Similar thread to the PSP one, My PS2 stopped reading discs

[Figit090]

i think i once heard something about a DRE because the laser got stuck. fake the lid shutting and see how the laser acts. i think i heard on the older ones its possible for the laser to skip a tooth or something and not be in sync, and a simple manual movement of the laser housing fixes it.

i vaguely remember this, dont get your hopes too far up but definitely search for info on it. it may have happened to you....i dunno. your problem doesn't sound like its the laser being dusty...

and i also have a ps2 that's a couple years old and still runnin' strong.

its a bit noisy because its the older fan design i think but 30 seconds of game play makes your forget and not even notice. but i have a fridge in my room to so little noises dont bug me.

 

[starscream5000]

The mechanism running the laser works as you can see the laser shoot back to the back of the PS2 when you flip the top open.

 

[GeneStarWindGSW]

i have one of those arms that u can open with a card. Maybe you guys have heard of swap magic? it was one of the old original CDs/DVDs you could use to play copied games (from your originals of course ) and you'd have to open the front with the card (or the metal thing they sent u if u bought it retail) and it'd work 100%

 

[Figit090]

can you make your own "swap magic" disk? i want to play burnt games but i dont want to mod my PS2....

on another note - its not that your laser won't move but that it's not properly moving. maybe it moves but thinks it's in a different spot and therefore gets confused....say if it were a cm. to far in, maybe it wouldnt read because it doesnt know the proper location of the laser. all i know is i read something about it and i would strongly suggest searching for a ps2 repair forum.

 

[OneJoeZee]

You could always run your PS2 games off a harddrive and cut out the middleman laser...except for the startup disc.

 

[GeneStarWindGSW]

I have a 300GB HDD full of PS2 games (about 100+) So i've upgraded from the swap disc but i used it to install the ELF files to my memory card so i could get pass the part where u need to have a modchip to install those files. I was lucky to have the swap magic. Its impossible to make a copy of the swap magic i've tried before. It won't work out as its suppose to. The problem i use for my HDD is HDLoader. ToxicOS is the best but i haven't checked into that scene in the longest. i still have all my work on how to do it but ever since my PS2 stop reading discs i've just stopped. To make it work you need to rig a file inside of your memory card system file to make it load a PSX game (u load the database file from a list to pick up the game) the EXACT game you set as your startup disc is the only one you can use unless you added more to the list. you put in the memory card that has that system file and put the PSX game. It'll take you the ELF file that starts HDLoader & it'll load up your HDD full of the games you've copied over to it. Its actually fun to do and takes awhile to learn everything but once you get on how to do it. Its a piece of cake. Also there's compatibility issues and suck but thats a whole another story

 

[Skam9685]

I've killed a friends PS2 before from a ~4 foot drop when I sat back on the couch playing guitar hero and cord wasn't long enough... Ouch.

I keep my PS2 on the dresser.

if you were my friend that would equal death to you sir :icon_evil

 

[GeneStarWindGSW]

My PS2 has fell countless times (i've tried to save it many times & protect it always) but the worse was a 6 ft drop from a shelf, ahhhh i when saw it drop i was like -yep that shit is gonna break lol- im glad it survived lol. tuff big brick ps2 FTW!

 

[Figit090]

apparently all that huge casing really pays off...

even though it's huge i always take it with me on trips with an RF modulator...i can defeat ALL low-featured hotel TV's! (as long as they have cable) mwahahahaha.

i'm glad i can be confident lugging it everywhere won't break it.

 

[starscream5000]

Well guys, I used the cleaning disc on the PS2, it didn't work. It'll play a DVD (haven't tried any games yet) but you can't skip right to the menu or it will stop playing. You can, however, tell it to go to a certain title (episode) and it will play it, you can skip chapters too and it's fine. I just acts like it doesn't know how to go to a menu...

 

[Figit090]

in-depth explination and cleaning procedure beyond a cleaning disk (you get to take stuff apart! yay!)
THIS is what i would try first if all external modes of repair (not opening the thing up) fail;
http://www.gamingworldx.com/features/PlayStation2DiscReadErrorDRERepairGuide.shtml

while keeping the case off, (i dont take responsibility for anything you do wrong or any injuries you get if you touch something wrong and hurt it or yourself) see if it works. if so assemble it and have fun. if not...

take a look at this method of repair, its mechanical, not simply cleaning it. frankly i would hope for this type of fix because that may mean the laser is still good. take a look;

---------------EDIT-----------
i found another better tutorial with working pics;
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/ps2.ars/3
but since i didnt read it completely i'll leave the other. FYI all of these came from a fast google...but i felt the need to do it.
http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/45797/PlayStation_2_Disc_Read_Error_Fix_pg3.html

good luck.

 

[starscream5000]

I'll have to look into it, but as mentioned, my PS2 is the newer, small version. So I'm betting the white gear isn't there, or it is, but in a different spot. I'll check when I have some spare time, but I think I'm going to tinker with the supra this weekend, it's more important to me than PS2 games and shit.

Thanks!