Short answer: On macOS, burn the ISO with Disk Utility (Burn) or from Terminal with hdiutil burn, at the slowest speed. On Linux, use Brasero (Burn Image) or genisoimage to make and then burn the image. In every case: DVD-R, lowest speed, finalised disc, and the PS2 language set to English before booting.

macOS: Disk Utility

• Insert a blank DVD-R (use an external USB burner if your Mac has no drive — see the burn kit guide).
• Open Disk Utility, choose File → Open Disk Image, and select the FreeDVDBoot .iso.
• Select the image in the sidebar and click Burn, choosing the slowest speed offered.
• Eject only after the burn completes. Do not rename or mount-then-copy the ISO contents — the PS2 needs the image burned as an image.

macOS: Terminal (hdiutil)

From Terminal: hdiutil burn -speed 1 /path/to/FreeDVDBoot.iso — adjust the speed to the lowest your drive reports if 1 is rejected, and confirm the correct burner device if you have more than one drive attached. Verify the burn by letting hdiutil complete its verification pass where offered.

Linux: Brasero

• Open Brasero and choose Burn Image.
• Select the FreeDVDBoot .iso, insert a blank DVD-R, and set the burning speed to the lowest available.
• Make sure the disc is finalised (Brasero finalises DVD-Video burns by default; do not enable multisession).
• Burn and let the verification pass run.

Linux: genisoimage (custom discs and command-line burns)

For a custom disc, the README’s own command is: genisoimage -udf -o exploit.iso "Filesystems/All PS2 slims..." — with VIDEO_TS at the root of the directory you image. Burn the resulting image with your usual tool (for example, wodim -v -dao speed=1 dev=/dev/sr0 exploit.iso or Brasero’s Burn Image), again at the lowest speed. For a prebuilt ISO you do not need genisoimage at all — burn the downloaded .iso directly.

After burning, the same PS2 steps

Language to English, disc in, wait for uLaunchELF. A Mac/Linux burn that fails to boot has the same suspects as a Windows burn: disc type, speed, finalisation, and laser wear — see black screen.

Next steps

• Burn with ImgBurn (Windows)
• Build a custom FreeDVDBoot disc
• Full compatibility list

Verified against: CTurt FreeDVDBoot README (Linux genisoimage command, verbatim) and standard Disk Utility / hdiutil / Brasero Burn Image workflows, checked 2026-10-24. Speed values are drive-dependent; the guide says lowest available, not a guaranteed 1x on every drive.