PS3 – How to do a factory / hard reset
Contributed by Jimmy Selix 
Tagged: Games Well, i had some major problems w/my PS3 recently locking up and not playing any games/movies. After calling Customer Support, they suggested that i do a hard reset. This did seem to solve my problems, so here is the procedure per Sony CS. I would consider this a last resort troubleshooting procedure.
Hard Reset procedure for the PS3 (as instructed by Sony CS).
Be sure to backup your settings/games saves by doing a System > Backup on your PS3 or you may lose your game saves! Also, this is a last resort procedure prior to exchanging/returning to sony.
1. Power Off the PS3 via the power switch in back and power back on w/switch.
2. Hold Power Button on the Front until you hear 3 beeps.
3. Then go through the initial setup and then run a full Format via System > Format. (will take approx 3 1/1 hours). You may need to have our AV cables ready if your using HDMI (in case HDMI isn’t detected after initial reset).
4. Restore your backup you made prior to doing factory/hard reset (optional, if you created a backup).
Hopefully this will solve your freezing problems.
Problems/symptons that this appears to have resolved:
-freezing when doing anything
-no harddrive activity
-freezing when trying to use onboard keyboard or bringing up keyboard
-game/movie disc freezes system
(Video of my problems prior to hard reset)
Prior to doing the hard reset i had tried the following things:
-restoring my PS3 system and a quick format (did nothing, via System menu)
-full format (no hard reset though, via System menu)
-restore default PS3 settings (via System menu)
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robert said on October 4, 2008
what is a system backup
dan said on October 26, 2008
Thank you sooo much, you saved my ps3 :D
Naturekill said on November 11, 2008
A new GOD is “born”
THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!!!
I thought my system were totally crushed, because I didn’t format my hdd and tried to install ydl. After that only kboot terminal was there and nothing else! I tried everything but nothing works. But this option!!!!
NEED HELP said on November 15, 2008
is this an option for solving the problem of discs that do no tregister with the system, whether it be games, dvds, or BRdiscs? i mean i put the disc into the drive, and nothing happens except a few odd, quiet noises form the dist drive.
abe said on December 22, 2008
ok hey dude plz i really need ur help my msn is soccerowner_72@homail.com i need u to help me ok when ever i turn my ps3 there is this updata and when it gets to 62% it says error and give me a Gay code i turn of my ps3 and on Same problem i really need ur help plz and thank u MY wish SO far IS TO FIX MY PS3 PLZ HELP ME
yee ting said on December 24, 2008
ps3 not able to restore; doesn’t hear the 3 beeps.
cattle77 said on January 9, 2009
Hey bro just wanted to say thanx , i was really bummed out about my playstation. worked like a champ. At first i thought it wasnt going to but it was just not registering the hd. Have a good one bro thanks for sharing that.
ed said on January 12, 2009
it didnt work
Mark Cordoba said on January 15, 2009
can you make a video of how to do the hard reset and what shows on the screen?
James said on January 28, 2009
Thanks a lot!
Maccaz said on February 10, 2009
Nope this can’t be fixed by hard drive reset or anything else you try. It is a hardware problem to do with your bluray diode (the disc reader) not functioning. It is Error Code “80010514″
and you will need to send it back to Sony for a new copy for free, or if your don’t have a warranty for a fee.
Or you can try and fix it by buying the faulty part and following tutorials on the internet to install it.
Sal said on March 24, 2009
my ps3 isn’t giving me a picture.. i just bought it pre-owned.
I haven’t got a HD TV so im using the av cable, but it wont work in either jack mode or scart socket.
I’ve tried a system hard reset but it dont help coz i have no picture.. any ideas would be good!
pls add me on msn rs_redbabe@hotmail.com
Jonathan Molloy said on March 27, 2009
My PS3 hasnt been reading any kind of disc. I talked to the company and because I dont have my reciept anymore they wont take it back. Can anyone help me out? jonathan.s.molloy@gmail.com
sb said on April 10, 2009
cheers was helpful!
user name=mideasternmafia said on April 14, 2009
hello my ps3 was working fine yesterday with no problems at all then today it won’t even get to the main menu. it will turn on then make the sony ps3 noise then it will freeze. and the only way i can turn it off is through the back switch? i dont want to lose my content or user name or anything. what do I do?
hey said on April 15, 2009
Thank you so much for the help… Will be back to tell you if I fixed it or not… But thanks a bunch…
Mike hunt said on April 23, 2009
It didn’t help I can sign in but the screen freezes after I sign in I have tried to reset but it doesn’t work please help me
DrillPress said on May 20, 2009
Mideasternmafia, Did you resolve your problem? Mine just quit in the same fashion. Title screen only, menu does not load. It looks like a firmware/hardware lockup. Can you give me some info on how you solved your problem? Can anyone else help?
Thanks.
DrillPress.
Scidude0 said on May 31, 2009
this solved all my problems with my ps3! thank you sooo much!
desperate dude said on July 7, 2009
I have a problem that my ps3 doesn’t read any disc’s. But i can watch videos/movies from an external hard drive. I tried this “factory reset” but it didn’t do anything. I just lost 3,5 hours of my day.
Anonymous said on August 1, 2009
It fixed mine. It wouldn’t register any games or movies after a power outage. I thought the Blu Ray drive was screwed but the reset fixed it. Thanks!!!
Anonymous said on August 10, 2009
Strange – I held the button in but only heard one beep, followed by a pause and another beep and it shut down. No three beeps.
However, it did reset everything back to default as if it were out of the box (Settings wise). Proceeding with a full-format now.
My issue was freezing/locking up the system when playing anything disc related, such as a Blu-ray movie or a retail game.
Anonymous said on August 16, 2009
my ps3 freeze when i update the firmware 2.80,I have tried to reset but it doesn’t work please help me
Douglas Linn said on August 19, 2009
Bought older (backwards compatible) ps3
wont let me connect online with new e-mail (let me do it once or twice after first booting up, now it just brings up original user)
will hard reset work?
Anonymous said on September 2, 2009
my ps3 wont update and its nothing to do with internet connection is gets error 8002f147 at 3% on install advice?
Anonymous said on September 2, 2009
ive got same problem :
Anonymous said on September 8, 2009
whooohooo… fixed mine!!
Bobbie said on September 21, 2009
Power outage for few seconds…..blank when hooked up to tv…tried hard reset, got three beeps, third one shut off machine……HELP! Cannot use my PS3! Same happened to my WII and my PSP, can’t use any of my consoles……….HELP
mary villa said on November 19, 2009
my ps3 does not any discs and tried everything i tried to restore the settings and still nothing happen!!!!! i even tried to delete all the settings of the ps3
bewareofme_17 said on November 19, 2009
Yo i need help with my ps3 i took it apart and clean the vents and nothing happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i tried to delete all the things in my hard disc and it took 4 hours of my day i just want to play my games not to sit around and do nothing who can help me just text me in the psn= the playstation network u can add me so u can help me with my huge problem bye ……..
bewareofme_17 said on November 19, 2009
Yo minedid that before but i restored my ps3 settings and work i still dnt know how it work it only work about 4 months than stop … i think u should try that.. if it works good luck …. if it does not work send it back to sony and buy a new one peace out …..
Anonymous said on November 24, 2009
im having the same problem now i can hear the sound but no picture…Can u help me please cuz i been crying all day cuz i cant play it
Anonymous said on December 5, 2009
I didnt hear the 3 beeps when I held my finger on the power switch in the front of the ps3.WHY didnt i hear them I only heard 1. And my ps3 doesnt play or read any discs.Plzzzzzz help me and someone contact me llillgurra@hotmail.com I really want helppppp, I love playing games but cant.
Anonymous said on December 7, 2009
Sup people i need help my system is messed up i ship it to sony they did not want to give me a new ps3 system then i threw that ps3 away than got a ps3 slim its way better than the old ps3 so if it happens again i will need your help …. can u text me in the playstation network my online ID is bewareofme_17 and you can tell me ………….. their can be another problem my frist ps3 .. anytime i will turn it on it just died the light went yellow then red and i tried it again it didnt want to turn on at all the ps3 system has major proplems remerber just text me at the playstaion network peace out …….
Anonymous said on December 8, 2009
my ps3 tries to restore itself, gets all the way through, nothing happens it just tells me it needs to restore itself again… did you get this fixed? luke_cullender@hotmail.com
rida said on December 12, 2009
my ps3 has is not working because when i put it on it said a serious error has ocurred on your play-station please contact technical support but I don’t no what to do,the back-round was red and it had different languages .please can you help me and tell me what to do.thank you very much
rida said on December 12, 2009
how
veanx said on January 17, 2010
when i turn on my ps3 , the green light comes up , after 2 seconds it automatic shut down …..
carey said on January 19, 2010
so i got one for ya plz help!!! I have a PS3 that plays ps2-1 games but not ps3 games did the hard 4 and a half hour hard reset.
Stevo said on January 19, 2010
well i had no issues but … accidentally ran into this reset… well i got 3 beeps
when you hear the first beep hit and hold the button again…. it will then beep 3 times..
it somehow reset my firmware from 3.15 to 3.10… interesting.. i have a ps3 slim which came with 3.10
James said on January 20, 2010
My PS3 wont even do the three beeps no matter how many times i try i have av cables hooked up called customer support at sony and still not able to reset or see anything on my screen. its constantly black
Anonymous said on January 30, 2010
Hey Guys….We are wanting to get our PS3 back to the way it would have been out of box. Everything gone. Will this hard reset do this for us?
Thanks so much in advance
Anonymous said on February 10, 2010
I was in the middle off a game and it started lagging, i got nervous and i shut it down by turning off the power. Now it won’t read any discs anymore what’s the best i can do?
Anonymous said on February 12, 2010
Try going to the store it was bought at and see if they can get a copy.Best Buy did it for me.
Anonymous said on February 15, 2010
my ps3 keeps telling me ii have a corrupt file or sumthing i tried the quick restore and i also tried to reformat the fast on im pretty sure although sumtimes it takes like 30 minutes i have factory hdd.. i cannot figure out how to do the hard reset or the full system restore that takes 3+ hours im willing to try anything if someone could help me id be very happy
thank you
thankful1 said on February 22, 2010
You saved me breaking my ps3 cuz it wouldnt read my games just dvds. just do as it says and you can be saved the hassle of phoning sony to. Thanks SEAMONKEY ur a lifesaver.
Anonymous said on February 26, 2010
my ps3 it not reading any of my disks !
i have tryed everything !!!
the best sugestion i can give to anybody is ” X-BOX “
Anonymous said on March 20, 2010
Awesome. It worked for me. One thing though, I had I kept getting just one beep when I held the one button down and then it would shut off. I kept trying it and then finally I got the one beep and the two subsequent beeps and when into to the start initialization mode.
Every thing is working fine now, thanks for posting this, you saved me some $$$$$.
Anonymous said on March 29, 2010
Well i did haave this problem and then it worked from the reset but like a month before i sdaw this web site my screen was blank and i searched it up and found wat i need
Anonymous said on March 29, 2010
Well i fixed mine from a diffrent website
Brian said on March 31, 2010
Tried to do the system restore as described. Only thing after it comes back on says I need to put in the PS3 cable and hit PS3 on the controller and I did but won’t work. Anyone have a solution to this ? I really don’t want to send it to Sony or take it to Gamestop.
Alexander said on April 14, 2010
What if i made backup to USB flash drive when having 3.15 firmware, then made the reset removing the other os volume and upgraded to 3.21? Can i now restore my music from the backup?
If it doesnt work in a simple way, is there a way to modify the backup files to match 3.21?
TheMan999 said on April 25, 2010
did this change your firmware seamonkey420?
Anonymous said on May 1, 2010
Thank you for posting this, really I appreciate it. I have this great PS3, and my screen has been stuck on the Linux screen forever. The hard reset changed that. Thanks again.
Anonymous said on May 18, 2010
When i turn on my playstation 3 on, this message appears ‘The hard disk’s file system is corrupted and will be restored’ then there is a ‘ok’ i have pressed ok, and then it says ‘do not turn of the playstation’, and the it loads 0-100% i let it do this process, but when it has finished it then repeats this process, i have tried many things but it keeps saying the same message, it wont even let me go to the menu. Can any body please help me?
Issken said on May 24, 2010
Another thing to look at is that the actual hard drive my not be bad but it just dropped a sector off the drive. From what I can tell the PS3 and the XBOX 360 operating system does not know how to handle a sector drop. The way to test this would be to try to format the hard drive with a computer. Doing a full format with the computer will close out the bad sector. Note in your computer when this happens the operating system is able to recover the data and transfer it to one of the backup sectors. The only time you have a problem is when the sector that went bad was on that had part of the operating system on it.
The link below will help you format the drive. Note it the format on the computer hangs then you most likely have a problem with the hard drive.
Issken
jason said on May 26, 2010
My ps3 is bringing up a red screen saying serious error please contact technical support. anyone have a clue what this could be?
Kenneth said on June 2, 2010
your a fool for believing that shit….u dummy!!!!
Jack said on June 7, 2010
well i have the ps3 slim
And it shows the “Please connect the Cotroller using a Usb Cord, then press the PS Button i did that i tried what u sai But after 3rd beep it turns off n it still wont work plz help?
ChrisBenoit said on June 24, 2010
DON’T YOU LOOSE YOUR TROPHIES AND GAME SAVES?
Fishjr2 said on August 9, 2010
Thank you so much, was having a heart attack before I read this blog. I owe you big time.
Curtis said on August 15, 2010
The same thing has happening to me right now it will not read anything like games and films i think what it could be is the big one not the slim
Cgfx said on August 16, 2010
what if your ps3 dosent open the main menu?
Mohammadlabaran said on September 8, 2010
my ps3 is not reading any dvd, game cd/bluray,only from hard drive or other storage media. I’ve tried to format it via full format but it’s still not working. please help me out.???
Hunter19army said on September 12, 2010
Why is there a product that costs $300 and has so many problems. I just want to play a game and after the PS3 got updated it would not read the game. I have tried all the reboot videos to fix and all that did was make me angry and aware that it is a problem for many people. I can say that without a doubt the dead PS3 I own will be the last one I ever buy, fool me once shame on me.. Sony’s lack of caring about the problem has cost them one customer to never return, and hopefully I can let others know prior to being taken for the $300 and countless frustrating hours spent trying to repair it.
ALPACA16 said on September 27, 2010
Im wit u My ps3 hdd got corrupted and they wont even talk to me on the phone or give me a new ps3 so now i am using my money for XBOX and telllin everyone about how bad ps3 is
D_m said on October 3, 2010
I love you man! Thank you sooo much.
Pun_32 said on November 2, 2010
try to eat it
greenday1987 said on November 11, 2010
Does this restore the FW version to what it was when I got the PS3? ie can I downgrade my firmware by doing this?
PS3 SUX - Had about enough said on November 15, 2010
==================== H E L P =======================
I have this GREEN LIGHT-BLACK SCREEEN problem, however, my system will NOT go to the reset window. I did all the fancy restarts, called SONY, they guided me through the restart…. nada.
1) changed TVs
2) changed cables
3 changed HD
NOTHING!
So, the question is, why is there NO ANSWER? Seriously? This is now my second problem with this system in 2 years. The laser went after 14 months, now this!!!
PS3 SUX - had about enough said on November 15, 2010
I had this problem. My systems turned on, worked fine but would not play a game or read a disc. Your LASER is fried. You need to find a store that will repair the laser. Sony wanted $200. Totally LAUGHABLE. I got it fixed for half that amount. 14 months ownership!! They said…. SORRY! and sent me a box. Read Hunter19army’s post.
Mahmoud Mohammad Abu Awad said on November 28, 2010
does this restore the system update to before?
Fishjamin said on December 2, 2010
take the disc out first then try reset
Kalle Anka said on December 7, 2010
If you have the slim model of ps3,hold power on button long time and DONT release,first you hear one pip and after a while one more pip and after that system reboots it self and you keepon presing button NO release yet,then you hear one pi again and after a while 2 PIP in fast row.Now you relese button and voila,hard reset meny with file system restore and many options.I first did filesystem restore,rebooted and it didnt work so i did the stuff all over aginan and also choosed complete system restore with format and the ps3 worked again.
This is for rotating icons and hanged when i put gamedisc in,good luck.
ziurm430 said on December 17, 2010
I held the power button, but instead of 3 beeps, it just powers down. What did I miss?
Londontheater said on December 23, 2010
it does 1st time try again
Lindsay said on January 17, 2011
Our system stopped working while my husband was playing a game .. now the system will not read any disc that we insert. We tried the above recommendations but it still does not read discs. Any further insight?
TGOD717 said on February 1, 2011
do you have to update after you do this???
JP said on February 16, 2011
Will this fix the blinking red light issue/not powering up?
Sm0k3w33d said on February 24, 2011
gonna try this have a prob getting disc started expecially COD Black Ops it seems to have started with black ops and gottin worse hope this works thx
DarkAngel0115 said on April 16, 2011
Thank you for this post, I had a very frustrated son when his ps3 showed ‘hard disk corrupted’. We tried many things to reset the system to no avail but thanks to your post we now have a working ps3 and a happy little boy. He has lost all his data but not a high price to pay if he gets to play COD again!!!! Thanks again, peace is restored in my household :)
Brad said on April 25, 2011
This worked for me! Thanks for posting!
Went through the exact same process of elimination with formating and restores – it wasn’t until i completed a Full Format through the initial setup that the system became responsive to discs.
Thanks again.
Michael6265 said on May 7, 2011
my profile was corrupt! I logged in a a second profile and it would play the discs
Nath8286 said on June 10, 2011
the hard reset and format worked a charm it fixed my disc drive and hard drive and now finally allows me to use my hdmi cable,u are a legend bro u saved me $500 bucks bro, i owe u a couple beers bro
John Bevan said on July 14, 2011
does anyone know how to fix my ps3 because when i go to play mw2 ad it goes to the part where you have to connect to matchmaking sever, my ps3 doesnt do it, ive tried that many things dunno what to do , would reseting my ps3 work ?
dumbas2000 said on July 18, 2011
its a plate you sitck on the back of your ps3 system to up it…. dumb people
James17291 said on July 21, 2011
system backup is where you put everything from your ps3 and put it on another hard drive, liars go to hell
Nilu Merchant said on August 11, 2011
i have update version 3.66 now i want to re-install my old version 3.55 so what can i do for it
Paul said on August 21, 2011
i have updated the 3.70 version is there a way i can get back to original version?
is it possible? without having to take the thing apart??
Becca said on August 29, 2011
Can anyone help… My ps3 won’t work on plasma anymore but works on LCD? Both hd! Tried 3 hd cables n 3 hd slots but nothing! Tried allsorts eventually rang playstation they told me to reformat which took over 4 hours and still it won’t work?? All hd ports on plasma work fine as satellite works on them and the hd on ps3 is fine cause works on LCD? If I set it to av it’s no prob but pic is crap!! Any advice
zzzzzzzzzzzzz said on September 2, 2011
error code 8002f147…. please help… stops during install update at 22% and give error code.. do i have to send it back to sony or is there another option?
clayton said on September 12, 2011
my ps3 wont even start wat do i do
peter said on September 25, 2011
I have a problem to restart your hard drive when it Restarts and so I re-explode ‘hard disk restartnout
Rodneyroo said on October 24, 2011
Hi, I have a problem with my ps3. My 18month old has had the controller and now the screen is totally blank, I have been told she may have changed setting from component to another thing other than hd which I have tried to no effect? Help pls?
Jimmy Selix said on October 24, 2011
@Rodneyroo yes, that is actually pretty easy to do too! just power off the PS3, then press and hold the power button in until you hear a second beep (first beep is when you power on the PS3) and then release. It will then reset your video options to whatever it can detect a signal on and then let you resetup your display options again :)
hope that helps!
Mak said on October 27, 2011
My ps3 wont let me get passed the Hardrive Recovery screen!! Can you help me?
Gloopy said on October 29, 2011
We just tried this for one of our customers who had 2 blu-ray lasers fitted by us. At first we thought a faulty Blu Ray Laser but you learn that these problems can be anything and a factory reset did it, don’t ask why but just wanted to say thanks to the poster for this.
BlackSun81 said on November 6, 2011
Currently formatting my HDD in my PS3 40Gig. I hope this helps me. Am not even using my PS3 that much for the past 2 years and it stop working yesterday. I just updated my firmware to 3.73.
Will post update if it works!
q[O-O]p\m/
“Long Live and Prosper” – Spock
BlackSun81 said on November 6, 2011
Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. T_T
I still get the loading screen. My PS3 won’t read my game disc anymore. I guess need to get this to the shop for cleaning.
how sad…. >’
Young Marké said on December 25, 2011
My password is not working on my system and my birthdate keeps saying its incorrect. Do I need to do a hard reset? Are is there a way to keep my games that I’ve down loaded. Please help. Trying to download games on my daughters & sons PSP games.
Jimmy Selix said on December 27, 2011
@Young Marke
nope, you’ll need to call Sony to reset your password and they do require your birthdate for the account. i had this happen on my 2nd psn account.
TobesShaw said on January 15, 2012
NEED HELP SOON – JUST HAD PREOWNED PS3 AND ITS TELLING ME “A SERIOUS ERROR HAS OCCURRED. CONTACT TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR ASSISTANCE” THIS CAME UP ON A RED SCREEN AND PS3 WONT BOOT. I WANT TO RESTORE IT TO ITS FACTORY SETTINGS WITHOUT TURNING ON, SO HOW DO I DO IT?