# Corrupted PS3 Hard Drive - How to Reformat Using Computer



## chefrob

Last weekend, I think I caused my brother's PS3 to get the dreaded YLOD followed by the red blinking light, which is completely disallowing us to turn on the console.

I was playing downloaded videos on it via the the public file from our computer. Was successful for quite some time, until I came across a corrupted file and the PS3 froze up. When I rebooted, it would not turn back on. Must have been a bad code that messed up the initial booting of the machine.

I'm pretty sure the hard drive needs to be wiped/formatted (or replaced) if it were to ever boot up again. I want to opt for a format. This entails opening up the machine, pulling out the hard drive, removing the casing, and formatting the disk using the computer.

Once I'm at that point, what type of cable is needed to connect the PS3 hard drive to the computer for the wipe? Please advise ASAP if you know the answer. A few links to direct me to the proper cable would help. Please mention any specific methods that must be followed along with any software needed as well.

Fortunately, he doesn't use much disk space so the reformat of the 40gb hard drive is the way we want to go instead of buying a whole new hard drive.

However, if a wipe does not work, does anyone know the exact make & model of the stock hard drive that Sony uses for this 40gb machine?

Thanks.


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## chefrob

This possibly? 

Newegg.com - StarTech 2.5in SATA Hard Drive to 3.5in Drive Bay Mounting Kit


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## chefrob

I'd truly appreciate it if anyone could help me with this matter.


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## koala

Sorry for the delay in responding. I don't own a PS3, but I'll have a go until someone more knowledgeable comes along. :smile:

You can connect the PS3 hard drive to the computer for formatting using a standard SATA cable. You could use the drive bay mounting kit from your Newegg link, but as you'll only be attaching the drive to the computer one time it's easier and cheaper to just open the PC case and use a SATA cable.

A quick google of 'hard drive ps3' leads to several articles and videos giving full instructions and hardware details.

Example: How to upgrade your PlayStation 3 Hard Drive - AfterDawn: Guides (4 pages)


> Finding a new Hard Drive
> 
> This section is very important so I implore you to read carefully and even look it over twice if necessary. I will help you to pick out a suitable replacement hard drive for your current.
> 
> When looking for a new hard drive for the PS3 there are four key features you must be looking for:
> 
> 1. *2.5" width* - These are notebook hard drives and that size is what you are looking for. 3.5" desktop hard drives will not fit.
> 
> 2. *9.5mm Height* - This is normal but keep an eye out for drives that may be smaller or bigger because they will not fit.
> 
> 3. *5400 RPM speed* - Although the PS3 can handle the faster 7200RPM, you run the risk of overheating the system for a few milliseconds faster in loading time. The original drive that came with your console is 5400RPM so make sure the new one is as well.
> 
> 4. *MUST be Serial ATA (SATA)* - The drive must be a SATA drive, other interfaces such as ATA or IDE will not have the correct connections to fit in the PS3.


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## chefrob

Thanks, I found a new hard drive: WD Blue WD3200BPVT 320GB Mobile Hard Drive - 2.5 SATA, 5400RPM, 8MB Cache at TigerDirect.com

But I'm not sure it we need to go this far. 

I can definitely remove (and replace) the stock hard drive from the PS3 without issue, but I'm clueless when it comes to connecting some sort of cable to it in order to retrieve and save the data and/or perform a wipe using our HP desktop PC or another PS3. I am aware that if I were to ever format it, that it would require FAT32. But can we salvage the data that's on it before doing so?

I believe our YLOD issue is not due to the typical overheating or faulty soldering. Rather it is because of a corrupted/unreadabile file that caused the hard drive to go haywire with a bad code, and now it will not reboot. I think a full format will fix the issue. But before we go ahead and buy a new hard drive, I want to take steps to fix this without losing the data. Any advice?


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## koala

The SATA drive will have the standard connector. To backup the PS3's data to your PC's hard drive, remove the drive from the PS3, hook it up to the computer with a SATA cable, and copy the data over in Windows Explorer.

See page 2 from the AfterDawn link for details on backing up to USB stick or hard drive using the PS3.

Hang on for some more advice from our PS3 users before spending any money.


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## chefrob

Thanks. Any recommended SATA cables I should be looking at? 

Afterdawn??

This is new territory for me. I know what the power and data connectors look like (one big, one small) and the jumper right next to it, but that's about it. Not sure if there's a specific SATA cable for the job, or how to make the connection in the back of my PC. I assume a SATA to USB adapter would make things easier. This way I can connect SATA to the PS3 hard drive and the USB cable to my PC.

When you say, "copy the data over in Windows Explorer" will this PS3 hard drive data be readable by the PC and also subsequently be re-transferable back on the hard drive after it is formatted?


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## koala

The SATA cable is the small data cable. If you remove the side panel from your case, you can see what a SATA data cable looks like. It's the one linking your internal hard drive to the motherboard. If you don't have a spare one lying around, you can get them from your local PC or electrical store, or order online.

After you've connected the PS3 drive to a spare SATA port on the motherboard, switch the computer on and the PS3 drive will appear in Windows Explorer as a new drive with a new letter. Select the files or folders you want to back up, then highlight and drag them to a new folder on your PC's hard drive. Switch off and unhook when you're finished. Beyond that, my PS3 experience is zero, so I'll have to hand over to someone (anyone?) else.

"Afterdawn??" - see the afterdawn.com link in post#4


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## chefrob

Will any of these cables work? Looking for the most affordable option.

Sabrent USB 2.0 to IDE/SATA Cable for 2.5-Inch/ 3.5-Inch / 5.25-Inch Drive with Power Adapter at TigerDirect.com

Vantec USB 2.0 to SATA (Serial ATA)/IDE Adapter at TigerDirect.com

Cables to Go USB 2.0 to IDE or Serial-ATA Drive Adapter, Black at TigerDirect.com

Ultra USB 2.0 to IDE/SATA Cable for 2.5-Inch/ 3.5-Inch / 5.25-Inch Drive with Power Adapter at TigerDirect.com


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## koala

If you're attaching a SATA hard drive to a SATA port on the motherboard, you don't need anything to do with USB.

See the cable inside your computer case that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. That's the kind of SATA cable you need.

Newegg.com - Coboc 1.5 ft. Serial ATA (SATA) 2 Cable (Red) - $0.95


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## chefrob

Thanks for your help so far. But let me re-explain. 

The PS3 hard drive has a corrupt / bad code. This is not a hard drive that I want to simply format and use as an additional drive for my computer.

What I want is to remove the PS3 hard drive, save the data to my computer, then format it, re-add the data to the hard drive, and reinstall in the PS3 to see if there's a fix. The corrupt avi file came from a shared folder on my computer, which has since been removed.

To perform the above save/format, I thought I needed a SATA cable connected to the PS3 Hard Drive with the same cable having USB connection on the other end for the PC.

Also, not sure if this matters, but the PS3 hard drive is regular SATA, not SATA II. And the slots on the back of it are of different sizes. The $0.95 cable you posted appears to only have the smaller connection for the data, not the power.


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## koala

It's ok, I understand that you don't intend to use the PS3 drive as an additional drive in your PC. You want to format the drive using your PC, then put the drive back into the PS3 to continue using it there. Remember, I don't use a PS3, so unless there's something I'm missing, I think that's what my instructions have been about.

I've asked the Gaming team to come and have a look at this thread, but haven't had a reply yet.

To format the PS3 drive using your PC, switch off and open the PC case. Remove the drive from the PS3 and attach it to the PC's motherboard using a SATA data cable and one of the power cables from the PSU. The drive will not be mounted in a drive bay, it will be outside the PC case on the floor or desk. Switch the computer back on. Copy the files you want to backup from the PS3 drive to the internal PC drive using Windows Explorer, and then format the PS3 drive to wipe its contents (right-click the drive icon and select Format). When it's finished, copy the data you want to keep back to the PS3 drive, switch off, remove the drive and put it back in the PS3.


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## chefrob

Thanks koala for everything. I felt I needed to explain more because I still am not confident with how to fix this issue. Even though it's clear to you, it's still a mystery to me. I've exhausted my searches and even though I have the very common YLOD PS3 error, no one seems to have the same issue or seeking the same corrective resolution as I. I'm supremely confident that it's a hard drive issue and not something more due to overheating or requires soldering. A visual instructional for my particular issue would help but that's far fetched. I'm still trying to get a solid grasp of this... I have an upgraded 750 Corsair PSU so I'll try to wrap my head around your instruction. I know there are a lot of extra cables hanging around in there that I can connect to the HD.


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## chefrob

Someone else told me that the only way to fix this issue is to get ahold of the image file and then get a Live OS (Linux) and attach it as a spare...

That's even more confusing for me.


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## gameboy1998

Put your PS3 in Recovery Mode How to get the Recovery Menu on your PS3 - YouTube and connect your controller wired and select rebuild library, It should work if your PS3 is on or above 2.50 Firmware


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## chefrob

@gameboy1998

The PS3 doesn't turn on because of the YLOD, so recovery mode is not an option. I can't even get to that screen.


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## gameboy1998

YLOD is not beacuse of the HDD, Recovery mode doesn't require HDD, It was built into the FW and is stored on the flash memory inside the PS3. You might want to google 'YLOD fix'. I have heard that it has a temporary fix, You can switch on PS3 and format the HDD (I don't think it will work). Could you please tell me if your PS3 is under warranty and how old is it


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## chefrob

The machine does not boot up, hence recovery mode is unavailable. YLOD is not fully understood. I know the exact reason our PS3 crapped out on us and it was not the common cause. The PS3 could not read a file shared on our PC, then it froze up, and when we turned it off, it would not restart. I believe the corrupted file caused an error in the boot code. Thus, the HDD needs to be formatted for the PS3 to work again. The problem is, we don't want to lose the saved games/uncorrupted data. I'm 100% sure a new HDD would fix the issue, but we want to format the one we have first and try to save the data.

It is not under warranty. 3 years old.


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## gameboy1998

If you format the one you have then you cannot save the data, all you can save is your trophies (if they are synced). And no PC & OS can recognise the PS3 HDD, there is a source code available but it still needs to be developed. I think its some Hardware problem and thus is no solveable as if you format you HDD there will be no 'boot code' in it, same happens with a new HDD if you replace it with the old one there still is no 'Boot code' in it. It may work: try to get a HDD from another PS3 and insert it into your PS3 and see if then it boots up, if not then I'm sorry you have to contact sony for replacement. There is a proper fix if your on Custom Firmware, I researched a lot (I know discussion about CFW is not allowed but this is nothing related to privacy)


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