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Memory Card Data Recovery (2021-10-08)

The document provides a tutorial on recovering deleted game saves from PlayStation 2 memory cards, which utilize a FAT-like file system. It explains the conditions under which data can be recovered, the necessary tools for creating sector-by-sector images of memory cards, and detailed steps for copying deleted saves back to the card. The guide emphasizes the importance of maintaining file integrity and timestamps to avoid corruption of recovered saves.

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26 views3 pages

Memory Card Data Recovery (2021-10-08)

The document provides a tutorial on recovering deleted game saves from PlayStation 2 memory cards, which utilize a FAT-like file system. It explains the conditions under which data can be recovered, the necessary tools for creating sector-by-sector images of memory cards, and detailed steps for copying deleted saves back to the card. The guide emphasizes the importance of maintaining file integrity and timestamps to avoid corruption of recovered saves.

Uploaded by

songspikes360
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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„Memory Card Data Recovery”

As you may know, memory cards for the PlayStation One had no file system at all, just an 8KiB index that
directed you to the individual (also 8KiB) blocks on which game saves were stored. Unfortunately, this simple
mechanism had one major drawback: if the power was cut while the game was saving the save, the entire index
was corrupted – or, to put it in human terms, the player lost the contents of the entire card. With the release of
the PlayStation 2, Sony decided to introduce a new format, which was not only 64 times larger, but also
contained a "FAT-like" file system – that is, MCFS.

As with its predecessor and most file systems, deleted files are only marked as deleted, and as long as nothing
overwrites them, they can all be recovered. That's what the following tutorial is about.

When is data recoverable?


Only if none of the clusters that the files occupied were overwritten, and if the file system table is not
corrupted. That is, ideally the player has deleted the save and not added any new data, as the PS2 Browser and
homebrew programs try to limit fragmentation, so new data will most likely overwrite some or all of the old
data. It's also possible that the player has already saved the save from game A and B, deleted the save for game
A, and then played game B and saved the game state on the already existing save. If game B, saves a fixed size
save, then and only then is the save data for game A safe and fully recoverable. These are the only two scenarios
where the save can be "disenchanted" 100%.

What can you recover from?


Only from sector-by-sector images of memory cards, because on the PS2 side so far no one has written any
program that would make this possible. So you need to make an image of the card and transfer to a computer.
An image of the media from the console directly to e.g. a USB flash drive can be made with Memory Card
Annihilator or the installer of any version of Free McBoot (and if you have a PlayStation 3 Memory Card
Adaptor, you can also make an image on the PC with the installer of FMCB v1.8c).

And if it's not a real memory card just its image used by:

• Open PS2 Loader on your PlayStation 2, then copy the file "hdd0:/+OPL/VMC/*.bin" to a USB stick
with the unofficial LaunchELF.

• PCSX2 emulator on your PC, then no additional actions are required beyond finding the file
"Mcd001.ps2" (you will probably find it in the directory where you installed this emulator).

• PlayStation 2 emulator on PlayStation 3 that uses optical discs, then you need to copy
"dev_hdd0/savedata/vmc/*.VM2" to a memory stick for example, or upload via FTP.

• PlayStation 2 emulator on PlayStation 3 which does NOT use optical discs, then you have to copy
"dev_hdd0/home/<User>/ps2emu2_savedata/<GameID>/SCEVMC0.VME" using a file manager (e.g.
the one built in multiMAN) or export the image from within XMB. Unfortunately, you still need to
convert the VME to VM2 – the easiest way is to use the Apollo Save Tool.

• PlayStation 2 emulator on PlayStation 4, then you need to copy the image. Unfortunately I don't have a
hacked PS4, so I don't know exactly where from. I read that the image is not encrypted and is probably
somewhere in the user directory (or possibly in the PKG container along with the game from where you
have to extract it).
Copying deleted saves
1. Run IsoBuster version 4.9 or later and open the memory card image.

The application supports images of any size (8MiB, 16MiB, 32MiB, 64MiB, 128MiB, etc.) no matter if it has
ECC blocks or not. However, ECC/non-ECC recognition is done by file name, so remember that cards without
ECC should always have *.bin or *.vmc extension, while those with ECC should have *.ps2 or *.vm2
extension.

2. Expand the dark rectangle with "MC" to show a list of folders (if you see "garbage" instead of names, this
means either the fs table is corrupted or the card has the wrong extension relative to ECC/nonECC).

Each PS2 save is a separate folder with a game ID. For example, a "Tales of Legendia" save is a folder named
"BASLUS-21201TOL-S01", which means it comes from a game with the identifier SLUS-21201 (this
information can be found on the game box and the disc imprint, and even the executable file with a similar
name on the media).

3. The deleted data is marked with "[Deleted]" suffix. So select the folder you want to recover and right-click
on it. From the context menu, select the first option from the top and the destination for the lost (e.g. desktop).
4. If the save was deleted from the PS2 Browser, you also have to rename the file "__iconsys_tmp_d__" to
"icon.sys". For some mysterious reason, OSDSYS renames it just before deletion.

Note: if you do not rename it, the save will be displayed in the PS2 Browser as "Corrupted Data".

5. Of course, also rename the folder from "<SaveID> [Deleted]" to "<SaveID>" (i.e. using the example above
from "BASLUS-21201TOL-S01 [Deleted]" to "BASLUS-21201TOL-S01").

Note: if you do not change this name, the game will not find the save.

6. Now move the save back to the real or virtual memory card.

Note: some games use the timestamp as a protection against save copying! IsoBuster keeps the dates found in
MCFS, so make sure that the programs you use to copy the save back to the card also keep the dates. If the
modification date of a folder or any of the files does not match the one inside the save file, the game will not
load it and will inform the player that the save is corrupted.

Berion
2021-10-08

The document has been automatically translated from Polish to English using DeepL.

You may distribute this guide on any site, only as an unmodified PDF.
All rights reserved, modification and/or copying prohibited.

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