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Learn to clean your memory card digitally and physically
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If you’ve been playing your PS2 for a while, you may have run into some memory card issues. 8 MB fills up fast, but it’s easy to make room for new games. By going to your PS2’s browser and selecting the memory card icon, you can scroll through your data and find saves you want to delete. And if your memory card isn’t working at all? That’s no problem: we’ve got some troubleshooting tips for you, as well. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about your PS2’s memory card.
Things You Should Know
- Take out any game disk you have and restart your PS2.
- Select “Browser” from the main menu, then select the memory card icon.
- Highlight the data you’d like to delete, then press “Delete”, then “Yes.”
Steps
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Eject and remove any disc before you turn on the console. Push the blue triangle with a single line beneath it to open the disk holder, then take out your game disk. Close the lid of your disk drive and turn on your PS2. If your console was already on, press the On/Reset button to restart it. [1] X Research source
- Check that the memory card is properly inserted into the console. The port is located on the left side of the console, just on top of the controller port.
- Go through the inputs on your TV with the "Source" or "Input" button on your TV remote to find your PS2's screen.
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Select "Browser" from the standard PS2 menu screen. When your console turns on without a game in it, it immediately opens to the menu screen. [2] X Research source Use your navigation buttons on the d-pad or your thumbstick to highlight the “Browser” option, then press the ✕ button on your controller to select it.Advertisement
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Highlight the memory card and select it with the ✕ button. When you open your browser, you’re taken to a screen with a grey background. When a memory card is inserted correctly, the screen shows a rectangular “Memory card” icon. [3] X Research source Highlight the icon with the navigation buttons, then press ✕ to select it.
- The contents of the memory card appear once it is selected. It may take a few seconds depending on how full it is. Once it’s recognized, the data is displayed in rows of icons.
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Find the data you want to delete then push the ✕ button. Use the arrows on the left side of your controller to select data that you want to delete. [4] X Research source The data is categorized by game icons as well as titles. Move the white light under an icon to select it.
- Each piece of data is a picture that corresponds with the said game, or configuration data. (For Example, Final Fantasy has a Chocobo, Soul Calibur has a logo and so on).
- If you see the name of the game but the data icon is a blue cube, then the data is corrupted and can’t be deleted or removed from the browser. To prevent this problem in the future, consider using a free McBoot memory card
, which corrupted data can be deleted from.
- Occasionally, a game’s data can be deleted from within the game. If you have corrupted save data on a game with this ability, go to the game’s main menu, then whatever option takes you to in-game files. Delete the corrupted data from there.
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Use the arrows on the controller to highlight and select "Delete." When you select the data you want to delete, it opens a screen with the data icon. Next to the icon are two options: “Copy” and “Delete.” Highlight the delete button, then click ✕ . [5] X Research source It may ask you to "Confirm' or 'Are you sure?" If so, and you are sure, select "Yes."
- Double check that you’re deleting the correct data. Once things are deleted from the browser they can’t be restored. If you don’t want to delete the data you’ve selected, press O .
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Exit the screen by pressing â–³ . Once you’re done your PS2 card is ready to save more game data!
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Check for dust and make sure everything is connected. If the memory was not displayed in your browser, try clearing any dust and reinsert the memory card into the console. Check your connecting wires and make sure they're fully plugged into the system.
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Try the card in slot 2/B. If after 60 seconds the console still doesn’t recognize the device, or if your screen says "Loading..." for an extended period of time, try using the second memory card slot and perform the same actions. [6] X Research source
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Make sure your memory card is for PS2. If you’re using an unlicensed card it may not be compatible with your console. The official PS2 memory cards are the MagicGate SCPH-10020 E (8MB) and the SCPH-1020 E regular memory card. [7] X Research source
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Take apart and clean your memory card. Use a precision Phillips head screwdriver to take off the back of your memory card. [8] X Research source Carefully slide the back of the card off. Without touching the contacts (vertical rectangles at the top of the card), take the card fully out of its case. Wet a q-tip with rubbing alcohol and gently rub the contacts, then put it all back together.
- Only use a little bit of rubbing alcohol and don’t drench the contacts—they only need a very small amount to get clean.
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Get your memory card repaired. If neither memory card slot is reading your data after you’ve cleaned it, it may be the card itself. Go to your local electronics store or PS2 expert to see if they are able to repair your card.
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Repair your console or upgrade to a new one. If the problem isn’t with your memory card, take your console to a local electronics store or PS2 expert to see if it needs to be repaired. Buy a new PS2 or upgrade to a newer console if you cannot repair your console.
- Consider if repairs are worth the cost relative to buying another PS2 or upgrading.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionI have a card with deleted files on them - I can't remove them in the regular way. Is there another way to delete them?Community AnswerTry cleaning the contacts on the memory card AND the PlayStation 2 system. If that does not work, try putting the card into the other slot. If that won't work either, try another PS2 system.
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QuestionI've deleted all the old games off my PS2 memory card except for the icon that says "Memory Card (PS2) 1, Your System Configuration" with the date stamp underneath it. Should I delete that too?Community AnswerNo, leave it because it holds all of your system's updates, settings, passwords and configurations.
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QuestionWhenever I try to save a game on my memory card, it says no game card detected. The system says it reads it, though. What is wrong?Community AnswerTry cleaning the game card. Usually if it doesn't detect the card, you can take it out and put it back in again. Consider buying another memory card if you can't resolve the issue because the card might be corrupted.
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Things You’ll Need
Cleaning & Fixing Your Memory Card
- Precision Phillips head screwdriver
- Rubbing alcohol
- Q-tips
Tips
- Pressing the circle a few times will take you back to "Browser" and "System Configuration". If you want to see the start menu of your game, put the disc back in. Otherwise, hold the green power button for a few seconds to turn off the console.Thanks
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Warnings
- Once you've deleted the save file from the Browser, there is no way to get it back.Thanks
- Do not put in a disc into your PS2 system before you try to delete data. Your PS2 will load any disc that is in the system.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://itstillworks.com/12449682/my-ps2-is-not-detecting-the-memory-card
- ↑ https://www.sony.co.in/microsite/playstation/product/ps2/ps2.pdf
- ↑ https://youtu.be/baBP24ckLV8?si=Hjgpw7Q52dUmSa5c&t=361
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