Anyone have PS3/PS3 Hard drive experience

[madrocsz]

So, PS3 Yellow light of death me this morning. The system I don't mind replacing its the countless hours of saves I cannot. Ie skyrim etc

After some research it seems all but impossible to recover my saves from it however the only solution I found was to load it up with Linux live cd and copy save files.

Problem is, I have zero experience with linux

Help?

[scarmullet]

If the system is Yellow Lighted (the PS3 equivalent of the RROD), there is nothing you can do but get it fixed or replace it. Try talking to sony about getting it fixed.

[Arseen]

Aren't the saves on  HDD?

If it only the PS3 that is screwed, can't you just swap the HDD to the new PS3?
Or does the HDD then be formatted?

[madrocsz]

Aren't the saves on  HDD?

If it only the PS3 that is screwed, can't you just swap the HDD to the new PS3?
Or does the HDD then be formatted?

PS3 codes the hard drive per system, as soon as you put it into a different ps3 it will only let you format it before using it. Same with plugging it into a normal PC it wont even recognize it

[wiggy]

There is a way to do this. My buddy did it, and I know it's a pain in the ass, but can be done. Let me give him a ring and see what he says. I'll let you know.

[kaysow]

PS3 codes the hard drive per system, as soon as you put it into a different ps3 it will only let you format it before using it. Same with plugging it into a normal PC it wont even recognize it

yep; tried that myself and a second PS3 won't have anything to do with it. plus-members get cloud storage, but i guess that's after the fact now tho.

current gen consoles have a high enough failure rate that it's not really worth sending in to sony either, word is it'll only run for another year or so before keeling over again. i bit the bullet and just got a new slim ver instead, and what you get to keep is (of course) the downloads tied to your psn-account, and all trophies. but i think you only get one more replacement before your PSN purchases expire, which is why i can't get with digital-only releases as of yet.

there are some simple methods of trying to revive it (youtube stuff, didn't work for me) like clearing the dust out and letting it rest. when mine YLODed a year ago (also during Skyrim i might add) i could still get it running for less than five minutes a handful of times before it stopped booting up altogether. if you maybe still have that window open, try and move some saves over to a usb stick?

[Zeanhaven]

saddly, true, tho you could try to reflow it, to give you the time to remove your account on that ps3, because now we can only register 2 system per psn accounts, but be warned, some save wont work/transfer is you do "back up unit" the only way to transfer everything, is simply the transfer command, tho for that, you need both ps3 running at the same time to transfer from one to the other, its not that long but if the first ps3 crashes while doing it, you loose everything period.

[wiggy]

Nevermind, my buddy says you're screwed unless you send in to Sony.  Sorry.

[madrocsz]

Sending it to sony isnt an option, too many horror stories of getting back refurb systems with different information which would defeat the purpose anyways.

System is spotless, opened, cleaned etc, same issues, tried several do it yourself tricks and no go. Like I said I dont mind getting a newer system it's just certain save files that will be lost. It's somewhat my fault as I have PS+ and hardly ever backed up saves.

Its crazy, been bummed out all day about it. Was like 20 mins done from finishing dragon age 2 last night when it bit it

[scarmullet]

well have someone with experience fix it, get your stuff off it, and replace the system

[wiggy]

So you're just gonna let it sit and collect dust?  As much as sending it might suck, it prolly sucks a lot less than a big, shiny black paperweight

Just send it in without the drive, which is what I imagine they want you to do anyway, and then at least you'll have something to play.

[madrocsz]

So you're just gonna let it sit and collect dust?  As much as sending it might suck, it prolly sucks a lot less than a big, shiny black paperweight

Just send it in without the drive, which is what I imagine they want you to do anyway, and then at least you'll have something to play.

I will eventually fix it, just 150$ to sony to fix it isnt justifiable when I can buy a new one for that. Unless they send the exact same system back (which I doubt they will do) the hard drive is worthless.

Getting another ps3 is the easy part, getting saves back is another

[DarrienEmerald]

I don't have an answer for the OP, sadly, but I just wanted to clear up a few misunderstandings in the replies.  There are no limits to how many times you can download your PSN purchases; the only limitation is that you can only have two systems activated, or valid, to use them at a given time (five systems, if the purchase was made prior to 2012, I think, or whenever it was that they changed the policy; it only affected new purchases made after that date).   Even if your system dies, as long as you have an internet connection, you can go to Playstation.com, and log in with your PSN account and deactivate the system; the only catch is, it will deactivate all systems, so if you have another one, you'll have to reactivate it, which is a simply two-minute event.

Again, after the fact, but with the older PS3 systems, I recommend taking advantage of the back-up tool under System Tools, and backing up your data on a regular basis.  It will even copy over non-copy-able files, and you can restore it to another hard drive (it will, however, format the hard drive it's restored to, so make sure you do this to a fresh one). 

Check with any local non-GameStop used game stores around your area, as well as look up Game Repair Services online, some of them may do system repairs.  I would recommend only using this as a temporary measure though; once the yellow light occurs, it will occur again, with almost no exception.  The repair will be good enough to use the back-up tool, or if you have a new system available quickly, there is the nice transfer tool as well.  But trust me, don't consider it fixed for good.  My poor original 60GB went through three seperate yellow lights before I finally retired it, first with BlazBlue Calamity Trigger, with the second occurring two months later (Star Ocean... and less than two weeks before FFXIII), and the third about six-seven months after that (honestly, no idea what I was doing; it simply yellow lighted one morning, after I had been playing something the night before).

On the plus side, the newer slims and super-slims are almost universally better, unless you just can't live without PS2 games.  And that nice white super-slim is dropping at the end of the month...

[wiggy]

A re-ball is a permanent fix. Aside from sending it to Sony, that's the ONLY repair service I'd even consider.  


Super slim is so damned ugly even purdy white plastic can't save it. Like a freakin' Foreman grill that thing is.

[DarrienEmerald]

A re-ball is a permanent fix.

I know it's meant to be, but in my experience, it wasn't.  I sent my system to Sony both times, and like I said, after the first time it was barely two months before it died on me again.  And I don't play it non-stop, or leave it on while I'm not playing.  I had just picked up Star Ocean 4, and about twenty hours in over three or four days, yellow light.  I'm not saying it happens a lot, but I know of at least two re-balls that failed (assuming, of course, that that IS what Sony did to my system; since I wanted it to still be their responsibility until I gave up on it, I never did crack it open and check).