PS2 newbie, here's some good advise: Buy a PS2 premodded with a messiah or a magic 2 chip.You can find them for a reasonable price. By the time you buy the console, a AR2 or GS2, a copy of devil may cry (or demo if you can find) and the no solder mod you will be spent enought to purchase a premodded console.Also, I have found ripping games to be time consuming and just down right hard. Buying a dvd burner is the best way to go, it will save alot of headaches. A tutorial for prassi primo dvd can be found at
www.psxcopyworld.co.uk