Make PS2 Purple Discs Read In Your PS2 Simply By Using Tape

Good Afternoon everyone. This is my first instructable so please be kind. Are you sick of your PlayStation 2 making horrible noises and scraping sounds with your purple discs? Well so was I until I figured out a way to make the PS2 read my purple discs without having to open it up and do surgery. There is a simple way and I will tell you how. Sorry I don't have many pictures but the picture that I do have of my game disc should be suffice (enough) for now. So go get your purple game discs and some masking tape and let's make it happen!

Step 1: Just 2 Things Are Needed

All you need for this project is: 1) Masking Tape roll, and 2) Your PS2 Purple game discs (because we already know that the silver (clear-ish) and gold discs read beautifully but it's the colored ones that are giving us trouble.)

Comments

[firefly038]

THANK YOU!!!! I had just taken apart our PS2 (original) as my husband said it was "clunking and grinding". As I was removing the disc (a new one), I happened to notice it was purple. I continued on my quest to clean the laser and check the laser gear for wear and dust build up. When putting it back together, the door wouldn't close so I took another looksie on the internet to see what I'd done wrong. That's when I came across your post and just filed it as a "Hmm...." thing. Got the machine back together correctly (dang rail pin! LOL!), plugged it in, thing turned on beautifully w/ no "clunking or grinding" so I inserted the disk. And that's when it started making some odd noise. The machine read the disk but on loading just got noisier & noisier. I looked your post back up, added to small strips of masking tape as you picture and VOILA! IT WORKS!!! The machine was totally quiet on speed up & down. THANK YOU!!! And my husband & son thank you, too. :-)

[Artanis_Regnis]

Didn't work for me with measure 1" lengths. Tried it on multiple discs.
Of note: Judging by your photo, you have a lot more than single inches of tape on each side. So, I tried multiple lengths. Again, no luck.

[highvoltageguy]

Yes! it worked thanks sooooo much for this instructable.

[sjefferys]

Looks simple but yet I could not have managed to know it without reading this,thanks a lot, necessity is the mother of Invention, truly!

[wmurdock1]

HOLY COW!!!

YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!

I have yet to see PROOF of this damaging a PS2. I hardly see how it could do so, unless the tape was old, came loose, and started flying around inside the system (LOL)...But if you put tape UNDER the disc...then yes. The laser could get damaged.

I was doing more damage to my PS2 BEFORE I put the tape on than now.

Before, the disc was "making those horrible scratching noises" and was "bouncing around in [my] PS2 like a ping pong ball." (Probably due to the cheesy clamp that came with my flip top mod)

NOW IT WORKS!!

I tested this on CD-R's (for backups) and a blue PS1 game. DID THE TRICK!!

THANK YOU!!!!! :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

[K'nexFanatiFreek]

ummm... that could be dangerous man! you could imbalace the disk, and then it would bacially bounce around in ur ps2 like a ping pong ball. but ive had this problem and ive found that if u open and then close your disk tray it usually works, if it doesent, please, for the love of pete dont put tape in it. you could ruin your ps2, and possibly hurt yourself.

[KrAx]

Hey there Punkrules just thought I share a WARNING or add some info to the concept here - ALL CD/DVD/GameDisc systems have a standard of specs required, such as size, clearances, disc thickness, disc diameter, spin up speed, lasers focus and/or distance ratio. Adjustments are allowable on the laser mechanically, but the disc speed spin up may be adjusted by console setting in the browser menu.

WARNING: THE TAPE MAY CAUSE IMBALANCE OF THE DISC, MAY ALSO STICK THE DISC & TRAY, USUALLY WILL PUT STRESS ON THE MOTOR THAT SPINS THE DISC, IT CAN/WILL LIFT SOME or ALL of THE LABEL/ARTWORK FROM THE DISC Which is also a layer that effects the data on the disc as to how it is read & recognized by the system.

**Also disc reads error may differ on the console systems position & ventilation of the area it is stored = standed upright or down normal. Hope this Helps more.

[bosniaguy]

I have a Black PS2 disc. will it work on that too? If it helps, the disc is Shadowman 2

[beebo44]

it didn't work on mine for some reason : I :(

[collard41]

ive never had that problem

[temp]

neither have I. But then again i dont have a ps2. i think that might be the REAL problem.

[Kasm279]

At least you don't have the additional problem of having an xbox with a dead DVD drive :P

[miahsgirl]

Thanks for the great advice! I followed your instructions and voila I'm once again beatin down ho's and jackin cars (whilst ridin my BMX bike) in San Andreas!! However after reading some of the other comments regarding what kinds of tape (ie; masking;scotch;NORMAL) should be used, I'm left with the lingering question......WHAT IS NORMAL TAPE? I've heard of Electrical, Scotch, Masking, Duct, etc....but never have I heard the term NORMAL tape! I searched the shelves at many a Wal-mart, and Lowes, even Michaels to no avail! So I beg you, please explain what you mean by NORMAL tape!

Thanks for the advice!

[stu2theMax]

Blue disks tend to be a little touchy and not read as easily as a silver disks, due to the refection back to the eye. Version 1 PS2's were not made well so it doesn't help when trying to read blue disks. You can count on minor disk slippage because of this, but the eye has no problem with this on silver disks because they are easily read. When blue disks slip, it makes it even harder for the eye to read them. Creating a repetitive error. Adding the tape tightens the gap between the disk and the clamp. Absolutely no slippage of the disk. Making a lot less room for error. Adding the tape adds weight but when spinning does not change anything unless the disk is uneven. But then u would have to find the perfect position for the tape on the disk and it would not solve everyone's disk problem. Very rarely will you find an uneven disk. Hope this ends your pondering. Props on just thinking this up one random day because it's a great remedy.

[punkrules]

I really don't know. It just popped into my head one day. Wish I could explain it lol...thanks for checking out my instructable ;)

[the-right-to-evolve]

how did you come up with this? it just seems like an unusual idea lol : )

[thefyk]

It worked!!! I think it's the weight. I used 4 pieces of scotch tape because I could not find any masking. Nice find!

[punkrules]

awesome :) scotch tape didn't work for me but that's good that it worked out for you.

[123456789pos]

can i use normal tape?

[punkrules]

i've tried normal tape and it did not work for me, however you can give it a shot of course, but i am doubtful that it will work. best of luck to you.

[vijayrocks]

thanks dude, it worked

[punkrules]

no prob. i'm glad it worked 4 you.

[skidude28]

My PS2 never had this problem. The only problem it did have is the motor. It refused to spin the disc. So I stepped on it.

[esmacer]

out of curiosity, do you know why this works?(BTW 5/5)

[punkrules]

apparently the tape evens the disc out on the tray. i don't know if it's due to the weight or the grip of the tape. i think it's the weight but i may be wrong. the idea just came to me one day though.

[esmacer]

sounds about right, thanks for the interest in my question

[punkrules]

no problem :) hope it was helpful.

[Nolanh]

what if my ps2 doesn't read some silver discs? would this method still work?

[punkrules]

i'm not sure. i haven't had a problem yet with any silver discs. if it can't read it you can try my instructable and it might help you out. if not, try a lense cleaner like a "disc cleaner cd". hope this helps.

[Ashinka]

It worked, thanks. 4.5/5

[punkrules]

you're welcome. i'm glad it worked for you. :)

[MisterSlippy]

At the risk of sounding dense, and for the benefit of any other PS2 owners who've never encountered this, what's a purple disk, and why won't PS2's read 'em?

[Jacoo]

I think the purple disc is cdroms and the silver/gold is dvds. When your ps2 gets old the laser can't read the purple cd's.

[punkrules]

a purple disk is the older ps2 games. they have a purple underside instead of silver or gold like most ps2 games. as for why the ps2 doesn't read them i think it has something to do with the laser but i could be wrong. i'm really not sure. all i know is that before i used this tape method it would not read any of my purple game disks. once i put the tape on it it works like a charm.

[microman171]

What colour is the matrix path of neo? THat one wont play in my console but it will in my mates slim...

[punkrules]

i'm not sure. i think that has a silver underside because it's a game that was created later on. seems purple discs were created earlier. but i heard that the ps2 slim does read the purple discs better so maybe that's why yours reads in your friends ps2 slim.

[Derin]

my ps2 is not having problems with purple discs