R4D DOCS

Recovery for Dummies documentation

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How to Read & Burn Discs

Introduction

Before you start your adventure with disc burning, you should know that without a soldered-in modchip or an exploit, no PS2 will allow any program (and therefore backup copies of games) to run from discs other than original pressed discs. The only recordable media that MechaCon/Dragon (the drive controller) will accept are DVD-Video and Audio CD.

Disc Formats

You should also keep in mind that not all disc formats are supported by every PS2 optical drive. Avoid dual-layer media, especially ±RW discs, which for some reason put the greatest strain on PS2 lasers. Many drives also cannot read DVD+R media at all. Therefore, DVD-R is the safest choice.

Supported by all models	PS2CD-ROM, PS2DVD-ROM SL/DL, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM SL/DL, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R SL, and DVD-RW
Supported by some drives	DVD+M (DVD M-Disc), DVD+R SL/DL, DVD-R DL, DVD+RW
Unsupported	DVD-RAM

Disc Reading Issues

Your PS2 may stop reading DVD DL discs while still reading CDs and DVD SL discs without issues. It is also possible for the console to stop reading all DVDs before it stops reading CDs. This is often caused by a dirty lens, dirty mirrors, or dry guide rails that need lubrication. Eventually, the laser may simply become worn and require recalibration, which should always be performed using PMAP.

Additional notes

• DVD5 refers to DVD SL (single-layer). DVD9 refers to DVD DL (dual-layer). DVD10 refers to DVD DS SL (double-sided, single-layer). DVD18 refers to DVD DS DL (double-sided, dual-layer).
• CDDA (Audio CD) can be recorded onto CD-R or pressed as CD-ROM. DVD-Video can be recorded onto DVD±R or pressed as DVD-ROM. These are marketing terms describing the disc format, not the names of the physical media.
• DVDs can be either 8 cm or the standard 12 cm size (which is why the disc tray has two circular recesses).
• All DVD+R discs can identify themselves as DVD-ROM discs if the user changes the book type (also known as bitsetting) before burning the disc. It is unclear whether this improves compatibility with drives that do not officially support DVD+R media (probably not).
• Everything described above applies to SCPH and KDL models. On DESR models, it applies only to the PS2 laser assembly, not the DVR laser assembly.
• ODD stands for Optical Disc Drive, and ODDW stands for Optical Disc Drive Writer.

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