How To Upgrade Your PS3 Hard Drive

[grandy]

It doesn't matter if you have the 20GB, 60GB, 80GB or even the newer PlayStation 3 Slims--you can always use more storage space. All that available harddisk space quickly disappears once you start downloading games, demos, and HD videos. Fortunately, Sony has designed the PS3 to allow console owners to perform their own hard drive upgrades. You can go out and select your own hard drive instead of being forced to buy an official first-party harddisk accessory. However, giving console owners that freedom means aspiring upgraders will need to know how to select the right hard drive upgrade and the proper installation technique.



Harddisk manufacturer Seagate supplied us with a 160GB Momentus 5400.3 for our upgrade.

The first step to replacing the harddisk is going to the store or visiting an online retailer to pick up a new harddisk. The PS3 is compatible with just about any 2.5-inch SATA notebook harddisk. The physical size of the harddisk is important because it has to fit the PS3's 2.5-inch drive tray. As far as storage capacity goes, it doesn't make sense to go through the trouble of upgrading unless you go big: We're talking 120GB, 160GB, or even 250GB.

Once you have your upgrade drive, the next step is to backup the data on your current PS3 hard drive to an external storage unit. You can skip this step if you aren't attached to your music, videos, and game saves, but most of us will probably want to save all that information. The PS3 has a built-in software backup utility that can copy the PS3's hard drive contents to an external storage device, such as a USB thumb drive or a Memory Stick. The removable storage device must use the FAT32 file system in order for the PS3 to recognize it. If you have an external hard drive that's formatted in NTFS, you can use the Disk Management utility in Windows to reformat the drive, but you'll need to create partitions on large external hard drives because Windows can do only FAT32 on drives 32GB or smaller.



Save your data using the PS3's backup utility.

If your storage device isn't large enough to handle a full system backup, you can selectively copy data over through the various music, photo, and game menus in the XMB. Your PlayStation Network login and system settings will remain safe on the system during the entire process. After you have your data safely backed up, you can move on to the actual hard drive swap.

You will need a Phillips-head screwdriver to complete this part of the installation process. The PS3 owner's manual also includes step-by-step details on how to replace the hard drive, in case you need more instructions.



Turn off and unplug the system. Remove the plastic HD side panel, and remove the blue screw.



Open the metal latch, move the drive tray to the right, and slide out the drive.



Remove the four screws that hold the hard drive to the tray. Use a screwdriver that fits snugly because the screws are extremely tight and easy to strip.



Swap in the new drive, and replace the screws.



Put the drive tray back into the system and slide it into place. Then replace the blue screw and snap the side panel back onto the system.



Turn on the console and let the system format the new drive. Then load up the PS3 backup utility to restore data from your external storage device back onto the PS3 hard drive.

At this point you should have a newly upgraded PS3 and the leftover hard drive. You could try selling the old drive, but small-capacity used drives may not fetch enough money to be worth the hassle of finding a buyer. If you still want to make the drive useful, you can buy an external drive enclosure to make it into a portable storage device.

-NOT MY TUTORIAL-

[fielding145]

What about backed up games, will the back up utility transfer it to the external or would I use a seperate app to transfer them, or will it be faster to just back them up again with the backup manager?
Cheers

[perspex]

WOOHOO!!! THNX A LOT GRANDY.....i never knew you could do this. This stupid 80gb was getting on my nerves. TIME TO GET A 250 gb HDD :P

[damanptyltd]

I'm not sure if every knew about this but 3.41, or the original one version of it, had HDD upgrade issues. Sony correct the issue by releasing another verison of 3.41, but didn't give it a revision name or anything so you can't tell if your on the fixed firmware or not. So if your upgrading your HDD and your on 3.41, use this method just in case.

http://www.ps3harddriveupgrade341.webs.com/

[fabiopinto87]

I want to change my HDD but I'm having some concerns about it, because I want to install Jailbreak on the new HDD (500Bg) and want to keep the older (250Gb) without jailbreak, but if my console need to go to assistance I'll put the older on the console and my concern is about if they will be able to know that i've installed a jailbreak on my PS3, even if I changed my jailbreaked HDD for the original HDD?

can somebody help me?

regrats

P.S.: sorry for any typing errors...

[Gypsum411]

Just upgraded to 500gb, thanks for the guide. Just wish I had gone bigger

[perspex]

when i upgraded my hdd, it took me to the recovery menu and i had to install 3.55 ofw agian...and format the disk dere..i had to set the date n time and make the new users..so dnt freeak out if it happens to u...once u restore your original data, den it'll be all bak to normal!

[Greg0u812]

As far as storage capacity goes, it doesn't make sense to go through the trouble of upgrading unless you go big: We're talking 120GB, 160GB, or even 250GB.

I wouldn't consider "big" anything shy of 500GB.
I wanted to go with a 1TB drive until I found that it wouldn't fit in the bay.

I ended up with a 500GB because I found one on sale. I actually wanted a 750GB.

[blazie151]

What about backed up games, will the back up utility transfer it to the external or would I use a seperate app to transfer them, or will it be faster to just back them up again with the backup manager?
Cheers

This is a great guide, but leaves out the steps needed to backup EVERYTHING, including backed up games. I'm gonna quote myself from another thread...

1. Delete your game data (this will greatly speed up the process, and can be easily re-installed later much quicker).

2. Backup your "GAMES" folder to an external hard drive using comgenie's awesome file manager. It will auto split and auto re-join any files it needs to.

3. Delete your homebrew.

4. Create a backup in system settings.

5. Sync your trophies (if you care about them)

6. Revert back to ofw 3.55 through the recovery menu.

7. Replace your hard drive with the new one and follow the ps3 prompts, using the OFW file when asked.

8. Restore from your backup file created in step 4 through system settings.

9. Flash to kmeaw's cfw.

10. Re-install all your homebrew apps, as well as comgenie's awesome file manager.

11. Copy your "GAMES" folder back over to your new internal hard drive using congenie's awesome file manager. It will re-join any files it needs to automatically.

12. Re-install your deleted game data.

13. Re-sync your trophies (might take more than 1 click. I don't have many and it took 2 tries to get 'em all).

P.S. - It seems like a pain in the ass because it is. Don't cut corners with a $300 console unless you want a $300 paperweight.

[feylito285-PSG]

before the CFW'S hit I upgraded my 80 gig to a 500 gig installed the 80 gig in a old laptop and sold it for $200.00 yea nice deal. and I am soon to run out of space on my 500. I was on original ps groove via dev board. can't remember if the hack remained or not actually it did and the one game I had backed up remained as well