PS3 YLOD fix..reball...reflow?! Help please! [Archive]

LiquidPolicenaut

01-18-2011, 03:54 PM

My heart broke today....my original PS3, which I bought on launch day, suddenly froze while watching a movie. *sigh* I always kept/keep all of my systems, including the PS3, as clean, dirt-free, and well ventilated as possible but I guess the PS3 just didn't wanna be with me anymore...

As this has happened, I have been reading up on reballing or reflowing PS3 units to get them to work again. I am hoping there is someway to get it running again so I can at least try to save and transfer stuff from my PS3 hard drive to an external one. I'd rather NOT lose my backwards-compatible PS3 but...you know. Does anyone know how to do either of these? Are there any third-party repair shops that are good and can do it and not lose my data from my hard drive?

Any info. would be greatly appreciated in my sad time of bereavement...

megasdkirby

01-18-2011, 04:02 PM

As much as it pains me to say, even if you reflow and make it work again, it WILL die once again later on.

The solution is only temporary. Eventually, the unit will suffer once more.

However, reflowing might work, as I did it with one unit and worked great. However, like I mentioned before, it will die out eventually.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-18-2011, 04:19 PM

I found some sight called gophermods and they say they can fix it via reflow method and you wont lose any data from the hard drive. Anybody have any opinions on them?

If I am able to get it to work again, even if just for a few hours or days, I want to see if I can use the PS3's Backup Utility to back up stuff from my hard rive. Question is, though, what can I actually copy via this method? Save data, saved games, etc. as well as photos, videos, etc?

Also: Is it true I can hook up my old PS3 unit (if I get it working) to a new one (IF I buy one) via an ethernet cable and transfer stuff via that way?

Kitsune Sniper

01-18-2011, 04:20 PM

Take out the hard drive and send the system in for repair if it's still under warranty.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-18-2011, 04:22 PM

Take out the hard drive and send the system in for repair if it's still under warranty.

Doesn't Sony make me ship my hard drive along with the system if i get it repaired from them?

Kitsune Sniper

01-18-2011, 04:35 PM

Why the hell would they? That's just asking for trouble if someone has all their hard drive data wiped.

Tried... calling them?

megasdkirby

01-18-2011, 04:42 PM

Why the hell would they? That's just asking for trouble if someone has all their hard drive data wiped.

Tried... calling them?

Knowing Sony... *sigh*

I do know Sony repairs consoles...was it $150 or something? Do they still have that replacement program?

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-18-2011, 04:44 PM

Doesn't Sony make me ship my hard drive along with the system if i get it repaired from them?

I wouldn't keep the HDD. If they wind up sending you back a different refurbished system you won't be able to recover the data off that HDD by putting it in a different system. It needs to stay paired with the system that all the games were downloaded to.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-18-2011, 04:44 PM

Why the hell would they? That's just asking for trouble if someone has all their hard drive data wiped.

Tried... calling them?

Everywhere I have read online states that when Sony repairs your PS3 your hard drive gets formatted and everything is wiped. Some say Sony says you MUST have your original HD in there others say no so I don't know who to believe. Regardless though, even if they fix my system with no hard drive in it and, once I get it back, wont the PS3 MAKE me format the hard drive if I try to reinstall it anyway, thus losing the data anyhow?

megasdkirby

01-18-2011, 04:54 PM

I wouldn't keep the HDD. If they wind up sending you back a different refurbished system you won't be able to recover the data off that HDD by putting it in a different system. It needs to stay paired with the system that all the games were downloaded to.

Is there no way to somehow access the files, either using another PS3 or PC program? Os it the file system still accessible?

Frankie_Says_Relax

01-18-2011, 05:04 PM

Is there no way to somehow access the files, either using another PS3 or PC program? Os it the file system still accessible?

I'm sure the file system is in some way accessible, but there's no legitimate way to transfer data from one PS3 HDD to another PS3 HDD outside of the tools found on the PS3 OS.

And the HDD NEEDS to be in the system that it was matched with originally in order to make the transfer.

At this point, I'd get the YLOD system up and running temporarily, go buy a new slim, and do the Ethernet cable full-HDD transfer from the old system to the new one.

While it sucks for sure, loss of PS2 BC is pretty negligible at this point. the PS3's software library is great and there's plenty of good stuff on the PSN.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-18-2011, 05:29 PM

I'm sure the file system is in some way accessible, but there's no legitimate way to transfer data from one PS3 HDD to another PS3 HDD outside of the tools found on the PS3 OS.

And the HDD NEEDS to be in the system that it was matched with originally in order to make the transfer.

At this point, I'd get the YLOD system up and running temporarily, go buy a new slim, and do the Ethernet cable full-HDD transfer from the old system to the new one.

While it sucks for sure, loss of PS2 BC is pretty negligible at this point. the PS3's software library is great and there's plenty of good stuff on the PSN.

You are correct in every manner. Only a PS3 seems to be able to read the PS3 harddrive. Though it's gonna cost me extra, I guess I will get the PS3 reflowed, buy a new PS3 and transfer my data like that. It does majorly suck that my PS2 compatibility is gone as I loved having them upscaled but I DO still have my trusty PS2 slim with component cables and at least I can retrieve my PS3 saves so I can find some good in the bad ;)

kupomogli

01-18-2011, 05:39 PM

Doesn't Sony make me ship my hard drive along with the system if i get it repaired from them?

I upgraded my hard drive so I still have my old one left. Why don't you find a small cheap HDD and then just format it for use on the system. Also instead of paying money to get a refurbished system back, I'd contact Sony and try and speak to some part of management and tell them if you're paying $150 to get your system repaired, you want the exact same system or another 60GB system with backwards compatibility.

I think it's bullshit that they'll send you a refurbished system and tell you that they're not going to guarantee you get the a bc system back.

tomwaits

01-18-2011, 06:15 PM

I went through this last summer with my 60GB. As mentioned, there's no way to recover your save data unless you get THE SAME PS3 running again. I don't think Sony makes any assurance you'll get the same PS3 back.... better with an indie repair. If you move the hard drive to another PS3 the drive needs to be wiped before the console boots. If you decide to get the console repaired, some game saves can be backed up to memory card but others are locked. They can only be moved by transferring to a direct networked PS3. Locked saves are moved and erased from the source PS3. Most of my locked saves were for music games (GHs/RBs/SingStars) and 1st party Sony games.

When mine failed, I hadn't backed up any game saves in years so I sent it for an ebay reflow station repair with great feedback and 100 day repair warranty. Came back working and I backed up all that I could to memory card. Was waiting for a PS3 sale to get a new Slim and it hit the YLoD again before the 100 days. Had to pay postage again, but the re-reflow was free and got it running. I bought a 160GB Slim and direct transferred all my save data.

It looks like all early PS3s will eventually fail. Any repairs are temporary... heat gun fixes don't last long, reflow repairs might last longer, reballing ($$) might be like starting over. But, the chips run so hot that a few years of heavy use and it'll die again. Not as bad as early 360s but PS3s are disposable junk too.

The 160GB Slims use the least power of any PS3 and should run cooler/last longer than any previous models. I'm just hoping my Slim lasts until I can transfer to a backwards compatible PS4 so I don't have to go through this again. :D

Whether to repair or just start over with a fresh Slim depends on how much you value your game saves. I'd definitely go for a Slim though... trying to replace with another 60GB bc unit is just asking for another failure.

Good Luck!

Kitsune Sniper

01-18-2011, 06:27 PM

Wow. Not being able to use your HD data with other systems is bullshit. That should be tied to your hardware ID OR your PSN ID so moving to a new system would be simple. God damn.

98redM6

01-18-2011, 06:58 PM

Get it reflowed and transfer your info to a new slim. Amazon has the 160gb PS3 Slim for $299.99 with a $50 credit. At that point, you can put the Fat PS3 away since you'll have a newer console or sell it so that you're not taking that big of a hit on buying a new one. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

dannye812

01-18-2011, 07:11 PM

otoko

01-18-2011, 07:30 PM

Ps3 + heat gun + thermal grease + power supply replacement to a APS-231 = Win

Same happened to my 60gb and here's what I found:

What has killed most of the old models is the power supply unit. They run extremely hot and will get as hot a iron for clothing. I've actually burned my hands on one once after it running for five minutes on dead cold start up. Also all the early models I've seen had little to no thermal grease on the processors. Plus the thermal grease was cheap and poor quality. This is why they die. I wouldn't buy a service to reflow it if you have a friend who can use a heat gun effectively.

Since I have had no problems with my ps3.

Also I'm against the slim idea, but that's just me.

megasdkirby

01-18-2011, 07:41 PM

Gophermods they fixed mine. It was freezing all the time and got to the point where it wouldn't play games at all. Sent it to Gophermods $130 all together with shipping. One year warranty. Haven't had any problems since.

They might offer good service, but at that price, that's very, very high.

For just a bit more, you can send it to Sony and get it done through them.

I don't know why repair shops ask so much to repair, which in the long run will just eventually die.

Gameguy

01-18-2011, 08:10 PM

I don't know why repair shops ask so much to repair, which in the long run will just eventually die.
I don't know why people bother buying electronics that they know will die, yet people still do that too.

otoko

01-18-2011, 08:13 PM

I don't know why people bother buying electronics that they know will die, yet people still do that too.

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Technology/images/steve-jobs-with-ipod-nano.jpg (http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Technology/images/steve-jobs-with-ipod-nano.jpg)

backguard

01-18-2011, 09:05 PM

My understanding is that reballing is really the only way to achieve a long term fix. People have mixed results with reflows - from systems that work for a week to a year (never heard of more than a year though) - but in the end the reflow does fail. The systems can be reflowed multiple times, but at some point it won't work anymore.

One thing that is really overlooked in the reflow process is increasing the fan speed of the PS3. If you open up a PS3 they are covered in dust which doesn't help with the heat situation. The fan isn't fast enough to kick out that dust. If you get it reflowed look into someone who can do that. They should be able to find a speed that increases the airflow without increasing the noise too much. If they put it on the highest speed though it sounds like a jet engine. :)

The other option...the sad option I should say...is to reflow it and sell it w/ a warranty of some sort or just sell it as a dead system - then get a slim. You can still find some nice deals on them.

Last thing - if you want to get your saves off the system, you need to get it up and running through at least a reflow, delete extraneous stuff (installs especially), then use the data transfer utility with another ps3. Also deactivate the old system for games/movies. If you don't delete the extraneous junk the transfer takes forever and you never know if the system will just die on you during the process.

exit

01-18-2011, 11:46 PM

This happened to me about a year ago (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142849&highlight=YLOD) and I failed a doing a reflow. At the same time I was very close to giving up on Sony all together because of the horrible customer service that they have and was very close to returning the Slim I had just bought. I'd say doing a reflow/rebail is worth a try, Sony is doing very little on providing help for YLOD victims, so you might as well try and to get as much life out of your system as possible.

kupomogli

01-19-2011, 06:45 AM

Wow. Not being able to use your HD data with other systems is bullshit. That should be tied to your hardware ID OR your PSN ID so moving to a new system would be simple. God damn.

Actually if that's all he's worried about then he can just get a case and hook the hard drive up to the PC and manually transfer the items. Then after manually transfering everything over, put the hard drive in the new PS3 and make sure it doesn't force him to reformat. If it asks to reformat you still have the backups you made on your PC.

Then once everything is backed up and set up, all that has to be done is to activate his PSN on this PS3. Every PSN account can be activated on up to five PS3 systems. All locked save data is tied to the the PSN account that was used to create that data. If you've never used your PS3 online and have never made a PSN account, then it's only locked to the system and there's nothing that can be done.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-19-2011, 10:22 AM

Actually if that's all he's worried about then he can just get a case and hook the hard drive up to the PC and manually transfer the items. Then after manually transfering everything over, put the hard drive in the new PS3 and make sure it doesn't force him to reformat. If it asks to reformat you still have the backups you made on your PC.

Then once everything is backed up and set up, all that has to be done is to activate his PSN on this PS3. Every PSN account can be activated on up to five PS3 systems. All locked save data is tied to the the PSN account that was used to create that data. If you've never used your PS3 online and have never made a PSN account, then it's only locked to the system and there's nothing that can be done.

Sadly, it is not that simple. Hooking up the PS3 HD to a PC will just result in the PC not recognizing it. I would have to format it first. I'm pretty much left with only one option and that is to reflow it (paying for that to just transfer certain things is what kinda of makes me hesitant), get a new PS3 Slim, hook to the two systems up, and transfer all data from the old PS3 to the new Slim PS3...

Last thing - if you want to get your saves off the system, you need to get it up and running through at least a reflow, delete extraneous stuff (installs especially), then use the data transfer utility with another ps3. Also deactivate the old system for games/movies. If you don't delete the extraneous junk the transfer takes forever and you never know if the system will just die on you during the process.

Thanks a lot for the tip! By the way, how does that go? I deactivate my PSN account (just the main one or all three I have on there?) on my old PS3 then go the Slim PS3 and activate it on there? Also, if I delete any install data I have (especially large ones like Heavy Rain and MGS4) along with movies, music and photos, then size-wise, I don't have that much to transfer! Some good news I guess. lol

Kitsune Sniper

01-19-2011, 12:25 PM

Try to find someone who'll do the reflow and buy the system off of you at the same time. That way you can get the stuff to a new system and save some money overall.

LiquidPolicenaut

01-19-2011, 06:23 PM

Try to find someone who'll do the reflow and buy the system off of you at the same time. That way you can get the stuff to a new system and save some money overall.

Yeah, that'd be ideal but, sadly, there isn't anywhere/anyone around my area who can do it so most likely I will have to ship it out to get done in the first place....

PSony

01-19-2011, 09:03 PM

I have the same problem with my 60GB a few weeks ago. I was playing MW2 online and it shut off. The next day, it went into YLoD mode. I didn't get to back up my data or deactivate my account. Also, my MW2 disc was still inside. I send it to Sony on the 10th and got an email saying they shipped me a 60GB system and will arrive on the 20th (tomorrow).

megasdkirby

01-19-2011, 09:04 PM

How much is Sony charging to repair? Did it lower in price?

PSony

01-19-2011, 09:36 PM

It was $129 for the service and $12.58 for tax.

LaughingMAN.S9

01-20-2011, 04:08 AM

i consider myself an expert on this matter since i've literally been thru 5 systems, all refurbs from son after my original 60 gig ylod

first of all, they will not send you ur original system back, you cant send it in without a hd either, and even if you could it'd be for nothing, you cant recover the data off the hd via windows or linux, i used like 7 programs, combed thru dozens of tech forums looking 4 advice on how to recover my data & the general consensus is that i was fucked, sony uses its own proprietary encryption format on its hd's, even something as simple as formatting an hd for your own use via an enclosure/hot swap bay/sata cable becomes a fucking bitch because of this

the ps3 tranfer trick is your only hope if you can get it running for a short while, backing up on an external hd would work to but might be riskier as it takes a couple of hours to fully back up, if your ps3 dies in that time, you might corrupt all your data on both sides

sony used to charge 150 for repairs, shipping included and you got a 90 day warranty but now they pumped it up to 180, for 60 gigs at least, the one new thing they've added, at least, in my case is they gave me the option to "upgrade" my 60 to a slim, i dont know if it was new or a refurb, but i told them to go fuck themselves, if you really really need your saves and watever else you got stored, go see a data recovery specialist and hope you get lucky, also DONT remove your hd & put it in another ps3, it'll reformat your drive & you'll lose everything

PSony

01-21-2011, 06:43 AM

Got a 60GB back. It's not the same one I sent, but it's in much better shape. It's pretty much like-new, no scratches anywhere.

It sucks having to re-download everything. And of course all my saves are gone.

I think eventually I'll get a PS3 slim. As much as I like backwards compatibility, I'd rather have a more reliable unit.

MarioMania

01-21-2011, 09:21 AM

otoko

01-21-2011, 02:59 PM

Did you get your game back??

You won't.

I've also delt with Sony when I sent one of my 60gb demo units in. You should expect them to do nothing to help you.

PSony

01-21-2011, 03:20 PM

Did you get your game back??

Yeah, and with someone's fingerprint on it.

LiquidPolicenaut

02-07-2011, 12:02 AM

Well, just to finish off my topic, I wound up sending in my original 60GB PS3 to gophermods and everything went smoothly. They had it for all of one day before they shipped it back (via FedEx 3day which surprised me) and, sure enough, my disc was still in there as was everything on my hard drive. I also bought a new Slim PS3 and was able to do the Data Transfer Utility with no problems. Deleted what I didn't need and it took about 30 mins in total and everything transferred over perfectly to the new Slim model. Thanks to everyone for their opinions/advice!

megasdkirby

02-07-2011, 06:08 AM

LiquidPolicenaut

02-07-2011, 10:19 AM

Remember to "deactivate" any and all DLC, specially games, on the old console.

Because unfortunately, your old PS3 WILL indeed die again...it's just a matter of time. Could last hours...days...weeks...but hopefully it last years.

Not trying to be pessimistic, because it WILL happen, and much quicker since it already got a YLOD "attack". Better do things now and not worry about it than regret it later.

Oh absolutely. It's actually part of the instructions to deactivate all user names on the original console, which I did, in order to activate them on the new one.

As I knew before hand, there is no permanent fix for the YLOD. All I wanted was to get all my info. off of my original hard drive which I was bale to do. My original 60GB PS3 now sits dormant but still on the shelves with all my other systems :)

kirbykirb

02-07-2011, 03:33 PM

Reballing with a heavy lead based solder can cure the YLOD fix to an extent; you also would have to provide better cooling then the small form factor of the phat ps3 orginally does. As posted previously the power supply and the cpu's own heat are the main sources of the YLOD.

Fix the cooling issue and have the chip extracted; the solder points on the motherboard cleaned up and then reballed the chip and put back into place via a hot air machine and it will be good to go.

Theres also other points which can cause issue on the PS3 like the several NAND chips it uses too.

megasdkirby

02-07-2011, 03:51 PM

But it makes me wonder...if after a good "reballing", cleaning, and using good thermal paste (say Artic Silver 5), shouldn't the console last?

kirbykirb

02-07-2011, 04:16 PM

But it makes me wonder...if after a good "reballing", cleaning, and using good thermal paste (say Artic Silver 5), shouldn't the console last?

Only if there is sufficient cooling. The small form factor of the console is horrible for cooling as there is not enough air flow and therefore allows the heat to stay. With more then one object creating heat (several IC/cpu/gpu/heatsinks/power supply) all in one central location with no sufficient air ventilation and combined with lead free solder (environmentalists/costs savings) all equal to the YLOD.

goatdan

02-10-2011, 01:31 AM

Cornelius

02-10-2011, 09:59 AM

Interesting topic, lots of good info. I have a few questions, as I've been thinking about what to do with my PS3 situation in the future...

- If I have a 60 GB model with the PS2 memory card adapter thing, can I transfer my saves off the PS3 hard drive and onto the PS2 memory card for play on a PS2?
dunno on this one

- If I have a 60 GB model and I back up the hard drive, can I save this backed up data to eventually restore on a slim model?
no. As I understand it, the only option is to do a transfer from your old ps3 to the new one, directly, with both drives in their respective consoles. This was discussed earlier in this thread if you want to review that.

- I understand that the 60GB models are the worst with the YLOD stuff, is that true? How solid are the Slims? Is it worth just ignoring the 60 GB models altogether?

My understanding is that it is pretty common among any of the early ones, both the hardware and software BC ones. But I haven't read specifically about that aspect.

My plan is to replace the thermal compound in my 60 GB and hopefully avoid the problem. I'm also considering replacing the P/S with a newer model one, but I've heard mixed things about that.

LiquidPolicenaut

02-10-2011, 10:10 AM

Interesting topic, lots of good info. I have a few questions, as I've been thinking about what to do with my PS3 situation in the future...

- If I have a 60 GB model with the PS2 memory card adapter thing, can I transfer my saves off the PS3 hard drive and onto the PS2 memory card for play on a PS2?

Absolutely yes as I do this a lot. It's interesting to note that, when I transferred all the old data from my 60GB to the Slim, it transferred all my PSOne and PS2 saves :) So, even though I can't play my PS2 games on my Slim, I can still make some virtual memory cards on it when I need more room :)

- If I have a 60 GB model and I back up the hard drive, can I save this backed up data to eventually restore on a slim model?

It sounds like you can. Here is the direct link to Sony's explanation on the Backup Utility:
http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/backuputility.html

goatdan

02-10-2011, 12:56 PM

Absolutely yes as I do this a lot. It's interesting to note that, when I transferred all the old data from my 60GB to the Slim, it transferred all my PSOne and PS2 saves :) So, even though I can't play my PS2 games on my Slim, I can still make some virtual memory cards on it when I need more room :)

It sounds like you can. Here is the direct link to Sony's explanation on the Backup Utility:
http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/backuputility.html

Awesome, thanks -- that's also really good information. I have an old PS3 and have been thinking about picking up another and / or replacing that one. I'm trying to figure out what is the best options, and this gives me some stuff to think about.

Also, unrelated completely, but does anyone know of a site that can teach me how to easily convert and upload videos to the PS3? I have a HD Kodak camera that records in .MOV file format (up to 1080i) and my computers can't even handle the data properly. I figure (??) the PS3 could, and upgrading to one with a bigger hard drive is a big part of why I'm thinking about it at all...

Sorry to be off topic. Back on topic, is there any shot of the 60GB models NOT getting the YLOD? Is better ventilation known to stop this?

Cornelius

02-10-2011, 01:47 PM

mattimeo310

02-10-2011, 01:58 PM

My understanding is that it is pretty common among any of the early ones, both the hardware and software BC ones. But I haven't read specifically about that aspect.

I am as well under the impression the 60gb are more suseptible because I own an original 40gb ps3 and I think I've heard its fan kick on to "turbo" mode once since last summer. My friend on the other hand has a 60gb and his enters "turbo" mode on a regular basis, so it seems his overheats quite frequently.

goatdan

02-10-2011, 02:05 PM

Not sure if it will do what you want, but you might check out TVersity. Free software that allows you to stream video from your PC, and automatically converts many different file formats on the fly to whatever it is that the PS3 can use. If you need the files on the PS3 itself, I think you'll have to convert the files in advance and then move them. Google should tell you how to do that conversion.

Cool, that sounds like an interesting idea I'll have to explore, thanks!

I did try Googling the file conversion stuff, and I found like 10 different programs, two or three of which were crap (videos down converted, had sound issues, etc), two or three of which didn't work (started converting and hung, or just crashed), and the rest that wanted money for them. I don't want to pay for something unless I'm certain it will actually function properly... and I couldn't find a consensus online about what to do.

If anyone else has any insight into this, I'd be interested. I'm willing to spend a little bit of money on a program, but I don't want to waste it on stuff that won't work.