Posted on 19th Feb 2014 @ 9:08 PM

Installing the HD Loader for your PS2 should take no more than 5-10 minutes of your time.  Once you have your hard drive and your network card ready, it's just a matter of putting it all together and you'll be ready for more gaming, and less waiting!  The HD Loader is very, very simple to setup. Almost as easy as plugging your PS2 in to the wall socket for power and to your TV so you can start playing.  

You'll need a few things to be up and running.  And they are:

1. The HD Loader itself.

2. A PS2 Network Adapter (which you can find on eBay fairly inexpensively)

3. The Hard Disk Drive that you want to use with your PS2 And HD Loader

The install is just 3 easy steps, and we'll cover them here in detail for you to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible.  You can even use multiple hard drives to store even more of your games all on HDD and keep your PS2 discs stored away on the shelf for safe keeping.

Step 1: Getting Your Playstation 2 system ready

On the back of every phat PS2 system, you'll find a cover, it is labelled as EXT.  So we call it the Expansion cover.  Behind this cover you'll see the space for your hard drive.  If you have never used this expansion slot, you may have to clean out some dust from inside.  This bay was made especially for a hard drive.  Keep the cover somewhere safe, in case you ever want to remove your HDD from your PS2.

You're going to replace your Expansion slot cover with the PS2 Network Adapter

Step 2: Connecting your HDD to the PS2 network adapter

Take the hard drive out of the protective bag it came in.  They usually ship in anti-static bags to keep them safe.  Also unpack your network adapter.  one the inside of the network adapter you'll see the connectors for both the POWER and the IDE for your hard drive.  They are built right in to the network adapter itself.  

Get your Hard Drive and connect it to the ps2 network adapter.

The image below shows the HDD connected to the Network Adapter.

Step 3: Now it's time to install your HDD and your network adapter in to the back of the PS2 console.

Take care when installing the HDD in to the drive bay.  Thought you can't mess it up - you do want to make sure your HDD remains connected to your network adapter.  All you have to do is slowly slide the hard drive in to the bay on the back of the PS2.  Don't force it. Some hard drives seem to be slightly bigger, not by much, but just enough that you want to make sure it slides in nice and tight.  Some hard drives are not compatible, and this external site lists which models do and don't work. Most however do, so you should be just fine.

And that is all there is to it.  Now that you have everything installed and ready to go, you connect the PS2 back to the power cable and to your TV and insert your HD Loader disc.  On first boot, it will format the hard drive for you and have it all set up and ready to use.