PS3 HDD data retrieval?

[Mantichorus]

As some of you know, my 60GB Playstation 3 decided to die on me over the Easter weekend (YLOD), and I bought a new PS3 this weekend just gone.

I was hoping someone could advise me on any methods of transferring my game saves from the hard disk to the new PS3. I had picked up a HDD dock that connects via a USB cable in the hopes that I could directly transfer from the HDD to the PS3, but unfortunately it didn't work (the PS3 didn't seem to register the dock's presence).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lex]

You'll have to remove the drive itself and transfer the data that way. If you have a PC you might be able to plug it directly into your computer.

 

[ForceStealer]

None of those work, actually. For some incredibly stupid reason that I cannot fathom, a PS3 harddrive is encrypted to that particular machine and cannot be transferred unless you hook the PS3s together and use the transfer utility. Unless something has changed without my knowledge, if you plug the old hard drive into the new PS3 it will just try to make you format it.

How that's supposed to help when you first system dies - you know, the largest reason you would ever want to transfer your save data - is beyond me. But it enrages me. I still have the hard drive sitting on in on the TV stand, full of all my data, in perfect working order, and completely *#^$ing inaccessible. Thanks Sony.

 

[Tetsujin]

^ This.

When my PS3 died, I was in extreme luck having bought a new HDD just days prior and having made a backup for the transfer. Only reason why I hadn't lost everything.

I make regular backups now. Fool me once etc

 

[ForceStealer]

I was pretty forlorn and got extremely lucky with a couple games that I had put save files of on my PSP to bring to friends' houses and such. I didn't get everything back but I got some serious time commitments, most importantly was the ME2 save data so I didn't have to replay it before 3.

I did lose credit for beating Uncharted 3 though, and and I hadn't synced my trophies since doing so either

 

[Lex]

Oh wow, I had no idea this was the case. There must be some sort of PC program that hacks the encryption on it?

I now need to buy another hard drive to back up my PS3 stuff, but that's almost 300GB of data. Does it compress the files much?

 

[ForceStealer]

I'm holding onto my HDD for the express purpose of waiting for someone to crack it. To my knowledge, no luck yet.

And not that I've noticed. I wish you could just tell it to back up your save files and not EVERYTHING freakin on it. Mine wants like 100 gigs. So I just go through manually and copy all the saves that will let me.

The fact that there are save files that don't is yet another thing that infuriates me.

 

[Tetsujin]

Last time I backed up about 100GB.

Took 15 hours.

 

[Mantichorus]

Unless something has changed without my knowledge, if you plug the old hard drive into the new PS3 it will just try to make you format it.

I had heard something like that while searching for disc retrieval methods, which was why I didn't automatically try it.

Ah well, thanks for the help guys. I did ask at the GAME store I got my new PS3 from, and the guy behind the counter suggested looking for a decryption program. I'll pop back in this weekend and ask for the name of the one he used, as my searches have proved less than fruitful. I'll share anything I find here.