[ISSUE]: Games randomly fail to load

[JanErikGunnar]

Checks

• I have checked existing OPL issues for duplicates and found none
• I am using either OPL latest stable version, or archived version or OPL beta version

Describe the issue

Games frequently stop loading.

• Mostly random, not specific to any game or any particular place in games. However, some games seem to have the issue more frequently than others.
• The game behave as if "reading the disc" takes forever (black screen, sticks on a load screen)
• The problem occurs most frequently during the first few minutes (most often before the game's first intro logos). It seems to "decrease exponentially". I'd estimate it's about 50% chance the game fails during the first 2 minutes. If it gets past that, it's only about maybe 5-10% chance it will fail in the next 30 minutes. If it gets past that, the game will run perfectly for hours.
• When the problem happens, the orange LED usually is lit solid for maybe 5-10 seconds until it goes out. The SSD also has it's own activity LED which continues to flash much longer, usually until I turn the console off.

Console model

SPCH-50003

OPL version / revision

1.1.0

In which device(s) have you experienced this issue?

HDD

Context and extra information

I did not always have this problem, BUT my setup have been upgraded now and then and I am not sure with which change it started to happening. It MIGHT be possible that the issue happened before, but much more rarely.

Observed the issue mostly on Kingdom Hearts 2 (PAL, SLES-54114), dumped from original disc. I have double checked that the compatibility flags are correct (disable IGR, everything else default). The issue appears to happen just as much on other games though.

I am using the HDD-adapter, modded with one of those IDE/SATA-bridges.
The SSD is a m.2 Crucial MX500, in a basic 2,5"-to-m.2-adapter, with latest firmware. The SSD was working fine previously in a PC.
I am booting from FreeMcBoot, with OPL running from the memory card.

Earlier I have been using other hardware/software, which MIGHT have worked better:

• other storage devices (2,5" Intel 240gb 520 or 530, and various mechanical drives)
• older versions of OPL, and also HDD Loader

I am not using any fancy features (no virtual memory cards, no DS3 controllers, etc etc everything as vanilla as I can make it.

I am going to continue to try other things and update the issue, any advice on what might be causing this is appreciated!
Maybe it's some kind of incompatibility between the SSD (maybe it's too fast?) and something else, so my next step will be to put a regular 2,5" mechanical drive and see if it makes any difference.
Or does anyone have any other advice of what I should try first?

Thank you!

[Jaajees]

@JanErikGunnar

You can redo the tests, but using newer versions of OPL such as
2049
2077
And the latest beta 2199

[JanErikGunnar]

Thank you, I will try and update accordingly!

[JanErikGunnar]

I tested all four versions (1.1.0, beta 2049, 2077, 2199), with the Crucial MX500 drive, unfortunately, there was no difference, same problem on all versions.

I did notice GTA: San Andreas (NTSC) is particularly sensitive, it practically always freeze before or during the first yellow Rockstar logo, on all OPL versions.

I tried a slower drive, (Seagate ST750LX003 hybrid drive). This worked almost perfectly, in all versions of OPL. However in ONE (of many) attempts, GTA: San Andreas failed just like on the SSD. This was after running that game many times, so presumably the relevant blocks should have been in the drive's SSD cache at that point. It still worked the vast majority of attempts though.

Any suggestions what to try next?

I have other SSDs of other brands I could try, to check if something is incompatibility with this particular drive, or if it's something that just fails because the drive is too fast or something.
Since the IDE/SATA-bridge is custom for the BBA I can't test that in a computer, and I have no other IDE/SATA-bridges at hand unfortunately.