Reassemble the Playstation 2

1. Replace the disc tray cover and tighten its 4 tiny screws.
2. Reattach the tape to the top of the tray cover.
3. If it was removed, reinstall the Power/Eject switch by pushing it forward at a 45º angle, over the tab that it locks into. The Power (labled "Reset") part goes toward the top of the cover. Gently push down on the plastic onto the cover. A screw fully secures it later.
4. Slide the cover on from the front (using the same angle from its removal), being sure it clears the memory and controller slots.
5. From the bottom, reinsert and tighten the 8 (or 12) screws (the shorter screws go on the shallow side, away from the power connector).
6. Put the square screw covers back on (the rubber feet go at the corners touching the ground).
7. Reconnect your A/V and power connectors, controllers, and memory cards.
8. Play your favorite game!

Sit down with your pet turkey and go kill some hookers!

Conclusion

Hopefully these tips will help you eliminate Disc Read Errors and breathe some new life into your PS2. I've used this process to fix many Playstation 2s in the past so I know it works. Don't be afraid to give it a shot - what do you have to lose?

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Comments (70)

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so much help thank you
written by diallo j, February 12, 2007

first let me begin with a thank you on behalf of my whole family we have 2 PS2 consoles that were both broke and right now i cant afford to go replace them your website was so much help with the step by step directions it is amazing we can play games we havent played in years and we can watch movies with out having to disconnect the dvd player from the bedroom tv i will be telling everybody i know who has a ps2 about your site you are proof that thier are still some good people in the world left thank you again all the way from cleveland ohio

Thanks
written by Joelprid, March 09, 2007

Great advice, my church youth group will be delighted (not to mention impressed at my technical prowess!!!) - thanks

...
written by Joel , March 14, 2007

Thanks so much for having this site. I had a broken ps2 until I saw this site. After seeing the detailed instructions I wasn't afraid to tear it apart. Thanks again. My ps2 works like new.

...
written by JA, March 15, 2007

Thanks so much... we thought we wasted money and your site helped us out alot. You made our whole family happy... advice for anyone.. if we can do you can just follow the steps and they helped,

om thaqnk you so much it WORKED!!!!
written by Josue, April 02, 2007

at first i was giving up on my ps2 but i found this and did it step by step, now i can play my kingdom hearts after two months of waiting THANK YOU SO MUCh!!!!!

OMG... i ripped the cord...
written by J Bizzle , April 04, 2007

Ok... so i thought i was dead meat.... i was a total jackass and i ripped the cord that connects the cover to the playstation out from the playstation side.... but i wasnt going to give up that easily... i unhooked some more hinges on the plastation and i was able to pry the whole disk reader and tray away from the console about 2 inches... then i took a pair of tweezers and slid the cord back into the slot it came from next to all of the colored wires. i can not believe that IT WORKED and my playstaion powered on. ALSO, it was was fixed of its disk read error. THKS SO MUCH!!!!

it didnt work!
written by Mark, April 05, 2007

It didn't work! i took it apart 3 times and when i tested it out it didnt work !!!!!!!

Big problems after trying to fix it on my own!!!
written by Iain, April 05, 2007

Dammit! Great info on this site but something has gone wrong for me! Got it all open, moved the white disc around, and then was set to try it out but my ps2 won't turn on again!!! Nothing will turn on the and red adn blue lights don't light up. It is like the power is dead, but I'm sure it is not. Help??

More Problems !!!
written by Rayfyo, April 05, 2007

Before I started my PS2 would play some games and very few dvd's. Now after I followed the instructions to the T and nothing plays. I hear the disk spinning for a while then it stops and I get nothing but the browser screen. But on the bright side DRE dosent show up either. Anyone have any suggestions???

Trash to Treasure!!!
written by shell, April 09, 2007

We were getting ready to throw out our first PS2---we had nothing but trouble with
it from day one---your guide allowed us to fix the console ourselves this time---and what we thought of as trash, is now TREASURE!!!

Because of the problems with the first console, we ended up having to buy "newer" models---it took a chunk out of our budget and I've harbored some ill feelings toward Sony for years.

Thanks for helping us---I'm still mad at Sony for "sticking it to us", but it was great to feel like we had a chance to make the doggone thing work---even if Sony couldn't.

...
written by Gill, April 18, 2007

Brilliant, thanks - three happy boys! The cleaning worked a treat

Power not working?
written by Giles, April 18, 2007

don't know how old this thread is ... buuuuut ...

if you have problems with PS2 not powering on at all, check the small ribon cables, i slightly tugged one out and it stopped working altogether, few more screws out and put it back in and works Only Guitar Hero2 doesnt work now

POWER OUT!!! Need help
written by LDude, April 19, 2007

Great site! Very helpful. I don't know whether I missed it or just don't know where to look, but i couldn't find any tips on how to fix power problems. My PS2 (30001 series) died on me months ago. I let it rest for a few days and it came back on for only a few hours. It took maybe a good month and a half before it came back on, but i couldn't even push the power button on the front coz the power light turned off 2 seconds after I flipped the main power switch on. What's causing this and any tips on how to fix it? SONY offered to exchange it with a refurbished PS2 for a "measly" $45!!! Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanx!

Big Thanks
written by ez rida, April 21, 2007

I thought that my PS2 was out of here, but after reading your step by step process I spent 5 dollars on the proper screw driver set and fixed the "DRE" in 15 minutes. Big Big Thanks. Keep up the good work!!!

ps2 lens
written by kirk, April 21, 2007

please help! for sum reason, wen i tried to fix the lens of my old ps2 (bought it year 2000) the laser wouldn't turn on any more and it wont read my cd's and games!

Back in business in less than an hour!
written by Shaggy, April 29, 2007

Excellent, Dan! I even accidently pulled out the tape wire that connects the power and eject switches but I managed to put them back. All together, the repair took less than an hour. Great resource here, thanks!

thank you
written by charlie, May 02, 2007

i did everything that u said to do and everything works fine now. thanks.

Wow, nice guide. helped me
written by Cody, May 05, 2007

I had a PS2 stop at the browser screen on my favorite PS2 game. I didn't know what to do. I found your guide and it WORKED!!! Thanks a lot!

Ps2 dre - ps1 is fine
written by Jamie, May 05, 2007

is this a quick easy fix? i tried the manual and it still wont read ps2 but ps1 works fine. do you know the solution to this?

1 question tho
written by KD, May 09, 2007

hey i have a question, i have opened my ps2 and fixed it plenty of times but after reading the instructions about taking out the laser and cleaning it i did so and i also lubed up the rails but now i try putting discs in and the laser wont even read the disc, is there any way i can fix this or did i break my ps2 for good??

Thank You So Much!
written by Mike, May 15, 2007

Thank You So Much Man, This Guide Was Amazing, Quick & Easy Fix and my PS2 Was back and running like new in under an hr. I even noticed that the load times are quicker. Thank You!

followed guide, but still have problems
written by vince, May 20, 2007

I followed the instructions on adjusting the white gear to fix the "disc read error" problem, and it worked! however, no matter how i adjusted the gear the machine still wouldn't play DVD's and still got stuck loading certain games like Castlevania: Lament of innocence and GTA: San Andreas. so i followed the instructions in the second part of the guide, the ones about removing the top laser lens and cleaning the second lens underneath the top one and now the my PS2 wont play a damn thing, no games, no dvds, not even a music CD. the laser works, it lights up and moves and everything, I'm just getting DRE's again. i shold have left well-enough alone

DVD working again, THANK YOU!
written by Mike Ciccarelli, May 25, 2007

The DVD portion of my PS2 stopped working and I followed your guide step by step and it is now working again and everything else tested out okay as well. Thanks again so much. Great guide.

Sincerely,
Mike Ciccarelli

Thank you so much!
written by Jon Farley, June 06, 2007

Thank you very much! My PS2 hadn't been working right for months. Now it's working like it's brand new. Thanks for the easy to follow intsructions. It was way easier than I thought it was going to be. Oh and my bro says thanks too.

Brittany Hampton
written by Brittany Hampton, June 07, 2007

Dude, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!! I love you!!

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written by David Luna, June 10, 2007

i did what you said and it worked for all my games except san andreas.
what can i do to get it to work on that game. ive spinned the wheel everywhere, ive cleaned the laser and the mirror under it, lubed the rails, used compressed air, whats wrong, and why is that the only game not working

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written by Paul, June 14, 2007

hey i bought my ps2 in 1999 or 2000 not sure, and is there supppsed to be 8 screws or more? if there is only 8 screws im supposed to take out how come the bottom wont come out? i tried taking it out, but half of it will come out but the other half wont. help me with that.

Ps2 making me mad
written by Sam, June 16, 2007

I need help! my Ps2 won't start. Every time I go to turn it on by pressing the red light up button it'll flash to green then go back to red and won't turn on!!!!It's making me mad and I don't want to buy a new one.

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written by mohd, June 18, 2007

iripped off my power cord of the older version of ps2 which is not slim please sum1 help me

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written by L.A. J, June 24, 2007

PS2 will play Black & Blue Discs only but won't play silver discs, I've adjusted the disc level from top to bottom and still get the same results, after inserting a Black Disc the CD spins quickly and goes into playing mode, now when I insert a Silver Disc it begins to jog as if the lens cannot read the CD, and I've tried different Silver CD's

Wow
written by Andres, June 25, 2007

I was about to throw my ps2 away, and you saved it!
I tried with the little white disc first, but nothing happened. Then I attempted to clean the 'big laser', under the little one, and it worked! Now my ps2 works flawlessly.
Thank you!

...
written by Kyle, June 26, 2007

Oh my gosh, when i was dis-assembling it, i snapped those to cords , but i cleaded the lazer and everything else, and i plugged the cords back in, it toook me an hour to do it all,, i couldnt belive it actually powered back on,,, THANKS SO MUCH,, now all of my games work good as new,, THANKS you saved me some money, good job!

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written by Mark, July 01, 2007

my ps2 turns on but wont boot up at all ,how do i fix this?

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written by cody-, July 01, 2007

if ur doubting doing this because ur afraid somehow ur ps2 will catch fire, don't worry it will be okay. This worked great!

This work like a charm
written by Ray, July 07, 2007

AT first I was a little skeptic about doing this but I figure if the PS2 doesn't work anymore already I might as well give it a shot I follow all the steps in now my PS2 can play all my games again in DVDS that wouln't even play at first thanks for the help.

A few questions
written by matt, July 08, 2007

My ps2 can play ps1 games, but not dvds or ps2 games. I did everything the walkthrough said, and none of it obtained any other results. My question is why the hell do ps1 games work and everything else doesn't? I mena, for any game to work that means the lens works, the motor works, the playstaion works, and yet, somehow, it doesn't. Anyone know WHY, or is sony really that evi?

...
written by brad holcomb, July 26, 2007

my ps2 turns on but goes directly to the browser/config. page. tried everything how do i fix it?

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written by Jared, July 28, 2007

Thank You! My PS2 would play everything but DVD's and I adjusted the white disk not even more than 3 notches and it is working great now and even loading games faster!

OMG
written by meat head, July 31, 2007

OMG it freakin works and to think i wuz juss bout to trash it thanks for makin this now i dont have to waste $100

Thanks
written by Greg (schmegery), August 15, 2007

Thank you so much for this guide. It turned out my problem was that the bigger lens needed cleaning and that was it. My PS2 is better now than when I first bought it. It didn't used to read PS1 games and it just recently stopped reading PS2 games, but now it reads both.

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written by wendy, August 20, 2007

any suggestions for repairing non-responsive controller to port issues? my son had a "non-Sony" controller that made the ports not work at all. any help would be most appreciated!

i need help
written by antuan, August 27, 2007

I can not get the 4 little screws off with the knife.i do not have a little screwdriver

Ugh
written by l, September 15, 2007

My ps2 turns on and start the game up and i can play for awhile but then it just freezes up and then i restart it and itgets a little worse each time until i get disk read error. i hav sch-5001 or w/e and i dont i have the huge white gear. instead i have two on each sidde of the tray part. i need help.

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written by dimen514, November 02, 2007

wow i was just about to get rid of my ps2 and then i found this site it was so easy and my ps2 was up and running in minutes. thank you so much

Thanks!
written by Sophie , November 08, 2007

For 2 years my PS2 has been broken and i couldnt find any place to fix it. This guide was so easy and fast. My PS2 is working better than ever! thanks so much.

DISCONNECTING THE POWER ON/RESET SWITCH
written by puadxe, November 10, 2007

DISCONNECTING THE POWER ON/RESET SWITCH
Tip: if you disconnect the power on/reset cable when taking the cover off (like i did), it actually is possible to reconnect it without having to disassemble the thing any further. Just get some good lighting behind you and gently pry open a tiny gap on the short side of the playstation nearest to the power on button. You should be able to see the edge of the motherboard. The thing the cable needs to be plugged into is just this tiny litte brown box, furthest to the right. The little box has a flap on top of it that you can pop up (gently) with your tiny flathead screwdriver. Then just slip the metal strip in there, making sure its connections touch the other connections. Just getting it in there is a bit of a pain, and then you have to hold it in place carefully while you close the lid of the box with your other hand, using you flat head screwdriver. When it's in properly, it should stay in even if you give it a gentle tug. It's a delicate operation, but better than dealing with complete disassembly.

Great site! Need help - Black screen when selecting Browser
written by carsten1335, November 16, 2007

Great site! I Need help. When I select Browser (in the main menu with the two options Browser and System configuration) to view my memory card with no disc inserted my PS2 frezess, a only showing a black screen. The samething happens with or without a memory card. Any ideas?

I have no gear
written by Nero, November 26, 2007

I have taken apart my PS2 and i have gotten to the part were the white gear is, but my PS2 doesnt hav a white gear in it! Am i looking in the wrong place or is there something else to do because i have taken off the thing that holds down the cd and the gear just aint there!

playstation 2 repair
written by Eugene mccabe, December 06, 2007

I opened up the drive and I have two small gears. I have SCPH 50003. any info on how to deal with a DRE.Black (PS1)work finebut not PS2, DVDs.

...
written by Alex, December 12, 2007

Many Thanx for the great info !
My PS2 is alife again after collecting dust for over a year ,after half an hour work it works fine again !!
Keep up the good work !!
Greetings from Holland
Alex

...
written by Jennifer Sunderlage, December 19, 2007

I can't tell you how much we appreciate this info. My son got a game for his birthday that was getting a DRE. We had already purchased Christmas gifts to go with the PS2 and the only authorized service center in the area said they couldn't get to it until after Christmas. What would have been a very dissappointed young man will now have a great Christmas!

i have the same problem as eugene
written by jason brackett, December 27, 2007

i opened my ps2 and i have two little gears and i saw no cord attached to the roof of it . not sure what kind of ps2 it is PLEASE HELP

Da' Bomb
written by Calvie, January 03, 2008

That fix was Da' Bomb, thanks a million, do you have a donation site?

If you took your laser apart to clean the second laser inside...
written by dude, January 08, 2008

It should be noted that if you take the laser assembly apart to clean the second little laser you are most likely going to have to adjust the gears and the pots for the laser as well. Both CD and DVD power pots should need a "lower" adjustment. This could take an hour or two to get it right and when adjusting the pots just don't set them too high or you could burn a tiny hole in your disc! Also use an old scratched CD or DVD that you don't mind ruining when adjusting the gears that move the rails. If you do it wrong you could scratch the disc when it tries to read close to the outer edge. So check to make sure the laser doesn't get too close to the disc when it slides from center to outer edge before you reassemble it. If its too close then the disc can be sucked onto the laser assembly and scratch it when the disc spins at higher speeds which would leave you with a grinding noise and a disc that's scratched up kinda weird.

...
written by Jamie K, January 12, 2008

My wife and I took my ps2 apart after not working for the last six to seven months, oiled the two silver rods that the laser lens slides back and forth on, and viola, it is now working again. This website was a great help. I was contemplating purchasing another system, but intend to make this on hold out a while longer. Thanks for the great help.

Data Error
written by Yvon, January 12, 2008

I have this PS/2 (model scph-30001) that fell on the floor (about a foot) and it no longer read games / dvd. On the other hand, it reads music CD without problems. I am therefore assuming that most of the mechanic / electronic is working fine. I attempted turning the white gear / cleaning the lens without success. Somebody mentioned something about laser strength adjustment. Where is that located and how can I adjust it?

Any help is appreciated.

Regards.

advice for model SCPH-50003 as i did it.
written by shani, January 27, 2008

Hi i read this article and opened up my sons playstation model SCPH-500003 to find it did not have the white gear, however i searched the internet and this is what i did, the machine would not play any disc at all kept coming up disc read error or no data, and the grinding and clicking noise was auwful, i opened it up and saw two white cogs instead of one white gear, i did not have any grease so i used petroleum jelly on the two bars that the lazer runs ons and also just behind is a long brass gear thing i greased this too, i usd an alan key to set the two white cogs to the lowest point and clicked them each twice in a clockwise movement until the game worked, there is no noise at all and it is playing all discs, can i add that i m a 44 year old mother of two with no knowledge of electronics etc... i was careful however to make sure that the power cables were disconnected each time in touched anything. i am so pleased.

...
written by Mark, January 28, 2008

I just got a free PS2 from a buddy of mine who gave up on his old one (one of the early models) and went for a slimline version. So, I followed this manual closely and bam! I've got a fully functional PS2 for the price of WD-40 and some rubbing Alcohol (around $4). Thanks for making this. You just saved me a hundred bucks at least.

8 months without a PS2 fixed in under 1 hour!
written by Mean Joe, February 20, 2008

We have been without our PS2 for about 8 months due to this D.R.E. problem. My 12 year old son and I read this guide and had it fixed in under an hour. Our issue turned out to be the plastic gear that moves the laser. I took it out, carefully heated the plastic part with a lighter and bent it down so it would make a firm contact. Once it cooled we re-installed everything, followed the cleaning instructions and tested it out. It now works perfectly! I was about to get rid of it all. Thank you for sharing this guide with us! I wish Sony was as pro-active and helpful as you are!

Problem with disc tray!
written by Wojtek, March 20, 2008

After cleaning the laser disc tray is getting blocked by the wheel that moves the CD/DVD while the tray is closed. I haven't touched anything in this part and I don't know what to do. If you can help me please email me!

...
written by Hmartin, March 29, 2008

I have the same problem If anyone knows how to fix this it would be a lifesaver!

ps2 tape
written by michael jones, April 02, 2008

hello, ive used all of your methods but my ps2 wont turn on again, im pretty sure this is because the silver tape has come detatched, could you please tell me how to re-attach it??

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written by mike j, April 03, 2008

ive now solved the power button but im now havin the same problem as Rayfyo, the disk spins a couple of times and then nothing happens, ive done all of the things you have suggessted and it still wont work

No Disc's of Any Kind Booting
written by Xproject187, May 04, 2008

I followed the steps to the T as well & I too now have a slimline PSII that will nolonger read any disc's of any kind. Still waiting on a follow-up on Mike j & Rayfyo's post for help.

I think the backside of My lens is dirty & I am going to put an air compressor aprox 5-8Lbs of pressure to the thing in a last ditch effort to see if it might help.
Any advice is greatly anticipated!
~X~

Playststion repair
written by jack, June 03, 2008

My power isn't working! And i need help. Neither the power or the disk open thingy lights come on and there not working! Someone save me!

plays blue disc but not silver slim modle
written by foxdad, June 09, 2008

my slim modle does not play the silver discs only the blue disc. so it a slim line so not white disc . how do i fix this replace the laser?

New Skinny Ps2
written by Alexa, June 15, 2008

Do you have any advice for the new Ps2. I bough this ps2 not long ago and it stuck on the first section then it says "there is no data". It looks like the machine is not reading the game disc, since is not moving it. HELP!!!

Any advice?
written by Fade, August 25, 2008

hmm..any advice for the slimline version ps2? my ps2 has been 2 and a half years old..and now it cant play any game,not even one..the disc will spin for a while then stop..then spin again and stop again. is there a fix for this? any help would be appreaciated.

game stops
written by chris, September 08, 2008

my prince of persia 2 trones stops working at the loading screen then stops i have done most things in ur guied but nothign works it comes up loading and it just stays the same all the time its a brand new game no scratches and i played be fore on my consloe and it just stoped working can u help me out plz ?

Dan.
written by TooLazyToRegister, September 17, 2008

I want to have your babies. Finally my retarded PS2 is working.

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