Playstation 2 owners, please help!

[juppy]

Okay, I know this isn't technically a "PC" gaming problem, but I've searched everywhere else I can think of and can't find an answer. I seem to have a problem with the Playstation 2 game disks that have the purple coating on them. Does anyone have a problem with these disks vibrating their PS2 console? It's like the disk is very badly out of balance. I thought it was just one game I got a while back (Midnight Club), but tonight I rented Contra: Shattered Soldier and Shox. C:SS does it a little, but Shox makes my PS2 sound like its gonna jump off the cabinet. All games without that purple coating work fine (so far). Anyone else have trouble with the purple-coated disks? Am I tearing something up by running these games? Any help appreciated.

[Tiretool]

I may be incorrect here, but it sounds like your PS2 is having trouble playing DVD encoded games. You will probably have to send it to Sony to get it repaired. I've got two PS2s and neither of them do anything like that.

Is there any warranty left on this unit?

[Alienware_Dude]

The lens might be dirty, you could try a lens cleaning disc, but I don't know how good they are. Do the games play at all? My PS2 is a real pain about some games, even though they are not scratched/dirty at all.

[KilluminatiStyle]

I have to ask, is there a modchip in this system?

[lobsterclaw]

1) Did you rent Midnight Club?
2) Do the rented games have a sticker or anything on the the top of the disc?
3) Does it happen to games that you own, or games that don't have a sticker on the top of the disc?
4) How is PS2 set up like this vertical or horizontal?

Blockbuster puts stickers on the top of there disc and sometimes they can make the disc vibrate. And I think I read somewhere that it is better to have your ps2 horizontal. HTH

[juppy]

Tiretool > Is that what the purple coating is for, DVD encoded disks? If so, would it still do it when a DVD movies section of a game is not playing? Because on the game Shox, it does it the whole time the disk is in there, right from the beginning load screen when it spins up. Not sure about the warranty part, have to check on that. It was bought on June 14, 2002 if you happen to know the warranty period.

Alienware_Dude > I don't think the lens would be dirty yet, as the system is only a little under 6 months old. Yeah, the games play fine, everything runs as it should, the console just sounds like there's an electric razor inside it or something (a little lower pitched than that though).

KilluminatiStyle > Nope, no mod chip. Straight, stock PS2.

lobsterclaw > 1. No I bought Midnight Club.
2. Yeah, they have a small sticker on 'em.
3. Yes, Midnight Club does it, and I bought it, so no sticker.
4. Horizontal. I didn't want it sticking up in the air and giving me more of a chance to knock it off the cabinet.

[Ryan2318]

the "purple" (its supposed to be blue) means cd not dvd, dvd is the "golden/silver" color. Anyway that doens't mean a thing. Umm the lens could be dirty. Sometime the lens will only mess up on some games. anyway get a cd with the little fibers on it that spin around inside and clean the lens... the vibrating you are hearing, I only experienced with a rented game and that was because the plastic covering blcokbuster uses had a peice sticking out that was hitting stuff. Anyway it could also be the lens not reading it easily and starting over to try and read a section again. Just try to use the thing I said to clean it and see what happens.

[juppy]

If the lens was dirty, wouldn't it do the vibrating sound on all games? Or am I not thinking logically here?

[Tiretool]

If the lens was dirty you'd not experience the vibration that you're getting. You'd just not be able to read some cds or dvds.

I think you've got a bad drive in there.

The Playstation 2 is only covered under Sony's warranty for a period of 90 days from purchase date. Check here for the actual warranty, and also for a phone number you can call for repair service.

Physical "vibration" or movement is caused by physical problems with moving parts. Not by a dirty lens or by dirty cds. A cd with a sticker on one side could do it, but if your regular cds with no stickers are causing the vibration, you've got problems with the unit itself.

[Ryan2318]

thats what you would think but this isn't a normal piece of hardware. I've heard this problem in a couple of places before. I don't remember waht was wrong but I think it was a dirty lens. And yes it can sometimes only affect certain games.

[juppy]

Well, I just noticed something. Midnight Club (which I own) and Contra: SS (rented - has sticker on it) only make a small vibration; it's bearable anyway. Shox (rented), the one I said was so loud, has the sticker on one side of the label and right below it the lamination of the label covering is bubbled in a couple of spots. Each bubble is about as big around as the end of a finger. Could these be unbalancing that disk too?

[Ryan2318]

probably

[Tiretool]

thats what you would think but this isn't a normal piece of hardware.

I am fully aware of what a PS2 consists of. I install mod chips into them, so I know that it's full of normal hardware. Normal meaning cd/dvd rom drives, mainboards, power supplies, laser assemblies, etc. In other words, it's not full of mice that spin the exercise wheel and make it all "just work". If you're having problems with certain colored cds giving you vibration, you've got problems with your hardware. If stickers are causing the problem, it's a fairly easy and obvious fix, but if you're getting vibration out of clean cds with no stickers or damaged areas on the disk, you've got hardware related problems (period).

Let's hope for your sake that it's just stickers causing your problems.

Also, the laser assembly doesn't move fast enough or with enough force to produce noticable vibration in a Playstation 2 unit unless it's sitting on a non-level surface. If all 4 "legs" of the PS2 are touching a flat stable surface, and you're getting noticable vibration, it's not your laser assembly (or a dirty lens either for that matter).

[juppy]

Thanks guys!

[Ryan2318]

when I said that I meant its just different in ways whatever I don't know what I'm saying. Anyway these are the colors: Black is old psx games, the gold/silver are the dvd games, and the blue (purple-ish) are cd games.

The noise he is hearing is not necessarily a sticker. A sticker or something like that can cause the sound, but he might be hearing a different sound caused by a dirty lens or a scratched cd. (or some type of malfunction) anyway when it happens you'll hear some sort of fast clicking sound. It sounds like the cd starts to spin then stops and starts and stops and so on and also the lens moving back and forth over and over trying to read the thing. Thats what I think you are hearing. (that is if its not the sticker thing) I know a friend who rented a game and it had that plastic covering and it somehow knocked it off balance and it scraped up a huge circle on the cd (luckily it was rented)