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[Agent X]

1) nope. they're going to send you a refurbished 60GB with a 90 day warranty. when you put your old HDD back in, it'll ask you to do a format. your data is sadly gone.

2) only one I personally know of is Killzone 2, but I'm sure I heard of others

3) Yea, they can deactivate your system, but some reps try to avoid doing it. I'm sure with a little firmness, they'll do it without a problem.

(Speaking from North America)

Thanks for the answers. I know this was a few days ago, but I figured I should thank you anyway.

Well, as I continue to try to live to tell the story, I have some great news, and some slightly bad news that goes along with it.

The great news is that I received a package containing a shiny, like-new (refurbished) PlayStation 3 today!

The slightly bad news is that the Blu-ray drive on this one doesn't work. It simply doesn't allow me to insert a disc all the way.

I got on the phone with Sony, and it looks like I've got to send this one back, too. Hopefully the next one will be fully working.

 

[rexor0717]

Mine just died during a game of Kz2. :[
I'm going to try again later tonight to try to turn it back on...I hope it works.

 

[Shadowlink]

Anyone with the YLOD problem, I have a question. Have you guys fixed the problem yourself? I have this guide and I want to make sure if it works:

http://www.haxnetwork.net/2009/03/ps3-yellow-light-of-death-tutorial/

Thanks

 

[rexor0717]

Anyone with the YLOD problem, I have a question. Have you guys fixed the problem yourself? I have this guide and I want to make sure if it works:

http://www.haxnetwork.net/2009/03/ps3-yellow-light-of-death-tutorial/

Thanks

I don't want to sign up for this site. Is there anywhere else to get the guide?

 

[sonycowboy]

Just starting playing my PS3 again recently as I got Killzone 2 a week ago. I've been playing for about 4 days or so, sat down to play today, was in a game for about 5 minutes and BAM. The system shut itself off.

Tried to tun in back on and I've got the YLOD.

I've got a 320GB HDD with a ton of game saves, so I'm leaning towards sending it to a repair center for $99 so I'll get my same PS3 back. It absolutely sucks ass that I can't move the HDD to the system of my choosing or else I could send back in my stock 20GB HDD that I replaced to Sony.

So, my question is Sony vs a random repair center?

Sony's $150 + tax and you get a refurbished unit: Pros - Trustworthy Cons: Lose all my game saves.

Random Repair Center $99 + $15 (molded shipping box - optional) - you get your own system back. Pros - Can use my HDD, Cons: I don't know them from Adam, and how do I know the fix will last?

Any recommendations from folks who have been through this??

 

[JaseMath]

Alright. About 2 months ago, I started getting the 80029906 error (laser problem) and I'm wrestling with the idea of sending it in and here's why. I found a company here in Denver that will do it for $95 even and I get to keep my system. Nice, but...

I had heard that the new(er) PS3's runner cooler and quieter than the old ones. My question is, if I send it to Sony and they give me a refurb, is it going to be quieter and overall more dependable one than the one I have right now? Thanks!

EDIT: sonycowboy, get in touch with the repair center. If they're worth a damn, they should at least guarantee the work for up to 60 days. Every repair center I've talked to (that isn't Sony) has said the same. Hope this helps.

 

[bizatch]

So my PS3 isn't reading any discs
Anything I can do to fix this, or should I just send it to sony?

 

[JaseMath]

So my PS3 isn't reading any discs
Anything I can do to fix this, or should I just send it to sony?

You have to send it to Sony. Your drive/laser is broken.

Spoiler

Mine too. ;_;

 

[mrkapawutzis]

This has probably been answered but if anyone could help I would appreciate it.

I'm sending in my PS3 and they're sending me a replacement so I was wondering what do I have to do in regards to my PSP that is activated on the system?

Should I deactivate it and will that affect the number of times I can re-download my purchased games?

Does the PSP have a limited amount of times it can be activated to a different system?

 

[y2dvd]

Mine just died during a game of Kz2. :[
I'm going to try again later tonight to try to turn it back on...I hope it works.

I hope you get your copy back. Sony claim to have never found my copy. I had to send a proof of purchase. I'm still waiting (weeks) for my copy. -_-

 

[Melchiah]

I've got a 60GB EU version, the one with the PS2 GPU, but without its CPU.

Last week my system had a weird and truly annoying hiccup. When I tried to copy some game wallpapers from the PS3 HDD to my USB memory stick, the system just froze in the middle of process. I waited for a while, and when nothing happened I reset the machine. On startup it said something I can't remember right now, and when the system had fully loaded itself, I noticed all my folders had been reset. It took me about half an hour to rearrange all the PSN games, demos, videos, and pictures to their place. Oddly all music folders and system settings were as they were before, and luckily the game saves seem to be there as well.

My question is, has anyone else experienced anything like that?

 

[paparazzo]

I hope you get your copy back. Sony claim to have never found my copy. I had to send a proof of purchase. I'm still waiting (weeks) for my copy. -_-

That sucks. I made sure to not only give the name of the game on the information sheet you send them with the broken console, but also in the description of the console you submit to them online and I received it in the box with the refurb.

 

[navanman]

Hey,
I bought a broken PS3 that needs new Blu-Ray diode but in the process of checking the PS3, a FW uodate was needed. Its now stuck in a system firmware install loop giving an error every time.
I think its bricked, install of FW fails at 40% every time. I swapped in spare SATA drive and put FW in USB key, out this HDD also gave the install error.

Anyone ever seen this before?

 

[Clipper]

I think its bricked, install of FW fails at 40% every time. I swapped in spare SATA drive and put FW in USB key, out this HDD also gave the install error.

Anyone ever seen this before?

Try checking to see if the media server function is switched on and switch it off if so.

Oh, and to get out of the loop if it is really stuck without letting you ever see the XMB, hold the power button on the front of the PS3 until the third set of beeps when switching it on and you'll get into the recovery mode that should allow you to reset to factory settings.

 

[navanman]

Try checking to see if the media server function is switched on and switch it off if so.

It would be nice if I could even get to that point.
The FW update downloads fine. After this the PS3 copies FW to HDD, reboots and then install FW update. Its at this point it fails over and over again.
Every time you turn on the PS3, it justs keeps trying to install the FW over and over again. Nothing can be done to get any further than this.

The Recovery Console is unaccessible during a FW update

 

[Clipper]

The Recovery Console is unaccessible during a FW update

Really? That sucks then. Firmware updates are one of the prime things you'd want to recover from if they were corrupt. If that doesn't work, then I guess nothing will.

 

[pr0cs]

Starting to get worried here.
Wanted to play Lego Star Wars with my kid last nite, the disc won't boot, it gets to the HDD flashing warning screen then starts to play "galaxy far far away" screen then just sort of stops.
Loads and Loads and eventually gives a "bluray was ejected" type message and beeps 3 times then resets or simply locks up.
I tried Killzone2 and LBP and they seem to play okay but Lego Star Wars simply doesn't start. It used to work but I hadn't tried since the latest update from last week so either my laser is starting to go, the disc is somehow magically gone bad or the update caused the game to no longer function.

Any other ideas on how to test if the BD laser is starting to go?

 

[Galactic Fork]

Blah, that'll teach me to buy used. It is an 80 GB limited BC model. It seemed to be in such good condition when I got it 6 months ago. Original owner only had one save file for only a couple hours on GTA when I got it. And the controller was pristine. Anyway, I was playing Valkyria Chronicles and it froze, so I rebooted it, and then as it's coming on, I hear the boot up chime but the screen is covered in green splotches, it then freezes. Waited a few hours and still the same thing.

Seems like the GPU overheating or dead to me. It was part of the Motorstorm pack, so it's only about a year and a half old and already dead. God this gen sucks.

 

[Saiyar]

My PS3 has had this weird problem recently.

I turn on the switch at the back and nothing happens. I turn it off then on again and the stand by light comes on and the PS3 runs normally.

It isn't causing any problems other than having to flick the switch on/off/on to get it to start up.

Anyone else have this happen? Was it the start of a bigger problem?

 

[Speevy]

I thought this thread would never reach 1,000 replies. That's a shame.

 

[mrbagdt]

well, i am going to try to tell my story....

turned my playstation on yesterday, booted up, logged onto my name, looked at my friends who were online and got ready to play some resistance.

left the room, came back in, my playstation was turned off and was blinking red. when i tried to turn it back on, the light turned green, turned yellow about a second later, then shut back off and blinked red.

i guess that is the end! 3 years old, 60 gig BC unit. oh well. will contact sony and see waht they can do. i know my activations are up for my username.... i guess i just need to call them up and bitch and complain over and over and see if they will eventually reset my username activations. otherwise i am going to lose all of my downloads, and i have gotten at least $80 worth of rockband music, on top of all my games. they better help me out, or i might cry!

 

[Baha]

well, i am going to try to tell my story....

turned my playstation on yesterday, booted up, logged onto my name, looked at my friends who were online and got ready to play some resistance.

left the room, came back in, my playstation was turned off and was blinking red. when i tried to turn it back on, the light turned green, turned yellow about a second later, then shut back off and blinked red.

i guess that is the end! 3 years old, 60 gig BC unit. oh well. will contact sony and see waht they can do. i know my activations are up for my username.... i guess i just need to call them up and bitch and complain over and over and see if they will eventually reset my username activations. otherwise i am going to lose all of my downloads, and i have gotten at least $80 worth of rockband music, on top of all my games. they better help me out, or i might cry!

If they're tied to your PSN ID, then deactivating your presumably dead console shouldn't be a problem. In fact if you get a replacement, you can re-download it all over again with the same account since you only used 1 out of your 5 console activations.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

My PS3 has had this weird problem recently.

I turn on the switch at the back and nothing happens. I turn it off then on again and the stand by light comes on and the PS3 runs normally.

It isn't causing any problems other than having to flick the switch on/off/on to get it to start up.

Anyone else have this happen? Was it the start of a bigger problem?

I've had this happen three times after installing the latest firmware on a new 80GB PAL (Killzone 2 bundle).

This one better not crap out on me.

 

[ocadman]

60GB Here. Tried searching the history and found some people that had a problem similar to mine, but they really didn't get any replies so figure I'll try again. This is my 2nd 60GB. 1st one died and I got a replacement. PS3 games work fine. Blu-ray and DVD movies. Tried a couple PS1 games and they played fine. Problem is with PS2 games. It appears that I have 50% compatibility rates with my PS2. Haven't really used my PS3 for BC until I recently got SotC, but when I put it in, it loads up, but it doesn't get past the loading screen. Decided to try out other games, so as of right now, FFXII, KH2, Katamari, GTA VC and SA work fine. But other games like GOW1,GOW2, SotC get to the loading screen, but don't get any further. Ironically, I thought it was only Sony 1st party PS2 games that don't work, but then I tried KZ1 and Ico, and both play fine. I have my PS2, so it's not a big deal, but just annoying that I have to bring it out to play those games. Also, I'm out of warranty. Anyone else having this problem? Is this even fixable?

 

[hiryu]

Well my 20gig PS3 that is 14 months old died last night. It won't play movies, dvd nor blu-ray. I just get a black screen. Pretty shitty for something I don't even use that often. Between this and my 360 deaths this generation really blows.

 

[°°ToMmY°°]

i have a problem. i wanted to switch hard disk, but i can't remove the old one from the slot where it's in cause the screws are screwed (the slot i'm talking about is the one removable, where the HDD sits in).

i need a new slot, where could i find it?

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Well, I think my 60GB launch model is about to bite the dust. A week ago while a friend was playing the Red Faction Guerrilla demo, the game crashed. The PS3 shut off and the power LED was flashing red. Tapping the power button turned it back to a solid red LED, and then tapping it again turned it back on just fine. At the time I figured it was likely just buggy demo code that crashed the thing.

So just now I was playing Guitar Hero Metallica, and the same thing happened. I turned it back on and went to the Game Data area of the XMB so I could delete all my game saves to see how much actual data I have to backup (I have a 320GB HDD). While browsing that area of the XMB, the PS3 crashed again. I live in Florida, so around this time of the year it's about 77 degrees indoors.

I can't say I haven't been dodging bullets for a while now. I never had issues with my launch PS1 or PS2, and my PS3 has seen plenty of abuse. I guess tonight I'll wait until I've got it nice in chilly indoors, vacuum out the vents as much as possible, delete all my game installs, and then backup the HDD, and then go from there.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Update: It won't even power on anymore. YLOD FTL. Time to call Sony and hope that they can repair mine since I wasn't able to backup my HDD, and I have a game stuck in it :lol

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Well, I submitted a service request, but I'm getting cold feet after talking to the guy on the phone. "The first thing they'll do when they receive it is remove the hard drive and replace it with a 60GB." WTF? He also basically said there's zero communication either way with the service center on what they're doing and whether or not they repair or send me a refurb.

Has anyone with a 60GB had any luck on getting their unit repaired. I'm in the same boat as sonycowboy in that I've got a upgraded HDD and don't want to lose any of the stuff on it (game saves as well as downloaded videos). I tried to explain to the guy I don't give two shits about the turn around time since I've got another PS3, but just nothing of worth stored on it. Has anyone had any luck making an image of the data on their PS3's HDD, and then restoring the image after the putting that HDD back into the PS3 for the initial "recognization" step?

At this point I'm tempted to just send my console to Jimbo's repair shop. Also, the shitty HDD situation on the 360 is looking pretty good.

 

[dralla]

what the fuck piece of fucking shit yellow light. I have a 20GB launch system, put in my own HDD of course. so how is this gonna work? should I put my old 20GB HDD back in and send it in or is the problem with the HDD itself? I'm not familiar with the yellow light.

now im gonna have to pay some bullshit fee for them to fix it. fucking mother fucking assholes.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

what the fuck piece of fucking shit yellow light. I have a 20GB launch system, put in my own HDD of course. so how is this gonna work? should I put my old 20GB HDD back in and send it in or is the problem with the HDD itself? I'm not familiar with the yellow light.

now im gonna have to pay some bullshit fee for them to fix it. fucking mother fucking assholes.

Going by what the phone rep told me, if you were to send your unit in your HDD would be replaced with a 20GB unit. The problem is not with the HDD. The YLOD is almost always caused by chip solder damage due to heat. Apparently it can also be caused by a bad PSU, but that's more rare.

Since I bought my launch unit from Costco, they still had their lifetime warranty on electronics going which means if I want to just get my unit replaced, I could do so for free. Forget Sony and their $150 refurb if I'm just going to lose my data anyways. At this point I'd pay $150 just to get my data backed up.

There's a guy on ebay that offers the solder reflow process for $50. It's tempting since he seems fairly legit.

 

[dralla]

which phone number do I call, it says on their website the phone service is only for PS2 and PSone? the fuck

 

[paparazzo]

which phone number do I call, it says on their website the phone service is only for PS2 and PSone? the fuck

1-800-345-7669

 

[mjc]

I should only really be concerned with backing up my game saves right? Can I use a memory stick for that too before I send the system in for repair?

 

[____]

Well, I submitted a service request, but I'm getting cold feet after talking to the guy on the phone. "The first thing they'll do when they receive it is remove the hard drive and replace it with a 60GB." WTF? He also basically said there's zero communication either way with the service center on what they're doing and whether or not they repair or send me a refurb.

Has anyone with a 60GB had any luck on getting their unit repaired. I'm in the same boat as sonycowboy in that I've got a upgraded HDD and don't want to lose any of the stuff on it (game saves as well as downloaded videos). I tried to explain to the guy I don't give two shits about the turn around time since I've got another PS3, but just nothing of worth stored on it. Has anyone had any luck making an image of the data on their PS3's HDD, and then restoring the image after the putting that HDD back into the PS3 for the initial "recognization" step?

At this point I'm tempted to just send my console to Jimbo's repair shop. Also, the shitty HDD situation on the 360 is looking pretty good.

As far as I know from personal experience and from what I've seen in this thread, you get a refurb automatically. They don't attempt to fix your unit. Your data is more than likely gone forever because your new unit will require you to format your HDD.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

As far as I know from personal experience and from what I've seen in this thread, you get a refurb automatically. They don't attempt to fix your unit. Your data is more than likely gone forever because your new unit will require you to format your HDD.

Yeah, the guy on the phone saying "we automatically restore your console to its original state (60GB HDD)" was pretty much a warning sign my console was gonna end up in a pile somewhere.

My PS3 coffin arrived today and since I had cold feet about sending it to Sony, I decided to use the box to send it to one of the electronics repair shops on eBay that performs the solder reflow service :lol

As long as he gets my console up and running long enough for me to make a backup, I couldn't care less. I'll probably upgrade to a 45nm unit later this year for peace of mind.

 

[mrbagdt]

well, they are mailing a replacement in kind for me, another 60 GB unit. i am being kind of negative and assuming it is probably a refurbished POS, and it probably only has 2 USB ports up front instead of 4 like my original. i am a little peeved about the whole thing- paying $150 to get the same thing back with a 90 day warranty..... well, whatever. now i need to call sony and try to reset my activations because they are all used up, and who knows if i will ever see the game that i left in the console again (valkryia).

 

[Agent X]

I finally received my PS3 back from the second repair today. First repair was a little over a month ago, where they swapped my original 60 GB unit for a different refurbished unit that I received on April 10. It was a great looking unit, looked almost pristine, but the Blu-ray drive didn't work. See post #1001 in this thread.

The second repair took much longer, but I got the same system (from April 10) back in my hands today. Thankfully, it seems to be fully working this time around.

Now my gripe is that the exterior of the system is all scratched up. It looks like someone scrubbed it with steel wool in some spots on the left and right sides. There are also a some scuff marks on the top of the case (top when it's lying flat, the curved portion that says "PlayStation 3" on it). It's strange because this is the same unit that looked so nice just three weeks ago.

I guess it's better to have a shabby looking system that works properly, than a beautiful one that doesn't...but I've got to wonder why it came back in this condition, like it was handled carelessly? I'm hoping that they took a lot more care of the inside than they did the outside of the unit.

I called up Sony to register a complaint. Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything the rep on the phone could do, just apologized.

As someone who's generally been pretty happy with Sony video game consoles and games, I must say that I'm incredibly disappointed with this service. I really hope that I don't ever have to go through this type of ordeal again.

 

[tass0]

Does anybody how much Sony charge in the UK for a blu-ray drive related problems?

 

[Vinci]

I had no idea people were having this much trouble with the PS3. Figured RROD was the last of the major hardware issues we'd see this gen. I'm assuming the PS3's issues are nowhere near as widespread though, is that right?

I'm planning on buying one at the end of this year. Just wanting to know what I'm getting into. I don't want a repeat of what happened with my 360.

 

[soco]

I had no idea people were having this much trouble with the PS3. Figured RROD was the last of the major hardware issues we'd see this gen. I'm assuming the PS3's issues are nowhere near as widespread though, is that right?

I'm planning on buying one at the end of this year. Just wanting to know what I'm getting into. I don't want a repeat of what happened with my 360.

no one really has any clue. all signs i've seen point to being much better than the RROD from launch, especially in terms of failures that happen within the first year. a lot that i've actually read through seem to occur about a year later or more.

it'd be interesting to know which thread was bumped more in the last 6 months though, as that's really what matters.

 

[Vinci]

no one really has any clue. all signs i've seen point to being much better than the RROD from launch, especially in terms of failures that happen within the first year. a lot that i've actually read through seem to occur about a year later or more.

it'd be interesting to know which thread was bumped more in the last 6 months though, as that's really what matters.

The thing is, I've often had people state that my comments about waiting to get a PS3 were bullshit. They're not. I truly intend to get one. Have for about a year now. My chance to get one is at the end of this year, along with a new TV (my first in 11 years), and a sound system. Going all out.

But my issue is this: I bought a 360 before the whole RROD fiasco was well publicized and I went through utter hell trying to get it repaired. It spent more time in MS's hands than in mine after I purchased it, came back to me once without having been repaired, was lost at least twice, found, and then sent back to me a second time. Still didn't work. I sold the damn thing simply to be rid of it and will not buy the system again. MS screwed themselves with me this gen.

I do not want to relive this experience with another console. So yes, if PS3s are having a large amount of trouble, that's a big concern for me.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

The thing is, I've often had people state that my comments about waiting to get a PS3 were bullshit. They're not. I truly intend to get one. Have for about a year now. My chance to get one is at the end of this year, along with a new TV (my first in 11 years), and a sound system. Going all out.

But my issue is this: I bought a 360 before the whole RROD fiasco was well publicized and I went through utter hell trying to get it repaired. It spent more time in MS's hands than in mine after I purchased it, came back to me once without having been repaired, was lost at least twice, found, and then sent back to me a second time. Still didn't work. I sold the damn thing simply to be rid of it and will not buy the system again. MS screwed themselves with me this gen.

I do not want to relive this experience with another console. So yes, if PS3s are having a large amount of trouble, that's a big concern for me.

I would honestly wait for price drops and a total hardware re-design.

I'm still pissed that my PS3 is busted and honestly I don't have a spare $150 lying around until about June to get the PoS fixed.

Fuckin' Sony.

Seriously, their products just always break.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Fuckin' Sony.

Seriously, their products just always break.

:lol :lol :lol

 

[Vinci]

I would honestly wait for price drops and a total hardware re-design.

I'm still pissed that my PS3 is busted and honestly I don't have a spare $150 lying around until about June to get the PoS fixed.

Fuckin' Sony.

Seriously, their products just always break.

Anyone like to add to this?

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Anyone like to add to this?

Sorry, don't mean to sound troll-y.

I've owned all the Playstation consoles; and they've all broken down on me. :|

Sony was good about the PS2 though they repaired it for me twice, when it was well out of warranty. However the PS2 was kind of the RRoD of that generation; so I reckon Sony's kindness was due more to threat of legal action rather than any generosity on their part.

 

[Vinci]

Sorry, don't mean to sound troll-y.

I've owned all the Playstation consoles; and they've all broken down on me. :|

Sony was good about the PS2 though they repaired it for me twice, when it was well out of warranty. However the PS2 was kind of the RRoD of that generation; so I reckon Sony's kindness was due more to threat of legal action rather than any generosity on their part.

I've been on the other side of the spectrum: Owned a PS1 and PS2 and never had either go bad on me. And I played the hell out of those things. So yeah, I'm a bit surprised that the PS3 seems to be experiencing issues.

Oh well. I'm waiting till the end of the year at any rate: We'll see what happens at E3.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Yeah, hopefully there's a $100 price drop.

A redesign is just a luxury as I find the PS3 to just be comically huge. Especially after all the "lolXbox" jokes from last gen.

Also my PS1 died on me as well; but I fixed that using parts I acquired from a donor machine.

Nevermind my horror stories with other Sony products. I'm a Panasonic electronics fan though. Unfortunately their consoles tanked.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Fuckin' Sony.

Seriously, their products just always break.

My reliable PSP gave me hope that Sony went down a new direction in terms of reliability.

The PS3 problems cropping up for the early models is starting to instill a sense of fear and dread in me.

 

[hateradio]

All in all all their previous consoles had been great to me, none of the died, and even my PS1 still works fine ... PS2 is just noisy, but it's crap that PS3 died :/ three of the people on my friends list have had theirs died too, and two of them were just a few weeks ago. One of them sold it for $100 to some other person, they're going to try to get the refurb. from Sony.

I got the refurbished one, and I'm thinking it's about ready to die in a few months :/ I'll probably end up buying a new PS3 in a few years if that's the case, I'll import the Versus XIII bundle whenever that happens in Japan.