Fix Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Not Reading on PlayStation (Disc, Laser, Region, Emulation)

If THPS2 (PS1) won’t read on your PlayStation (PS1, PS One, or backward-compatible PS2/PS3), follow this troubleshooting ladder.

1. Disc Inspection & Cleaning

• Hold disc by edges. Inspect under bright light for **deep scratches** (radial = worse), cracks, pinholes, rot (bronzing).
• Clean: **Microfiber cloth**, center → outward. **Isopropyl 90%+** if sticky. Dry fully.
• Test another PS1 game (black bottom) → if works, drive OK, disc bad.

2. Console Laser / Drive

• PS1 / PS One: Laser sled wears out. Symptoms: grinding, long load, “Please insert PlayStation format disc.” Fix: **Pot tweak** (risky), **laser replacement** (KSM-440AAM / KHS-400A), or **swap drive**.
• PS2 (Fat/Slim): PS1 mode uses same laser (DVD/CD combo). If PS2 games work but PS1 don’t → CD laser diode weak. Fix: Laser replacement (different for Fat vs Slim).
• PS3 (CECHA/CECHB — BC models): Hardware PS1/PS2 BC. Same laser issues. Non-BC models: software emulation (disc still reads).

3. Region Mismatch

• NTSC-U (US) game on PAL (EU) console = **no boot** (black screen). Modchip / FreeMCBoot (PS2) / Swap Magic required.
• Check disc label: SLUS-xxxx (US), SCES-xxxx (EU), SLPM-xxxx (JP).

4. Disc Drive Maintenance

• Clean laser lens: **Isopropyl + cotton swab** (gentle). Or lens cleaning disc (brush type).
• White lithium grease on laser sled rails (if accessible).
• Check spindle motor spins freely.

5. Workarounds

• POPs Emulator (PS3/PSP/Vita): Convert disc to .POPS/.ISO → play via custom firmware. Legal if you own disc.
• PC Emulation (DuckStation, PCSX-R, Mednafen/Beetle PSX): Best experience — upscale, save states, cheats. Rip your disc (ImgBurn / Redump guide).
• Buy Another Copy: eBay, local retro store. ~$10–20 CIB.

Quick Test Order

1. Clean disc → test.
2. Test known-good PS1 game → isolates drive vs disc.
3. Check region match.
4. Clean laser / pot tweak (last resort).
5. Emulate / replace disc.