My PS2 is freezing for no reason, help!

[Sarthraa]

Alright, recently I hooked my PS2 back up after not playing it for about a month. It has been in the same spot right beside my Xbox 360 and Wii for close to a year now without any problems, but now I have a major problem that does not seem to have anything to do with the disc drive.

Whenever I start up the PS2, whether it has a memory card, controller, or a game or not, it freezes after about 15 - 30 seconds, even if I do not do anything. If I try using it immediately after shutting it down after it freezes, it just boots to a black screen. Everything sounds like it's running normally, however.

Is there something that may be bad with an internal connection, or is my PS2 kicking the bucket, so to speak? Help would be much appreciated as soon as possible! I would really like to play my PS2 and not have to buy another one. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

[Kuro-chan]

Since none of your peripheral components are contributing to the problem, I think it is a motherboard issue. I know Playstation 3 motherboards are equipped with thermistors to prevent the motherboard from being fried due to overheating, and while it may sound like it's a possible problem, the Playstation 2 does not use them. Also, if you are able to turn it back on after a cold shutdown (not reset, but actually turning it off, waiting, then turning it back on), then it sounds like whatever it is that is causing the problem has not permanently damaged it.

My first suggestion would be to break the warranty on it and see if it desperately needs a cleaning inside. Sitting tucked away for a year can allow for stuff to get inside. I have seen some very filthy consoles inside... I once got a PS2 Slim that was so clogged with stuff inside that it was literally a fire hazard in the waiting... Kinda scary, when I think about it. I ripped it to pieces, threw everything but the motherboard in soapy hot water and scrubbed all the components. The motherboard I subjected to contact cleaner and a brush to get rid of all the dust and build-up.

If you think it is a matter of biting the bullet and cleaning it makes no difference, I would suggest looking online for a replacement. Motherboards can be difficult to repair, especially if you are not sure what to look for. It would probably cost as much for a motherboard as it would for a used replacement console.