May 11, 2011 Step 8: Select FREEMCBOOT.ELF on the next screen and the installer will start. Install FMCB from there. Installation Method 6: Finding someone (In your region) that has FMCB already No things needed here, if you happen to find someone that has FMCB, than they can install it for you. Devin, wolffangalchemist and me can do installs for free. Free MC Boot is a program that allows a user to boot homebrews without modchip or swap once installed on the Memory Card. It runs on official 8MB Sony MC's as well as 3rd party cards. (with the exception of those needing a boot disc to be recognized or cloned Chinese cards) 1.8 Usage.
Mar 03, 2018 FreeMcBoot is a app launcher that can let you run various homebrew on your PS2. It runs files called.elfs through USB Sticks and such. Some new features are added in this version: 1- wLaunchELF. May 12, 2015 On top of that, I also have a PS2 usb card reader for the PS3, and you can use that to install Free MCBoot. I used to do the swap trick all the time before the MCboot to play backups, it's not the laser that really can be damaged but the cd tray sliding mechanics. I never tried it for install the Free MCBoot, so not sure how that goes.
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Please read This FAQ before starting a new post about FreeMcBoot.
Also, the Installation guides have changed a bit. There are now guides for installing FreeMcBoot onto memory cards, AND there is a guide for installing it directly onto an internal hard drive.
In this FAQ we will be exploring the basic questions people usually have about FreeMcBoot. What Can I do? What Can't I do? Can I play Backup DVDs? Can I load backups from a hard drive? From a USB Drive? Can I use an emulator? We'll cover all that, and more. Best of all, the answers to most of these questions came straight from /r/PS2 users like you! Thanks for being such an awesome community, you guys!
What Is FreeMcBoot (aka FMCB)?
Free Mcboot is basically a way to make your PS2 memory card exploited. Once you have this mod installed on your memory card, and insert that memory card into your PS2 you can start installing homebrew programs, and unleash the true potential of your PS2. Once you insert a PS2 memory card with free mcboot on it the PS2 will load a different menu than it normally does. This menu can be configured to load all kinds of different software, but basically it lets you run homebrew, emulators, backup loaders, graphics upscalers, and other stuff.
Is It Permanent?
No. FreeMcBoot is installed onto a standard PS2 memory card. When this memory card is plugged into your PS2, then your PS2 boots into the FMCB homescreen, and is functionally 'modded.' As soon as you remove this memory card, and reboot your PS2, it is 100% completely reverted back to stock. All the 'magic' happens int he PS2's memory so nothing about it is permanent. Advanced users can even install FreeMcBoot onto the internal hard drive of a PS2 Fat, but even this can be undone by removing or reformatting the hard drive. Nothing about FreeMcBoot is permanent.
Will It work with my PS2?
Free Mcboot will work with almost any PS2. The only versions of the PS2 that will not work are the slim models with a model number series of 9xxxx. These are the models on which 1/2 of the top is shiny. If you have a Fat PS2, or a slim that just has a 1 inch wide 'band' of shiny plastic on the top, then you can use FMCB
How Do I get my PS2 working with FreeMcBoot?
There are a couple of ways you can go about it. Some easy, some hard.
• Easy: Buy a memory card that is preloaded with FMCB already. These can be purchased via /r/PS2's Sidebar. This will cost you a few dollars, but keep in mind you are paying for the convenience, the cost of shipping, and the cost of the card itself, not for FMCB. FreeMcBoot is available from HERE for free.
• Hard: Physically modify your PS2 in order to trick it into reading a burned DVD which has ben prepared to install FMCB onto your memory card. Guides for your specific type of PS2 can be found via /r/PS2's Sidebar.' This method is completely free, but significantly more difficult. That is the tradeoff. If you buy (or otherwise aquire) a memory card with FreeMcBoot installed on it, you will not have to open your PS2 at all.
Can I play backup copies of my PS2 games?
Yes. FreeMcBoot allows you to load backup copies of your games in numerous ways. You can burn backups to DVD, on a Windows or Macintosh computer, by simply patching them using the ESR GUI tool. This is a one-click program that makes your backup files work with FreeMcBoot, and is available for Windows and Macintosh. What a time to be alive! Advanced Users can also use software called OPL to load PS2 .ISO files from a folder right on their PC, via ethernet cable. Advanced users with Fat PS2s and internal hard drives can even rip their discs to the hard drive using software called HDL, and load them via OPL without even having the disc in the drive.
Can I play backup copies of my PS1 games?
Yes... sort of. How easy it is to do this depends on which model of PS2 you have. If you have a Fat PS2 it is very difficult. If you have slim PS2, it is slightly less difficult. It always requires physical modification of the PS2, and is beyond the scope of this FAQ. Someday, I will write a specific guide for all models.
However, with all that said, there is new software available called POPS that essentially lets you load a PS1 .iso file onto a USB drive, or your internal HD if you have a Fat PS2, and play it this way. /r/PS2 has not yet compiled a detailed guide for POPS, but it is absolutely on our TO-DO list. Compatibility for this method is nowhere near as high as physically modifying your console to read backup CD-Rs, but it is much easier to drag and drop a file than mod your console, so stay tuned.
What else can FMCB do?
All kinds of stuff. We will explore all the wonderful things like upscaling your graphics to 480p (and sometimes up to 1080p!), running emulators, using cheats, etc.
Loading PS2 backups is technically possibly via USB sources such as thumbdrives and external hard drives, but the PS2's USB ports are limited to the USB 1.1 protocol, meaning the loading speeds from USB sources is less than 1/2 the speed of the DVD drive itself. This means that most games will have skipping audio, skipping FMV sequences, and some games will randomly crash, or be unplayable at all from USB. We don't suggest anyone plan to use USB loading as their primary source for backup loading.
/r/PS2 is a place for people who enjoy, and primarily collect for PS2, to gather and discuss our games. Do not ask us how to download roms, or where to find games online, or anything like that. That isn't what we do. We use backup loading to protect our precious discs from the trials of time. Backup loading allows us to take our discs from the case once, rip them, and put them back on the shelf safe and sound forever. It also saves wear and tear on the aging DVD drives in our PS2s. Again, do not ask about, or post about, anything related to piracy or your post will be removed and you will be considered for banishment from /r/PS2.
/r/PS2 would like to thank all of our active community members for making /r/PS2 such a wonderful place! I'd also like to thank Freedomain.co.nr for offering free DNS listing and other necessary services so we can host this guide ourselves, on our own server, absolutely free.
Thank you all so much for making this FAQ possible.
Now I know that everyone had their own little work arounds with FreeMcBoot. I didn't have the pleasure of using 007: Agent Under Fire, but I did come across 007: From Russia With Love, which was another confirmed working title for the swap trick.
If I wasn't as persistent as I am, I probably would've given up modding my ps2 long ago, but my stubbornness wanted me to do this, and I did the double disk swap that I tried time and time again with it before with no results in my favor. After about the thirteenth or so try, I finally got uLaunch to start, I was pretty damn pleased with myself.
Pack Free Mcboot Installer
Any tips for anyone who can't get traditional games for the swap tricks easily? Or for people who have a broken laser and are wary of sending their cards off to strangers on the internet?