From a security and compatibility standpoint, users should exercise caution. Poorly formatted images or incompatible loaders can corrupt PS2 memory cards or confuse the console’s file handling. The PS2’s USB ports operate at USB 1.1 speeds, so gameplay from USB drives can suffer from long load times or instability; running large games often works better from internal hard drives (on PS2 models that support them) or using loaders optimized for streaming data. Users should ensure they use community-vetted versions of loaders (e.g., recent stable builds of OPL) and follow guides to format and prepare drives correctly.