PS3 At PSN's door...system activation question

[RustyFatsoslim]

How do I delete the fake activation data and begin to replay my old games online?

A little background.. I had the desire to take my old slim and get it from ReBUG 4.82 to the latest EvilNat 4.91.2. I realized I wasn't going to revive my YLOD PS3 fattie. The slim with 120 gb had little storage room to support my usage and the fatso had an upgraded 1TB drive just collecting dust bunnies... It was time to get this slim where I always dreamed it could be! After much research and reading. I took the steps to backup my slim in preparation for the new drive. Got the old data loaded on, ripped some discs to utilize my new wealth of storage, and got (mostly) everything functioning as it had been.

I enjoyed the benefits of an offline CFW system for many years but always had the desire to get back online since my fatso YLOD'd. I recognize that playing online with CFW risks a ban. I also recognize going online with fake activation data significantly risks a ban if I sign into SEN. If you read this far thank you and sorry if I am needlessly posting. Based on what I've read in posts here on Psx Place it seems as simple as going into dev_hdd0/home/0000000x/exdata and deleting "act.dat," then disable syscalls and do the activation. If this is the only fake activation data I need to delete before trying this then I appreciate someone confirming I got a green light.

There have been many steps to getting to this point and many hurdles which I would eventually overcome. However I really want to be careful and certain I do this the right way. I currently use the local account from the before the HDD upgrade to play my backups. I plan to use a "dummy" local user profile for my online gaming and a newly created SEN account. Do I need to delete act.dat but leave act.bak untouched? Do I delete act.dat for all existing local user profiles? On the aa dummy user profile that I used to restore during the HDD upgrade? Or only the one in which I utilized fake activation?
Currently my main local profile (and player 2 local user profile) for playing backups has the blue circle Sign In icon within the PlayStation Network column on the XMB. The other local profiles have black/red sqaure Sign Up and CFW Quick Sign Up icons.

Delete the act.dat, disable syscalls, and proceed to SEN. Seems I'm almost there but I want to do it right. I appreciate any tips and guidance.. Since the start of my journey much improvements have been made and I can't give enough thanks to the PS3 community for supporting the system as we approach the midpoint of this decade. I look forward to continuing to gain knowledge and reliving some of our favorite game experiences.

 

[Charles_n_town]

aa? Sounds like you used reactpsn. You don't need it anymore. Sony would only ban the offending account, so if you plan to use a normal act.dat for your backups, I wouldn't worry about this. Sony looks for any unauthorized app usage like homebrew or pirated games. Some games like bo2 scan your hdd, but it can't differentiate between a legit and pirated game, so you could be banned in either case. Aside from a few games, and obviously cheating, I wouldn't worry about a ban. You don't need to delete the act.dat, but I would disable syscalls. Other than that, I think you're good.

 

[RustyFatsoslim]

aa? Sounds like you used reactpsn.

So I followed both Lost Lombax's Tutorial Replace PS3 HDD and keep Previous Data as well as Berion's Ultimate Manual Backup Guide, translated by AdamCatalyst. I also referenced other posts on other sites which is how I named that dummy local profile as "aa." They said to delete it since it's necessary only to restore things but I never did. With the dummy account I didn't use ReactPSN in the process of the backup or anytime after completing it. I can't remember if the fake activation was done via CFW abilities in the XMB or from Apollo.

Sony would only ban the offending account, so if you plan to use a normal act.dat for your backups, I wouldn't worry about this.

• Are you telling me if I sign in with my newly created SEN account, on my local user profile which I mainly used for offline gaming that has fake activation, they would not console ban me but instead ban that SEN account? This is reassuring but I still want to avoid having to create another SEN account.
  
• Currently I have the local user account for my offline gaming with a fake activation. By normal act.dat, do you mean one obtained legit from signing into SEN? Because my plan is to separate my offline local user profile for playing backups from an online local user profile that is linked with a SEN account. I just want to be certain I won't risk a ban having used fake activation.

I am trying to get some assurance and understanding of how this works, so I ask you please forgive me if it's a noob question. Perhaps my misunderstanding stems from the connotation of the term "Fake activation," compared to "system activation." Though as a reference, my anxiety of a console ban stems from this post.

If you want to play online you have to properly activate using PSN. The fake activation done by Evilnat / Apollo can only be used for offline stuff that requires activation (e.g., using RAP files). If you go online with fake activation it's very likely to be detected and get you banned.
It is relatively safe to activate on PSN even with CFW as long as you delete any fake activation data (if you have used that option already) and disable syscalls before you login and activate..

1. In the above does NiQ refer to a SEN account ban or console ban?
2. To delete fake activation data, which files would I need to find?
3. Is deleting the fake activation data a necessary step for all local user profiles on my system? I have backed up act.dat, act.bak, and act1.dat (backup of when fake activation took place) in anticipation of getting a proper activation from Sony.

My plan is to keep the first user profile offline for game backups single-player only. Then I will create a separate user profile which will be tied to a SEN account to enjoy playing some multiplayer (not any BO2, Destiny, etc). I just want to be certain on how I can delete any evidence of fake activation and safely play without the risk of a console ban.

 

[Charles_n_town]

sony does ban account and system, but what matters, as far as signing into psn goes, is whether that account that's signed in is being used legitimately. there's no way to be 100% safe on cfw/hen, but disabling syscalls would mitigate the risk. though, the chances of being banned anymore are relatively low. I wouldn't worry about another account (that's not signed in) has a fake act.dat.

 

[Berion]

How do I delete the fake activation data and begin to replay my old games online?

Delete exdata folder in target profile because act.dat and licenses are inside.

I also recognize going online with fake activation data significantly risks a ban if I sign into SEN.

You will not be able to sign in if fake activation because NPAID used for that, not exist on servers side. But if you have in mind by "fake activation" the activation which used yours NPAID, then it is identical to official and what you want to do is totally pointless.

 

[RustyFatsoslim]

I wouldn't worry about another account (that's not signed in) has a fake act.dat.

I appreciate your feedback! I do feel more reassured I'll be okay. There's folks who yack about doing x, y, and z online without getting banned and then those who say to never go online with a HFW/CFW system. I just want to relive the online experiences of a few games and hop online with friends. At some point I do plan to get an OFW system whether that means buying a second-hand one or fixing my old fattie. It would feel good to access my old PSN main account worry-free and hop into some zombies. One thing at a time though.

Delete exdata folder in target profile because act.dat and licenses are inside.

Thanks so much for the instruction!

NPAID used for that, not exist on servers side. But if you have in mind by "fake activation" the activation which used yours NPAID, then it is identical to official and what you want to do is totally pointless.

Is it safe to presume that means "Network Provided Account ID?" Or is it related to the NP environment?

I have never taken this ps3 online. It has been on CFW since many years ago. I'm very cautious because I want to avoid a console ban or an account ban. I only wish to play some games online. Would you recommend that I make a new local user profile on my system, a new SEN account, and then follow the steps to activate system in SEN the normal way?

 

[NiQ]

I have never taken this ps3 online. It has been on CFW since many years ago. I'm very cautious because I want to avoid a console ban or an account ban. I only wish to play some games online. Would you recommend that I make a new local user profile on my system, a new SEN account, and then follow the steps to activate system in SEN the normal way?

Even though the risk of a ban these days is low (assuming you don't cheat, don't trophy hack, and remember to disable syscalls before logging in), you can't guarantee 100% safety, and since the consequences of a ban are very severe (the account is completely closed), most people prefer to use an alt account in order to avoid any risk to their main.

 

[Berion]

Thanks so much for the instruction!

Keep in mind, that will delete only activation and licenses. If you want get rid of NP Account ID (BTW, I dunno from what exactly shortcut came from), you need blank that parram in its node in "xRegistry.sys". Or just use another local account (not yet tied to any SEN account) for future activation (no matter by which method).

In summary:

• You cannot use random NPAID to login to SEN.
• You need clear exdata and NPAID in settings file for that local account to make it clear (not registered/activated).
• You need use existing, yours NPAID for activation by eg. Apollo. It will be valid. Or do this by official way, it doesn't matter.

PS: If you want keep your licenses, first export them to RAP format which is decrypted and strip from any personal stuff. Ready to be imported later to formal licenses.