Save time and money by replacing your broken PS3 hard drive yourself.
Like all state-of-the-art video game consoles and computers, the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) features a powerful hard drive (also known as a disc drive) that can suffer from general wear and tear or break down completely.
Rather than taking the system to a shop for expensive repairs, you can save time and money by removing the old PS3 hard drive yourself and replacing it with a new or used one.
Instructions
1. Plug in a USB mass storage device and back up all of your important documents and images from the broken disc drive, if you can.
2. Remove the USB device and turn off the PS3.
3. Disconnect the games console from the power supply and let it cool down sufficiently before you attempt to open it.
4. Place a soft, dry cloth underneath the PS3 and turn the system upside down.
5. Open the screw cover and use the crosshead screwdriver to remove the hard disc drive bay cover.
6. Remove the blue screw with the same screwdriver, then slide the hard drive bay cover to the left and place it next to you.
7. Lift the handle of the hard drive upward and gently pull the disc drive out from the system.
8. Remove the metal frame surrounding the disc drive by undoing four screws. Turn the drive over while gripping the edges firmly and remove it from the frame.
9. Gently install the replacement hard drive in the metal frame and tighten the four screws. Place the drive back in the system, slide the bay cover back into its closed position and tighten the blue screw before turning the machine back over.
10. Connect the console to the power supply and reinstall the system software by following the onscreen instructions.
Tags: hard drive, disc drive, blue screw, drive cover, drive yourself