Make sure "Console" is set to "PS2".
  35. Check the "Master Disc" box.
  36. Make sure "Disc Type" is "CD".
  37. Make sure "Region" is set to the region you want your disc to be valid for.
  38. Leave "Exe Filename" blank.
  39. Click the "Patch" button.
  40. When the patching process is complete, close DiscPatcher.exe.
  41. Make sure the patched .bin file still boots correctly in your favorite PS2 emulator.
  42. If you want a physical CD-R, like for a PS2 debug station or modded PS2, burn the patched bin/cue to disc using ImgBurn or similar.

I tried to make an equivalent of this using ImgBurn's disc-authoring mode + DiscPatcher.exe, but ImgBurn's Mode 2 discs are completely broken. See the comments/rant in fiximgburnmode2bin.py for the broken aspects that I figured out.
 
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Troubleshooting

An ISO + UDF DVD doesn't work, and when booted in PCSX2, output similar to the following is displayed in the console, even though all of the files mentioned in the error message are present on the disc:


Reboot service module.(99/11/10)
cdvd driver module version 0.1.1 (C)SCEI
Load File service.(99/11/05)
Multi Threaded Fileio module.(99/11/15)
iop heap service (99/11/03)
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥SIO2MAN.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥SIO2MAN.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥PADMAN.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥PADMAN.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥LIBSD.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥LIBSD.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥SDRDRV.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥SDRDRV.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥CDVDSTM.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥CDVDSTM.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥989SND.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥989SND.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥USBD.IRX;1 args 20 arg conf=2048
open fail name ¥MOD¥USBD.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥LGKBM.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥LGKBM.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥NET¥DEV9.IRX args 0 arg
open fail name ¥NET¥DEV9.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥MCMAN.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥MCMAN.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0
loadmodule: fname cdrom0:¥MOD¥MCSERV.IRX;1 args 0 arg
open fail name ¥MOD¥MCSERV.IRX;1
loadmodule: id -203, ret 0


You have encountered one of the mystery conditions which doesn't work with the very strict interpretation of ISO + UDF that the PlayStation 2 uses. Use one of the ISO (not ISO + UDF) disc types instead.


An ISO DVD doesn't work, and when booted in PCSX2, output similar to the following is displayed in the console, even though all of the files mentioned in the error message are present on the disc:


loadelf version 3.30
open fail name ¥SLUS_000.00;1
Cannot openfile

(EE pc:80005560) TLB Miss, addr=0x0 [load]
(EE pc:80005560) TLB Miss, addr=0x0 [load]


You probably need to add a dummy file or increase the LBA of SYSTEM.CNF.


An ISO+UDF master disc DVD boots in PCSX2, but does not boot on real PS2 hardware. In the browser on the real PS2, it shows as a gold "PlayStation 2 Disc", but attempting to launch it just returns you to the browser after a brief black screen.

Your disc probably didn't burn correctly. Try burning it again.


A CD master disc boots in PCSX2, but does not boot on real PS2 hardware. In the browser on the real PS2, it shows as a black "PlayStation Disc" instead of a blue/purple "PlayStation 2 Disc".


You probably did not follow one or more of the instructions in the section on making a CD-ROM. Most likely, you created a Mode 1 disc instead of Mode 2/XA, or you converted the disc image to mode 1 at some point (maybe by saving it as an ISO instead of bin/cue). Go back and create a new disc, making sure to follow ALL of the instructions.


A CD master disc created using Nero, boots in PCSX2, but does not boot on real PS2 hardware. In the browser on the real PS2, it shows as a blue/purple "PlayStation 2 Disc", but attempting to launch it just returns you to the browser after a brief black screen.


Make sure that you manually edited "TRACK 01 MODE1/2352" into "TRACK 01 MODE2/2352" in the .cue file generated by IsoBuster as specified above.
 
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Thebigman1106

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Has any one figured out how to burn dvd9 master discs for the ps2?
I'd like to get gt4 working.
 

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Has any one figured out how to burn dvd9 master discs for the ps2?
I'd like to get gt4 working.

CDVDGEN should work. The process should be similar to the regular DVD process described above, except that you need to choose which files go before and after the layer break. I haven't tried this myself because I haven't had the need to burn anything to a dual-layer disc yet. If you point me to the GT4 build you're talking about, I can try.
 

Thebigman1106

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Hi
Its just the USA retail version of the game.
I didn't think the sony CDVD gen software supported burning of DL DVD+R.
cheers
 

Cut Into Fourteen Pieces

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Hi
Its just the USA retail version of the game.
I didn't think the sony CDVD gen software supported burning of DL DVD+R.
cheers

When you create a new project, pick "DVD-ROM Master Disc (Dual)". The curved arrow button then switches between layers 1 and 2 in the layout view.

Edit: two layer images may be created using that method, but it will not result in a coherent disc image. Need to use Nero for now.
 
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accel99

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Tried to make a disc from the plainfiles of the zone of the enders prototype on hiddenpalacezone. Didnt work using cdgen though. Thanks for the guide, i guess when i got more time ill give it a second go though iam not sure if that build will even run.
 
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Cut Into Fourteen Pieces

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Question, how is it any different than the PSX/PS2 Patcher program for the ISO files? I have made many working ISOs with that program for both DVD and CD burning so I can play them on my PS2 Debug station.

The patcher is really useful, but it doesn't give the same results as the official Sony tool. That hasn't made a difference for anything I've needed to do, but it might for someone else.
 

supersega

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Ah, gotcha. I will have to use this one too, I am curious on how the ISO+UDF would work, pretty sure with the program I mentioned, it wouldn't. Thanks for the guide!
 

Gameboi64

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In my experience, I have come across many a time where I've burnt a coaster for my TOOL because I didn't master patch it. So in that case, I would recommend the tool that @supersega here has recommended. It's really done me favors especially for the CD making, especially since you are changing the format of the CD from one bytes/block format to another, to yet another. That seems like it shouldn't matter when you change from one bytes/block to another and the main game data doesn't change, as if that doesn't change, why should the "boot sectors"?

In all fairness, it's more of a safeguard than anything else so you don't just create a coaster. So in my experience with using a TOOL, I'd say that using it isn't exactly a bad thing.

Having had repacked games with CDVDGEN (such as stuff with dummy files that are empty so i can store the unpacked iso in a smaller file size, see also Sonic Mega Collection Plus, or creating standalone discs for sonic the fighters/sonic r), I'd say that I'm proficient with using it and figuring out what has to do what when. The odd thing is that CDVDGEN requires a minimum of 600000 sectors for a DVD and Capcom v SNK 2001 (which also can install its files to the HDD) is something to the tune of 109344 sectors. http://redump.org/disc/9205/ How they did that and passed Sony is a to be unanswered question.
 
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Cut Into Fourteen Pieces

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Discovered today that CDVDGEN seemingly only can make two layer images, not one coherent dual layer image :(. Nero can be used to make a dual layer ISO that works in emulators. I don't know if it will boot on real hardware.
 
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Gameboi64

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That was done in that manner because the TOOL (and PS2 development in general) was only supposed to use DVD-R, and there was no DVD-R DL, only +R. Developers did it by using two separate discs and swapping them out as they needed.
 

Arrowhacks_12

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Hey, so I wanted to use CDVDGEN but the setup didn't start, how do you fix this? Thanks in advance!
 
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