Buy a FreeDVDBoot Install Kit: Genuine 8MB Memory Card and FAT32 USB Drive
The card is the install. Buy the right one and the installer does the rest.
Short answer: Affiliate disclosure: links marked “Buy” may earn this site a commission at no extra cost to you (Amazon tag oliver062-20; see the affiliate disclosure). Every guide also names a non-affiliate alternative. You need a genuine Sony 8MB memory card (SCPH-10020) and a small USB drive formatted FAT32. The card is where FreeMCBoot or Fortuna lives; the USB drive is how the installer and files reach the console. Buy the card genuine — clones are the leading cause of install failures.
Memory card
The genuine Sony 8MB card (SCPH-10020) is the reference. Non-affiliate alternative: a used genuine Sony 8MB card from a reputable local seller, tested in your console before you install. What to avoid: 16MB/32MB/64MB/128MB “PS2 memory cards” — those are clones with unreliable controllers, and FreeMCBoot/Fortuna installers are written for genuine 8MB cards. Also avoid any card marketed as “pre-installed FreeMCBoot”: FreeMCBoot’s distribution rule is non-profit, so a commercial pre-installed card is both a licensing problem and a card whose contents you cannot verify — install it yourself from FreeDVDBoot (see the install guide).
USB drive
A small USB drive (8–32GB is plenty) formatted FAT32, MBR partition table — see why mass: is empty for the format rules. The small FAT32 USB drive reference is a search link because the exact model matters less than the format. Non-affiliate alternative: any small USB 2.0/3.0 stick you already own, reformatted FAT32/MBR. Avoid 128GB+ drives and exFAT/NTFS for the installer step — the PS2’s uLaunchELF does not read them.
Failure = kit guide
If the installer says the card cannot be formatted or the card is not recognised, work the format-error guide before buying another card — many “dead cards” are a slot, format, or clone problem, not a purchase problem.
Next steps
Verified against: FreeMCBoot/Fortuna install requirements (genuine 8MB card; FAT32/MBR USB) per installer and uLaunchELF documentation, checked 2026-10-24. No price is quoted.