Troubleshooting

A problem-and-solution reference for the things that most commonly trip people up: video that stutters or won't start, a storage device that refuses to appear, an SMB share that won't connect, settings that don't stick, and a garbled screen in HD video modes. Each entry is a self-contained fix — open the one that matches your symptom.

ℹ Start with the obvious

Before diving in, sanity-check the basics: the file is actually on the device you're browsing; the device is formatted correctly (see below); the device's Autostart is on (or you started it from the menu); and the media is a format SMS actually supports. Most "it won't work" reports come down to one of these four.

A video stutters, drops frames, or won't play

SMS decodes video in software on the Emotion Engine and uses the PS2's IPU for colour conversion. That is a fixed budget — a file that is too demanding for the console will stutter no matter how fast your storage is. Work through these in order.

Confirm the format is supported

SMS plays a specific set of containers and codecs. If a file uses anything outside this list, it will fail to open or may play only its supported audio track. Supported video is AVI (DivX / Xvid / MPEG-4 Part 2), MP4 (mp4v, MPEG-4 Part 2), and MPEG program streams (MPEG-1/2, .mpg/.mpeg). H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1 and WMV video are not supported — re-encode those to MPEG-4 Part 2 first. See Video Playback for the full format table.

Lower the bitrate and resolution

SMS rejects either video dimension above 1024 pixels, but passing that check does not guarantee real-time playback. Resolution, frame rate, B-frames, QPel/GMC, motion complexity, audio work, bitrate and storage speed all matter. Start from the confirmed 640×480, 30 fps, 1.5 Mbit/s MPEG-4 Part 2 profile and reduce resolution, frame rate or bitrate if needed. If the same file plays from USB but stutters over the network or from MX4SIO, storage throughput or fragmentation is the likely difference.

Rule out a damaged or fragmented file

A partial download, a bad burn, or a heavily fragmented file can cause hitching or a mid-file stop. Re-copy the file to the device (ideally to a freshly formatted or defragmented card/drive), or re-download it, and try again. A file that plays cleanly on a PC but stalls on the PS2 is the classic sign of a marginal encode or a bad copy.

Check the encode features

Interlaced MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 decode paths exist, but the current hardware fixture baseline is progressive. B-frames, QPel, GMC and interlacing can add work or expose compatibility differences. If a supported file is marginal, re-encode it progressive with no B-frames using the known-good command on the Video Playback page.

⚠ Audio-only files that won't play

The same "is it a supported format" rule applies to audio. SMS handles MP3, AAC, AC3, FLAC, OGG Vorbis and WMA. A file with an unusual codec inside a familiar-looking container (for example a lossless track the decoder doesn't recognise) can fail to open — re-encode to plain MP3 to confirm the file, then work back from there.

A storage device doesn't appear

If a device you plugged in isn't showing in the top-row device menu, it's almost always one of three things: it isn't started, it isn't formatted the way SMS expects, or it's blocked by a mutual exclusion.

Start the device (or turn on its Autostart)

On a clean install nothing auto-starts — this is by design (see below). Open the settings menu and either flip on that device's Autostart toggle (Autostart USB, Autostart MX4SIO, Autostart HDD APA, Autostart HDD BDM for ATA/exFAT, Autostart i.LINK, Autostart MMCE, Autostart Network, Autostart UDPFS), or use the matching Start … item that appears when a device isn't running yet. Starting it on demand does not need a reboot.

Check the filesystem format

BDM mass devices (USB, MX4SIO, ATA/exFAT) expect a FAT32 or exFAT filesystem. A drive formatted NTFS, HFS+ or ext4 will not mount. Re-format the card or drive as FAT32 (or exFAT for large volumes) and copy your media back. The internal-HDD APA/PFS path is different — that uses a PlayStation 2 SMS_Media partition rather than a PC filesystem; see Internal HDD.

Rule out a mutual exclusion

Three resource pairs cannot both be active in one boot:

MX4SIO and MMCE both use the SIO2 / memory-card-slot bus. If one is running, the other won't appear — turn off the one you don't need.
The internal HDD APA/PFS path and the ATA/exFAT (BDM) path both own the internal ATA bus. Whichever starts first owns it; pick one.
SMB/host and UDPFS load different stacks for the single Ethernet controller. Reboot, then start only the network path you intend to use.

ℹ How devices are named

BDM mass devices (USB, MX4SIO, ATA/exFAT, i.LINK) all share the massN: namespace, with N counting up from 0. MMCE devices are mmce0: / mmce1:. The internal APA/PFS HDD is hdd0:, and the UDPFS folder is udpfs:. If a device is present but numbered differently than you expect, that's usually just the mount order — check the path shown on the status line at the bottom of the screen.

An SMB share won't connect

SMS speaks the older SMB1 / CIFS network-share protocol. By far the most common reason a share won't connect is that the server no longer accepts SMB1.

✖ Top cause: SMB1 is disabled on the server

Modern Windows and Samba ship with SMB1 turned off by default for security. SMS needs it enabled to connect. This is a server-side setting, not something SMS can work around from the PS2.

How do I re-enable SMB1 on the server?

On Windows: open Turn Windows features on or off and enable SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support (specifically the client/server sub-features), then reboot. Be aware SMB1 is legacy and considered insecure — only enable it on a trusted local network, and consider a dedicated share for the PS2.

On a Samba (Linux/NAS) server: allow the older protocol in the server config (for example by setting the minimum protocol to NT1) and restart the service. Consult your NAS or Samba documentation for the exact option, as it varies by version.

Verify the address, share name and credentials

Once SMB1 is on, re-check the server's IP address, the exact share name, and the username/password — all entered on-screen with the built-in keyboard (see Network Setup). A typo in any of these looks identical to "server refused". Case can matter for share names and usernames.

Check the PS2's own network settings

Make sure the PS2 has a valid static IP on the same subnet as the server, saved through Device settings → Network settings → Edit IPCONFIG.DAT, and that the network device is started. If the console can't reach the network at all, no share will connect.

Check firewalls and the server's file sharing

A firewall on the server (or router) can block the PS2's connection even with everything else correct. Confirm file sharing is enabled on the server and that its firewall allows connections from the PS2's IP on your local network.

⚠ SMB1 is a legacy protocol

The SMB client in SMS is the legacy SMB1 stack, and modernising it to SMB2 is separate work beyond this build. If you can't or won't enable SMB1 on your server, use the UDPFS network drive or a directly-attached device instead.

The UDPFS network drive won't appear

Save the PS2's own static IP through Edit IPCONFIG.DAT; a NOIP error means this step is missing.
Run PS2-Servers UDPFSD on a PC on the same LAN, select the folder to serve, and keep Modulo mode off.
Allow UDP port 0xF5F6 (62966) through the PC firewall on the trusted LAN.
If SMB/host was already started, reboot before choosing Start UDPFS network drive. The two stacks cannot share the NIC in one boot.

Settings don't persist across reboots

If your Autostart toggles, network details or playback preferences reset every time you power on, the config isn't being saved — or isn't being found on the next boot.

Insert a memory card (or understand where config goes)

By default SMS saves its configuration to the memory card at mc0:/SMS/SMS.cfg. No memory card in slot 1 means nowhere to write — so settings can't persist. Insert a memory card and save again.

This fork can save to the boot device instead

If SMS was booted from another device (USB, HDD…) and there's no memory card, this fork saves the config next to the SMS ELF on that boot device instead. So a memory-card-less setup can still keep its settings — as long as the boot device is writable and present at each boot.

Save after changing settings

Make your changes, then save through the settings menu so they're written out. If a setting only ever holds for the current session, it wasn't committed to storage.

ℹ Resetting to a clean state

Deleting the config file returns SMS to clean defaults — which means nothing auto-starts and every Autostart toggle is off. If SMS is misbehaving after a lot of tweaking, clearing the config is a reliable way to get back to a known-good baseline; you then turn back on only the devices you use.

Nothing starts up on the first boot

ℹ This is by design

On a clean install, no device auto-starts. SMS boots to the desktop with the device menu waiting, and you enable what you need. This is deliberate — it avoids forcing a device (such as an internal HDD) that you may not have, and it keeps the first boot fast and predictable.

To bring a device online, either turn on its Autostart toggle in settings (so it comes up automatically on future boots) or use the matching Start <device> now item to start it immediately without rebooting. Once you save your settings, your chosen devices will auto-start from then on. This is expected behaviour, not a fault.

The screen looks corrupted in HD video modes

⚠ Known issue in HD output modes

In high-definition output modes the desktop background can appear garbled or corrupted. The reliable workaround is to run SMS in a standard-definition mode — use 480i — where the display is correct.

HD modes use a much larger framebuffer than standard definition, which leaves little room for the full-screen desktop artwork; the result can be a corrupted or garbled background on the desktop. This is a known, open issue in the current theme at HD resolutions. Standard-definition output (480i) is not affected and is the recommended mode until this is resolved. If you do use an HD mode and the desktop looks wrong, switch the video/output mode back to 480i.

ℹ Still stuck?

If none of the above matches your symptom, note exactly what you did, which device and file were involved, and what you saw on screen (a photo of the TV helps). That detail is what makes a problem fixable — vague "it doesn't work" reports are the hardest to act on.

Quick reference

Symptom	Most likely cause	Fix
Video stutters / drops frames	Bitrate or resolution too high for the console (worse on slow devices)	Re-encode lower; use a faster device
Video won't open at all	Unsupported codec, or damaged / fragmented file	Re-encode to MPEG-4/XviD; re-copy the file
Device not in the menu	Not started, wrong format, or mutual exclusion	Autostart / Start-now; format FAT32/exFAT; free the shared bus
MX4SIO and MMCE clash	Both use the SIO2 slot bus	Run only one at a time
HDD APA and ATA/exFAT clash	Both own the internal ATA bus	Pick one; first to start owns the bus
SMB share won't connect	SMB1 disabled on the server	Re-enable SMB1; then check IP / credentials / firewall
UDPFS drive won't appear	No static PS2 IP, no server response, firewall, or SMB already owns the NIC	Save IPCONFIG; run UDPFSD with Modulo off; allow UDP 62966; reboot to switch stacks
Settings reset each boot	No memory card, or config not saved	Insert a card (or save to the boot device); save after changes
Nothing auto-starts	Clean-install default	Enable Autostart for the devices you use
Corrupted screen in HD	Known theme issue at HD resolutions	Use 480i output