[ihaveanosebleed]

Does this game happen to be over 3.5 Gigs? Large TOC seems to be more of a problem with cheap media than smaller size games as data gets more unstable toward the outer edge. I can backup a small game like “:Hit n’ Run” on a Princo and it will load fine but if I backup a large game like “Rising Sun” on a Princo, it gets stuck on black screen after “Playstation 2”. IF I use a top quality DVD-R like Verbatim it then works fine.

Anyway, it sure sounds like a media/Laser problem. I’d say go pick up at least one Verbatim DVD-R. They are expensive, and they are the best. If your PS2 can’t boot a Verbatim, you’ve got some adjustments to make.

You can also check the LBA Tree info on the DVD with ISOBuster. If the SYSTEM and SLUS file are at the end on DVD, it is more likely to stop booting right away than if these files were recorded at the start of the DVD.

You can always tell if the laser has been able to load the boot file (SLUS/SLES…). You will see either a loading message, logo or at the very least you will see a glitch on the black screen. The PSX/PS2 will always loose horizontal hold for a split second as it runs an executable. If it locks up after that ( this happens a lot with bad DVD rips !) You will at least know your laser is loading SOME of the data. If there is no glitch after the “playstation 2” Your laser has not been able to load any files at all.