Sector copy HDD to SSD?

[rast1234]

Hello. I have spare SSD of the same size as my PS4 internal HDD. If i do raw 1-to-1 copy (with dd for example) and swap them, will PS4 accept new drive? I tried googleing but didn't find anyone who actually confirmed this working or not. Does PS4 check drive serial number and whatnot so clone won't work?

PS i am aware of other ways to do backup and drive upgrade, just curious about this one scenario in particular

 

[DonKeballs]

Also curious about this method but for PS3. Want to upgrade HDD to SSD but stuck on current FW due to hardware issue that would cause a bootloop if I ever had to reinstall FW. Hopefully one of the PS Gurus on here can advise.

 

[Berion]

Probably no one will answer to that because no one did it.

In theory, all should works if copy was indeed sector by sector made. But, in example in case of PS3, HDD model+his fw version+his sn are at least written to xRegistry.sys. Putting SSD with HDD info cause probably prompt to format drive (but You can try, You have nothing to loose). And in case of PS3, especially today when all models and fw are hackable is waste of time. How this works on PS4, I don't know. Maybe less restrictive or maybe more restrictive.

 

[rast1234]

Thanks for the input! If PS3 remembers HDD hardware info, then we can expect PS4 to do the same. Of course i would've checked this myself, but, to be honest, my scenario is more complicated and i won't bother messing with it right now...

 

[DonKeballs]

Probably no one will answer to that because no one did it.

In theory, all should works if copy was indeed sector by sector made. But, in example in case of PS3, HDD model+his fw version+his sn are at least written to xRegistry.sys. Putting SSD with HDD info cause probably prompt to format drive (but You can try, You have nothing to loose). And in case of PS3, especially today when all models and fw are hackable is waste of time. How this works on PS4, I don't know. Maybe less restrictive or maybe more restrictive.

Thanks for the reply. I will try it one day and report how it goes. Obviously if it prompts to format the HDD/SSD I'm screwed as that means re-installing the FW which would = Bootloop for me. (PS3 SS HEN = So no CFW option for me to stop bootloop)

Am I right in saying, if I were to carry out this HDD to SSD copy and the PS3 didn't like it and wanted to format it, I could just put the original HDD back in and it would boot as usual?

 

[rast1234]

I could just put the original HDD back in and it would boot as usual?

This is just theory: should be OK to try if you don't edit anything while copying data from it. I'd avoid Windows because it could "fix" something silently (eg partition table, labels, part ids...). However i have no idea how PS3 behaves when new drive is inserted. BTW i have SSD on PS3 and it's not much of an advantage: no noticeable speed increase, just lower temperatures and less noise. Why risk losing the console?

 

[DonKeballs]

This is just theory: should be OK to try if you don't edit anything while copying data from it. I'd avoid Windows because it could "fix" something silently (eg partition table, labels, part ids...). However i have no idea how PS3 behaves when new drive is inserted. BTW i have SSD on PS3 and it's not much of an advantage: no noticeable speed increase, just lower temperatures and less noise. Why risk losing the console?

I agree with you about windows, I do run a linux machine so would probably use that. Thanks for the info regarding SSD speeds. TBH I'm still not sure whether I'd bother with a SSD depends what the prices are like when I come to need one.

I would still like to know the answer even if I just went from HDD to HDD as this would be my only option if/when my current HDD were to fail.

 

[Izofeu]

Thanks for the input! If PS3 remembers HDD hardware info, then we can expect PS4 to do the same. Of course i would've checked this myself, but, to be honest, my scenario is more complicated and i won't bother messing with it right now...

No it doesn't. I've replaced an old ps3 HDD with a new HDD of the same size (160GB), I've copied all data using dd and it worked. I cannot speak for the PS4 however.

 

[rast1234]

No it doesn't. I've replaced an old ps3 HDD with a new HDD of the same size (160GB), I've copied all data using dd and it worked. I cannot speak for the PS4 however.

That's getting interesting now

 

[Berion]

Thanks for the reply. I will try it one day and report how it goes. Obviously if it prompts to format the HDD/SSD I'm screwed as that means re-installing the FW which would = Bootloop for me. (PS3 SS HEN = So no CFW option for me to stop bootloop)

On PS3, bootloop can be fixed by deleting unpacked or not yet unpacked update package from cache partition, and/or fix FAT32 on this partition (or of course just format drive, but if You want keep user data intact, that's the only way). Easy as long You have ERK which means CFW only for at least to read this key. On PS4 user needs EAP Key but I don't know if "pre-updating" works the same.

https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-fixing-boot-loop.27965/

Am I right in saying, if I were to carry out this HDD to SSD copy and the PS3 didn't like it and wanted to format it, I could just put the original HDD back in and it would boot as usual?

If You will not agree to format, then for sure yes.

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I'd avoid Windows because it could "fix" something silently (eg partition table, labels, part ids...).

Windows will not understand PS3 HDD as it is encrypted. And this is the problem, for him this is empty HDD, and if empty, he ask to initialize it (which means overwriting "PS3PT" by MBR or GPT (depend of size)). Can be fixed but it is very annoying, and one user report it doesn't work for his CECH-3xxx.

https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-fixing-windows-disk-initalization.27599/

BTW: Does "UralMountains" (in Yours location in user panel) is now hidden name for "Russia"? :P

- - -

I would still like to know the answer even if I just went from HDD to HDD as this would be my only option if/when my current HDD were to fail.

So I must destroy Your hope. Cloned HDD will not work if firmware mismatch (newer on the console than its parts on HDD), that's for sure on PS3 and high probably the same on PS4.

 

[rast1234]

Windows will not understand PS3 HDD as it is encrypted. And this is the problem, for him this is empty HDD, and if empty, he ask to initialize it

BTW: Does "UralMountains" (in Yours location in user panel) is now hidden name for "Russia"? :P

At least windows asks before doing stuff now. I remember reading an article about arcade copy protection where developers deliberately left some commonly-used bytes on HDD empty (MBR drive id or something) and any windows machine silently inialized it with random values, rendering HDD unusable on the arcade machine, thus preventing attempts to fiddle with files.

Ural Mountains were there before current events... can't change where i'm from anyway!

 

[Berion]

Just as I thought. Last time I see many times how Russians hiding their nationality to avoid, let's say, "civil sanctions" and aggression. I'm far from been a crusader, yet I hope You understand that Your country doing the same as Hitler an Stalin now on Ukrainian land and since end of WWI, in the same way producing their own version history match to political needs.

Going back to the thread: guy from this thread, saying Win 10 initialized it without ask.

If I remember ok, PS4 HDD using standard, not encrypted GPT.

 

[rast1234]

I hope You understand

Sure i do. This war is absolutely catastrophic. Unfortunately people who oppose it are ountnumbered and silenced. So it's sort of fair to receive negative attitude just for being russian, i get that.

 

[STLcardsWS]

Just as I thought. Last time I see many times how Russians hiding their nationality to avoid, let's say, "civil sanctions" and aggression. I'm far from been a crusader, yet I hope You understand that Your country doing the same as Hitler an Stalin now on Ukrainian land and since end of WWI, in the same way producing their own version history match to political needs.

Going back to the thread: guy from this thread, saying Win 10 initialized it without ask.

If I remember ok, PS4 HDD using standard, not encrypted GPT.

this is psx-place and not political-place. Lets keep politics out of things on a worldwide homebrew site, lets keep it about the community and scene. As nothing good can come out of these type of discussions but arguments at end of the day .