Fixing PS2 Disc Read Error (Under 1 Minute)

[strikeoyong88]

can i use water?

[Devcr199911]

Thank you so much its works

[akudal964]

I'm a n00b but I made it!!!

[LilprOProductionsNr1]

can you wipe it of with just a cue tip ?

[FireWingAngel96]

This isn't very effective.It'll work for a short period of time.

[Gamersscript]

Is that a PS2 Slim Model ... or the PSP Fat Model ....

[grodsoldier]

THANK U!!!!!!

[SwooshBearGames]

Dude what is that song playing in the background? 

[calcatchem]

@SwooshBearGames I was listening to KROCK in my room; Alice In Chain's "Would". Layne Staleys vocals are unmatched

[123RADIOactive]

Dude.... this will obviously take longer than a minute if you include the time it will take to get it apart to get to the lens and put it back together. It'll take at least 10 solid minute to do this entire thing.

But anyways, good video though.

[Rebbraith2002]

it worked!!!

[airmatt86]

i cleaned it the other day and fixed to tray it wouldnt come out all the way. but the prob i have now is the disc doesnt spin. it does like a half spin and thats it. im not sure if maybe the lazer needs to be adjusted like its to low and doesnt see a disc there?

[Gbelliton]

Hi dude please answer me! PLEASE. so i did this with mouth wash , which has some alcohol but it didnt work. then after a while it stopped spinning , do you know how to get the disk spinning again? and i dont have any alcohol here so what should i use? someone said to try spraying deodrant on a qu tip and try that.

[SOF006]

@Gbelliton Uhhh! You did it with Mouth Wash. That has chemicals in it which will screw up the laser. You're going to have to replace that laser now, you've basically broke it.

[TheN00b4Lif3]

@Gbelliton wow you`re an idiot,he said RUBBING ALCOHOL,u just broke your ps2,you`ll have to get a new laser reader

[Gbelliton]

@TheN00b4Lif3 I dont give a shit. somebody else told me to put the mouth wash on it anyways , lol anyway i knew it wouldnt work. just shut the fuck up , my ps2 is like years and years old and i dont want to fix it , anyway. I might just buy a new one

[TheN00b4Lif3]

@Gbelliton whatever,just telling u

[thearbiter246]

The kind of acholhal u use on cuts

[aztecwarroir21]

@thearbiter246 nice your another retard, but this retard can't spell alcohol.

[thearbiter246]

No not the kind u drink the kind u use to  clean cuts

[MrHawk0111]

wat type of alcohol we ned 2 use.,.is it alcohol that we drink.,

[aztecwarroir21]

@MrHawk0111 yes, you put some beer on lens. you should try it

[0852659luis]

Oh My God thanks for this video my ps2 works like the day i bought it

[BoNursukker]

alice in chains nice

[TheAldoonie]

these are the moments i love youtube :) thx alot

[xXRedXFlamesXx]

Don't you dry it or anything?

[TheTacticalTeen]

Omg where the Eff are the 4 little screws on the top off the disc tray??? I only found two!!

[SirDillholeLuvs69]

OMFG Man! I fucking love you for making this video!!!!!

I can finally play my PSX Games!!!

[ShiverRider]

hey THX allot.. i jused disinfectant (97% Alcohol) it goes fine =)

now can play whit my 12 years old ps2 again GTA1 & London :D

[golucky143kid]

i can play sly cooper yay

[crazyman3561]

yes now i can play rockband and atv 4

[ViperRko21]

if i dont use the alcohool,will it works?

[mdemoki]

can i clean it without using the alcohol?

[calcatchem]

@mdemoki yes....as long as its not water I can't see it hurting it, but I really DO recommend rubbing alcohol.

[ultimaleonheart]

@calcatchem how bout vaseline

[calcatchem]

@ultimaleonheart only if its by Stone Temple Pilots

[briggsblues]

@mdemoki its wired my ps2 duz not see it at all it will turn on ill go to brwoser and ill put disck in and itle will read for likenot even 1 secon and instintly dissapeer and itl will act like nothing is in there ""WIERD""

[cursemarkorc7]

Then you proceed to clean off this SHIT! LOL!

[kobindi757]

thanks i can now play my ratchet and clank

[calcatchem]

@kobindi757 np glad to help

[MXM194]

Thank you so much, it worked immediately after I cleaned it. You ROCK!

[calcatchem]

@MXM194 no prob ty

[Alitamat]

@calcatchem what kind liquid you use to clean the lens

[calcatchem]

@Alitamat rubbing alcohol.

A lot of people are asking if there are any different liquids you can use.... ONLY USE RUBBING ALCOHOL I am telling you this any other solvent can possibly ruin your PS2 for good

Any further help send me a message I can walk you through it

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

i have a ps2 light that won't spin the disks then i start the console. any idea on what to do

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 I would recommend trying to clean the lens first, then adjusting the disc tray level height reader thingy...this may be why the discs aren't spinning or it is getting hung up on something. Possible that it might be something wrong with your hard drive as well, what happens when you boot up the system?? Are you able to read memory cards? Does it show that a disc is inserted in the drive?

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem it can read memorycards but aint showing any disks

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 I don't think it would be a hard drive error than, have you cleaned the lens at all??

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem somehow do i doubt it's the lens since it worked great yesterday but once i just simply moved it around my room so did it not work anymore

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 hmm, have you EVER tried cleaning the lens though?

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem what should i use for it then?

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 rubbing alcohol 

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem ok. is that gonna make it spin again?

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 hey how'd it turn out for you? 

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem still won't work 8(

[calcatchem]

@PhoenixSora9aOs3 did you try adjusting the disc tray height level

[PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@calcatchem how do i do that. this is a light version so it's not the same as a regular version

[posrotko]

could acetone be used instead of alcohol?

[guitarplayer1199]

MINE STILL DOES NOT WORK!! sigh...

[mrusamashah]

man my ps2 drive didn't work after i use this method ...my cd's are correct and play well to another ps2 so it will lense problem or dvd drive problem....????!!!!!

[rockstar4ever1099]

would it work if i use alcohol pads cuz i think it will work but im not so sure can someone help me????

[calcatchem]

@rockstar4ever1099 I mean I guess it will work, its doing the same thing just working as a solvent to clean that lense so sure. Just be careful with it and don't press too hard.

[eddy1154]

lol clean all this shit off, that made me laugh :)

[puertoricanboy95]

For me apparently I have to wait 30 minutes and the error is temporarily gone. Any explanations?

[calcatchem]

@puertoricanboy95 ??? never heard of that?? I've had parts of games freeze, let them sit there and then I come back and they'll load..weird man I dunno??

[guitarplayer1199]

@puertoricanboy95 me to

[1makermovie]

alcohol like in beer?

[guitarplayer1199]

@1makermovieWAT IS WRONG WITH U!!

[BoNursukker]

@1makermovie yeah use beer

[TequilaAssassin4eva]

*sigh*... back into the PS2 again......same ol' trip it was back then....

[percival369]

i have bought cdl2 lens cleaner would that work?

[calcatchem]

@percival369 yes that should be fine

[percival369]

@percival369 how do i use it? it comes with a cd with a two brushes on the bottom, what do i do?

[calcatchem]

@percival369 That sounds like a "Cleaning kit". I would say pop the disc in and follow instructions and go from there.

[percival369]

@calcatchem the instructions say i have to put the liquid on the white brush and then i put in the disc, i still got the disc read error

[percival369]

@calcatchem the directions say that put the liquid on the white brush, but when i put the disc in i still got"the disc cannot be read" am i doing something wrong?

[calcatchem]

@percival369 hmm...is this a separate machine are just a cleaner with supplies for the PS2??

I bought one of those cleaning kits a few years back in 2008 when my GTAIV disc was scratched (I even made yet another crappy video for that). Didn't do jack shit for me.

What kind of disc are you trying to play and are getting errors?

Does this happen with ALL discs? (DRE)

Are you playing a blue bottom?

Do any discs WORK?

Just answer those for me and I will help you from there

[percival369]

@calcatchem it happens with all my games, kingdom hearts 2 , sonic unleashed etc

i do not have games that have blue bottoms

none of the disc work

[calcatchem]

@percival369 kk, so none of them work.

The first thing I would advise you to do, is do any of the following with extreme caution. There is a high % chance you can get your PS2 back to reading your discs, but it will involve taking apart that CD tray cover (which isn't too hard at all). Unfortunately that disc cleaner you got is great for minor scratches, but if something is wrong with the PS2 ITSELF, your sort of SOL. I would say clean the optic (see vid) and then test it on multiple discs

[percival369]

@calcatchem how do i take off my disc tray btw i have ps2 slim

[calcatchem]

@percival369 there are a bunch of little rubber grommets that are on the bottom underside. Pop all those off, then take a screwdriver and remove all screws underneath (theres quite a few). You should be able to lift the top off but be careful!! the power ribbon is attached. You'll see the top tray cover with a yellow !!!DONOTTOUCH!!! warning, take a small screwdriver and remove all of those little screws off of that tray.

THAT my friend will expose the optic. Swab that with rubb alc your good

[percival369]

@calcatchem when i screw off the screws one of the screws wont turn, i used the exact same screwdriver whats happing

[percival369]

@calcatchem i dont get .....so i take off the top then what ?, isnt it for the ps2 fat?

[calcatchem]

@percival369 remove that outer shroud, that will expose the inside of the PS2. Then you remove the top of that disc tray cover, its labeled with a yellow warning sticker, THATS what you remove to get to the lense. All PS2's have that same design for the laser, its just the exterior parts that they realized they could condense into a smaller package, as Sony produced with the PSOne

[percival369]

@calcatchem i dont see a yellow sticker should i take a pic to show?

[skaterboy7201]

thanks a lot man! you really helped me out as I couldent play on my

ps2 for a few months.

[calcatchem]

@skaterboy7201 happy to help man thats what its all about

[GustafXI]

si hablas español , lo pone en alcohol ( solo lo humedece , no lo empapa) . Saludos

[Mad20ridista]

please can u tell me what are u putting on that laser

i dont speak english wery well pls tell me!

[Millopeed]

@Mad20ridista

Go onto google translate,

type in rubbing alchol,

listen to it in your language,

Done =D

[calcatchem]

@Mad20ridista yes sorry for late response, it is "rubbing alcohol" this is what you put on your cuts when you get hurt you can find it in most drugstores

[uHuRu1976]

Alice in chains - would

nice choice :)

[calcatchem]

@uHuRu1976 in Layne we trust

[baahhhFATALITY11]

Godamn I would LOVE to learn how to repair PS2s........... ^_^

Mine just is really bitchy and wont read SOME blue discs, as well as sometimes the tray wont even open. It opens about 95% of the time, so that's good.

[sgtchawk]

Thanks alot bro...I was able to fix my kid's ps2...it has been kaput since November and he was unable to play any of the games he received for Christmas...

[calcatchem]

@sgtchawk glad to help sir thanks for the words

[SeattleSk8rChick]

i am going to attempt it right now with my bro!!!! really stowcked!!!!! has not been working for 3 weeks WWWOOOOOHHHHHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[StreetzGrimeLyfe]

me and my big bro were trying to do it but my bro broke the silver wire thingy :( so it dosent work....... i was actuall crying

[calcatchem]

@StreetzGrimeLyfe keep messing with it, try popping it back in this happened to somebody else and they said they could get it to work jamming it back in!!

[StreetzGrimeLyfe]

@calcatchem its a risk im not touching radio station :L

[vuk030]

@StreetzGrimeLyfe @calcatchem its not that easy guys....he must deasseambly the whole ps2 ... there is a video about that crap bc that silver wire thing happend to me also...now the bad thing about that wire is that she is connected on the main motherboard of ps2...so basicly u must deppart whole god damn ps2 to connect that silver wire thing....

[RedxSoulify]

I kicked my ps2 last night. Its too bitchy with me. -.-

[sk84life0]

my ps2 reads error wen i put in a game. but you know in the back of the ps2 where it says expansion bay is that suppose to be empty ??

[calcatchem]

@sk84life0 don't think it matters man!! try cleaning your disc optic thing or just wipe the discs on your shirt a few times

[MatteGTR]

could i spray the cottonswap with some of CRC's electronic cleaner insted of rubbing alcohol before cleaning the lens?

[calcatchem]

@MatteGTR yes thats probly a close alternative, so go for it

[ianbearpig]

ALICE IN CHAINS!

Good vid man.

[calcatchem]

@ianbearpig thank you sir

[foxcrazy204]

my ps2 slim is having a problem where it wont load sometimes. *sometimes* when i'm loading a race on NFS underground 2 it just freezes. I think that the disk reader isn't able to read the outside of the disk. How do i fix this??? Thanks.

[calcatchem]

@foxcrazy204 read the back pages, im willing to bet it has something to do with the disc tray height, sounds just like what was happening with my SA

[PinkMerr]

THANK IT WORk!!! YEAPIE TQ

[PinkMerr]

may i clean it with water??

[calcatchem]

@PinkMerr honestly, a few people have tried it and have mixed results. According to what I've read....DONT USE WATER!! I've always used rubbing alcohol on my cartridge games for my NES and have great results with that, I'm sure you can use different solvents but pure water, I am not so sure

[PinkMerr]

@calcatchem ok thank for telling me about do not use water ..

[PinkMerr]

HOw my game still Freezing ( Fatal Frame 1)

[calcatchem]

@PinkMerr if possible, can you provide any more details on how it's freezing, e.g. is it when you load any game, get to a certain part in the game, what kind of game is it (blue bottom, etc.) get back to me and I'll help you from there just need some more specific information

[MrShitthead]

that DOES IT! my ps2 won't read the disks, at all! SO i took my old ps2 which read disks PERFECTLY but wouldn't turn on due to a really fucked up power input socket and switched the lasers... and same fucking shit, they're both slims and they're both pissing me off. I'm going to try replacing the entire laser holder as well, if that doesn't work, out the windows you go ps2... mean while does anyone have any tips?

[calcatchem]

@MrShitthead what exactly happens when you put a disk into the PS2 that works....you get a DRE or NOTHING happens? Can you at least hear the PS2 trying to read the disc?? If its anything more than a hardware error, it may not be worth the headache. You can get a cheap slim or even a fatty orig'er on eBay for cheap but I know you would probably be more satisfied fixing whatcha got.

I know that the laser mechanisms are very touchy...are you sure a loose connector isn't plaguing the issue??

[MrShitthead]

@calcatchem lol, i dont know what happened, i just put a disk into the ps2 turned it on, and now its just working perfectly, i've tried several different games on it and no problems at all... I guess it didn't work before because i had put alcohol over the laser before placing it in and it may have still been a bit wet... not to sure but very glad to see its working flawlessly now! thnx a lot for the vid!

[calcatchem]

@MrShitthead rofl, sometimes shit just works itself out!! Glad your PS2 is back up man thats the important thing

[jomel0220]

ei i did clean the lens of my ps2 but is not work it still

disk read error..can u help me?????????

[calcatchem]

@jomel0220 when you put your disc in what happens??

[jomel0220]

@calcatchem it still disk read error..i did wat u say in your download video

[jomel0220]

@calcatchem wat cai i do..my ps2 is useless

[vleesevlons]

@jomel0220 buy a ps2 slim or a ps3 :P

[OMG1234Stefan]

@jomel0220 Mines been broke forever fuck it ill buy a new one i just wanna play some final fantasy

[sitton76]

thanks man, this video really helped, now my PS2 is working like its fucking new :D

also for the people who use the slims, they are easyer since you don't need to open it plus its much faster.

[zarkorockera]

doesn't those dics with a small brush made to clean dvd's and cd player lenses helps in this? i mean it alot easier you don't need to open the console? i did this yesterday those discs help cleaning the lens? or you don't recomend them? answer please :(

[calcatchem]

@zarkorockera well, not necessarily.

Those disc cleaning machines do work well, but usually this is only for discs with a fair amount of scratches on them. This particular method (see video) of opening up the PS2 and cleaning the optic lense helps prevent game freezing and loading errors on games that don't open when you put them into your PS2.

I think those cleaning things work to an extent, however if you are having greater issues with games freezing I suggest doing the aforementioned

[shane4566768]

i got one of the newer ps2s and idont know how to clean it

[calcatchem]

@shane4566768 generally all the components inside the same, its just the outside thats different. Your accomplishing the same principle of cleaning the optic lense

[sam581000]

hie...i do like ur video of error and i need sum help abt ps2 slim it doesnt play compac disc says not format sumtime da game run....buh most of da tyms not...help me....reply thank you....

[calcatchem]

@sam581000 i send you message for help check ur inbox

[NeosMusicUnlimited]

pretty easy hope work on my ps2.

[CanadiansKicksAss123]

wait the second set of screws to get to the laser pop of please awnser aspa cuz i dont wanna reck it :P thanks

[calcatchem]

@CanadiansKicksAss123 the screws don't *pop off*, they become loosened, and then you just lift the top of the holder and it comes right off, exposing the laser

[alexinalexandria]

True professional "clean this shit off" - LOL

Now all I need is to find my screwdriver and some time to do it.... - thanks for posting

[calcatchem]

@mutzmax1 yep yep, thats exactly what was happening to me. if you try this I think you should be straight; I advise you that you take this into your own hands but its an easy fix, not too hard at all..

scroll thru the older pages, you'll find a few comments i made step by step how to clean and adjust the disc tray height which is another common problem that happens as your ps2 ages. if you need better help, send me a PM and i will send step by step info

hope this helps and g.l

[calcatchem]

@mutzmax1 sounds like a hardware issue. does anything pop up on the splashscreen upon boot-up?

[Jaxd789]

Nice video! :D

Alice in Chains in the backround made it even better too!

[calcatchem]

@Jaxd789 thanks mang

[rambomamimbo]

i dont realy have rubbing alcohol,can i puts it with something other??,pls reply!!

[MrPorcupineballs]

@rambomamimbo A piece of toilet paper dipped in motor oil works great!

[Blackout731]

Does it depend on the rubbing alchohol?

[calcatchem]

@Blackout731 nope, any kind should work!

[malik3033123]

my ps2 now is not tracking any of my play station dvd i dont know why but yesterday it was working perfect now its not tracking any DVD any help about it?

[calcatchem]

@malik3033123 yep yep, you need to adjust the disc tray height if it reads certain CD's but not others; e.g. PS2 discs but not DVDs.

Backtrack thru the comments here and you will find detailed instructions on the process. Also I can message you further instructions if necessary

[malik3033123]

@calcatchem no its not reading anything no dvd no cd nothng i cleaned it from inside as well none is working every time i try there come browser and configuration nothing its read none i think i will upload video of it and tell u whats wrong with it and i hope u can help me out Thanks in advance

[michaelsvidjunk]

I dont have rubbing alchohol can i use johnson and johnson cleansing wipes to tipe the lens and disk? or maybe i should take it and squeeze the juices from the towlet onto the q-tip and then wipe?

[khawarsaleem1]

what else can we use to clean the lens............briefly tell me

[trolior]

lolz ... i tryed doing this and found a bug (masquetto) squished on then lens ... lolz , no wonder it wount read a disk ... thanx :)

[calcatchem]

@trolior lolz indeed, how the hell did a skeeter get in there ?? haha no prob man glad to help

[khawarsaleem1]

can i use perfume instead

[calcatchem]

@khawarsaleem1 nah dude!!! that will f^&# up your disc mang

[khawarsaleem1]

can i use perfume instead............

[brianeyanez]

dude thiss videoo reallyyy help meee thank u so much 4 making this =]

[calcatchem]

@brianeyanez no problem!! glad 2 help :D

[zgredek23067]

It work thank you so much now i can play GTA San ANdreas

[calcatchem]

@zgredek23067 glad to have helped enjoy San Andreas its my favorite game ever!!

[yyayoo]

dude it worked ur the fkn best!

[calcatchem]

@yyayoo glad to help nice :D

[jojonr619]

thnx dude it worked.

But i dont know how you got shit on ur playstation

i just had some dust on mine

[calcatchem]

@jojonr619 lol, glad yours is working. Apparently I'm missing the toilet bigtime

[dumpling1001]

when i removed the top the silver wire connecting to the reset/open tray buttons got disconnected from under the laser and cant turn on no more

how do i reconnect it

[calcatchem]

@dumpling1001 hey man, you should be able to pop that tiflon wire gizmo back into the part where it connects...if it doesn't, just keep trying to jam it in. This happened to a friend of mine but he got it to work

[vincentxx123]

thx man it works all the shit is cleaned lol :)