PS2 no longer reading discs.

21stCentury · September 2018

So, tonight I hooked up my PS2 to play some Dark Cloud. Problem, though, it won't boot.

I check the "browser" menu and it's stuck on "Reading Disc". I tried a couple other games and same problem. I tried both upright and sideways, to no avail. I tried blowing some air but my blower's pretty powerful so I'm scared of breaking things.

The disk appears to turn, at the very least, so there's that...

It's one of the fat, black models. Is home repair possible? Is repair at all possible?

I'm not super technical but i'm willing to open it up.

Thanks in advance.

Xaviar · September 2018

This doesn't sound EXACTLY like the problem you are having, but it doesn't hurt anything to try..
Sometimes the PS2 has a hard time gripping the disc and the spindle will slip instead of spinning the disc.

What you can do is lay tape around the spindle hole on the disc, just slightly overlapping the edge. I usually do a pentagon of tape, but mspaint makes it hard to draw diagonal rectangles, so use your imagination.

For clarity, make sure you are only taping the labeled side of the disc

21stCentury · September 2018

Xaviar wrote: »

This doesn't sound EXACTLY like the problem you are having, but it doesn't hurt anything to try..
Sometimes the PS2 has a hard time gripping the disc and the spindle will slip instead of spinning the disc.

What you can do is lay tape around the spindle hole on the disc, just slightly overlapping the edge. I usually do a pentagon of tape, but mspaint makes it hard to draw diagonal rectangles, so use your imagination.

For clarity, make sure you are only taping the labeled side of the disc

Didn't work, sadly, but thanks for the help.

Kelor · September 2018

How long has it been since you used it?

Could be the laser has some dirt or grime on it preventing it from reading the disc, or that the laser is failing and needs to be replaced.

If the latter is the case it'll probably cost you more to replace the laser than just buying a new one.

21stCentury · September 2018

Been a while, yeah. Not sure how to clean the laser, though. Do you have tips for that?

furlion · September 2018

Given the popularity of the system there should be massive amounts of YouTube videos showing how to do everything under the sun to it. I have 2 slim and 1 fat PS2 for just such a reason.

dispatch.o · September 2018

They make CD/DVD cleaning kits, but I have to question their actual effectiveness. They look like a disc with little brushes in a spoked pattern. I've used them and it didn't hurt anything.

21stCentury · September 2018

opened up the console, gave the laser lens a good wipe down with one of those lens cleaner wipes and still won't read disks, upright or sideways.

this sucks.

evilmrhenry · September 2018

PS2 games come in CD and DVD formats. CD games have a blue bottom, and have the CD-ROM logo on the top. DVD games (much more common) have a silver bottom, and a DVD logo on the top.

I suggest you try a PS2 CD game, PS2 DVD game, PS1 game, regular CD, and a regular DVD if you have all of those. That should narrow down the type of issue a bit.

SmokeStacks · October 2018

You could try a potentiometer adjustment, basically look up old PS2 DRE repair guides and they'll walk you through it. All you need is a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a marker, and some free time.

If you can track down a Network Adapter and an old IDE hard drive you should think about softmodding it though. You can play games directly from the hard drive installed in a PS2 and not have to worry about an aging laser assembly, and as a side benefit your load times will drop considerably.

JaysonFour · October 2018

Might also be that your laser's finally going and you either need to track down a new one or a new laser assembly.

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud · October 2018

If I remember correctly this was a common problem during the heyday of PS2 and generally one just replaced the machine.

Burtletoy · October 2018

Disc Read Error on a PS2?

It's laser adjustment time!

There's a little screw on the laser that you can adjust to move the laser closer or further away from the disc. Just fiddle with it a little bit and it should sort itself out! I stopped putting any of the screws back into the Ps2 because of how often I had to open it for that adjustment. Wasn't worth the time of screwing them in and back out.

Random video that looks to be correct on brief viewing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIwbu5zb-kw

DevoutlyApathetic · October 2018

Yea, I remember that stupid white plastic gear and having to adjust it a few times during my PS2's lifetime.

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PS2 no longer reading discs.

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