Glad this video has helped so many of you! While the method in this video still works, there is now an easier method. EaseUS Disk Copy (bit.ly/478qm9k) allows you to upgrade your PS3 hard drive without reinstalling everything, by effortlessly cloning your old drive and transferring all your data to the new one. Cheers!
I took the old HDD from my Mac mini. Since hard disk drives are basically obsolete at this point, there are plenty of donors for our old Xbox 360 and PS3 systems, since they don't really need a fast drive anyway😄
I know this is old . But you removed an old hdd from a laptop and just put it directly onto the ps3? What about the data on the laptops hdd? Did you formatted / deleted before inserting to ps3? Or ps3 did the job once inside? Thanks!!!!
This is probably the best tech tutorial I've ever seen. Clear instructions and explanation, basically all you need to know from A-Z. Thank you so much!
This video is outstanding. Your instructions are clear, your video perspective is like the viewer will see, you give alternate scenarios as well as troubleshooting. Thank you for taking the time to make this!
Just got my hands on a Fat PS3 backwards compatible for dirt cheap today. Found out that the factory 80GB hard drive was no good so i took a 320GB out of a old laptop that I didn't use. Your video and step by step process was perfect ! I now have a working PS3 that cost me $40 ... THANK YOU !
@@deftreference Yes the backwards compatibility will still work. Original Ps3 models CECH-A01 have backwards compatible hardware and models CECH-E01 have backwards compatible emulation. There are 2 other BC models but can't remember their model numbers as they weren't as common as the ones I mentioned.
After my hard drive crashed I had to reinstall the software on my ps3 but Sony's current version 4.88 didn't work. So I tried an earlier version (4.81) and it has worked perfectly. Thanks for the vid!
Fantastic video! I was just looking to get a hard drive and do this over the weekend. I still play my PS3 quite a bit even though I have had a PS4 for a few years now. Thank you for this!
The super slim runs slightly cooler with the hard drive cover off anyway. It's the way I prefer to run it just so I can feel like the electronics are running slightly healthier. That's really the only thing I wanted to mention, this was actually a great video and I'm glad to have found it.
This is perfect. Ive needed this for a while now. Been a couple of years since I accidently deleted all the files on the harddrive. Thx for the vid. Now imma head and fix my software.
I Gotta Tell you that I was impressed with your video. Very well done. I could actually understand and follow along the process. I was literally stuck at this part with my ps3 so I can't wait to do this step for my Ps3. Thank you. Can't wait to go through the videos you've done. Thank you. ❤ keep up the Good Work
Thank you so much for this help i was stuck at 40gb ,but now im rocking on 500gb , i just cant thank you enough man , i ran out of space after buying a digi download game and was at my whits end, but followed your guide to give it more space more life , your the best !
I loved this video. I looked all over for the simplest and precise things you needed and the steps to get it completed. This is a great video and I appreciate the time and effort you placed into making this.
Great Video but also the easy way is to clone the hard drive just need an external HDD hub and free clone disk software to clone the old HDD to the new HDD, and you have it! Thanks, Bro, Keep up the good work!
🎮🕹 U.K 16/11/21 39 YEARS OLD still a gamer always will be, My 7 year old and myself are working on a games room, we are at 2 Xbox 1's/ Xbox 360/PS3/PS4/ Gaming Pc with Retroarch. Using that to play sega/nintendo games from the 80's. LONG LIVE THE OLD SCHOOL 🎮🕹🎮🕹🎮🕹
Excellent tutorial. Please also keep in mind, if you attempt to use a flash drive that is greater than 32GB capacity, the 32FAT option will not be available. This will prevent the PS3 from reading the files, even if you did all other steps correctly. I had to look that up as I was not aware when going through the process.
Happy to find this answer as it took me a couple of tries before i realised there was something not working out with my usb drives, both 32Gb. Checked my old SD cards and my SD to USB adapter and now the update has started. I think i was cheated by the PS3 as it did not complain when i stored my backup to the 32Gb drive before i started the upgrade ;-)
@@khan_xo I'm recycling too. The 1TB drive I'm getting is going in the PS3. The 500 GB drive that's in my PS3 is going in my PS2. And the 160 GB drive in my PS2 is getting connected with a SATA to USB cable to my Wii U. So much win.
sir can you help me with my problem? i buy ssd crucial mx500 1TB when i installed is cannot acces system storage and i returned original hdd PS4 can boot normally.do i need format partition in disk management and set to MBR just like install new HDD/SSD on PC?
Best fix for me was: Just installed from update dropdawn menu(upper in the site), not reinstall. Before that i just entered in safe mode (turn off the PS3 hold the button unitl it beeps second times and turns off, again hold until u hear second 2 beeps- This is Safe Mode! Then i chose Restore your PS3 System.- for me it was 5th option). Happy playing on this peace of relic and sorry for bad English!
I did this today, but now my controller won’t stay synced. It turns the console on, but won’t connect to it unless I use the cable or press the reset button on the controller.
Thank you man! I had to create the UPDATE folder for 4.88, was making me angry why ps3 was not recognizing it! Sony website doesn't have that part anymore, no instructions at all anymore
You were much more thorough than other videos on the subject good job bro, my only question is I have a 250gb ps3 slim most of my storage is used up by digital games only. Do I have to back up the saved data or can I just re-install my games from the store? Also once the new hard drive is formatted to system I should be able to log back in to my original email account to re-download my digital games right?
If you back up the save data that is just the saved progress on games usually that have to do with story mode. If you want to keep that progress then backup the save data. If you have ps plus you can just save it to the cloud. The full games themselves you will have to just download again from ps store after logging into your psn account like you mentioned. I would recommend keeping your old hard drive as a backup up until you are finished installing the new hard drive, that way you can always pop the old one back in and access the games and save data if needed.
@@khan_xo What are your thoughts on SSD on ps3? I saw a video on it and it seemed legit. would you know what would be the good brands to get for both HDD and SSD?
@@gabebautista2978 imo SSD in a ps3 is kind of a waste unless you all your games are digital. I also don't know that the compatibility is universal as some SSDs in my experience did not respond well or seemed to have throttled performance with a PS3. I feel like SSDs are better utilized in PS4 or PC. For HDD I would go with Western Digital Blue or a Seagate equivalent (not the budget tier one basically). For SSD I go with Samsung.
I broke my PS3 controllers charger port so I cant plug it in and borrowed an unofficial PS3 controller off a mate and the PS button won't start off the process. Does this only work with official PS3 controllers?
Sean Lenihan that’s interesting. Have you tried all the USB ports? I haven’t tried this process with a 3rd party controller myself so I’m not too sure.
Great video strange thing happened... I took the 500GB HD from my PS4 after upgrading the ps4 drive.. followed your steps, but strangely after formatting on both my PC and then the ps3, everything was already set up including my sign in information... as a word of warning, be sure to format and wipe the HD before selling or disposing! otherwise you may be giving away your PS data!
I noticed that happening a few times with me as well. I'm not sure what it is but when using a former ps3/ps4 hard drive, it seems to recognize the previous info.
Glad this video has helped so many of you! While the method in this video still works, there is now an easier method. EaseUS Disk Copy (bit.ly/478qm9k) allows you to upgrade your PS3 hard drive without reinstalling everything, by effortlessly cloning your old drive and transferring all your data to the new one. Cheers!
If I don’t need to back anything up and it’s a fresh reset ps3 do I need to worry about backing up anything or the firmware?
bro im just curious im planing on upgrading my ps3 to 1TB if i upgrade will my game experience in my ps3 improve?
@@medinabillyclients it wouldn’t change the system performance, just the convenience of storing more items.
My PS3 has been busted for 4 years. Because of the hard drive. You helped me revive my child. Thank you very very much.
DjFluffy glad to hear they are doing well again!
Nice! One more was saved from the land fill!
U rock bro. Just upgraded brother's laptop with an SSD and took the 500GB HDD to upgrade my PS3!
Thanks bro U just gave me an idea to repair my ps3 thnks
@@devendrasuthar2825 That's good to hear man. 😎👍
That’s dope
I took the old HDD from my Mac mini.
Since hard disk drives are basically obsolete at this point, there are plenty of donors for our old Xbox 360 and PS3 systems, since they don't really need a fast drive anyway😄
I know this is old . But you removed an old hdd from a laptop and just put it directly onto the ps3? What about the data on the laptops hdd? Did you formatted / deleted before inserting to ps3? Or ps3 did the job once inside? Thanks!!!!
This is probably the best tech tutorial I've ever seen. Clear instructions and explanation, basically all you need to know from A-Z. Thank you so much!
This video is outstanding. Your instructions are clear, your video perspective is like the viewer will see, you give alternate scenarios as well as troubleshooting. Thank you for taking the time to make this!
I just upgraded from a 80gb to a 1TB. Your instructions were awesome and easy to do. You are the best, thanks.
This is probably the most detailed video on how to change a hard drive out there you are a legend
Been having issues with my ancient PS3 and was told I needed a new hard drive, this video will be of great help whenever it gets here!
As of July 2021, I followed these instructions on my 80gb PS3 and upgraded to a 500gb for $20 from Amazon. Great video! Thanks
Just got my hands on a Fat PS3 backwards compatible for dirt cheap today. Found out that the factory 80GB hard drive was no good so i took a 320GB out of a old laptop that I didn't use. Your video and step by step process was perfect ! I now have a working PS3 that cost me $40 ... THANK YOU !
My ps3 is one of the last things I have from my dad
After reinstalling the software, was the PS3 still backwards compatible? Or was that feature lost due to the update?
@@deftreference Yes the backwards compatibility will still work. Original Ps3 models CECH-A01 have backwards compatible hardware and models CECH-E01 have backwards compatible emulation. There are 2 other BC models but can't remember their model numbers as they weren't as common as the ones I mentioned.
Most helpful tutorial video I've ever stumbled upon on RUclips... Stll very helpful after 5 years.... God bless you for making this 👍👍👍
I appreciate the kind words!
After my hard drive crashed I had to reinstall the software on my ps3 but Sony's current version 4.88 didn't work. So I tried an earlier version (4.81) and it has worked perfectly.
Thanks for the vid!
Your are the man. Literally harddrive swap for dummies in detail. Thanks a lot. Great video.
One Two haha thanks man!
agreed. I just did it. The other tutorials made it harder than what it seems.
Fast & easy. PS3 rocking my world lately. And so are you!
Fantastic video! I was just looking to get a hard drive and do this over the weekend. I still play my PS3 quite a bit even though I have had a PS4 for a few years now. Thank you for this!
Thank you!
The super slim runs slightly cooler with the hard drive cover off anyway. It's the way I prefer to run it just so I can feel like the electronics are running slightly healthier.
That's really the only thing I wanted to mention, this was actually a great video and I'm glad to have found it.
This is perfect. Ive needed this for a while now. Been a couple of years since I accidently deleted all the files on the harddrive. Thx for the vid. Now imma head and fix my software.
I Gotta Tell you that I was impressed with your video. Very well done. I could actually understand and follow along the process. I was literally stuck at this part with my ps3 so I can't wait to do this step for my Ps3. Thank you. Can't wait to go through the videos you've done. Thank you. ❤ keep up the Good Work
PS3 was in an update loop due to corrupted HDD, all fixed now...thanks!!
This is still my favorite guide in 2023
Thank you thank you thank you thank you!
2008 PS3 fat just got 1TB hard drive simply by following YOUR steps sir!
RESPECT!!👍👍👍👍
YOU ARE A LEGEND YOU SAVED ME LITERALLY NO OTHER RUclipsR SHOW THE PC PART AND THE UPDATE LOL TAHNK YOU IAM SUBBED!!!
my dude here providing all the links, thank you!!
Awesome! I was able to save my potato of a PS3 - this was simple, straightforward and well explained. Thank you!
Wow. This is a lot easier than I thought it would be
I appreciate u bc I got a 40gbs Korea ps3 and just learned to update the hard drive from u I just sub 2024 trust
Solid, easy, nice job bro, i was about to buy an old ps3 hdd instead of using one i already had
still helpful up to this day
Yep, just using it now !
Simple and concise tutorial, very nice man.
I'm definitely gonna try this when I'm decided to upgrade the HDD on my PS3.
Thank you so much for this help i was stuck at 40gb ,but now im rocking on 500gb , i just cant thank you enough man , i ran out of space after buying a digi download game and was at my whits end, but followed your guide to give it more space more life , your the best !
I loved this video. I looked all over for the simplest and precise things you needed and the steps to get it completed.
This is a great video and I appreciate the time and effort you placed into making this.
Thanks for your detailed video.. upgraded to 1 TB now.
Great video, this video helped me turn my ps 3 80gb, into a ps 3 1tb, thank you very much
for some reason my old ps3 harddisck completely WIPED by itself and this helped me so much
Thanks for the info! Forgot the ps3 and update folder. Now it works!
Thanks Kid. Your video was the best and simple.
This is perfect. Thank you.
Excellent tutorial, really cool how you broke it down for all PS3 models on replacing and upgrading the hard drive.
thank you for simplifying how to for ps3 I found it very helpful and not overwhelming with notions and straight to the point.
Thanks homie, I was missing one step and you covered it.
Great video...I upgraded my PS3,very simple after watching your video...Tnx broo!
Thanks bro, its my first time getting ps3 in 2022.
Thanks for the info
Very well done sir! The footage is a bit dark, but you covered everything. Great tutorial!
This just made the whole process soooooo easy! Thank you sooo much. Big love!
Thank you man, it helped me a lot because I’m a beginner. Thanks for all the information👍
Thank youuuu!! I want to use the ps3 my brother left behind and wanted to upgrade it! 😊
Thanks a bunch for this. Easy to follow and everything went without a single hitch 😃
man you are a legend
now i have 200gb on my ps3 tnx
Very concise, love this ☺️
Worked like a charm. Thanks for the tutorial
Incredible video, the exact information that I needed. 1000 thanks
This video keeps helping people, thanks
THANK YOU
THIS GUIDE IS PERFECT
Great video. Thanks for helping all of us!
Thank you so much for this guide! Helped me a lot! Cheers from Brazil!
This video was on point and was really helpful!
This is a proper tutorial thanks
Great Video but also the easy way is to clone the hard drive just need an external HDD hub and free clone disk software to clone the old HDD to the new HDD, and you have it! Thanks, Bro, Keep up the good work!
Quality video mate, thank you so much, so helpful for this CORVID19 lockdown, all the best.
🎮🕹 U.K 16/11/21 39 YEARS OLD still a gamer always will be, My 7 year old and myself are working on a games room, we are at 2 Xbox 1's/ Xbox 360/PS3/PS4/ Gaming Pc with Retroarch. Using that to play sega/nintendo games from the 80's. LONG LIVE THE OLD SCHOOL 🎮🕹🎮🕹🎮🕹
My right ear enjoyed this video
thx so much i wanted to upgrade my 120gb hdd to a Kingston 500gb ssd thx sooo much
Proper tutorial right here!! Thank you good sir 👍🏽
This is golden, good job sir
thanks a lot man i knew how to do it but you helped me to set it up.
Amazing bro helped me so much great video
Thanks for the video man! Upgraded my fat ps3 to a 1tb
(Backup & Restore) (Slim) Be sure to use 2nd USB slot! For some reason it is a LOT faster than Slot 1 😵
Eric H hmmm interesting, might be the devs usb slot! Good tip!
Is this the USB slot at the right?
Levinac Holmes yes, rightmost slot.
Excellent tutorial. Please also keep in mind, if you attempt to use a flash drive that is greater than 32GB capacity, the 32FAT option will not be available. This will prevent the PS3 from reading the files, even if you did all other steps correctly. I had to look that up as I was not aware when going through the process.
Very good point, for usb flash drives above 32gb you can use this utility to format it to fat32.
www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm
Happy to find this answer as it took me a couple of tries before i realised there was something not working out with my usb drives, both 32Gb. Checked my old SD cards and my SD to USB adapter and now the update has started.
I think i was cheated by the PS3 as it did not complain when i stored my backup to the 32Gb drive before i started the upgrade ;-)
Thank you for the video it really works 💯 thank you very much
Thank you so much for this tutorial!
Thanks bro! I just upgraded from a 160g to a 1T HDD that I took out of the PS4 Pro when I upgraded that to an SSD.
Steve Taboada dope! Perfect recycling process haha
@@khan_xo I'm recycling too. The 1TB drive I'm getting is going in the PS3. The 500 GB drive that's in my PS3 is going in my PS2. And the 160 GB drive in my PS2 is getting connected with a SATA to USB cable to my Wii U. So much win.
sir can you help me with my problem? i buy ssd crucial mx500 1TB when i installed is cannot acces system storage and i returned original hdd PS4 can boot normally.do i need format partition in disk management and set to MBR just like install new HDD/SSD on PC?
great guide just updated mine to 320 gigs
Best fix for me was: Just installed from update dropdawn menu(upper in the site), not reinstall. Before that i just entered in safe mode (turn off the PS3 hold the button unitl it beeps second times and turns off, again hold until u hear second 2 beeps- This is Safe Mode! Then i chose Restore your PS3 System.- for me it was 5th option). Happy playing on this peace of relic and sorry for bad English!
You did a great tutorial on how to install the hard drive
you deserve 1mil subs ty for th vid I couldn't play gta v on my ps3 just because the harddrive is old lol
Thanks bro worked like a dream
I did this today, but now my controller won’t stay synced. It turns the console on, but won’t connect to it unless I use the cable or press the reset button on the controller.
Location of the file was my problem thanks for the help
Yeah it’s been weird with Sony lately
Thanks!!! Just upgraded my ps3 to 1tb and is hard to format hdd to fat 32 on windows 11.
Thank you man! I had to create the UPDATE folder for 4.88, was making me angry why ps3 was not recognizing it! Sony website doesn't have that part anymore, no instructions at all anymore
Appreciate you my guy💯
You were much more thorough than other videos on the subject good job bro, my only question is I have a 250gb ps3 slim most of my storage is used up by digital games only. Do I have to back up the saved data or can I just re-install my games from the store? Also once the new hard drive is formatted to system I should be able to log back in to my original email account to re-download my digital games right?
If you back up the save data that is just the saved progress on games usually that have to do with story mode. If you want to keep that progress then backup the save data. If you have ps plus you can just save it to the cloud.
The full games themselves you will have to just download again from ps store after logging into your psn account like you mentioned.
I would recommend keeping your old hard drive as a backup up until you are finished installing the new hard drive, that way you can always pop the old one back in and access the games and save data if needed.
@@khan_xo What are your thoughts on SSD on ps3? I saw a video on it and it seemed legit. would you know what would be the good brands to get for both HDD and SSD?
@@gabebautista2978 imo SSD in a ps3 is kind of a waste unless you all your games are digital. I also don't know that the compatibility is universal as some SSDs in my experience did not respond well or seemed to have throttled performance with a PS3.
I feel like SSDs are better utilized in PS4 or PC.
For HDD I would go with Western Digital Blue or a Seagate equivalent (not the budget tier one basically).
For SSD I go with Samsung.
Thank you!!! You made it so easy it worked so easy
Glad to hear, thanks for watching!
thank god this video exist, every other video is about adding hen to ps3
If your upgrading, don't get another HDD do yourself a favor and get a SDD, maybe a little more pricy, but it cuts load times in half
Excellent video thank you very much
Simple , understandable and easy, thanks
Bro you are life saver. Thank you ❤️❤️
Thanks your the best it works for me
Excellent video - thanks!
Thanks bro you really helped me and im not using the caddy because the screw scrapped haha.Anyway,thank you!!
Ilhan Ferhad haha I feel you man I had to do that for one of my ps3, I put a qtip underneath the HDD to help “support” it 😂
Haha im using my mom's membership card 😂
Drop ur username so might one day can play gta together itf u have it
If*
Ilhan Ferhad I’m usually playing war zone
OfficialKayXO
soooo i have a Mac, can i do this pretty much the same?
Yea as long as you can get the download your good1
I broke my PS3 controllers charger port so I cant plug it in and borrowed an unofficial PS3 controller off a mate and the PS button won't start off the process.
Does this only work with official PS3 controllers?
Sean Lenihan that’s interesting. Have you tried all the USB ports? I haven’t tried this process with a 3rd party controller myself so I’m not too sure.
Yes I only have 2 usb ports on my PS3 and switched between them a few times and couldn't get it to work 😭
Just an update I borrowed a mates official PS3 controller and got the update to work. Strange that an unofficial controller wouldn't work for it
Sean Lenihan huh, that is really weird. Glad it ended up working nonetheless and thanks for the update!
im having the same problem... looks like I will have to purchase official ps3 controller :(
Thanks heaps mate your a legend 👍
Great video
strange thing happened...
I took the 500GB HD from my PS4 after upgrading the ps4 drive..
followed your steps, but strangely after formatting on both my PC and then the ps3, everything was already set up including my sign in information...
as a word of warning, be sure to format and wipe the HD before selling or disposing!
otherwise you may be giving away your PS data!
I noticed that happening a few times with me as well. I'm not sure what it is but when using a former ps3/ps4 hard drive, it seems to recognize the previous info.
@@khan_xo that's what I thought, i was just surprised it survived a full format on my PC before I installed it in the ps3.
Very good, thank you
Thank you bro.
Worked perfectly thankyou
Well described ....Thanks