~ Aidan's YLOD Repair Guide ~

[StarGate55555]

AWESOME GUIDE just saw the thread i just hope for my sake that it works.

[Pain_Lord]

Great guide, just hope I never have to use it though.

[Ryukori]

That's a really awesome guide. Now I definitely know where I'm going to look if my PS3 ever get a YLOD. I hope it never does though.

[disinformation]

this guide looks fantastic...

 

I suffered the YLOD yesterday after having just started playing heavy rain... I'm not too keen on buying a new one or losing all my save info and having to get a new copy of heavy rain either...

 

I'll be attempting this next weekend, I'll re-post to let everyone know how I go... wish me luck

[thisisricky]

Earlier this morning i got the yellow light of death, not happy. now the thing is if i unplug all cables from my ps3 and replug them back in i can turn it on and play any game for about 10 -15 minutes, in all my reading ive never heard of anyone else having the exact same problem.

 

HELP?

[Magnitude_V1]

That'll be a overheating issue, use the time you have to get a backup of all your saves. Plug in a USB Device, go to Game -> Saved Data Utility -> Press Triangle on each file and click Copy.

 

When my 60gb was on the way out (it melted, no really it did) the picture jumbled and the console crashed after a short period of time, it lasted longer if I let it cool down longer but eventually it was a gonner.

[eLefAdEr]

Earlier this morning i got the yellow light of death, not happy. now the thing is if i unplug all cables from my ps3 and replug them back in i can turn it on and play any game for about 10 -15 minutes, in all my reading ive never heard of anyone else having the exact same problem.

 

HELP?

 

Magnitude is absolutely right... your PS3 is overheating. You should perform a full back-up of everything on the hard drive ASAP. Otherwise, you will lose all of your game saves when your PS3 finally stops working.

[Sharkyalasso]

Another victim of the ylod after 2 years and 4 months but my Q is tht I have a heat gun but its 400C to 600C so at 400C how long do u recommend to use it for?

[AriaRobbie]

Amazing guide! I'll use this method in case my new PS3 slim breaks down! It would save me a lot of money.

[xenonxyanide]

cheers for the guide but hopefully i wont need it... touchwood

[shamrock54]

your guide worked for me, thank you very much:applause:

[MrPS3Infinity]

im going to use this if i ever get ylod even if my warranty is still in date i dont want to lose all those millions of game saves

[eLefAdEr]

im going to use this if i ever get ylod even if my warranty is still in date i dont want to lose all those millions of game saves

 

Just to be clear, your game saves can be backed-up either by individually copying save files to an external drive, or by using the back-up utility in the system menu, at any time.

 

There are a handful of games that don't allow for cross-system transfers. I know that Need For Speed: Shift is one of them.

[eLefAdEr]

The only tips I would add is ensure you use Artic Silver 5 for your thermal compound like Aiden mentions.

 

This really bears repeating... it was a big mistake on my part to use generic, less-expensive thermal compound that I found at my local computer store. Arctic Silver 5 is pricey, but more than worth the cost. Instead, I had to re-apply the cheap thermal paste once every couple of weeks, and now I'm permanently stuck in the infamous 8002F14E "system update loop."

 

My fat PS3 would probably still be working if I had just sprung for the AS5.

[MrPS3Infinity]

Just to be clear, your game saves can be backed-up either by individually copying save files to an external drive, or by using the back-up utility in the system menu, at any time.

 

There are a handful of games that don't allow for cross-system transfers. I know that Need For Speed: Shift is one of them.

 

wheres that? backup utility?

[eLefAdEr]

wheres that? backup utility?

 

Exactly. From what I can see on the 'net, it backs up:

 

* Game Data

* Game Saves

* DLC

* Demos/Games

* Movies/Photos/Music

* Chat messages/sessions

* PSOne/PSN Games

 

Here's the catch, straight from Sony's website:

 

"If you back up data on a PS3™ system and then transfer data to another PS3™ system using the data transfer utility, copy-prohibited saved data that is included in the backup data cannot be restored on either system....

 

Some types of backed up data can be restored on another PS3™ system. The types of data that can be restored on another system are as follows:

# - Saved data from PlayStation®3 format software *1

# - Image files under (Photo)

# - Music files under (Music) *2

# - Video files under (Video) *2

# - Bookmarks added under (Internet Browser)

# - Terms that were added using (Settings) > (System Settings) > [Add/Edit Term], or predictive terms that were "learned" by the on-screen keyboard"

 

So there you go. Copy-protected saves, like NFS: Shift, can only be restored onto the same system they were copied from. It's obviously an attempt by certain devs to prevent things like file sharing, but it's far from common practice. Pretty lame, IMO.

[MrPS3Infinity]

Exactly. From what I can see on the 'net, it backs up:

 

* Game Data

* Game Saves

* DLC

* Demos/Games

* Movies/Photos/Music

* Chat messages/sessions

* PSOne/PSN Games

 

Here's the catch, straight from Sony's website:

 

"If you back up data on a PS3™ system and then transfer data to another PS3™ system using the data transfer utility, copy-prohibited saved data that is included in the backup data cannot be restored on either system....

 

Some types of backed up data can be restored on another PS3™ system. The types of data that can be restored on another system are as follows:

# - Saved data from PlayStation®3 format software *1

# - Image files under (Photo)

# - Music files under (Music) *2

# - Video files under (Video) *2

# - Bookmarks added under (Internet Browser)

# - Terms that were added using (Settings) > (System Settings) > [Add/Edit Term], or predictive terms that were "learned" by the on-screen keyboard"

 

So there you go. Copy-protected saves, like NFS: Shift, can only be restored onto the same system they were copied from. It's obviously an attempt by certain devs to prevent things like file sharing, but it's far from common practice. Pretty lame, IMO.

 

so it doesnt show up on my ps3 system do i have to buy it i dont wanna convert the data onto another ps3 since i only have one

[eLefAdEr]

so it doesnt show up on my ps3 system do i have to buy it i dont wanna convert the data onto another ps3 since i only have one

 

I'm not really sure what you mean... buy what?

 

EDIT: Maybe you're talking about a back-up drive. This could be anything from an external hard drive in an enclosure to a USB Flash drive, or even a Compact Flash card if you have an older PS3. If you don't have one, you should get one. A 4-gigabyte USB drive is only about $10 USD and should be large enough to back up all of your game data. Just make sure it's formatted for FAT32 systems so it will work with your PS3.

Edited October 15, 2010 by eLefAdEr

[MrPS3Infinity]

I'm not really sure what you mean... buy what?

 

EDIT: Maybe you're talking about a back-up drive. This could be anything from an external hard drive in an enclosure to a USB Flash drive, or even a Compact Flash card if you have an older PS3. If you don't have one, you should get one. A 4-gigabyte USB drive is only about $10 USD and should be large enough to back up all of your game data. Just make sure it's formatted for FAT32 systems so it will work with your PS3.

 

i have slim 120GB and i live in uk where can i find one of these? btw have alot of game saves so might not be enough space

[eLefAdEr]

i have slim 120GB and i live in uk where can i find one of these? btw have alot of game saves so might not be enough space

 

Game save files aren't very big -- most are under 10 MB each. Add up 100 of those and that 1 GB, so a 4 GB USB drive should be plenty large enough for all of your game saves.

 

Here's an example, this one is 16 GB: [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-16GB-USB-DataTraveler-Drive/dp/B001ROVLWY]Kingston 16GB USB 2.0 DataTraveler USB Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories[/ame]

[MrPS3Infinity]

Game save files aren't very big -- most are under 10 MB each. Add up 100 of those and that 1 GB, so a 4 GB USB drive should be plenty large enough for all of your game saves.

 

Here's an example, this one is 16 GB: Kingston 16GB USB 2.0 DataTraveler USB Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

so what would be the best to use for backing up save data?

[eLefAdEr]

so what would be the best to use for backing up save data?

 

The best case scenario would be an external SATA hard drive that has at least as much space as the hard drive in your PS3, preferably more. The more empty space a hard disk has, the easier it is to read/write information, which means faster data transfers. Also, you would be able to do the full backup utility without worrying about whether or not there is enough free space on your backup drive.

 

As long as it's formatted in FAT32 so the PS3 can read it and write to it, it can be any size or type. I have 2 separate 3.5" external hard drives with their own powered enclosures and one 2.5" (same as the PS3) in an enclosure. Some are powered by USB (nearly all 2.5" drive enclosures), others need external power (nearly all 3.5" drive enclosures).

 

Check these two links for an example of each type. They are available just about everywhere, so shop around for the best price. These are a bit more "high end" than most:

 

DIY KIT: 250GB 5400RPM HD for MacBook, M... (OWCYMK2555GSX) at OWC

 

160GB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7200RPM Ox... (MAU4S7160GB8) at OWC

[Jake_357]

So in doing this will ALL the thing on my HDD be gone?

 

And do I have to have that compound stuff in the tube? Because I all ready have the heat gun so I dont wanna spend 10$ on the compound if it wont do much? I literally just need this PS3 to last until christmas and then ill get a slim so with no compound will it last that long?

[eLefAdEr]

So in doing this will ALL the thing on my HDD be gone?

In doing what?

And do I have to have that compound stuff in the tube? Because I all ready have the heat gun so I dont wanna spend 10$ on the compound if it wont do much? I literally just need this PS3 to last until christmas and then ill get a slim so with no compound will it last that long?

 

:no:

 

The thermal compound on top of the GPU and CPU transfers a majority of the heat they generate to the massive intercooler/fan assembly. Without any thermal compound, your PS3's motherboard would do this in about 30 seconds:

 

In other words, the "compound stuff in the tube" is more important than the heat gun. Buy the best available, which is called Arctic Silver 5. Trust me, it's worth it.

[Jake_357]

In doing what?

 

:no:

 

The thermal compound on top of the GPU and CPU transfers a majority of the heat they generate to the massive intercooler/fan assembly. Without any thermal compound, your PS3's motherboard would do this in about 30 seconds:

 

In other words, the "compound stuff in the tube" is more important than the heat gun. Buy the best available, which is called Arctic Silver 5. Trust me, it's worth it.

 

Fixing the YLOD,will HDD still have everything on it?