Mon 9 Feb 2009
PS3++
Posted by Aaron under Gadgets, Playing Around
[2] Comments
So this weekend I decided to install linux on my PS3 (more on that later), so what better time to upgrade the hard drive! I commend Sony on making swapping out the drive so easy. Because it literally is that easy. Before you start, be sure to backup your data via System Settings -> Backup Utility. For my purposes I just used an external USB hard drive. My backup was 22GB (off of a 40GB PS3) just to give you some idea of how big it's going to be. First off - we need to decide on a hard drive. Initially I was going to try going with a SSD, however the price/space ratio was just way too much. So I simply went to amazon and typed in PS3 hard drive. To my (pleasant!) surprise I was given a list of 2.5" notebook drives that seem to work well with the PS3. This is just based on user comments/googling. Anyways, I settled on a nice 320 GB hard drive from Western Digital. With over 95% five-star reviews, how could I go wrong.
Removing the old drive
As I said above, removing this drive is very easy. Do you know how to use a screwdriver? great! because that's all you need. First up, find the hard drive cover on your ps3.
PS3 Hard Drive Cover
Once you remove it you'll notice a (blue colored!?) screw. Unscrew it and you'll be presented with a nice little latch to safely pull out the hard drive.
PS3 Blue Screw!
Hard drive removed!
Once it's out, you'll notice 4 screws on the side of the hard drive holding it in place. Remove those!
Screws on the side of the hard drive
Once it's out, you're free to swap out drive. Put your new drive in, then screw it into place with the 4 screws you just removed.
Everything taken apart!
In goes the 320GB!
Then just replce the last screw on the latch, pop the cover back on, and you're set! It's seriously that easy
Formatting and getting the drive "up to speed"
So some drives may already come pre-formatted. Unfortunately this was not the case for me. So I had to go through quite a bit of unexpected hoops to get the drive working once installed. First I was prompted to connect a controller... ok...
Insert controller here!
Then I received a more nasty message from the PS3.
Uh oh!
Cannot run correctly? Oh no! Basically this is because there is no software on the drive, so it has no idea what to do. The solution is to provide the new drive with a much needed update! To do this I just went to the Playstation website and grabbed the software. Make sure to note the directory structure! Anyways, once that installed, it restarted, formatted the drive and everything finally started working. Lastly I took my backup and restored it from the System Settings -> Backup Utility menu. All in all it was pretty easy. I just wasn't prepared for all the "usb disk that has software on it to boot your ps3" part. Now for linux!
February 9th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Pretty boss man! So, can you add more storage via an external USB drive too or will that not store downloaded and pre-loaded games?
Looking forward to the Linux fun! May have to pick myself up a PS3…. in 4 years when they’re like $150 maybe.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Yeah, you can just hook up storage via USB as well. I should also note! When backing up data it does not back up your trophy data! You have to sync your trophy data with the PSN server in order to do so. This can be done by simply hitting triangle when the “Game Trophies” icon is highlighted.