PS3 - Flashing red light and refuses to spit out BF3

Kemik · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:11

Hi all,

My launch day PS3 seems to have lived its final day today. After updating to 4.0 last night I played BF3 for 5 minutes before it crashed. I tried to eject the disc but it just goes green, beeps three times, flashes and doesn't do anything.

I googled and searched OcUK and came up with the conclusion that it's YLOD.

How do I get my data off the hard drive? The games are probably the most important thing. I hear the hairdryer trick works for long enough but I don't want Sony to reject it if this breaks something else? I'm not sure on the whole 'trade it in while it works' thing. That seems really unethical and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with it.
Sony have offered to replace it for £110. The game would take 6 weeks to arrive.
Resolder the part myself. This would mean I'd need to buy a heat gun and seems to be more work than any PC build I've ever done.

Which would you guys recommend?

K1LLSW1TCH · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:29

I think you'll have to use the hairdryer trick to get the console working for long enough to back your things up. If you remove the hard drive and put it into another PS3 it won't let you use the files, it'll only let you format the drive from what I remember.

Get it working with the hairdryer, back your stuff up and get the disk out then take up Sony's offer if I was you.

yoyo50 · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:40

How old, got mine fixed 2 times under sales of good act, then got a 140 quid voucher at game and bought a 320 slim for 200 and warranty!

Kemik · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:51

yoyo50 said:
How old, got mine fixed 2 times under sales of good act, then got a 140 quid voucher at game and bought a 320 slim for 200 and warranty!

Launch day - 23rd March 2007. Still within 6 years and I would argue that for the price they charged compared to competitors, it should last. Consoles before that lasted for decades!

Writing to the retailer might work then?

yoyo50 · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:57

Depends who id guess, i got mine in 08 from game, sent email saying i want the 120 sony wanted to repair it!, fixed two times, then finally spoke to manager who said wasnt worth fixing and got a gift card for 140

K1LLSW1TCH · 12 Dec 2011 at 19:58

It's worth a try but don't be disappointed if they tell you to go do one. I'd still heat it up to back all your things up too.

Kemik · 12 Dec 2011 at 20:13

yoyo50 said:
Depends who id guess, i got mine in 08 from game, sent email saying i want the 120 sony wanted to repair it!, fixed two times, then finally spoke to manager who said wasnt worth fixing and got a gift card for 140

Didn't realise we could mention companies - yup bought it from GAME here too.

Total Console Repair will do it for £55. Seen as they offer the same warranty as Sony will, is it worth going with these guys instead?

DBT85 · 12 Dec 2011 at 20:20

Kemik said:
I would argue that for the price they charged compared to competitors, it should last.

I hope you get it sorted but this isn't the argument to make to try and get it done.

Kemik · 12 Dec 2011 at 20:23

Todge said:
I hope you get it sorted but this isn't the argument to make to try and get it done.

Well it was more to strengthen my argument with the Sony Europe CEO saying how it was built to last just before the release.

I'll follow the pattern that many people have gone down of 1. Hairdryer to get disc & data. 2. Ring GAME and go down the SOGA route. 3. They'll hopefully send it to Total Console Repair. 4. If that doesn't work hopefully they'll give me a new console.

Everything crossed!

DBT85 · 12 Dec 2011 at 20:33

Kemik said:
Well it was more to strengthen my argument with the Sony Europe CEO saying how it was built to last just before the release.

When you open it up (if you haven't seen inside one already) you'll understand what he meant. They really were incredibly over engineered. The problem is that because they are still classed as a toy you aren't allowed to use lead solder in them and that's what the problem is 99% of the time. All the heating up and contracting eventually causes a loose connection. That's why heating it up preferably with a heat gun will get you a few months if you are lucky.

It's not so much of an issue with newer machines as they use so much less power and so generate much less heat. The basic flaw however is inherent in all consoles because they are classed as toys and not consumer electronics. Stupid really. It's not like a child is going to swallow a PS3!

SuperCrofty · 12 Dec 2011 at 20:59

My disc drive wasn't letting any games out of my disc drive, or in either, i remembered that id knocked it over the day before while moving rooms, cue me smashing the top and sides of my PS3 with my fists and now it works fine!

james.miller · 12 Dec 2011 at 21:11

As far as I know, the use of hazardous materials as described in the roHS legislation is restricted identically for everything the roHS regulations apply to. Ie, the use of lead on a pc motherboard is restricted in the same was as it is for the ps3's internals. To the best of my knowledge it has nothing to do with the ps3 being classed as a toy, if it really is at all.

SheepBeast · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:43

What number did you phone to speak to Sony, and what did you say which made them offer to replace for £120? I am in the same situation as you. Also, what is the clause in the SOGA which applies here?

Thrid question: what if I don't have any receipt or proof of purchase? Will GAME have a record of the sale which would suffice?

TheYoungster · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:46

My ps3 (coincedently a 40gb release model) dies not 1 hour ago. Big mistake. See what I did to get my disc back.

Lewis 1 - Sony 0

Getting a slim wednesday. Not going to pay £110 for a 40gb phat and a 3 month warranty, going for a slim 160gb and a 1 year warranty for an extra £70.

DBT85 · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:47

james.miller said:
As far as I know, the use of hazardous materials as described in the roHS legislation is restricted identically for everything the roHS regulations apply to. Ie, the use of lead on a pc motherboard is restricted in the same was as it is for the ps3's internals. To the best of my knowledge it has nothing to do with the ps3 being classed as a toy, if it really is at all.

Ohh I didn't know that. Thanks for the correction

SheepBeast said:
Thrid question: what if I don't have any receipt or proof of purchase? Will GAME have a record of the sale which would suffice?

Did you buy it cash? if you bought it on a card all you need is a copy of a statement. Obviously an issue if you've changed banks or something though.

TheYoungster said:
My ps3 (coincedently a 40gb release model) dies not 1 hour ago. Big mistake. See what I did to get my disc back.

many images.jpg

Getting a slim wednesday. Not going to pay £110 for a 40gb phat and a 3 month warranty, going for a slim 160gb and a 1 year warranty for an extra £70.

Did you not try the heat trick? or were all your saves and stuff back up so you don't care about losing them?

SheepBeast · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:48

Oh btw, I discovered a trick online to get your disk out, and which can sometimes get the PS3 working again (didn't work for me, but worth a try):

Turn PS3 off at the back switch.
Put your finger holding down the eject button
Turn on at the back
Release eject button when the light goes green

Let me know if it works.

Kemik · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:54

SheepBeast said:
Oh btw, I discovered a trick online to get your disk out, and which can sometimes get the PS3 working again (didn't work for me, but worth a try):

Turn PS3 off at the back switch.
Put your finger holding down the eject button
Turn on at the back
Release eject button when the light goes green

Let me know if it works.

Doesn't work with 60GB model unfortunately.

The number I called was an 0844 number which I found on the Sony website. Search "Playstation Support". Just went through the problems and they recommended trying again in 24 hours. If that doesn't work they'll come and pick it up, give you a replacement there and then. Any game inside would take 6 weeks to return to you if they can return it.

Gonna try ringing GAME tomorrow. I have the original receipt and will go straight to a manager to avoid the 1st level auto-answer can't do anything rubbish. Much rather do that than make it work for a few hours (other than to get game and data) then trade it in, only for them to be completely out of pocket when the next customer returns it broken, or worse the next customer gets screwed over.

Some may say expecting a console to last more than 4 and a half years is expecting a fair bit these days but I'd reckon they have model cycles of 7 to 10 years. I don't expect to buy exactly the same console at least two times a cycle. At the end of the day, they're not cheap and you expect TV's to last 7 years.

TheYoungster · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:55

Didnt try the heat thing couldnt be arsed to be honest. got ps plus soeverything will be backed up hopefully. But putting my hdd in my pc and copying everything over now.

XPE · 12 Dec 2011 at 22:59

When mine died of the YLOD in order to get the disc out I ran the fan test for the ps3 while its doing the test you can get your disc out.

Makhaira · 12 Dec 2011 at 23:05

Sorry for jumping in on this thread, but I was intrigued as to why you'd have any recourse with this under SOGA given it's outside of warranty? Just curious really.