A lost post

Sony Playstation 2 Info
Pong!

Originally this was a post with information about getting a Sony Playstation 2 to properly run a specific game, but it attracted so much spam and negative comments that I removed its content many years ago.


There are 118 comments on this post

  1. Bah. History my BUTT. Check out http://www.bigfivesoftware.com – that is some HISTORY. Especially the picture at http://www.bigfivesoftware.com/atari/BBSB/Technical/technical.htm – who IS that handsome cat?

  2. Helllllooooooo…

  3. on my playstation error reading disc keeps coming up please help me or in the middle of a game it will freeze up on me and says error reading whatever game i am playing

  4. Hey I’m having all the problems that other people are having and i keep using a lens cleaner and vaccume the inside of the consloe and the probelms still seam to exist. So I was just wondering that could their be somthing other then the diagnostic thing on the menu screen, because that seam to have stoped working as well. I would really appreaceate it if you could send me some info on what I may do to make my playstation run in tip top shape because that would be a big waste of money if I cant get it to work.

    Thanks
    Dallas Beierbach

  5. My PS2 Recently stoped playing newer DVDs and Games. I tryed a DVD Lecteur(I think I spelled it right) and now it works but I need a browser upgrade..if anyone knows where to get it, please E-Mail me at WolvesAndDragons1@msn.com..Thanks!

  6. I am having trouble getting my playstation 2 to play regular playstation games, the first playstation 2 games ( the disks with purple on the bottom of the disk) , and cd’s. What is the problem? And what does diagnosis and texture mapping mean when you go to options from the main screen? I will look forward to your comments. Thank you.
    Dalton Bruner

  7. avatar
    Stan The Technical Support Guy

    Hey guys, this is Stan the Technical Support Guy. I’m here to help you all out. We’ve noticed that several production runs of Playstation 2’s shipped with faulty Integrated Flux Capacitor Laser Lens Head Tracks (or IFCLLHT). What happens is after about 3 months or so the IFCLLTH begins to bind up a bit due to quantum bit irregularities in the drive mechanism forwarding state relay.

    Not a problem though. There’s a two stage solution and you’ll be good as new. First, you’ll need at least an 18oz Rubber Mallet and some WD40. Disconnect your unit from any power sources (remember, Safety First!) and set it on a sturdy, level surface (kitchen table is fine). Next, take the mallet and very gently but with some force whack the side of the unit closest to the CD Drive 3 times. Next, take the WD40 lubricant and apply a 3 second shot to a blank CD-Rom Disk making sure to coat both sides with lubricant. Plug your unit back in, eject the drive and place the newly lubricated blank CD-Rom in the tray. Allow the unit to boot. After 30 seconds or so eject the disk, shut the unit down completely and let it sit for about 15 minutes. If all goes well you should be good as new! Test it out with whatever game or DVD wasn’t working before. If it still doesn’t work repeat the entire process 3 or 4 times. If your still having problems after all this try emailing technicalsupport@playstation2.com. Make sure you put “Faulty Integrated Flux Capacitor Laser Lens Head Track issue” in the subject line so it gets routed to the right service department.

    Good Luck!

    Sincerely,

    Stan the Technical Support Guy

  8. h guys im jeff,
    im have a problem with the ps2. and that problem is that it wont come on anymore,, every plug is in there are no shortages and i had da ps2 for 3 years, what should i do?

  9. Hey guys, i ve a play 2, and I something very strange happened yesterday. I was playing a game and suddenly the game freezes. After that my PS stopped playing dvds and music cds, and it makes a very strange noise while reading, and after some minutes I get the message “error reading disk”. It worked ok before that. What can it be???

  10. My PS2 has been freezing lately too, and I researched a few other sites a minute ago about this. What I found out is that it may be gettiung too hot, when this happens you may also hear clicks or other noises in your console. I am taking mine off the CARPET and putting it on a hard flat surface immediately, because carpet restricts the air flow & cause it to get hotter. Also, I may get a USB port fan, to further help it stay cool. Good luck all, and I hope nobody followed that tech guy’s joke advice, lol.

  11. Franco your problem sounds like what happened to my ps2, the thing is the lazer moves on two metal rails. these rails have a lubricant on them and if one or both rails drys off to much the mechanism gets stuck there. the strange noise if it is same problem is from the little arm of the lazer part which is sits on a screw like part with the lack of lubricant it wont move so the arms is stuck at one point sitting on the screw part.
    you just need to open up and relubricate if that is the case and should work. mine does anyway.

  12. hey can some one tell me if playstation 1 games work playstation 2

  13. Yes, almost all PS1 games will work on a PS2 console

  14. My ps2 has been buzzing over the last couple months and i did the usuall cleaning and vaccum but it still didnt work. Ive also noticed that before the buzzing, there is a little orange spark that goes off. I could see it throught the bottom vents in the front of the PS2 and i dont know where it is. Can someone help me with this?

  15. is it possible to make ps2 games work on ps1

  16. i think i have the same problem as you guys. with my ps2, when i eject the drive it makes this c-c-c-c noise, kind of like something rusty. but it opens. then i put the game in, and close it. the screen will say, like, reading disc, for a long time, and then it will be like error reading disc. i dont know whats wrong with it, but i’m willing to try the lubricating idea, cause whats the worse than can happen right? but i was wondering what kind of lubricant you have to use… where you can get it or whatever.

  17. Here’s something that’s worked for me. My PS2 was having all sorts of difficulties loading discs, not to mention playing them or even enjoying them. So I took the afternoon off work one Friday and met my PS2 for drinks. We chatted about life, our expectations, Madden 2005, you know, just your ordinary stuff.

    After a couple of **** tails, we went to this little out-of-the-way place and had dinner. I splurged on a nice bottle of red, and we settled into a wonderful course of pasta. It was then my PS2 admitted that it felt like I was being too controlling, that I often ignore its feelings, sacrificing intimacy for cold, hard gameplay. Boy was this dead on!

    I won’t go into much more detail, but I finally felt we had reconnected again. Our love swelled over the 3-layer cheesecake, and when the check came, we were both aching to get home.

    We crashed through the door in a fit of passion. I plugged it in to a separate outlet behind the TV. I started with a little tickle of the power button, a push of the disc release. Ever so slowly, the rack opened and slid towards me. I caressed the controllers, eased my hands over the opening and squirted some astroglide right into the unit. Instead of fighting me, as was always the case in the past, my PS2 surged, begging for me to slip Grand Theft Auto: Vice City into its slot. I did, and that night, we gamed until dawn. I awoke the next morning in a pool of sweat and drool, the room smelling of solder and melted plastic.

    Since then, I’ve had no problems at all. I realize this isn’t an exact formula, and depending on your relationship, you might approach your PS2 from a different angle. But once you’ve begun to communicate, not just game, the experience will raise your level of intimacy to an unimaginable height. Good luck and good gaming!!

  18. Hi, my name is Paulo I´m a 18 yrs old guy from brasil….
    I have a playstation 2 and since a month ago i had been a problem with
    this…
    When I try to Play or run a DVD it stay reading the disk and show a
    message “READING DISK” , and no mather how many time i wait for it run
    cause it doesnt work….
    But i play CD games normaly, Id like u can help me, send a message
    explain what should I do or a tutorial about this…..

    Thanks for the atencion…..

    Paulo…

  19. YEP MINE SCREWED UP TOO, JUST GOT FED UP AND KICKED IT IN

  20. Hi, i was wondering if anybody knows how to fix a problem of mine or if its not reachable. My question is my ps2 is the smaller version with the place where you put the game in ..that part opens up and down then you shut the lid unlike the normal with the eject looks like a dvd player,and i have a game called espn college hoops 2k5 and i play the legacy open mode and some times it does it sometimes not but here latley i cant get any further. i can play the whole season and after i win the big game its supposed to show that i won with a message and a plaque, but the load screen comes up and then it freezes and the music plays over and over again……..please somebody help

  21. avatar
    **LINKIN**SKATER**

    yeah mine does all the same things exept for the dude with the spark,see ive been wanting to play my def jam fight for ny game for the past two days but as soon as u load ur character it starts loading and ps2 trys and trys but then it freezes up while loading. ive vaccumed ,ive cleaned the lens with alcohol,ive did the diagnostics,but i havent tryed the lubricateing thing yet i think that thats a little risky and i havent tryed the cd/wed40 thing yet im afaid to do that. that might make it worse!!!! someone help what do i do!!?!!?

  22. lol yea i think my spark is a special case. I dont think ill ever find out what it is unless if i open up that metal part next to the CD drive to find out.

  23. ive been having trouble with my ps2 for some time now. its a refurbished system, if that has anything to do with it. i tried that white wheel turning thing but only seemed to screw up my system even more:( im on the verge of kicking the piece of **** in backwards. ive tried the diagnosis and havent had anything good come of it. i would REALLY appreciate it if someone could help me out. EMAIL- mstrick@mindspring.com. NO CRAP EMAILS PLEASE!!

  24. hey im havin alot of error reading disk problems especially when i play gta 3 and vice city. my THUG2 and san andreas dont even load at all. whats this lubricant and where can i get it? please reply at youarenotkey@aol.com

    thanks alot!

  25. my ps2 has recently started to freeze while playing madden 2006, ive called all of the game stores and i called sony as well..if any one knows what to do exept for shooting it with a shotgun, e-mail me a sicwithhate@yahoo.com

  26. well i got the same problem as tdw the when u eject a disk from your ps2 it starts to sound “c-c-c-c-c-c” like rusted, also when i have gta: sa at the beginning i didnt have problem with the DRE, its starts to begin when i got this mission “Are you going to San Fierro” where u burn all the marijane fields, but when i got to san fierro the problem starts to be bigger and know and cant even load the disk and is rare but very rare that i can load it and i can only load ps1 game. Is the gta disk?? or is the ps???

  27. This DRE thing is driving me crazy. My playstation 2 loads Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance but it doesn’t want to run my new Star Ocean 3, and both are the same type, DVD ROM. And it doesn’t want to load all my other PS2 games either, PSone games are fine but there are some that don’t load, but fewer than my PS2 games. I’m afraid to open my ps2 (as if I had any other option). But I think the main problem with the PS2 is having those holes in the front, anything can be gathered inside. I clean in those holes and a few days later it is covered in dust. Also smoking near your PS2 is a very bad thing I guess. Why didn’t they make the system closed and secure, like the Super Nes? Mine is still working after so many years!Meh, that’s not the point right now though.

    Can someone tell me if I can use a dvd/cd player cleaner (those discs you insert with a drop of alcohol or something of the sort) or will that damage my PS2? I want to open it as a last ressort.

  28. To Mr. Dood:

    That definitely sounds like a short in the power supply. Your lucky it hasn’t fried anything yet or perhaps even started a fire. That “metal” area next to the cdrom drive is the power supply unit, takes line voltage and converts it to various voltages things in the ps2 needs. You should not be seeing any sparks there, like I said its funny that when it has sparked it has not at minimum blown a fuse or something else rendering the unit unusable.

    The reason they put vent holes in is because these systems generate much more heat than the older solid state gaming systems. They have faster processors, plus motors to run the discs. They need venilation. WHile they eliminated the fan in the new sim ps2, there are still ventilation holes in the back and lower front. The lack of a fan though will help this unit not to get so full of dust so fast. DO NOT remove the fan in the older units though!! They need it, they will overheat without a properly clean and working fan. I’ve seen many with freezing issues due to dirty vents and/or dead fans.

    The DRE error is usally caused by 1 of several things: dead laser eye, dirty laser eye, out of alignment laser eye (that white wheel), or failing laser eye ( the case where it reads some but not others). It can also be caused by a dirty or worn laser drive. WHat I always sugest (and how I fix them), is I start with a lens cleaning, if that does not help then I check the worm drive, and all cables. If all is good there then I attempt to adjust the laser angle/height with the white cog, this must be done SLOWLY though, only going 1 or 2 clicks at most then trying to read discs, if you go too far and you don’t pay attention to what your doing you’ll have it way out of whack and it may be nearly impossible to even get it close enough to read anything at all. If that fails, after a reasonably good attempt at it, I then try adjusting laser focus and power pots, this is risky as it can burn out the laser if it is not already weak or shot. ANd finally if all else fails I replace the whole laser unit wiht a new one which can be had for about $50, or less from ebay or a website called videogame repair.

    Hope that helps someone out.

  29. I’ve been having a big problem with my PS2 lately; I can’t get anything to work on it! Every time I turn it on the green light goes on, the fan starts up and everything seem normal, I get a little white flash on my TV screen (so I know I’m on the right channel at least..) and it starts reading the disc I put in for maybe a couple of seconds, then nothing more happens! The fan and the light works as usual but the screen stays black and it stops reading the disc I put in. I don’t get any browser windows or anything, just a black screen.
    My playstation is about 4 years old, could it be that it’s just too old?!? Any help is greatly appreciated!

  30. my ps2 wont read my madden 06 game and i hear a grinding noise when it plays but it doesnt grind when i put in any other game

  31. Hi,

    I’ve got the buzzing PS2 syndrome. I opened it up and saw the tracks the lazer moves along had no grease on its extremities. I was wondering what type of grease I should use and where I can get it.

    Cheers guys

  32. I had the saame problems as Anthony – my copy of Madden 06 froze up during gameplay once and made grinding noises.

    I opened it up and re-lubricated the internals and got a new copy of Madden 06 (it seems as though my previous copy wasa scratched by my PS2).

    After fiddling with the white gear, I got Madden 06 to load up to the screen where you see Donovan McNabb and the four spheres with the yellow coulour going through it.

    But that’s it – it keeps loading and loading and never actually loads. It never asks me to press play and start playing.

    I fiddled with the voltage and white gear thing some more and now it won’t work. But I can fix that. I have a theory.

    Personally, my laser will only move halfway up its rails – so the outer half of the disk is out of my laser’s reach.

    I figure if I can get the laser moving freely along its rails again everything should be good again.

    Maybe some of you guys should try that too.

    But don’t ask me how – I have no idea myself.

  33. i’m having similiar problems, my games used to just load really slowly, then they began to make weird grinding noises. it started off with grand theft auto: san andreas but now it won’t load anything. i took the thing apart, put some lubricant on the bars for the laser. this helped it and was ok for a while, but was back the way it was again in a matter of weeks.
    on a site with ps2 parts, it described the problems i was having and said that getting a new laser arm might have. i’ve ordered one, i hope it works…

  34. hi, my ps2 is driving me nuts i have the buzzing and grinding and the long loading time leading to the dreaded DRE’s, i’ve moved the white gear (but after a while i started moving it really fast but i marked it to show where i started off) but that doesent seem to be the problem i have cleaned the laser, Looked at a dozen x100 guides for repair all with different strategies such as one of them saying to clean the laser with a q-tip and another one warning not to so i’m kinda confused, I’ve just about tryed the voltage increase thing but i dont wanna risk the damage, So i think i’ll go with lubing the rail cuz i havent done that yet i just need to know what kind of lube to use cause i’m confident that if i find the sweet spot on the white gear and get the rails smooth and slick so the laser can move it will read my disks so i need to know what type of lube is best thanks!

    P.S. it started to play MGS3 Snake Eater and a PSM demo disk but did not get much further than the ps2 logo at the start plus these are the only two disks to have played AT ALL on it in a while PSM played first then like 4 months later (2 days ago)after some tweaking it started to play mgs3 then stopped. so it must be getting better!……….i hope. Please Help! Thanks!

  35. my PS2 wont read the ps2 discs with the purple bottoms on them, but ive had 2, but my first one broke, but before it did, it would read the purple ones, this doesnt make sence, dont you think the newer model of the playstation should be able to do MORE than the older one????

    waitin 4 a reply,
    John Hancock

  36. Hello,
    My name is Kevin Hubert, I have 2 grandkids, and both of their ps2 stop working, one is reading diso errored, and the other will just cut off in the middle of a game, and then just cut off, where are you so that i can send thses console to you, so that I can have them fixed, please let me know (ASAP),
    Thanks Grandfather Kevin
    HELP HELP HELP HELP MEEEEE.

  37. HI, I have one of those new ps2’s, you know, the flat one. Anyways I got that because my older ps2 stop reading disks and now this new one has a problem of freezing up in Jak X and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. It also has a problem of erasing saves. like I’ll save my game and when I reload my save will be gone. Also in Jak X, the icon it shows when you are saving never leaves the screen, so that when that stops working it’ll either corrupt my save, making it so that you can’t even erase it off your memory card, OR do that crap where it’ll tell you that you don’t have a save. Don’t forget the freezing. HELP!!!

  38. I have a ps2 my problem is that my when im playing my ps2 like madden 06 when the game is loading to go on to the game it starts making a funny noise and the game freezes for a while the it comes back and then i can play again why does it make that sound… somebody help me…. send help to Rdg1x@yahoo.com

  39. Hello I am having a problem with my PS2. I just got God of War for my birthday and I tried to play it on my PS2(The Big one) and it said disk reading… for five seconds and the Disk Reading… sign went off, so I tried playing a difrent game than God of War and the other game worked. So I took the diffrent game out and Put God of War Baack in the system and it said disk reading… then went off so I took it back to Walmart and got a diffrent copy of the game. When I got hame I tried it again and it did the Exact same thing. So I took this copy back and got another one but asked if I could try it out on there slimline PS2 and it worked. So I took it home and tried it out on my PS2 and it did the disk reading… thing again and then disk reading… went off and like the other times I tried it no icon for the game showed up. So could it be my PS2 or do I need to tweek the little White Cog. If you can help me E-mail me at
    kreature224@hotmail.com or post it on this Site. PLease Help

  40. Everyone I have a question, I just baught the Sony brand network adapter, ok. I hook it up, try to put in my Online Start-Up Disc 4.0 but when it loads all it says is DISC READ ERROR. What can i do to fix this??

  41. My playstation 2 reads every cd format but will not read and dvd format, I adjusted laser height cleaned lens and everything,

  42. i found this on another forum:

    The PlayStation 2 suffers from dust and lubrication problems.

    Sony didn’t use enough lube on the traverse pickup sleds and the kicker mechanism to keep it running right. (Although, you never want to use too much lube as that causes problems of its own.) The lube that’s on there dries up from the dust exposure and causes the bearings to bind on the sleds, which is why you can have a buzzing PS-2 when reading blue-bottom discs while it may work normally for DVD discs. Unlike DVD-ROM, CD-ROM discs require a faster mechanical response from the kicker mechanism to move the pickup back and forth rapidly to assure a fast read. When the PS-2 tries to seek a blue-bottom disc, it tries to move the pickup back and forth on the sled rapidly, but hangs up in the whole process instead because of the bind between the bearings and the sleds due to lack of lubrication, inhibiting free movement. The buzzing noise is caused when the teeth of the rack gear on the pickup jumps over the grooves it was in and then snaps back down on the next set of grooves on the worm gear over and over again.

    The best fix is to clean out the PS-2 of all dust and then relubricate the aforementioned mechanical components with high quality bearing oil and molytone grease. What I do to help keep lube on the sleds and bearing is mix 1/3 bearing oil with 2/3 molytone, which creates a loose grease which provides a good lube that stays on the bearings. If you can’t find molytone grease, white lithium grease can be used as a substitute. For the oil, use only a quality household oil or bearing oil; never use stuff like WD-40 as it’s not viscous enough to be effective and most of the liquid will evaporate after a few days, bringing the problem back to square one.

    Anyways, in addition to using the dilluted lube on the bearing and sleds, I use the same stuff on the worm gear as well. I use just enough to form a very thin film of lube on the sleds, but it’s very important not to use too much lube as the excess can drip around and cause problems.

    I work the lube in by moving the pickup back and forth in the traverse sled path a couple of times, BUT (AND THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT WARNING HERE) you should do this when the traverse is elevated up in its closed position! Moving the pickup back and forth while it is tilted down can damage the pickup! Underneath the pickup is a part of the mainboard shielding, which has a sharp edge. The ribbon harness on the pickup itself, which provides the circuit connections to all parts within the pickup, can be severed by this sharp edge, which will disable the pickup and may be difficult, if not impractical, to repair once this damage has occured.

    After the lube job is done and the objective lens is cleaned using medical isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip swab followed by a brief airblast to the lens to blow away any cotton debris left behind, test it and see what happens!

    Another thing that can happen, especially if the PS-2 was ever dropped or subjected to a lot of physical shock, is that the tilt adjustment may have gone out of whack, typically due to a center notched leaf spring that locks the tilt gear on one setting. The notch on the top of the spring rests between teeth on the white gear that’s situated north of the pickup. Sometimes, due to shock, the spring may slip underneath the gear and cause a massive tilt misalignment, which will prevent the PS-2 from reading anything. Simply put the spring back in its proper place, with the notch going back in between the gear teeth, while holding the gear still. This is hoping that the gear setting wasn’t messed up when the spring had slipped underneath in the first place.

    As for readjusting the laser gain, that usually doesn’t prove to be fruitful. When the laser has deteriorated to the point where you have to try and readjust the laser gain, it usually means that the pickup has gone marginal and will only get worse as time goes on. Besides, accurately adjusting laser power can only be done with a laser power meter (which actually measures the light emission from the laser itself) and the service manual (to know what range is recommended for optimal performance). Misadjusting the laser gain potentiometers, one for the red laser for DVD and the other for the IR laser for CD, can actually make the problem worse if you’re not careful! Worst case: you can actually damage the laser diode and its new level of dysfunction would be permanent. The best way to deal with this kind of failure is to replace the pickup with a new one.

    Hope this info is helpful. – Reinhart

  43. Ty Matt I’ll try this method and see if it works

  44. hey guys my ps2 broke when i tried to screw it. im confused…i thought they were made for that sort of thing….plz help. thanks u roxxorz my soxxorz!

  45. Hey me again, well i’m not worrying about my old ps2 anymore. i got a slimline for christmas 🙂 and it works fine. The funny thing is that RIGHT after my last post i found a guide that totally seemed like it would fix my every problem, ha thats what i thought….. completely made it worse. The discs did’nt even spin anymore, not to mention even say reading disc! No buzzing spinning grinding DRE’s or anything! totally dead when it comes to reading disc’s, it does everything else, Turns on, browser, etc…. but it killed it otherwise so i gave up then and there. So i put it in my closet and that was that. Now i have my slimline and its great, i’m really pleased i guess my 4 months in that thing payed off in the end. I hope everyone else finds solutions to there ps2 problems. Adios!

  46. How do i use the diagnosis utility? My ps2 cant read from the browser so i have to reset to play the game. Is this common? My ps2 also freeze when playing games at certain time. Pls help!

  47. Hi, my ps2 is 4 yrs old and havin problem about the “Inset bla format’ and i cant use the diagnosis. I already clean the lens but still cant fix it. Sumtime my ps2 hangs when play games especially ffx fmv. If you know how to fix it tell me. – madani_brunei@yahoo.com

  48. somthing is wrong with my ps2 it makes some werid buzzing sound when it boots at the begaining and my ps2 wont show on the screen ive ckecked the cables the channel everything butt cant figure out what it is. and i just installed a mod chip so someone plz help me email me

  49. When ever I put in a disk a like ticking sound comes on and it says Disk read error so can you help

  50. my ps2 wont load gta san andreas every time ill do 10 missions itll say “ERROR READING DISC” it stinks im tired of it!!!!me and my cousin will play 2 player and well get flying cars and go to los santos.when we get on the free way it says “ERROR READING DISC”!!!!

  51. Help my ps2 the skinny one wont work when i press the on button the red button turns green for a second then turns red again and im on the right channle and no ps2 screen comes up can someone help me plz email me adamkixurass@aim.com

  52. Hello. I have a fat ps2 (not sure on the exact model number). I recently got phantasy star universe for my ps2 and for the first few days, nothing strange would happen. But these past few days, after about a half hour of playing, I notice that my ps2 sounds louder and is stuggling to read the disk. Then when a lot of things go on at once, the console begins to make a clicking noise and then freezes. I’m not sure on what to do. I’ve read that using an Air duster may make the problem worse by lodging dust into a piece of hardware. I’ve already vacuumed all the dust around the fan and bottom vents. If any of you has any suggestions as to how to help remedy this problem, please email me at hazard99@comcast.net.

    Thanks.

  53. my playstation makes ticking noises when i put a game in and that slows it down is there anyway i could get rid of that?

  54. My PS2 is having the weirdest crack-ups. It hasnt worked for over a year and i opened it up, cleaned it. I also used diagnosis, which isnt working. i cant seem to get it to work even though i beat it to death, but i have tried every trick in the book to get it fixed.

  55. Hi all im new, i have 2 ps2s with a problem, the first turns on normally but the screen stays black right from turning it on. The second is dead, However I just think the connection to the power button if faulty because it worked fine at one point any ideas greatful!

    kind regards

    JAMIE

  56. Hi, my PS2 (year 2000 – “fat” model) has developed a strange fault. I turned it on today after about 1 month without using it and the usual fan noise came on but then when I pressed the eject button the tray flew out very very very violently fast! Also, it won´t read any discs and the unit makes a high pitched whining sound.
    Any help at all would be much appreciated.
    Regards,
    Kurt

  57. Hi guys. Dunno if you’re still checking this site for help or if you have already fixed/thrown out/bought a new one but here goes.
    First I found a site that said to clean the lens.
    That worked for a while, but when I took it apart for the 4th or 5th time I saw that the lens wasn’t going all the way to the centre.
    The rails that it slides on needed greasing.
    AND the spiral looking one on the right also needs lube.
    I used WD-40 on a Q-tip, but am going to a hobby shop today to get some grease for it.
    now it doesn’t click and reads fine.

    Here’s the site that tells you how to take it apart.
    http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/ps2.ars

    good luck!

  58. Just had another read through all the posts here.
    Don’t bother with adjusting that white wheel.
    I did a few times and it worked for a bit, but I soon realized that it was jsut a coincidence.
    The secret lies in greasing the rails and the spiral rod that drives the lens.

    I just got some molybednum (sp?) grease from my local hobby shop and applied it with a Q-tip.
    That should be all you have to do to fix the Disc Read Error problem, unless your lens is stuffed…

    Happy gaming!

  59. umm my ps2 san andreas keeps saying error on san andreas disk what do i do

  60. See comment above….

  61. hi my ps2 says disck error all the time and i was wondering if maybe it is the 2 ps2 laser arm

  62. Mario – it’s the rails the laser slides on.

    See http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/ps2.ars for how to take it apart, then get some grease or use WD-40 on a Q-tip to lube the rails AND the spiral rail on the right.

  63. last time i used my ps2 i was in the dark covering up the fan to prevent any from hearing it cause i was playing dw5 (ver addictive) anyways
    then fan melted i was like WTF?!?

    then i got the biggest fan i could find asked my dad to build it in with the ps2 so now i have a powereful fan in my ps2 AND it stops the dust getting in to my lens

    U TRY PUTTING A LARGE FAN AT THE BACK OF YOUR PS2!

  64. I had the saame problems as Anthony – my copy of Need for speed under ground2 froze up during gameplay once and made grinding noises.

    I opened it up and re-lubricated the internals and got a new copy of Need for speed under 2 (it seems as though my previous copy wasa scratched by my PS2).

    After fiddling with the white gear, I got Need for speed under 2to load up to the screen where you see Donovan McNabb and the four spheres with the yellow coulour going through it.

    But that’s it – it keeps loading and loading and never actually loads. It never asks me to press play and start playing.

    I fiddled with the voltage and white gear thing some more and now it won’t work. But I can fix that. I have a theory.

    Personally, my laser will only move halfway up its rails – so the outer half of the disk is out of my laser’s reach.

    I figure if I can get the laser moving freely along its rails again everything should be good again.

    Maybe some of you guys should try that too.

  65. Hey guys,
    My PS2 must have taken a hit when i moved it from my dorm to my house, and the disc tray wouldn’t come out more than half an inch and i’d hear a buzzing sound. I took it apart (the thing’s over five years old) and found that the very front gear tooth on the bottom of the disc tray, the one closest to the outside edge of the tray, had snapped off. Does anyone think i need to do anything other than glue on a new tooth? is there a certain way the white gear or the white sliding pin need to go when i put the tray back in for it to work? Thanks.

  66. my son playstation 2power button wont push in please tell what to do. losenecaut@hotmail.com

  67. Our PS2 doesn’t even get past the browse screen. It makes vibration noises. I can’t clean it since it won’t read the disc. I tried various games and movies too but it still sounded like something was vibrating.

  68. I’ve been having problems with the blue back discs, the dvd roms play ok and movies as well, I got a slimline ps2, I noticed a little while ago a buzzing noise, by reading some of the above post’s it sounds like I need to lube the lazser sledges, as it is the slimline version how can I go about doing that.
    TIA

  69. my ps2 wont play my new game just cause it keeps on freezing and making a clicking noise it doe’nt do it with a ny other game somone told me it is something wrong with the laser arm how do i fix it.

  70. my ps2 disk tray ejects too fast and it makes some weird noise can
    can anyone tell me what the problem is.
    thanks in advance ^_^

  71. Kenneth, The grinding noise inside your playstation is caused from the motor that moves the laser. There is a little piece of plastic that attaches the laser to the screw. It jumps off of the screw for some reason. I had the same problem and to fix it would just use a little grease on the screw, and the two rods that the laser runs on. If you can’t figure out where all of this is inside the playstation, I would suggest taking it to someone who does.

  72. My PS 2 is reading blue CDs and not DVDs Help! could it be Lazer problem and can i fix it myself?

  73. My P2S is acting real strange. When I took it to my cousin’s, we couldn’t get games playing. It kept making the weird clicking noise, and it hasn’t been working ever since. It was in mint condition before I took it there, and I don’t think it has to do with the enviorment around it at all. It on;y plays FFX, but it recently stopped paying that too. The discs get foggy-ish. It’s one of the newer ones ( where the tray flips up, not the ejecting one). I’ve had it for 2 years already. Can anyone help me? Should I go to a gaming store or somthing?

  74. yoo i have similar problems with my playstation 2 you all have. i open and clean the lense and i have that annoying closing noise. when i go to the browser, it says reading disk and then it dissappears. one time i was inspired by ATHF to beat the crap out of it and it started to work for a few days but then it started to act up again. can someone please help me? get back at me @ Canicor@msn.com thanks!- C-los

  75. Wow, all these ps2 problems. I too have the DRE problem and am currently going through the process of elimination. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far….
    adjusting the laser eye using the white cog gets me going on a silver disc at one setting, but not blue or black. So I move about a quarter turn (maybe 15-20 notches or so) and both blue and black discs work great, but not silver. I went all the way around until the laser eye drops again and get the same results. So now I’m onto adjusting the “skew” of the laser eye via the tiny screw located on the “sled”. Since I need to make a white mark on the screw and body attached to the sled, I’ll have to wait until I can get to the store. I’ll also need a special 6 star screwdriver that is very tiny. I’ll let you know how it goes.
    Either way, for those of you who are lucky enough, usually adjustng the cog until it reads cd’s again is a solution. Taking the ps2 apart isn’t all that hard either. Lots of instructions all ove the internet.

  76. Hi i really need help/ My PS2 is being weird.whenever i put in a disc, i hear ticktickticktick its like this buzzing sound and its really annoying then USUALLY the little thing pops up (choose memory card or disc) and now only the browser/system confuguration. its like it wont read it or something! i really need help because my 200$ equipment isn’t working! its completely useless it wont do ANYTHING!!!! plz if u can help, HELP!

  77. no this is what happened i put my game in it tries to read it for 3 seconds and its stops automaticcaly first it make a silen click and stops i saw the lasers so what do i do with the rails? add cooking oil? what? and when i put it on it started again but ti reads it forever and never says error wierd…. someone plz help be4 ithrow it away…

  78. oh yeah by the way when it stops in one click it doesnt say anything

  79. Hey, everyone here had their PS2 and then they had problems, right? Well my busted at perfectly the right time!!! I was gonna have a PA day tommorow but it froze when I was playing Deadlocked online. Naturally, it doesn’t work anymore, but, unlike everyone else, my Silver backed disks (DVDs) don’t work but my copy of Crazy Taxi, a blue-backed disk (CD) does. Now, I just received my PS2 headset via Ebay and I WAS going to enjoy this friday with my online buds on Deadlocked, but it crashed at the exact same time my computer did. (BTW I’m typing this on my familly’s computer) Isn’t it wonderfull how Sony made their consoles to blow up at exactly the right time? Anyways, I tried cleaning the lens but it didn’t work, so I guess I’ll try the other methods today and tomorrow. And if they dont work, I have a perfectly good 5000-series up for sale with a copy of Ratchet: Deadlocked and Crazy Taxi with a PS2 headset up for sale! I guess tommorow’s PA day will be spent trying to repair an old PS2, although this could be the opportunity to ask my parents for a PS3, witch would probably fail in about a couple of years anyways. Good luck fixin’ your PS2s, your going to need it!

  80. Hi guys,

    I have found the ultimate solution for this problem it has photos and everything I have fix my PS2 after a year it was sitting in my room!
    Here is the solution – http://www.fixya.com/support/t147428-disc_read_error

    Good luck

  81. Hey!
    I just got a ps2 from my brother in-law!
    and every time i put a cd in it it starts to make some weird sounds??
    whats wrong with it and how can i fix it?

  82. i been having a problem my ps2 keeps on making a weird sound and won’t work.I have tryed everything.Please help. From:Andres

  83. hi again i had another problem when i start my game it won’t work and again i will make that weird.Once again please can u help me.

  84. Hay,my ps2 was working fine all the other times it has fallen but this time when i put the game in it open,closed,opened,closed,then the blue light went off. Ppppppppplllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssssseeeeee help!

  85. every time i put a game in my ps2 it always makes this clicking/ticking noise and the game never loads. up. when i try to load it up from the browser it says that the disk cannot be read. some days it works normally and some days it is like this. what should i do. contact me at bigdawg9.0@hotmail.com if u can help me. thanx.

  86. Sounds like PS2 has a lot of problems. Mine has pretty much the same problems. It’s one of the bigger PS2, not the thin version. It freezes all the time. Sometimes it freezes right after I turn it on, sometimes it lasts for a few minutes into a game, then freezes. For original playstation games it takes me five tries to get it to even read the disks. I haven’t dropped it or anything like that. It might be dusty, though. I have a lot of pets, so i wouldn’t be surprised. But I don’t know how to clean it.

  87. yea well the problem with my ps2 is that i smacked the side of the ps2 when it got stuck. soon after that maybe a day the problems started. when i press the eject button to play a game it does not stay in, it just goes in then u hear the ps2 tray i guess trying to read but it just rejects it stays in for 3 seconds then just spits it out! any suggestions? dmk8932@yahoo.com to see if u can help me

  88. Hey i have a slimline ps2,
    its about 3years old now, but i relised that after playing any game for about 20minutes my ps2 would start making a strange buzzing sound that gets louder… the game still works fine bt the noise gets very annoying and loud.

    if anyone has any way to fix this, or even what the problem is please e-mail me :
    minicooperzrule@hotmail.co.uk

    CHEERZ

  89. My PS2 game Star Wars Battlefront has a scratch in it, the PS2 symbol comes up and then the PS2 makes weird noises and goes to the menu. I want to make a copy but I don’t know how. Could you tell me?

  90. My disc tray wont open up and i cant see anything in the screen!
    The blue button won’t turn on. This is the 5th year i had it.

  91. Hello Rich,
    To get your ps2 games copied you can use the same software as a dvd copier.
    To complete this you will need a dvd burner on your computer. My friend does alot of backing up his games and im sure if you really needed help he would be happy to help you.
    To no more email me: minicooperzrule@hotmail.co.uk

  92. Hola Antonio,

    THe ps2 oinly has an average lifespan of 4years so if it lasted 5 u should count urself lucky!!, my advice would be 2 get a new 1… or a ps3! bt i wud advise against the xbox360 for obvios reasons.

  93. Hey Everyone,

    My PS2 is making a buzzing sound everytime I turn it on, but when the menu comes the buzzing sound stops but when i put the game in the buzzing sound comes back and the game won’t load it just stays at the system configuration and browser screen. When i leave it it does nothing.
    i have no idea wat to do.

  94. ok thanks mick
    i threw it out just now but im not sure i can afford a ps3 so i will just by another ps2
    the silver slim one should be okay…i hope

  95. hello everyone, my ps2 will freeze after a few minutes of gameplay and then continue running normal untill i get to a spot where the game has to load, for example in a fighting game when i beat the boss a=or whatever the game takes forever to go back to the walaround screen =, or it will freeze then keep going when im walking around in a game. please help me out with any suggestions!

  96. how and where do u activate or put in a select code for the splinter cell game. I recently lost my level after which I am trying to get back to after the game freeze and had a corruption while saving. PLZ HELP!!!!!!!

  97. my plastation2 says disk read error every time i put in a ratchet and clank 3 up your arsenal disk

  98. well whats wroung with my ps2 is that when i turn it on no picture comes up and i know the tv is on becouse my tv an aux shows a blue light instead of black ive even tried 7 different tvs and i have my ps2 turned on av jack pluged in the right sockets iv’e tried hooking it up to the cable and still no luck can anyone tell me whats wroung with it and how to fix it?

  99. … yes i can damion, it would appear that ur av connection socket is broken…

    HAHA

    LOL!

  100. when i put a game in my ps2 slimit i can hear tiking and the game wouldnt play………

    whats wrong?

  101. when i put a game in my ps2 i hear tiking..

  102. HEY GUYS MY PS2 SCRATCHES MY DISCS :S,,,AND WHEN I PLAY GTA SA IT HANGS,,,WHAT IS THE PROBLEM???

    PS.SLIM VERSION

  103. hi there…

    I’ve been seeing all the problems around here.

    The problem with my PS2 is that it reads nothing at all… but it does not gave any kind of error too… (strange)…. The motor that moves the laser group front and back, moves to the front (making the sound as if it was not lubricated, but it is). So i insert a DVD or a CD the motor pushes the laser nearest to the spin wheel, but it does not stop… keeps trying moving forward for about 3/4 seconds… Then the DVD starts spinning… And the nothing happens… On the screen appears the menu to diagnostics and something else…

    I can say that i already try everything on this posts… even get the “PS2 Repair Guide” and adjusted the laser beam to the Ohms they said to my PS2 Version… Still no efects…

    My question is… May i replace the laser “head” only, or it could be something like chip controller???? Or Laser controler????

    Thanks for your help and support…

    HerculesPT

  104. I bought my playstation 2 used they have set a parental control on the system. Now I can’t play some dvd’s on my system.

  105. i have had a fat ps2 for like 2 years and after like the first year it wouldnt read ps2 disks. only ps1 and ps2 with purple on the bottom.
    any ways i saw it in the garage and decided to fiddle with it and noticed
    wen i put in a disk (ps2 disk) it spins like half a circle and stops and like half a second later it does it again and repeats after like 4 or 5 times of doing that it spins like normal then i can hear a very faint
    “tick, tick, tick, CLICK”. it does that for a pretty long time then says “disk read error” and it stops spining. i dont think its the lens cuz iv cleaned it w/ alchohol and ear swab thingies and same thing. if changed the distance of the laser to the disk and everything!!! i think it mite b the roter thet the disk sits on..

    pleaze HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    x~man!!!lol.

  106. Okay, so I can handle pretty much anything having to do with computers… but when it comes to this I’m stumped. I’ve had my Ps2 for a year now and it’s been working fine till about a month ago. I have a habit of turning it on it’s side when I put the disk in, but I think I may have seriously messed it up. I went to turn on Guitar Hero, and it loaded like usual. There was nothing wrong with the disk, or the laser. The problem has something to do with the controller slots. I tried three different guitars and none were working properly. I replaced the batteries, messed with the switches, even cleaned the disk a few times. Replacing the batteries lessened the glitchy-ness but eventually the controllers just stopped working.
    I’m debating sending it in to be fixed, but it just seems so strange. It’s practically new, and we don’t play it that much.
    I’m also a bit paranoid because I’m probably the one that broke it… Which means that I’d have to pay for repairs. And let me just say that $6.50 an hour babysitting money isn’t going to pay for that.
    I also need it because I use D.D.R. as an excuse to bring up my P.E. hours. (I’m home schooled… and I need 108 hours to pass “gym class”)
    So if anyone has any tips on how to solve this problem please e-mail me urworstnightmere_222@hotmail.com
    please, I’m truly a clueless idiot of a girl in need of your nerdy help (I love nerds btw)
    Sincerely,
    Montana

  107. ITS REALLY SHAGGED THEN !

  108. my ps2 wont show picture but it has sound

  109. i bought a ps2 game family guy and when i put it in it gets stuck on loading and wont go to the game does anyone know how to fix that problem?

  110. my ps2 was forom united states….when i brought it to nepal..bla bla bla..i buyed a new cd …i put it on the ps2..nad the ps2 to said..please insert a playstation or playstation2 format disc…

  111. i mean it was from united states..

  112. WOW! ALL THESE PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!!
    i just bought a ps2 a couple weeks ago refurbished and it freezes really often and it is really anoying
    is this normal

    i want to know if i should take it back and get another one
    (fat kind)

  113. p.s. doesnt matter what game i play

  114. hey im david just bought a ps2 only to pay one game twisted metal black but the ps2 freezes lik 5-10 min after i start playing i dont get isk read errors its just frozen can move but i can still hear the cd spinning i cleaned the lens and adjusted ad it loads a lot faster now and i sat it up virtical only lasted about 20 min longer than before what could it be

  115. my ps2 has been working great for about 10 years now and today it has started to act weird. when i plugged it in and turned it on it started up like it does when it is in the box which says “pick language” and all that jazz and the fan inside of it is making a loud whirring noise unlike normal. my ps2 is the newer slim one and i was wondering if there was an update or something wrong with the hardware. thanks!

  116. My ps2 shuts of in the middle of the game then the red power button blinks for a little bit

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