Help: Backing up PS3 HDD without PS3

[deepbrown]

If your supposedly reliable harddrive failed you would be in exactly the same situation.

The Lesson? for anything not re-downloadable like personal media and saves make multiple copies. The same goes for any peice of hardware whether it be a PC, ipod, camera or anything else that has the ability to hold data

Well - I don't think that's the case at all. My PC has failed a number of times. I am able to remove the HDD and copy over the data to another PC, or simply put it into a new PC.

Here, the HDD has not died. I have the HDD - I should be able to copy the data that is on there and put it onto my new PS3....because it's there, sitting, doing f'all.

The 360's solution is superior. The PS3 solution is crap. Maybe if they created their own HDD to put in the consoles, and sold them at inflated prices they would have a nice accessory earner for them AND ensure this type of bull doesn't happen.

 

[ShadowRunner]

The 360's solution is superior. The PS3 solution is crap. Maybe if they created their own HDD to put in the consoles, and sold them at inflated prices they would have a nice accessory earner for them AND ensure this type of bull doesn't happen.

The 360s solution is more open and the PS3s is more security concious is how i would put it, they are simlply different. It was obviously deemed a risk to security to allow free hdd swapping for reasons only known internally at Sony. Sure the 360s way of doing it is more consumer friendly (it would have to be considering the HW failure rate) but only time will tell if this stance would lead to even further piracy, which would be potentially much more widespread should a softmod be made available.

The PS3 is currently the only console on the market that has not been hacked to allow pirate software and there stance with regards to this issue could be one of many reasons for this. I dont blame you for being P'd off, i would be feeling exactly the same in your shoes. This doesnt change the fact that due to the relatively low failure rates the issue could possibly be seen as a small negative when compared to the increased security, and thus better for the PS3 product as a whole.

Its really not worth getting into a 360 vs PS3 argument on this because we will never know all the facts that drove the decision and there are positives and negatives for both.

One things for sure, as someone who does backup there personal files and hasnt/maynever had a problem with the console failing , i am very pleased sony did not go down the root of selling only thier own drives at inflated prices like you suggest.

 

[deepbrown]

The 360s solution is more open and the PS3s is more security concious is how i would put it, they are simlply different. It was obviously deemed a risk to security to allow free hdd swapping for reasons only known internally at Sony. Sure the 360s way of doing it is more consumer friendly (it would have to be considering the HW failure rate) but only time will tell if this stance would lead to even further piracy, which would be potentially much more widespread should a softmod be made available.

The PS3 is currently the only console on the market that has not been hacked to allow pirate software and there stance with regards to this issue could be one of many reasons for this. I dont blame you for being P'd off, i would be feeling exactly the same in your shoes. This doesnt change the fact that due to the relatively low failure rates the issue could possibly be seen as a small negative when compared to the increased security, and thus better for the PS3 product as a whole.

Its really not worth getting into a 360 vs PS3 argument on this because we will never know all the facts that drove the decision and there are positives and negatives for both.

One things for sure, as someone who does backup there personal files and hasnt/maynever had a problem with the console failing , i am very pleased sony did not go down the root of selling only thier own drives at inflated prices like you suggest.

You are not helping. The title of this thread asks for HELP, not to make my situation worse.

 

[JPT]

You are not helping. The title of this thread asks for HELP, not to make my situation worse.

I thought we came to the conclusion that it was nothing that could be done for your case and now we are talking about what is reasonable to expect for the average consumer or what should be possible for the average consumer.

 

[deepbrown]

I thought we came to the conclusion that it was nothing that could be done for your case and now we are talking about what is reasonable to expect for the average consumer or what should be possible for the average consumer.

THANKS. And I am the average consumer. I can't back up my saves.

 

[ShadowRunner]

You are not helping. The title of this thread asks for HELP, not to make my situation worse.

 

[patsu]

That's a sh*t moral. The moral is - I should be able to get my data, when a supposedly reliable piece of hardware fails from no fault of my own. SIMPLE AS.

It's the only catch-all precaution for any data you created (on PS3, 360, Mac or PC). I actually agree with your stand but for the moment, backing up your own game saves is the best practice.

I think at this point, you should call Sony to complain. Or talk to your Sony contacts. Or write an article. Not sure if they have an internal tool to transfer stuff over at this moment. Like someone said above, the data transfer should be part of the replacement plan. It may take time to implement.

 

[tha_con]

Well - I don't think that's the case at all. My PC has failed a number of times. I am able to remove the HDD and copy over the data to another PC, or simply put it into a new PC.

Here, the HDD has not died. I have the HDD - I should be able to copy the data that is on there and put it onto my new PS3....because it's there, sitting, doing f'all.

The 360's solution is superior. The PS3 solution is crap. Maybe if they created their own HDD to put in the consoles, and sold them at inflated prices they would have a nice accessory earner for them AND ensure this type of bull doesn't happen.

I have to disagree. While I understand your unique situation, I have to mention that Sony has always provided you with the means to back up your data (most importantly save data). If you do not take advantage of that, then you cannot really fault them.

The PS3 system allows you to re-download all of your content 5 times. That means you would have to run through 5 different systems before you are SOL (unless you are foolishly gamesharing). Even then, you can still call Sony, and after some polite sweet talk you can get your system count rest for your PSN ID.

So, like I said, your situation certainly does stink, and is very unique, but for the every-man, Sony provides the means to aid in the occurance of a system failure. I've had 2 fail on me, one at the fault of my mother, the other at the fault of the console. Both times I had a backup that was recent enough that it was not an issue. Sure, it was somewhat of a hassle re-downloading the dozens of PSN games I have purchased over the years, but most of them I hadn't played in months anyway, so it wasn't a terribly huge issue.

I have the utmost of sympathy for your situation, but you shouldn't extrapolate that and then compare it to everyone. I just don't think it's universally applicable.

Also, it's a bit unfair to compare a PC to a PS3. A PC is pretty much designed for component swapping, upgrades, new mother boards, etc. The PS3 has an upgradable HDD. In the case of the PC, you have to have a significantly more "open" platform for your users, because of the nature of the hardware. With the PS3, you can remove some of those open ended charactersitics in place of some partially managable DRM. If PS3 were like PC, it would be very easy to have one person buy a lot of games via PSN, create a backup file, and then freely distribute it over the net, etc.

There are reasons the systems are put into place, It may suck for some, but generally it isn't a big problem. Hopefully everything works out for you man, I really really do hope it'all turns okay.

 

[deepbrown]

I have to disagree. While I understand your unique situation, I have to mention that Sony has always provided you with the means to back up your data (most importantly save data). If you do not take advantage of that, then you cannot really fault them.

The PS3 system allows you to re-download all of your content 5 times. That means you would have to run through 5 different systems before you are SOL (unless you are foolishly gamesharing). Even then, you can still call Sony, and after some polite sweet talk you can get your system count rest for your PSN ID.

So, like I said, your situation certainly does stink, and is very unique, but for the every-man, Sony provides the means to aid in the occurance of a system failure. I've had 2 fail on me, one at the fault of my mother, the other at the fault of the console. Both times I had a backup that was recent enough that it was not an issue. Sure, it was somewhat of a hassle re-downloading the dozens of PSN games I have purchased over the years, but most of them I hadn't played in months anyway, so it wasn't a terribly huge issue.

I have the utmost of sympathy for your situation, but you shouldn't extrapolate that and then compare it to everyone. I just don't think it's universally applicable.

Also, it's a bit unfair to compare a PC to a PS3. A PC is pretty much designed for component swapping, upgrades, new mother boards, etc. The PS3 has an upgradable HDD. In the case of the PC, you have to have a significantly more "open" platform for your users, because of the nature of the hardware. With the PS3, you can remove some of those open ended charactersitics in place of some partially managable DRM. If PS3 were like PC, it would be very easy to have one person buy a lot of games via PSN, create a backup file, and then freely distribute it over the net, etc.

There are reasons the systems are put into place, It may suck for some, but generally it isn't a big problem. Hopefully everything works out for you man, I really really do hope it'all turns okay.

The console does not have a warning saying "please back up all your content, because if you don't you won't be able to access it ever again." The PS3 should not require you to buy an external harddrive.

Secondly, there should be no reason that I can't remove my HDD and put it into another PS3 to get my content back. Moreover, there should be little reason that I can't take the HDD out and copy the content over to a PC to then copy it back to a new PS3. No reason.

 

[patsu]

Secondly, there should be no reason that I can't remove my HDD and put it into another PS3 to get my content back. Moreover, there should be little reason that I can't take the HDD out and copy the content over to a PC to then copy it back to a new PS3. No reason.

I think it's a mechanism against piracy/hackers. Unfortunately, the hardware can't tell the difference between a "pirate" and a distressed user.

The console does not have a warning saying "please back up all your content, because if you don't you won't be able to access it ever again." The PS3 should not require you to buy an external harddrive.

This is useful. 2.60 proposes to the reset to defaults, or rebuild the HDD when it suspects something is wrong. They should also add a warning system to remind people to back up their data if the game saves are not backed up (often enough).

 

[deepbrown]

I think it's a mechanism against piracy/hackers. Unfortunately, the hardware can't tell the difference between a "pirate" and a distressed user.

Then Sony should provide legitimate consumers with a code or something.

 

[patsu]

Then Sony should provide legitimate consumers with a code or something.

The safest way is probably to have them do the copying via some secured software.

EDIT: Just saw what happened to Shifty...

Ha! The painful irony of that is I went to backup my LBP savefile so I wouldn't lose my creations in case of tragic failure. Selected the USB device, save over the existing one...oops! That's all my hard work gone! I should have triple-checked, but it was surprisingly easy to muddle up restoring from USB and saving to USB!

That's s*cks big time !

 

[Citrous]

I have a launch 60gb model that is running like a champ. I try to baby it though, and TBH it spent the first few years of it's life seeing VERY little use while it waited for me to buy my plasma. Here's hoping it lasts for me, I absolutely love it haha. =)

 

[tha_con]

The console does not have a warning saying "please back up all your content, because if you don't you won't be able to access it ever again." The PS3 should not require you to buy an external harddrive.

Secondly, there should be no reason that I can't remove my HDD and put it into another PS3 to get my content back. Moreover, there should be little reason that I can't take the HDD out and copy the content over to a PC to then copy it back to a new PS3. No reason.

Does your PC have a warning saying "Please back up all data on your HDD, because if your HDD failes, you won't be able to access the data ever again".

Also, the PS3 does not require you buy an external HDD, it only requires you have some sort of storage. The following all work for backup of data:

o iPod
o Zune
o USB Thumb Drive
o MS Pro (Duo)
o Compact Flash Card
o External HDD
o SD Memory Unit

Lastly, there are reasong you cannot take out the HDD and copy content over to a PC.

All of the "activation data" is stored on the HDD itself, there is no validation process when playing while not logged into the PSN. Since that is the case, if you were able to copy an image of the HDD, or swap HDD's into another PS3, one could just sell HDD's pre-loaded with PS3 titles. Basically, these measures are put in place to prevent piracy.

Again, I am terribly sorry for your situation, but there are rational reasons for this, and the means were, and always will be there, to prevent this kind of data loss. You can't expect Sony to warn you if no one else does. If my Wii breaks, I lose my games, that's local memory, cannot transfer. If my 360 HDD dies, I can redownload it, but lose all the save data, etc. If my PC HDD dies, I lose all my data. If my iPod dies, I lose all my songs. If my Cell Phone kicks the bucket, I lose my numbers, pictures, whatever.

None of these devices "warn me" that I need to back up the data or I could potentially lose it all one day, for good.

 

[deepbrown]

Does your PC have a warning saying "Please back up all data on your HDD, because if your HDD failes, you won't be able to access the data ever again".

Also, the PS3 does not require you buy an external HDD, it only requires you have some sort of storage. The following all work for backup of data:

o iPod
o Zune
o USB Thumb Drive
o MS Pro (Duo)
o Compact Flash Card
o External HDD
o SD Memory Unit

Lastly, there are reasong you cannot take out the HDD and copy content over to a PC.

All of the "activation data" is stored on the HDD itself, there is no validation process when playing while not logged into the PSN. Since that is the case, if you were able to copy an image of the HDD, or swap HDD's into another PS3, one could just sell HDD's pre-loaded with PS3 titles. Basically, these measures are put in place to prevent piracy.

Again, I am terribly sorry for your situation, but there are rational reasons for this, and the means were, and always will be there, to prevent this kind of data loss. You can't expect Sony to warn you if no one else does. If my Wii breaks, I lose my games, that's local memory, cannot transfer. If my 360 HDD dies, I can redownload it, but lose all the save data, etc. If my PC HDD dies, I lose all my data. If my iPod dies, I lose all my songs. If my Cell Phone kicks the bucket, I lose my numbers, pictures, whatever.

None of these devices "warn me" that I need to back up the data or I could potentially lose it all one day, for good.

But my HDD hasn't died tha_con. My HDD is fine. If the 360 dies, I can keep my HDD and copy over the data. The PS3 has no such solution. The failure of the PS3's HDD is incredibly rare in comparison to the failure of the PS3 itself. There might be rational reasons, but there should be no reason that Sony can make sure the new console will accept the HDD from my particular console if I provide them with a serial number.

 

[tha_con]

but there should be no reason that Sony can make sure the new console will accept the HDD from my particular console if I provide them with a serial number.

There is a reason. The enable the use of another HDD there would be a lot more required than just the serial number. They would have to physically alter the data on the HDD as a lot of the games, DLC, and some install data, is all tagged with the Hardware ID and other console specific information.

If Sony freely allowed folks to keep their HDD's and move it into a new PS3 without data loss, then we would absolutely see image files on torrents loaded with PS3 games.

The PS3 requires no online validation for restoration. You can back up, disconnect from a network, and restore. You can play all your games just fine on the console without activation, because the data for activation is on the HDD itself with all the games. If Sony opened that HDD up to all PS3's, then you would be have to have some form of online license renewel, and some more DRM to tie into it.

So, you either tighten up your DRM, like Microsoft has, to allow users to move HDD's from one console to another, or, you allow them to back up all of their data (MS doesn't allow you to back up all data) and let them download all content on up to 5 systems (which can be deactivated on command).

I'm not going to dig too much into this, but both systems are flawed, and rare cases will always show those flaws, however, they both do the best they can, and for the average user without any unique exceptions, it works just fine.

 

[deepbrown]

Did I mention I can't deactivate my accounts? Meaning they can only be on four systems from now on? I mean...I might not even have four left.

 

[tha_con]

Did I mention I can't deactivate my accounts? Meaning they can only be on four systems from now on? I mean...I might not even have four left.

This does in fact stink, and I was actually in a similar situation. I own 2 PS3's, and have had one of them replaced twice. I had used up 4 activations just on those systems, and apparently must have logged in on someone else's PS3 (whom I could not recall at the time).

Fortunately, with some sweet talking, I was able to get the Customer Service rep via the Sony Service Line to rest my account activations and gain all of my content back, it wasn't too difficult.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Shifty shifty. I hope you uploaded it online...then you can just redownload your level.

Thankfully it was only a day's work on a new level, and a lot of that was experimenting. My other creations are up and downloadable.

Have you spoken to Sony directly yet? IF your PS3 has died before being backed-up, maybe they can be more accomodating? Maybe they can offer a RTB repair job without a replacement or something?

 

[deepbrown]

This does in fact stink, and I was actually in a similar situation. I own 2 PS3's, and have had one of them replaced twice. I had used up 4 activations just on those systems, and apparently must have logged in on someone else's PS3 (whom I could not recall at the time).

Fortunately, with some sweet talking, I was able to get the Customer Service rep via the Sony Service Line to rest my account activations and gain all of my content back, it wasn't too difficult.

OK that's good to know. Thanks.