---
title: Basic Usage
slug: ffnN-basic-usage
icon: {"faIcon":"fa-solid fa-circle-info"}
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-01-19T19:36:20.184Z
---

# First Time, Step by Step

1. Plug your card in to Slot 1 or Slot 2 of your **PlayStation 1** or **PlayStation 2** console.
2. Power up your console. The "**MemCard PRO2**” logo will appear on the OLED display.
3. The **MemCard PRO2** will then load a **VMC** and display its name on the display. The first time you power up the card, “**MemoryCard1**” will be created on your storage device, and it will be loaded and displayed on the **MemCard PRO2** OLED display (see fig. 1). Depending on the system you plugged the card into, either “**PS1**” or “**PS2**” will be shown on the display.
4. As soon as your game launches, it will detect the Memory Card. In-game usage is the same as any normal Memory Card, which means you can save and load games as you’d normally do. If you launched a game on your **PlayStation 2** console, the game's ID and name will be displayed on the OLED display and a unique dedicated virtual memory card will be created for that game.
5. Each **Virtual Memory Card (VMC)** provides up to **8 channels** of extra virtual cards. You can think of each channel as an extra whole memory card that you can use in your games. Each channel will provide storage for the preconfigured size and depending on the console this may be **128K (PlayStation 1) **or **8 / 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 MB (PlayStation 2)**
6. You can switch channels using the buttons on the device, or through the WebUI. Most games support memory card hot- swapping, and the **MemCard PRO2** simulates the hot-swapping action every time you change a Channel or VMC.
7. To go to the next channel, you can press the right physical button on the **MemCard PRO2**, or the "next" button through the WebUI
8. To go to the previous channel, you can press the left physical button on the **MemCard PRO2** or the "previous" button through the WebUI.
9. In order to cycle through the available **Virtual Memory Cards**, press and hold the right physical button on the device. The next VMC will be loaded.

# The Display Explained

The OLED display of the **MemCard PRO2 **has a row of status icons that depict the current status and activity. These are:

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1. **Console Activity: **This icon shows the active console mode. When it animates data is being exhanged with the system
2. **Cloud Status: **A cloud with an X means that cloud backups are disabled. When cloud backups are enabled, this icon shows the current state of the remote backup. A cloud with a ☑️ means that the remote file is up to date compared with the local file. An static icon with an ↑ arrow means that there is a pending upload. When the icon flashes, it means that the **MemCard PRO2** is actively uploading data to the remote cloud server.
3. **Storage Device & Activity: **This icon shows the storage media used by the **MemCard PRO2. **When it shows an "SD" card, the files are stored in the microSD card plugged into its microSD card slot. When it shows a USB connector, it is using a wired USB drive. When this icon flashes, data is being read or written to the storage medium.
4. **WiFi Status Icon: **This icon shows the current state of the WiFi Radio on the **MemCard PRO2. **When an icon with an X is shown, the **WiFi **Radio is OFF. When an icon with a **dot with waves either side **is shown, the **MemCard PRO2 **is in **Access Point (Setup) Mode. **When bars are shown, the WiFi is connected and the number of solid bars show how strong the connection is.
5. **Mounted Virtual Memory Card Icon: **This icon shows the size of the currently mounted Virtual Memory Card. Depending on the console type and size various states will show:
   1. **128K: **A PlayStation 1 Memory Card is mounted. Only one size is available for PlayStation 1 Consoles
   2. **8MB / 16MB / 32MB / 64MB / 128MB: **A PlayStation 2 Memory Card is mounted of the size shown.
6. **Currently Selected Channel: **This shows the Channel currently selected. Each channel represents a full memory card and is assigned to the main name (either detected via GameID or a Generic Virtual Memory Card). Channels are from 1-8.
7. **GameID Display: **Shows the current **GameID **of the mounted Virtual Memory Card. This maps to the **directory name **on your microSD card. For Generic VMCs this will be "**MemoryCardx" with x being a sequential number.**
8. **Name Display: **This is a scrolling marquee that shows either:
   1. The detected game name through the **GameID database,**
   2. The Custom Assigned name through the **WebUI**
   3. The Generic VMC name if no name has been assigned