How to Recover Data from PS3 hard drive

Theo Lucia

Jun 29, 2023 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

A hard drive is a place where data is stored. By substituting a hard drive with 2.5 inches SATA hard drive a PS3 or Play Station 3 hard drive is formed. PS3 is a system of game soothes. PS3 has been planned to run pairing with any piece of equipment that is used with its interface. It is used as a media center to watch movies, view photos and images, browse the internet, and hear music. This particular hard drive is used to store all the files that are stored within the system.

ps3 hard drive is located behind another hard drive inlet cover beside the system. Once the inlet cover is removed, the hard drive gets capability of being accessed by removing the blue retaining screw and the slides outside the hard drive cage system.

Part 1: Steps of ps3 hard drive recovery

Since all your media files like movies, photos, and images are stored on ps3 hard drive, they will get lost once ps3 hard drive crashes. You should know that if the device crashed in the middle, then it is hard to get back this data without data recovery software or data recovery service. Compared with the data recovery service, data recovery software will be quicker and cheaper. In this section, data recovery software will be introduced to recover files from the ps3 hard drive.

Step 1: Download and install the software Wondershare Data Recovery.
Step 2: Connect the external ps3 hard drive with a USB cable to the back USB port of your computer. If the hard drive is recognized, then right-click the icon of My Computer and choose Manage. Then find Disk Management and then you will find your hard drive here. By changing the drive letter, you will get it to list in My Computer. Right-click on your ps3 hard drive and choose "Change drive letter and path" to change the drive letter.

Step 3: Run the software.

Step 4: Choose file types and then external removable drives.
Step 5: Scan the drive and preview files, then choose files to be recovered, and click " Recover".

Part 2: Troubleshooting of ps3 hard drive errors

Here below are five common errors of ps3 hard drives and their solution to fix the errors.

Question 1: How to fix PS3 No Signal Error?

Answer: When you click on the menu to play a game, there happens nothing and you become violent for playing the game but sometimes you can't. In DVD and CD, this is a great common problem that troubles you deeply. PS3 No Signal Error is seen while the following errors trouble to play the games. They are as follows:

Dirty Disk: When dust and dirt build up on the disk it, unfortunately, slows down your PC to play the game. Simply wipe the dust away with a soft cloth in a circular motion. This will help you solve the PS3 No Signal Error problem.

Scratched Disk: To avoid scratches you shall have to keep your PS3 hard disk in a box when it is not in use.

Dirty Lens: Keep your disk clean, this will keep the lens clean. Thus clean the dirty lens you can solve the problem. To clean the dirty lens you can just buy lens cleaner for DVD players or PS3 hard drives and use it while you play.

Question 2: How to fix the yellow light of death YLOD?

Answer: When both the CPU and GPU get disconnected from the motherboard YLOD happens. The motherboard sometimes gets overheated and PS3's yellow light starts blinking. First, check whether there is a loose cable. A simple but slightly loose cable can cause big trouble. Just restart the system if it is not found. Unplug the cables and plug them in again. Keep your room temperature normal; neither cold nor hot. Ensure that the air circulation in the room is fine. You can try the following process to fix the error:

Take off the cover and remove the screws. Then slide out the frame and place the box on a flat surface. Place the PS3 inside the box and use a hair dryer to blow out hot air. After an hour you will see the problem is solved.

Question 3: How to fix the red screen of death

Answer: When RSOD is displayed on the screen your PC does not accept any modification and stops accepting any command from your side.

It occasionally happens due to problems created with graphics cards on your system. The graphics card driver installs automatically some exe files which trouble your PC showing RSOD. Rebooting your computer generally fixes your problem.

Question 4: How to fix the PS3 Disk read error

Answer: This is an error that pops up and informs you that the system is unable to read the disk. A blue ray drive is used in PS3 which helps the driver to read the games CD inserted in your PC. When the laser fails to read the disk this happens due to the erratically functioning of your drive. This shows the disk read error. In this case, you need to have patience and require opening the PS3 case to solve the problem.

To remove the power cord and cables you need to lift the HD door and remove the blue screw from the inner section of the ps3 hard drive. To remove the warranty sticker you just unscrew the rubber foot from the inner space and keep it aside.

Remove the disk magnet and the blue screw. Open the metal bracket. Remove all the screws and mount the new laser to the metal bracket and the white plastic clip. Attach the ribbon cable and clip it back to the position. Attach the metal brackets and screw them back. Insert the disc magnet and attach the power cable. Later on, insert the blue-ray drive back inside the system then replace the blue screw snapping the side panel to support the system.

Question 5: How to restore the hard drive on PS3?

Answer: When the hard disk needs to be restored or it fails to access XMB, the ps3 hard drive shows the message to restore the hard drive on PS3 continuously. This may be due to the video connection not working properly. To avoid this message and to solve the problem, choose safe mode and "Restore File System" to repair the damaged file on your hard drive. If this does not work then enter safe mode again and select "Rebuild Data Base". This will erase all your messages, playlist, and changes made to your important information for pictures and all. This will rebuild the PS3 database but will erase all.

Part 3: Reasons Behind the Deletion of Media Files from PS3 Hard Drive

For gamers, data is something very essential. It’s the effort that they’ve done in a specific period. Like every other gaming console, PS3 also has a hard drive to store data. However, the data on the hard drive is vulnerable to numerous entities. It is always suggested to find the cause behind the deletion of data before recovering it. Here are some of the most common culprits behind the deletion of media files on the hard drive of PS3;

Sudden Ejection

May it is PS3 or any other console, ungraceful ejection can always cause trouble. When data is being transferred from one drive to another, ejecting the hard drive can have disastrous results. Not only this but even when the console is reading the data, it is advised not to interrupt in between. Multiple sudden ejections can lead to data deletion from the hard drive. Always utilize the standard procedure before ejecting the hard drive.

Severe Virus Attack

Like in computer hard drives or any other storage device, virus attacks are prone to take place. A virus is responsible for causing trouble to the hard drive resulting in the loss of data. Virus attacks can be severe enough to affect the entire data present on the storage device. Suppose any device is attached to an infected computer system, there are chances that the virus may travel to your hard drive in no time. Only connect your storage device to trustable computer systems.

Unintentionally deletion

It is one of the most common reasons behind the dilemma of data deletion all over the world. Most of the time, you are deleting irrelevant files from your storage device and accidentally deleting some of the important ones too. When you take frequent actions while deleting anything, this problem may occur. Sometimes people are not fully aware of the data deletion keys which can also be a reason behind data loss from PS3 hard drives.

Accidentally Formatting the Memory Card

Same to unintentional deletion, accidental formatting of the memory card can also take place. If your hard drive is connected to a computer and you choose the “Format” option accidentally, your data will be lost. Even if you’re using your play station 3, and press the “format” option in the settings, all your data will be lost. This can result in complete data loss.

Some Other Reasons

Apart from all the reasons mentioned above, more perpetrators can cause data loss. Physical damage to the hard drive from falling is also a serious cause of data loss in PS3. People who use storage devices even when it’s full and giving errors are also prone to face the trouble of data loss. A hard drive is a sensitive storage device that can get faulty even from minor hardware damage.

In PS3, it is significant to remember that using the “Delete” button or “CTRL+X” can result in data loss from the PS3 hard drive.

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FAQs

What happens if you restore the file system on PS3?

When you restore the file system on PS3, the system will be checked for missing and corrupt system files. In addition, it can be used to rebuild the database and will clear up storage space. However, you will lose the system settings, playlists, and videos.

Can you swap hard drives between PS3?

Yes, you can swap hard drives between PS3 but make sure the hard drives are formatted by the PS3 that you are currently using. Also, never opt for hot-swapping and the PS3 must be switched off for this.

How can I get pictures of my broken PS3?

First of all, connect the PS3’s hard drive to the system and open the software. The second step is to choose the recover photos option and press the scan button on the PS3 drive. When the scanning is completed, you can check out the recovered pictures and save them.

Will a PS3 hard drive work on a laptop?

Yes, the PS3 hard drive can work on the laptop since it’s the SATA hard drive. It is already available on some laptops, by the way.

How do you fix a corrupted PS3 hard drive?

For fixing the corrupted PS3 hard drive, you have to remove the HDD and reformat it through your computer. Once it is reformatted, you can reinstall the driver.