PS3 I connected my PS3 CFW HDD to PC and PS3 says it cannot be run correctly

Impaler said:
pinky, believe it or not.............. I RECOVERED! :D thanks to invaluable advice from Mr. 3141card which got my gears rolling and came up with the rest of the plan.

He wrote a pm asking if I formatted the hdd already. and since I was unable to say I quit, in my mind, I left it alone and did not give up. then he told me about how first sector is only overwritten by windows and how can I use winhex to restore it. so I made a hdd image of the bad ps3 with HDD Raw Copy v1.10 then I formatted the exact same drive, installed cfw I had on it originally. then I hooked it up to PC, opened that hdd in winhex, exported first sector. then I restored that bad image to that drive. opened it in winhex, pasted the first sector and saved. and it worked just fine. PS3 booted as if nothing ever happened :) a big lesson here for me and I got scott free, whew, sad that you were not that lucky.
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How do you do the "export and paste first sector" part of the fix mate?, I would be very grateful if you could help me, I did the image already and formated the source hdd.
 
Hello, everyone i am been using Ps3 hen for a while now I want to dlc for my games most of my games are on disc. I wanted to download dlcs for Assassin Creed 3 I looked up videos to it, I followed the steps and download psnpatch and made sure I had the Rap files but I still can't access it . Do anyone have any suggestions?
 
Hey man, it's a bit foggy, a lot of time passed. First off I used WINHEX program, loaded HDD image and copied first few bytes. how exactly I did that I dont remember, did I find an option in the program something like copy first byte. or I have I manually selected that. however end result you get some ones and zeros that you then later write over the damaged HDD.
 
Nowhere said:
Hello, everyone i am been using Ps3 hen for a while now I want to dlc for my games most of my games are on disc. I wanted to download dlcs for Assassin Creed 3 I looked up videos to it, I followed the steps and download psnpatch and made sure I had the Rap files but I still can't access it . Do anyone have any suggestions?
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Can you please create your own thread?
This question is 100% off topic here.
 
pinky said:
yeah, I told you that story to show you that you're not the only one to have made that mistake. it sucks, I know, but at least now you know now. I had a lot of games and several saves on my wii u. most of those saves were 100% too, so it sucked big time.stupid encryption crap. I backed up my 360's hdd via ethernet a few months ago. I have the transfer cable which works with a few pc apps. those apps are supposed to be used to make a disc image of the drive, but I read about them being unstable and not working on drives above 500GBs, so I backed up the drive manually. it took a long time to backup a 1TB drive at 4MBs/s.. lol the ps3 is much faster (around 30MBs/s) via ethernet, so you could use that next time you try to backup the drive. I have a tutorial on bridging your internet connection in my ps3 tutorials thread. :)
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Have you heard of Dumpster U? A friend of mine from the Nintendo Homebrew discord created this program that lets you dump Wii U games from your Wii U formatted drive. And you're correct, the program ironically needs the otp and seeprom.bin files to access it.
 
would that have worked with an initialized drive? I don't think that app existed or any app for getting content off the wii u hdd when that happened. I have all my saves back though. I didn't have a backup of them, so I went through the games again. yoshi's island and super mario 64 are a pita to get 100%. I did yoshi's island, but I took the Mario 64 save from an uploaded 100% from someone else, since I didn't want to go through the entire game again. it doesn't contain your name, so it was fine. I had been messing with hexing in saves on the wii u from the ds and n64. n64 is pretty straight forward iirc, but ds games have to have their padding removing from the save on a flash cart, since the wii u uses minimal or no padding. save won't be detected otherwise. I think the save is like 8KBs for new super mario bros ds while the flash cart save is 512KBs or so, almost all of which is padding. all tests worked except for when I included the padding.
 
pinky said:
would that have worked with an initialized drive? I don't think that app existed or any app for getting content off the wii u hdd when that happened. I have all my saves back though. I didn't have a backup of them, so I went through the games again. yoshi's island and super mario 64 are a pita to get 100%. I did yoshi's island, but I took the Mario 64 save from an uploaded 100% from someone else, since I didn't want to go through the entire game again. it doesn't contain your name, so it was fine. I had been messing with hexing in saves on the wii u from the ds and n64. n64 is pretty straight forward iirc, but ds games have to have their padding removing from the save on a flash cart, since the wii u uses minimal or no padding. save won't be detected otherwise. I think the save is like 8KBs for new super mario bros ds while the flash cart save is 512KBs or so, almost all of which is padding. all tests worked except for when I included the padding.
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Probably not, but I didn't even know you could initialize a Wii U formatted drive. The format is proprietary so it shouldn't even be able to show in disk management.

Unless, you took the internal HDD out and put it inside of an enclosure?
 
it will try to initialize if you go into disk management iirc. it will ask you. it won't show up in disk management unless you initialize it.
 
Hi
I have the same problem I plugged the ps3 hdd into pc. I have made a backup of the hdd and reinstalled cfw, I can find the hdd on winhex but that's where I am stuck. I don't know how to save the first sector or restore it
 
sandungas said:
The solution suggested by impaler is right, ive heard about this before
When microsoft windows "initializes" the hdd, it overwrites the first sector of it... so that sector is lost forever... only the PS3 can create it, and it needs to match with that same hdd model/capacity

So the solution is to make a full (and raw) backup of the whole hdd with the data it has now (contains the broken sector)
Then format it in PS3... and take it back to a PC... make a "copy" of the first sector... and save it somewhere else
Next step is to restore the whole hdd backup (the original data with the broken sector)... and "paste" the first sector (the good one from the previous step)


Edit:
To make an hdd backup you can use https://clonezilla.org/ (download the LiveCD iso), there are many ways to make a hdd backup but this one allows for a couple of usefull things:
-it boots in "live" mode (so is not dependant of any operative system)
-it allows to make "raw" backups, internally it uses the "dd" command (in this mode is filesystem "agnostic")
-allows to compress the backup "on the fly" (the compression adds a bit of processor workload but is aceptable and the final size is reduced A LOT)

You need a PC with 2 connected hdds:
-source (the ps3 hdd)
-target (the other hdd where is going to be stored the ps3 backup)
Better disconnect all other devices of the motherboard to avoid mistakes (just incase, you know, heheh)
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Hi. Totally new here and signed up just so I could comment on this thread cause I am in dire need of help with the same issue. However, mine is not custom firmware. My PS3 is also launch day fat PS3. I plugged in my PS3 HDD to clone it to an SDD. Accidentally initialized it to MBR (Master Boot Record). Did nothing else after that. Followed all your steps using HDD Raw Copy Tool. Made an image of the bad drive and then formatted it to get an image of the good drive to replace the bad sectors. However, I did not realize I made a compressed image and not a full image as it defaults to compressed image in the drop down menu when you type in a save file name. And I had already formatted the bad drive in the PS3 before I realized it. If I restore, the compressed image with the bad sector (and hopefully all my save data) to re-backup the full raw dd, will all my save data be retained and am I back to the step where I just need to replace the bad sector with the good one? Or did I totally F%$# up formatting the first time before I realized I had a compressed image on my hands?
 
Update: To answer my own question and for anyone else who comes across this in the future, yes. All my save data is restored and everything is working just as it was before. Just remember to save the image as a raw dd instead of compressed image in the drop down menu of HDD Raw Copy Tool when it asks you to type in a save file name or Winhex (or any hex editor) wont show the sector needed to replace. You HAVE to have the entire image. You guys are all lifesavers. Thank you so very much. I will come back later and post a comprehensive step by step where it's easy to follow and very detailed so you won't make the same mistakes I did.
 
JamesonTB said:
Update: To answer my own question and for anyone else who comes across this in the future, yes. All my save data is restored and everything is working just as it was before. Just remember to save the image as a raw dd instead of compressed image in the drop down menu of HDD Raw Copy Tool when it asks you to type in a save file name or Winhex (or any hex editor) wont show the sector needed to replace. You HAVE to have the entire image. You guys are all lifesavers. Thank you so very much. I will come back later and post a comprehensive step by step where it's easy to follow and very detailed so you won't make the same mistakes I did.
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Nice you fixed it :)

The compression of the backup image was not a problem, what i meant is... after formating the hdd in the PS3 to generate the sector (and copying it somewhere else) you can restore the backup in the hdd (included the damaged sector)

And then you can connect the hdd to PC and use the hexeditor to "open device" (instead of "open file"), this is going to show the hdd contents in raw like if it was a file... but is the real hdd
And this is when you can overwrite the sector... as the last step of the procedures, after that you can connect the hdd to PS3 and it should boot normally like if nothing happened

Btw, im reading what i wrote and there is a detail that worths to me mentioned... i said that enabling the compression option in filezilla (to reduce size of the hdd backup file) was going to reduce size a lot... but im not so sure about that because depends of the encrypted regions of the hdd
The hdd have some regions without encryption... this ones are going to have a nice compression ratio
But the big bulk of the hdd (region dev_hdd0) is fully encrypted and the comrpession in it is going to be pathetic

Is pretty much the same that happens if we try to compress a PS3UPDAT.PUP... the resulting file is equal (and sometimes bigger) than the original, lol
How much size reduction you had in the comrpessed backup, do you remember ?... if you are going to make some tutorial and the comrpession was bad i guess is better to dont enable the compression option in clonezilla
 
Step by step guide was here since ancient times, just no one read tutorial section. :P
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-fixing-windows-disk-initalization.27599/

About HDD Raw Copy Tool and it's compressed format: compression is made by sector, so it means they can be extracted and decompressed (there is a tool on github for that, yet I forgot the name, it can be easily used with cat on Linux to probe only specified count of data probing). Anyway, of course it is making its own life harder.
 
Impaler said:
pinky, believe it or not.............. I RECOVERED! :D thanks to invaluable advice from Mr. 3141card which got my gears rolling and came up with the rest of the plan.

He wrote a pm asking if I formatted the hdd already. and since I was unable to say I quit, in my mind, I left it alone and did not give up. then he told me about how first sector is only overwritten by windows and how can I use winhex to restore it. so I made a hdd image of the bad ps3 with HDD Raw Copy v1.10 then I formatted the exact same drive, installed cfw I had on it originally. then I hooked it up to PC, opened that hdd in winhex, exported first sector. then I restored that bad image to that drive. opened it in winhex, pasted the first sector and saved. and it worked just fine. PS3 booted as if nothing ever happened :) a big lesson here for me and I got scott free, whew, sad that you were not that lucky.
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Hi, I did the same mistake a moment ago. I'm copying the image of the drive now, which will take some time, but, in the meanwhile, it would help me a lot if you could explain some things for me.

So, when you said you formatted the drive, did you mean through the ps3 and with an update file on a usb stick ? Or on PC ?
Also, afterwards, did you install the CFW as per the usual ways through the ps3 ?

And, lastly, I don't know much when it comes to using winhex, or exporting sectors, or restoring images...

I understand that restoring an image means using the image file/the copy of ps3 hdd on the now formatted hdd, but, not how to do that in winhex. Also, the only winhex I found is an old one that needs a license to be used fully. The only function it gives me is the ability to copy the hdd.

Here is my Discord username : Meli #6318.

If anyone else can help me also, please, add me on Discord.
 
After I made the HDD image I have put the HDD back in ps3 and with a CFW on the USB stick and installed it as usual. Then took it out and made the first sector copy.

The ps3 will to partition the hdd in same way like on first time.
1. Backup of the whole hdd, including the fu**ed up sector 0.
2. Format the hdd new in your ps3, now you have a working sector 0, backup him :)
3. restore the hdd with your backup and replace the fu**ed up sector 0 with the new one.

go to Tools -> Open Disk, (F9)
In the next window you must find your hdd, and open as Physical Media.
Thats the raw hdd, and the first 512 byte are sector 0.

Open your hdd with the damaged sector 0 and the 512 byte file with your backup of the new sector 0.
Select and copy the new sector 0 to clipboard: Edit -> Copy Block -> Hex Values
Go to the hdd, select the damaged sector 0, right click the first byte(offset 0),
now: Edit -> Clipboard Data -> Write
say yes and save the hdd to apply the changes.
 
I don't know why you have to connect the PS3 HD to the PC, but if you're like me, who just wants to know how long it's useful life or how long it's been used, just connect the HD to the PC using a USB case and open the Crystaldiskinfo program, you don't need to start up or click anything else.
The program somehow manages to recognize the disk and show you the S.M.A.R.T. it, but it does not appear in the file manager!
The only place it appears without formatting is in 'disk management' in W10.
 
if you're like me, who just wants to know how long it's useful life or how long it's been used, just connect the HD to the PC using a USB case and open the Crystaldiskinfo program, you don't need to start up or click anything else.
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It doesn't matter if disk is connected via USB or SATA, Windows will ask about "initializing it" because he detecting it is as empty. Many cheap USB controllers have many flaws in atacmds support, so it is strongly not recommended way until You are sure that power surge is enough, covering up SMART asks, supporting LBA48 addressing, and his chipset is 64bit.

I don't know why you have to connect the PS3 HD to the PC
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People connecting internal disk to PC to copy their data back and forth. Not everyone have patient and trust in not reliable FTP or slow USB. ;)

The program somehow manages to recognize the disk and show you the S.M.A.R.T. it, but it does not appear in the file manager!
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Because disk is encrypted by unknown keys by unknown algos to Windows, and even if it wouldn't be, partition table is custom BSD one, with main partition on UFS2 instead to only readable FAT12/16/32, exFAT, TexFAT, NTFS and ReFS. :P

And not somehow but it not need reading logic structure, it asks HDD firmware to show his report from his internal memory, stored outside one exposed to the user.
 
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