PS2 not loading games (grrr ebay) - anyone know how to sort it?

[spacedonkey]

I bought a PS2 from ebay for DS for Christmas - it arrived yesterday, worked for a couple of hours, then packed up! I've emailed the seller, and hopefully it's a genuine mistake, but I'm facing the prospect of having to go out and buy a new one to avoid disappointment on the day (I'm never buying from ebay again)

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knew a way of fixing it - perhaps it's something simple? It won't load any games - it gets stuck on a menu screen with "Browser" and "System Configuration" as the options.

Not really expecting an answer - I just thought it was worth a try ...

does the keypad / joystick / contoller need plugging in a little bit more? sounds like the commands aren't getting through. sorry for lack of technical speil... HTH!

i will ask my son later... he is a whizz at this stuff...he will be home at 3.30....

thanks for the suggestion becca - we've tried unplugging and replugging everything, restarting it, blowing in the CD tray to dislodge dust ... it simply won't load any CDs. I've just sent ds off to try a DVD in it to see if that works. I could cry and boot myself all round the room all at once. I just wish I'd gone to a shop in the first place!

How annoying for you. I've had a couple of PS2's now and they've all ended up doing that. We didn't have much luck trying to find the cause neither

thank you MrsFrostgetful! I was sure there'd be some PS2 whizzes about

grrr I should've got him an x box!

sorry I couldn't help you... did you get the instructions? maybe they have a trouble shooting guide in them.?

other thought...did it arrive this morning???

if so...i remember from my days selling electrical stuff like videos etc.... that we were advised to let the gadgets 'warm up' in the shop/customer's home ..as if they have been sat in transit (overnight...at this time of year...very cold)...then moisture would form on for example the video heads.... so clutching at straws here....but if it literally only just arrived...maybe this may be a possibility???

I wish.,

i totally understand how sick you feel... my son's are autistic...playstation is their lifeline... i have spent hours of my parenting life trying to fix the bl**dy things....we wear them out here...my eldest son (the wizz!!) is 12 and he has had 5.... only 2 brand new... and one was a replacement under 1st year guarantee....so i have NO faith in any of these techno things...as we get through gameboys too.....so honestly believe it could happen to a brand new one from a shop (we have one dor ds2 ...from argos...and i have not checked it...now i am wondering that i should...as i cannot imagine his reaction if it fails!0

oh...it arived yesterday...so moisture cannot be the cause.

Clean the disk really well (wipe with damp cloth & dry, don't use anything abrasive), also blow on the lens in the PS2 (if it's the new style one). Do your other games load? If they don't then it might be the lens, if its the old style PS2 do you have a DVD cleaner disk you could try?

If the disk is scratched though you will need to return it.

Erm.. I'm rtying to think of anything here to help. can the lens be cleaned with a q-tip, cotton ear bud type thing?

Just asked my 12 yr old ds. He says you put the disc in, wait 30 seconds for it to come on, then push the button with the green light on once (don't hold it, let go straight away) and it is supposed to reset itself.

My 10 yr old says if the browswer and system config comes up click on the browser, then a picture of a disc comes up and you should click on the disc and it should start to load.
Worth a try anyway. Good luck.

While its on the browser configuration screen press the top button.. not the eject one.
My PS2 does this sometimes but it does rectify its self if I press the (what i would call) reset button...it then loads up 2nd time round.

If a pic of a disk doesnt come up on the browser configuration screen its not registering theres a disk in it.

take disc out...unplug from the mains...leave for 2 or 3 minutes...plug in again....load cd....switch on...

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!

However, I've tried them all out and the damned thing refuses to read any discs - games or DVDs. We've hoovered it in case dust was the problem. The thing is I put my ear against it and when you load a disc it does nothing, it's as if the disc drive is dead.

Seriously considering getting an x box instead - googling around for answers it seems this is really common!

Update: I went out and bought a PS2 lens cleaning disc, but since the drive seems to be broken, it didn't work

I have had an email from the seller claiming that it worked fine before she sent it - just one sentence, no "sorry to hear that" or anything. I have replied asking her if the postal insurance would cover it as it may have been damaged in the post.

This has made me feel so down about Christmas - I can't believe there are people out there who so blatantly don't give a toss about a kid going without a christmas present

sd - -we had this problem with ur first ps2 aparently it's a known problem with the earlier models - -dh googled alot of stuff on it threre was some deal about retrning it to sony and getting a reconditioned one and paying £50 or something. Also you can take the cover off and ragign teh reader or soemthing - -could ask dfh when he comes home

in the end we bought a new one and dh took teh cover off the old one fiddled around and fixed it

so noe we have 2

sorry that was a bit garbled - hope google can find the answer

I've decided I'll go out tomorrow and buy a new one, but I may well try to fix the broken one at some point too (although the thought of taking it apart makes me faint!). There's still a vague chance the seller will give me a refund (or a claim could be made on the postal insurance). Thanks so much for the advice

found somthing about realigning the laser here

can ask dh what he did though - (typical man happy to mess about with pcs etc)

iota, that looks like an excellent guide to fixing the problem - I am going to try it!

spacedonkey

have spoken to dh - all he did was open the cover and move the lens up and down a few times.

good luck and bad vibes to the ebay seller

I don't know what the solution to fixing it is, I know we have had a few problems with ours loading disc and it's usually a case of cleaning the disc, blowing the control pads plugs and cleaning the tray.. all to which by the sounds of it you have tried.

What I will say is you have a right to open the dispute on eBay (or paypal if paid that way)You will have to return the item via recorded delivery and proof this too Paypal/eBay)

Keep regular contact with the seller and ask advice on what step they wish to take.

A lot of people have been "had" this time of year and with eBay it does happen a lot of the time.

I feel so bad for you. .......................Just done a search for you on sony, there is a forum on there , perhaps it may be worth a look.

boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board?board.id=psx2

hope this helps