PS3 PS3 calling format HDD

M

mjak

Forum Noob
Hello.
My console is CECHL04 80GB with the latest OFW 4.90 .BD drive has failed - electronics board. I bought a used BD and started pairing it. A few years ago I replaced the drive with a 1TB one and I have a lot of valuable things that I care about.
PROBLEM - while preparing to upload CFW 4.90 to remarry the new drive with the console, something went wrong. I used ps3tools.com. Unfortunately, after flashing and dumping, the next step was to patch from the Internet. Then I restarted the console and I was supposed to upload CFW, but unfortunately after the patch from the Internet, the console could not run 6.System update in service menu. After several tries it has run, but stopped loading new FM at 98%. Then after turning power on, console stopped recognizing the mass memory and want to format it before uploading the new FW.
I had a spare blank HDD, so I installed a new OFW 4.90 system, then converted it to CFW 4.90 and paired the drive. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get back to the disk where I have 14 years of PS3 play history. I have a dump of the proven Md5checker and it is error-free. I scanned the HDD on the PC and everything was fine(only 1 delay,no bad sectors).
Now I got the eid_rootkey taken from system because it works with new clean HDD. But I want to back to my old HDD. So what should I do?
My idea is to use eid_rootkey to read the HDD in Windows and copy old HDD to the new one I bought 1TB SSD. Then put in the old HDD to PS3 and let format disk, but what then? How to move back data from new SSD to old HDD. Will it work? Or maybe is better solution. BTW I don't know Linux at all.
 
GuilloteTesla said:
I would advice against using an SSD.

The PS3 is not compatible with most of them, only bringing short and long term issues.
Click to expand...
Hi. I bought SSD just to make a copy. I want to use again my HDD which is already unable to start working with PS3 without format and I dont know how to fix it without data loss.
 
As I understand, You already copied data from old PS3 SDD (via PS3 HDD Reader on Windows, right?). And You already have CFW or else it wouldn't be possible in the first place. So just copy data back via FTP Client.

On Linux it is not trivial task to setting up write possibility on UFS2. And NetBSD solution has been not yet well tested.

Interesting links for You: :P
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ultimate-userdata-backup-guide.29037/
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-hdd-mounting-and-decryption-on-linux.23308/
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/guide-ssd-for-playstation-3.42499/unread
 
Berion said:
As I understand, You already copied data from old PS3 SDD (via PS3 HDD Reader on Windows, right?). And You already have CFW or else it wouldn't be possible in the first place. So just copy data back via FTP Client.

On Linux it is not trivial task to setting up write possibility on UFS2. And NetBSD solution has been not yet well tested.

Interesting links for You: :P
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ultimate-userdata-backup-guide.29037/
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-hdd-mounting-and-decryption-on-linux.23308/
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/guide-ssd-for-playstation-3.42499/unread
Click to expand...

Hi Berion. I was hoping you would join this discussion :)
I was not sure if I should copy data from my old HDD to the new SSD with HDD Reader. Now I will do this ( not as .ISO just full data, right ? ) When HDD was down by 98%, it was when I tried to apply CFW 4.90. Beforehand HDD worked with Sony OFW 4.90. After applying CFW with temporary HDD I pulled eid_rootkey. Then I went to OFW 4.90 which already installed on PS3.

Thank you for links. I read this solutions but I still don't know what to do next because I didn't create any copies before current problem. And I dont want to use Linux if not necessary.
 
OK, I have checked HDD in Windows by Disk Manager /Properties/Wolumines and i have found tjhat Partition style is GUID (GPT ). So I think this is a problem. Probably I must rebuild the sector changed by Windows?
 
Hi. I'm joining to everything related to data recovery. The more twisted shit, the more interesting. ;]

PS3 HDD Reader is for reading data, not writing. You can using it for data copy from PS3 HDD to Your PC (what is worth to copy You have in tutorial). After that, You can send files to current PS3 HDD via FTP Client like eg. Filezilla. But... that's for CFW. If You decided to write back OFW, then You have no way to write data back to PS3 again on Windows. If PS3 HDD Reader will be unable to recognize disk, You will be doomed to Linux anyway which is not so scary but this task demand from You some time dedication if You want safe road (NetBSD or FreeBSD in VM via Linux host). :P
 
The problematic HDD didnt have the CFW installed, beacuse it stopped installing on 98%. So probably it still has the 4.90 OFW, just like before initializing the process of CFW install.

PS3 HDD Reader didnt read the HDD drive that I want to save, nor the replacement drive that I've used to implement the CFW, generating the root key and then returning back to OFW. But I can change between the OFW and CFW as many times as I want to, just by using the temporary HDD.
So now I understand that my last resort is using Linux on virtual machine and following the tutorials you've linked?

I have found your 2020 manual about repairing the initialization of PS3 drive on windows, but my console is CECHL so i have the NOR memory which is apparently no good. What I understand now is that windows is no good anymore, and linux it is.
 
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Firmware is not installed on HDD but on console. It doesn't matter what contains, and ERK will always be the same on that console. ERK is not generated but read.

If You want only read data from PS3 HDD, then easier and more efficient be using live usb/disc instead VM (You don't need to install anything anywhere, Linux can be run entirely from RAM and/or installer on USB). If You want read but also write into target HDD, You cannot use VM until You have very very powerful PC (because You will be virtualising Linux and inside of it virtualising *BSD).

First time You mentioned about disk initializing in Windows. It is not related to what You described in first post until You as addition problem add it to the equation. ;) And why You thinking NOR model is not good for that?
 
Berion said:
Firmware is not installed on HDD but on console. It doesn't matter what contains, and ERK will always be the same on that console. ERK is not generated but read.

If You want only read data from PS3 HDD, then easier and more efficient be using live usb/disc instead VM (You don't need to install anything anywhere, Linux can be run entirely from RAM and/or installer on USB). If You want read but also write into target HDD, You cannot use VM until You have very very powerful PC (because You will be virtualising Linux and inside of it virtualising *BSD).

First time You mentioned about disk initializing in Windows. It is not related to what You described in first post until You as addition problem add it to the equation. ;) And why You thinking NOR model is not good for that?
Click to expand...

To be honest, you are expert and I'm a newbie, so I don't understand some described actions.
I know that ERK is still the same no matter OFW/CFW/HDD is installed. So I got ERK like below, was imported directly to USB pendrive. Only 1KB - is it ok?
upload_2024-1-21_1-51-20.png

When I connected HDD to PC ( now I know that partition is failed due to GPT ), PS3 HDD Reader cannot find HDD ( no matter if with GUI or cmd way ). My doubts to NOR and disk changing are because of your Polish article you mentioned about.
I hope my goal is clear - I just want to get back my data from this hdd by cloning to another or repair this one in the easiest way. I dont care about hardware (mean HDD), just want all collected data, profiles, games and saves. So my qustestion is if I can stay in Windows enviroment or Linux is the only way?
 
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ERK is 48B, not 1KiB but probably Explorer shows bullshit, rounded to clusters size.

If You so called initialized HDD, then PS3 HDD Reader will not be able to read its contents. In that case, You have two ways. Doing what tutorial says in fixing that initializing did, but since You changing HDD, it will be waste of time as hell. Or just read HDD on Linux and copy data from it to PC which another tutorial covering up. But instead using "PS3 HDD Mounter (Read Only).sh" like tutorial says, You need to use "PS3 HDD Mounter (Missing PS3PT).sh". Both are almost the same with that exception that You will be asked for start LBA of two partitions (and that's thing which You must guess because You overwritten PS3 Partition Table by MBR or GPT, so try first the procedure with normal mounter and fully working HDD to know what to expect, and after that try with broken HDD). WSL2 cannot be used, VM can be but You making Your life harder with that, due to need of additional setup pass through Windows partitions to VM to have place where to copy contents from PS3 HDD.
 
Berion said:
ERK is 48B, not 1KiB but probably Explorer shows bullshit, rounded to clusters size.

If You so called initialized HDD, then PS3 HDD Reader will not be able to read its contents. In that case, You have two ways. Doing what tutorial says in fixing that initializing did, but since You changing HDD, it will be waste of time as hell. Or just read HDD on Linux and copy data from it to PC which another tutorial covering up. But instead using "PS3 HDD Mounter (Read Only).sh" like tutorial says, You need to use "PS3 HDD Mounter (Missing PS3PT).sh". Both are almost the same with that exception that You will be asked for start LBA of two partitions (and that's thing which You must guess because You overwritten PS3 Partition Table by MBR or GPT, so try first the procedure with normal mounter and fully working HDD to know what to expect, and after that try with broken HDD). WSL2 cannot be used, VM can be but You making Your life harder with that, due to need of additional setup pass through Windows partitions to VM to have place where to copy contents from PS3 HDD.
Click to expand...
I think I can have a problem with eid_rootkey. I have tried with new disk from console with 4.90 OFW and PS3 HDD Reader -> HDD GUI cannot see this new HDD either. And it is not a problem that it was generated when fw was CFW 4.90 Evilnat and now HDD is OFW 4.90? EDIT : I checked and rootkey is 48B, so seems to be ok.
So why PS3 HDD Reader not see PS3 HDD at all? Is this fw conflict? HDD is plugged to PC by directly sata, not usb-sata. Is it matter?
 
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@mjak ERK is always the same on the same console, so it doesn't matter on what fw was dumped or on what storage used.

You must run PS3 HDD Reader as administrator, due to it needs sector access to the device. Antivirus application can interfering for the same reasons. Also do not run it from path with white spaces. But at the end, You will not be able to read data from HDD without PS3PT using this app. It wasn't designed for that, it expecting fully valid logic structure.

Plugging directly to SATA is strongly recommend. ;)

Use Linux. :D It doesn't bite and You will even know what happening on each stage of the procedure.
 
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