A PS3 hard drive can develop corrupted data, as it happens to any computerized device. Various errors within the system result in the corruption of your PS3. The errors can result from physical damages, the sudden crash of the system, or maybe bad sectors within the system.
To get rid of the PS3 corruption, you will need to format the system. Formatting the system is the easiest way to fix a corrupted PS3 hard drive. However, formatting results in a permanent loss of the system’s data. Several developed software can be installed to help you retrieve your lost data on formatting your device.
Causes of PlayStation hard drive corruption
There are several reasons why you will need to format your device. Some of the reasons include;
- Poor functioning conditions- For an effective operation of your system, it will need specific working conditions, increasing its lifespan. Severe conditions like high humidity levels, power surges and excess heat will damage the system.
- Faults caused by the manufacturer are expected to release a device with some mistakes or needs to be updated for effective functioning. If this happens, then there are several faults on the hard drive, then formatting can help solve the problems.
One can always check for updates from the particular manufacturers’ websites and get the latest improvements.
- Damage from a virus- Some programmed viruses end up causing lots of damage to your system. The virus may delete various vital data from your PlayStation or encrypt some confidential information. This calls for the formatting of the device to remove such viruses.
- Buggy software- Software bugs in PS3 hard drives end up corrupting essential files in the system if the buggy software accesses the files. It is always vital to ensure that the buggy software is eliminated earlier before getting access to the admin section. If accessed, it can cause you a lot.
How to fix a corrupted PS3 without losing data
Formatting the PlayStation hard drive will remove any information in the system permanently. It is not apparent that you will have to format your PS3 to solve the issue. You can still fix the problem without formatting the system. Below is an outlined process on how to go about it without formatting your PS3 hard drive;
Step 1: Scan the PlayStation for viruses
Scanning for any possible viruses entails using the Windows Defender, available in most Windows operating system versions. Windows Defender performs even better than most anti-virus software options available for download.
Follow the guidelines below when using Windows Defender;
- In the windows search box, type windows security and press the enter key.
- A list of menu options display. Choose the virus and threat protection’ option.
- Under the quick scan option, select scan options. It displays various scanning options.
- Check for possible viruses by clicking the ‘full scan’ option, then select ‘scan now.’
The above steps help you scan for viruses in your PS3 system.
Step 2: Fix errors using the CHKDSK command tool
The term CHKDSK is a representation for ‘check disk.’ It is a command tool that checks for errors in your disc and corrects them. Once the errors have been fixed, you can now access the PS3 hard drive, even without any formatting.
Below is how to use the CHKDSK command tool;
- From the windows search box, type ‘cmd’. It opens the command prompt app. Choose the ‘Run as administrator option.
- The PS3 hard drive being fixed is usually assigned with a specific letter. From the display, substitute ‘X’ with the specific hard drive letter. Press the enter key.
- After the substitution, give the CHKDSK some time to finish. The command line checks for any errors or bad sectors and fixes them.
The process usually takes some time to finish, though it depends on the hard drive size.
Step3: Replacement of corrupted system files with SFC
SFC is a windows tool that helps in fixing corrupted files in any system. It is capable of accessing your PS3 hard drive and restoring any corrupted system files.
Follow the steps below to ensure replacement of the corrupted system files with SFC;
- From the taskbar’s search box, type ‘cmd’. A pop-up command prompt app displays. Choose the ‘Run as administrator option.
- Type the ‘SFC/scan now’ command on the displayed page.
- Give the SFC process some time to finish, which may take up to an hour or more than one hour.
Step 4: Recover your system files
To recover all your system files, you will have to use software designed for data recovery. For this case, I would recommend you to use the Disk Drill software as it can hold all types of system files. Disk Drill offers a free file recovery of up to 500 MB, which is very large.
Follow the following steps when using Disk Drill;
- The first step is to get the Disk Drill and install it.
- Hook your PS3 hard drive to a PC.
- Present the Disk Drill, then choose the PS3 drive and finally search for lost data.
- The scanning takes some time. Wait for the process to finish.
- A list of files is displayed. Choose the ones you would like to recover and click then click the ‘recover’ button, usually at the bottom of the displayed page.
- Choose the location you would like to restore your data and click OK.
PS3 hard drive corruption symptoms
Several symptoms can be recognized in a corrupted system, which may include;
- Strange noises from your hard drive.
- Missing or illegible files.
- Poor hard drive performance.
- The system might not recognize the hard drive.
Conclusion
The hard drive is the most crucial part of any PlayStation. It can, however, develop corrupted data with time. Buggy software, unfavourable working conditions and manufacturer’s faults are significant causes of hard drive corruption. However, the problem can be eliminated from the system, as explained in the above article.
Formatting to eliminate the various errors in the system can result in a permanent loss of system files. Therefore, it is recommended that you use the above-discussed steps to fix any problems in your PS3, and the process won’t lose your data. It is also vital to regularly back up your system’s files to a different device for easy retrieval if your PS3 hard drive fails to work ultimately.
