The only way to get additional storage space on your PS3 is to go for a hard drive upgrade. You can do this yourself and add any hard drive you want.
No matter how much storage space you have on your PS3 console, you will always need more. For this reason alone, you must know about all the possible hard drive upgrade errors that you may face. When you buy a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), you will get a certain amount of storage space on the hard drive, depending on which model you buy. You can choose between the 20GB, 60GB or the new 80GB hard drives.
But as soon as you start playing games and saving game data, downloading demos and HD movies, and storing other files on your console, you will start running out of space pretty soon. In order to solve this problem, you will need to go for a PS3 hard drive upgrade and get more storage space for yourself.
How to Upgrade PS3 Hard Drive
Luckily for us, Sony has decided to loosen their strangle hold as far as the PS3 upgrades are concerned. Gamers are free to upgrade their hard drive to any brand or space that they want, and this is a highly welcome move. Microsoft Xbox 360 does not allow you to do so, but then again that console comes fitted with a 250GB one in the retail stores. The downside of allowing users to carry this out themselves is that there is a strong possibility that they may end up upgrading to incompatible units. It is best to consult an official retailer for PS3 upgrade instructions, and one can also visit the official PS3 website to get more tips and guidelines.
It is a good thing that the PS3 is compatible with any 2.5 inch SATA hard drive (both 5400 and 7200 rpm). The size should obviously be on the bigger side, so as to make the whole process of upgrading worthwhile. We recommend that you go for a 250GB hard drive. An important point to remember is that the size of the drive must be 2.5 inches, as any other size will not fit inside the console. Also remember to back up the data present in the current one before switching to a new one. Any external storage device can be used for this purpose, if you wish to upgrade without losing data.
Common PS3 Upgrade Problems
The most common problem that people face after upgrading their PS3 hard drive is failure of the PS3 to recognize it. The following message is commonly seen flashing across the screen at this time.
The system software cannot be run correctly. Press the PS button to try to restart the system.
If the system cannot be restarted, the system partition of the hard disk must be reformatted and you must reinstall the system software.
Insert storage media that contains update date of version 2.70 or later, and then press the START and SELECT buttons at the same time.
For information on how to obtain update data, refer to the SCE Web site for your region.
What you will need to do in this situation is transfer the updated data on an external USB drive to the console. For this purpose you need to create a folder within the USB stick called PS3, and then make a folder called UPDATE inside that. (The names of the folders have to be in capital letters). Now you need to place the firmware data inside this folder, and the console will be able to read it. Press the START and SELECT buttons to proceed. Now the system will accept the drive and it will ask you to format it, and you are ready to use the new hard drive. This is just one of the many common PS3 problems.
This is a very common message that many people face when they carry out the upgrade, and the solution to it is rather very simple. Some other problems can arise if you have a virus in the new hard drive, or if it is damaged in some way, or if it is not fitted inside the console in the right manner.
The act of upgrading your PS3 is a very useful one indeed, but you need to be very careful while doing it. Consult someone who can give you some advice on carrying out the upgrade, as this will help you to avoid causing some damage to your console while adding more storage space.