Backing up your data

Backing Up Your Data

Before you modify anything, protect what is already on your console. The PS2 stores game saves on its memory cards, and those saves are easy to overwrite during the modding process. A backup costs a few minutes and can save years of progress.

Why back up

Installing FreeMcBoot/FMCB writes data to a memory card. If you use the same card that holds your saves, files can be displaced or lost. Even when you dedicate a separate card to homebrew, a copy of your originals means a slip-up is never permanent.

What to save

• Game saves from every memory card you own.
• Existing homebrew configurations, if you are re-doing a setup.
• HDD contents, on fat consoles that have an internal drive.

How to back up

The simplest approach uses uLaunchELF, the homebrew file manager, to copy memory-card files to a USB drive once you have a working entry point. If you are starting from a completely unmodded console, a PC-based memory-card reader or a save-management tool can pull the data off first.