Journey of a Noob in the PS3 World

[kozarovv]

I'm almost done with the update to this

What kind of update?

 

[bitsbubba]

What kind of update?

updating downloads to the current versions, resizing icons, etc... I've got a few more xml edits and a few more file to have @DeViL303 to add to the server

 

[nCadeRegal]

Doctor who eternity clock I believe is a psn only game there brother. I have it in my downloads list for vita from some sale awhile back. I don't believe it ever got a physical copy. Got stuck on a timed fight sequence and gave up on it..... @UniqueUserName

 

[Ulquiorra-Sama]

Secure place to get 4.81 OFW?

i want to format my PS3, but o don't want to wait hours and hors, it's more easy to remove HDD format on PC and reinsert right?

 

[UniqueUserName]

Secure place to get 4.81 OFW?

Good question!
I hope someone with superior knowledge chimes in on this one, with a proper response.
@bitsbubba @bguerville @sandungas

For now, I know PS3HAX has it here:
http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=99818

MD5 = b2483b4abc157494447c9c409c036041

i want to format my PS3, but o don't want to wait hours and hors, it's more easy to remove HDD format on PC and reinsert right?

Does it really take that long for you???

You must have waaay more games than I do, as Im only using about 80GB (out of 320GB), on a CECH-2501B PS3.
Im literally gaming again in an hour (after format, installing apps/ps3/ps2/ps1/and psp games, then tweaking settings on everything, etc).

Again, lets wait for an expert, as I have never needed to do it that way, so currently have no time-frame for comparison for you.

 

[Ulquiorra-Sama]

Does it really take that long for you???

You must have waaay more games than I do, as Im only using about 80GB (out of 320GB), on a CECH-2501B PS3.
Im literally gaming again in an hour (after format, installing apps/ps3/ps2/ps1/and psp games, then tweaking settings on everything, etc).

Again, lets wait for an expert, as I have never needed to do it that way, so currently have no time-frame for comparison for you.

I have a 320GB 3001B....people always says that the full format option takes 20+ hours...

 

[sandungas]

psdevwiki is a reputable source to CHECK for the MD5 of the firmware you want to find, lets use 4.60 CEX as example
http://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/4.60_CEX

If you click at to top-right where it tells "view history" of the page you can see a complete changelog of the edits made in that page, by looking at that you can see who added the MD5 to the page (and eventually the download link), this time (for 4.60 CEX) the people that updated the info on this page are reputables (this is a coincidence but most are admins of psdevwiki)

The files are hosted externally, and eventually could be taken down because noone downloaded the file for a long period, or just because the host provider took down the service
This happened several times before, and could happen again, is normal
But what you need to do in this case when the doanload link doesnt works (or doesnt exists) is to copypaste the MD5 and search in google for that MD5, lol
Is an awesome trick that always works

So it doesnt matters from where you downloaded the file... what matters is to download it and check the MD5 by yourself

Also, in this case becasue we are talking about installing an OFW over an OFW there is no risk about file tampering... if the file is modiffiyed unnofficially the PS3 is not going to allow you to install it, so no harm, also at the time of installing it you can see the versions number

Well... i want to format my PS3, but o don't want to wait hours and hors, it's more easy to remove HDD format on PC and reinsert right?

As berion explained, the pre-format in PC is not going to short the times... because the PS3 is going to format it again anyway (with the specific filesystem used by the PS3, only the PS3 can do that, is not posible to make it in PC)
The reason to pre-format the hdd in PC is because by doing it is imposible for the PS3 to "recover" any data from it
This way you can be 100% sure all the files and info has been created new from scratch

If you dont do this preformat in PC some info is taken from the hdd and restored after the PS3 formats it (like the user number counter stored in xregistry.sys)

But in practise... to achieve this what you need to do is just to delete the first sector of the hdd (the first 512 bytes)... without the info of that sector the PS3 is not able to access the data on it at all
When you connect an hdd (by an usb adapter) to a PC with windows it appears an advise that tells "a new hdd has been found, do you want to initialize this hdd?"
If you acept that initialization the first sector of the hdd is overwritten (so is imposible for the PS3 to recover any data from it), this is the fastest way of doing it

But... is a very good idea now that you are going to format the hdd to make some manteinance tasks with it to verify the hdd is still in good conditions
Formatting a PS3 hdd is something made every several years... so 90% of us are using an hdd but we are not very sure of how realliable is it... what we know is the hdd had several years of use (and suffered lot of game crashes and shutdowns)

So at the time you are going to format it is good to use some program like MHDD to check the SMART info and to make a hdd surface scan
If the surface scan is passed successfully... you can be sure that hdd is good and you are going to be able to use it for the next several years without caring or having any weird problem (the kind of problem that forces you to format the hdd and you lost all data from it, thats sucks)

 

[UniqueUserName]

Alright Fam, Im back from my Journey, which ended yesterday, so I will be revamping this thread in the upcoming week, as Ive come far since last we spoke in here...

BUT for now, I have a timed-formatting test to do for a member of the forum... as there seems to be a discrepancy between how some PS3s format in minutes, while others take hours... which is BS... soooo what Id like to know is this...

What exactly should I backup before the format, to copy back afterwords while retaining:

Gamesaves, Trophies, Etc?
Also, does my PS3-devicename/username have to remain the same??

Thanks in advance!

-Uni

I have a 320GB 3001B....people always says that the full format option takes 20+ hours...

Perhaps there is a difference in the content being deleted???
Like PS3-games versus PS2-games, or something?

All I know is mine is 1/4 full, and takes no time at all, as Ive done it a few times without any issues...
Tell you what, Ill format it fresh today, and come back with all the specs from the process for you, timestamps and all.

EDIT: @Ulquiorra-Sama I didnt have time last night for the timed-test, as Im working on a new tutorial and trying to get it out today, but I will get to that test as soon as I can for sure... as I am curious as well lol... sorry for delay though.

 

[Berion]

Everything which is important to You.

About saves and trophies: remember that they are bind to NP Account ID (even zeroed if You never registered user in SEN) so keep system registry.

 

[sandungas]

Transfering gamesaves and trophies is a mess, there are lot of talks about it but i dont remember to see one that explains step-by-step what to do, because there are several different variatons of the procedures needed to do, this is the kind of thing that should be represented with a "flow diagram" with arrows that takes you to a different step of the procudure based in whatever you want to achieve

What you need to keep in mind is there are only 2 values needed to worry about (and both are inside the PARAM.SFO), one is the account id, and the other is the user id
Incase the account id is filled with zeroes... and the user id is 1... then is very easy to transfer gamesaves and trophies... the only thing needed to do is to copy them in the new hdd and thats all (and enter recovery menu and rebuild database so your new files are indexed in the database and this makes them visible in XMB)

But also depends of the user number who generated that files... if the files was generated by user 1... then after a hdd format (and destroying the old info from xregistry.sys that stores an user counter that never decreases)... when you plug that new hdd in the PS3 and you create an user it "should" be given the id 1
In this case... the user id from the old files... and the new user id matches... so there is no need to modify that value

Also... a dirty trick to bypass this problem is if the old user had lets say... id 12
The only thing you need to do after the new hdd format is to create 11 users and delete them (all made in XMB), this way the next user is going to be given id 12 (matching with the old files)

The account id depends if the ps3 was registered online, im not sure if this one "resets" to 0000000000000000 when hdd is formatted, or how to do it

------------
Edit:
Basically... what is needed to change (in PARAM.SFO) is:

Trophies - account id
Savegames - account id ...and... user id

 

[UniqueUserName]

That is unfortunate to brick after successfully exploiting, people need to know that running the exploit is a one time thing, Main thing to remember is that no matter what you do you will never need to go back to OFW again or run the exploit again once on CFW.

@DeViL303
I didnt know that either!
$#!+

Wait, let me make sure I undertand...
Soooo, because its in the Dev_Flash already, IF you Full-Format your HDD, all you have to do is UPDAT.PUP your favorite CFW direct, is that correct?

Like, you dont have to even update to 4.82 OFW or anything AT ALL, after running the PS3Xploit just once?... EPIC!
Ill say it again--->

 

[littlebalup]

@DeViL303
Wait, let me make sure I undertand...
Soooo, because its in the Dev_Flash already, IF you Full-Format your HDD, all you have to do is UPDAT.PUP your favorite CFW direct, is that correct?

Yes that's correct. Jailbreak is not in "Dev_Flash" but in Core OS that is inside NAND/NOR. So formating the HDD will not delete the jailbreak. And you can directly install your CFW.

 

[UniqueUserName]

Yes that's correct. Jailbreak is not in "Dev_Flash" but in Core OS that is inside NAND/NOR. So formating the HDD will not delete the jailbreak. And you can directly install your CFW.

Nice!.. THANKS

While I have the experts attention, can anyone tell me how to revert my Dev_Flash back to stock?

Asked what to backup, back in the beginning, and nobody told me "all the Dev folders"... until @DeViL303 realized I was trial-and-erroring my way through all my PS3-testing, all on my own, just a week ago...

BUT, I had already installed a BUNCH of stuff by then, so when I format there is lots of things still on the XMB and other places I dont want, and I dont have a Day-1 backup like I originally wanted...

Any stock-"Dev_" replacement packages, or something like that available?
So I can start fresh, from scratch??

Didnt even know about Dev_Blind until a week ago either!
Where is my pacifier?? lololol
Thank You @DeViL303!!!

And today you can find a working slim 2k for 50$ or less... so...
It was true one or two years ago but now... I hate to say that as the console can be fixed.

Dont ask what I paid for mine, you REALLY dont want to know...


After searching all day and 13 retro stores later, I finally found a 2011 Q1 model (which was recommended here as the best), and I was all like "Shut Up and Take My Money!"... Moohahahaha

My wallet is still sore nearly two months later...
LMFAO @ myself!

 

[DeViL303]

Its worth knowing that, if your PS3 still has the original HDD, you can use crystal disk or similar software to see exactly how many hours use is on your PS3, maybe its second hand owned by DJ and used for playing 100 SACDs

@DeViL303
I didnt know that either!
$#!+

Wait, let me make sure I undertand...
Soooo, because its in the Dev_Flash already, IF you Full-Format your HDD, all you have to do is UPDAT.PUP your favorite CFW direct, is that correct?

Like, you dont have to even update to 4.82 OFW or anything AT ALL, after running the PS3Xploit just once?... EPIC!
Ill say it again--->

Correct, Its bloody brilliant, once you patch CoreOS for CFW, with the PS3xploit (or any method like with a hardware flasher), that patch remains unless you install OFW again.

 

[littlebalup]

While I have the experts attention, can anyone tell me how to revert my Dev_Flash back to stock?

If you want to have a stock Dev_Flash and keep your jailbreak, simply install a "Dual Boot" custom firmware that is an OFW with the minimum jailbraek patches in Core OS.
Any firmware installation will 100% erase and reinstall Dev_Flash content.

 

[DeViL303]

Any stock-"Dev_" replacement packages, or something like that available?
So I can start fresh, from scratch??

Didnt even know about Dev_Blind until a week ago either!
Where is my pacifier?? lololol
Thank You @DeViL303!!!

Dont ask what I paid for mine, you REALLY dont want to know...


After searching all day and 13 retro stores later, I finally found a 2011 Q1 model (which was recommended here as the best), and I was all like "Shut Up and Take My Money!"... Moohahahaha

My wallet is still sore nearly two months later...
LMFAO @ myself!

Wow, 13 shops and you ended up with a 2011, You don't give up, nice one, there is not a massive % of those on the scene.

I recommend just starting from scratch each time (reinstall CFW) except for your xregistry and game saves/licences, once you get used to it its no bother, getting your favourite CFW and 10 favourite apps/mods installed will only take 15 minutes approx.

If you want to have a stock Dev_Flash and keep your jailbreak, simply install a "Dual Boot" custom firmware that is an OFW with the minimum jailbraek patches in Core OS.
Any firmware installation will 100% erase and reinstall Dev_Flash content.

I don't think unique really means "stock", rather "stock CFW patched flash", No sane person wants to go back to stock , but if you did want to for some reason, then Dual boot CFW is as close as you can get to OFW, while still retaining ability to install CFW again without any exploit/hardware, really its only used by people who want a higher level of stealth on PSN, Also worth noting, while the latest OFW is hackable like it is now, DB FW has no real purpose as CFW can be installed from 4.82 OFW just like 4.82 DB CFW..

 

[Berion]

In case if NP Account ID was synced with SEN online account, the best solution will be editing xRegistry.sys instead of resigning all saves and trophies (in case to moving to another PS3, emulator or restoring data after full wipe). There are a lot of tutorials about this but every single one base on resigning - which is a real pain the ass and completely waste of time.

The same is about user number in /home.

 

[UniqueUserName]

Transfering gamesaves and trophies is a mess, there are lot of talks about it but i dont remember to see one that explains step-by-step what to do, because there are several different variatons of the procedures needed to do, this is the kind of thing that should be represented with a "flow diagram" with arrows that takes you to a different step of the procudure based in whatever you want to achieve

What you need to keep in mind is there are only 2 values needed to worry about (and both are inside the PARAM.SFO), one is the account id, and the other is the user id
Incase the account id is filled with zeroes... and the user id is 1... then is very easy to transfer gamesaves and trophies... the only thing needed to do is to copy them in the new hdd and thats all (and enter recovery menu and rebuild database so your new files are indexed in the database and this makes them visible in XMB)

But also depends of the user number who generated that files... if the files was generated by user 1... then after a hdd format (and destroying the old info from xregistry.sys that stores an user counter that never decreases)... when you plug that new hdd in the PS3 and you create an user it "should" be given the id 1
In this case... the user id from the old files... and the new user id matches... so there is no need to modify that value

Also... a dirty trick to bypass this problem is if the old user had lets say... id 12
The only thing you need to do after the new hdd format is to create 11 users and delete them (all made in XMB), this way the next user is going to be given id 12 (matching with the old files)

The account id depends if the ps3 was registered online, im not sure if this one "resets" to 0000000000000000 when hdd is formatted, or how to do it

------------
Edit:
Basically... what is needed to change (in PARAM.SFO) is:

Trophies - account id
Savegames - account id ...and... user id

In case if NP Account ID was synced with SEN online account, the best solution will be editing xRegistry.sys instead of resigning all saves and trophies (in case to moving to another PS3, emulator or restoring data after full wipe). There are a lot of tutorials about this but every single one base on resigning - which is a real pain the ass and completely waste of time.

The same is about user number in /home.

Guys, Im confused now...

I trust you BOTH...
BUT, I seem to be receiving conflicting INFO here, and I just want to get it right, as Im doing this tonight in roughly six hours, as the full format should be done by then...
Its been formatting since 11pm last night lol... 18ish hours already.

Okay, soooo...
My ID is all-zeros-1, and I was never on PSN...
...and Ive made a COMPLETE-external-backup of Dev_ and HDD_ folders.
dev_hdd0>vsh>task>00000001 <---See, I just checked in the BACKUP

GameSaves and Trophies, for this test.

What is the easiest way please, so I can write this Noob-Friendly Tutorial properly?
Thanks!

 

[UniqueUserName]

Transfering gamesaves and trophies is a mess, there are lot of talks about it but i dont remember to see one that explains step-by-step what to do

I just noticed what you said here in the quote, that is exactly what Im currently trying to fix and accomplish lol...
Even if I have to figure out the simplest fool-proof method myself, with a vague explanation, or whatever it takes...
Ill Noob-Friendly it up, for sure!

Im working on nearly a dozen of these kinds of TUTs right now, to add to the PS3 sections, and Hacking the PS3 SiteGuide.
Thats pretty cool that we both thought it needed to be done... Thanks!

Wow, 13 shops and you ended up with a 2011, You don't give up, nice one, there is not a massive % of those on the scene.

Day 1 Selfies of my Baby (still wrapped in her blanket, awwwz how cute she is):
http://www.psx-place.com/threads/journey-of-a-noob-in-the-ps3-world.15845/#post-96760
Read the paragraph under the Day 1 pic to see some irony to todays discussion... lmfao!


No, I dont give up...
What this site recommended IS what I was coming home with, OR I was going back out the next day, in-search AGAIN lol, probably in another Country, aka = Canada.
Read the post in the link below to hear about how my journey on that day really was lol...

The very LAST store I could possibly make it too, over the border in a DIFFERENT STATE already, and it was at closing time LMFAO... None of the units available were the one I was looking for... I thought I was screwed... But Im nice... and every once in a while, someone else can be kind back... Guys, that was my day!.. The day the world gave something back.
Thats here:
http://www.psx-place.com/threads/journey-of-a-noob-in-the-ps3-world.15845/#post-96844

I recommend just starting from scratch each time (reinstall CFW) except for your xregistry and game saves/licences, once you get used to it its no bother, getting your favourite CFW and 10 favourite apps/mods installed will only take 15 minutes approx.

Now Im soooo confused again... <-----See

For now I was just going to reinstall 4.82.1 REBUG, so I can test out that most recent currently-unreleased-PS3-update from a "previous discussion" you were part of (the Dev behind it was nice enough to throw me the pre-release so I could get all my testing with this CFW done at the same time...
Very nice of them indeed... Ill have to remember to give them some decent feedback on it with my thanks.
It is all I have left to test on that 4.82.1 version CFW...

Then I was going to jump onto 4.81.2 REBUG, because some people are saying that is where all the "action" is in this scene.

I don't think unique really means "stock", rather "stock CFW patched flash", No sane person wants to go back to stock , but if you did want to for some reason, then Dual boot CFW is as close as you can get to OFW, while still retaining ability to install CFW again without any exploit/hardware, really its only used by people who want a higher level of stealth on PSN, Also worth nothing, while the latest OFW is hackable like it is now, DB FW has no real purpose as CFW can be installed from 4.82 OFW just like 4.82 DB CFW..

Wait, what?
Yeah, I want whatever I had when I went from 4.82-OFW to 4.82-CFW (stock Dev_Flash=123).
I dont need to Stealth anything as I dont use PSN at all...
Only testing stuff, for compatibility mostly, and trying to find the best version OF EVERYTHING, while making all these Noob-Friendly TUTs and LISTs.
Never really have time to actually Game anymore.

So, if the previous info wasnt what I was looking for afterall, how do I get my stock DEV files back?
Easiest way please, as I have like 47 things to do before I can start doing next weeks PS1-PCemulator-Testing/Comparisons...

$#!+, didnt realize that many mini-projects were still left unfinished, wait correction, only 46 things left, as the "PS3-DS3 Controller on PC (from WinXP-SP2 upto Win10) Noob-Friendly" TUT should be done tonight, and the PS3-Full-Format Timing-Test ended a few minutes ago when I started reading this.
...Which will drop it to 45.
Were getting there.

Should I just do OFW 4.82, and run the V2xploit to get everything back?
@bguerville already gave me permission to Noob-Friendly that up as well, so I guess I could tackle it now, at the same time, if its easier to accomplish everything Im trying to do, by going back to OFW.

 

[UniqueUserName]

I have a 320GB 3001B....people always says that the full format option takes 20+ hours...

The PS3 Full-Format Timing-Test has been completed.

I added as many Gigabytes (for this test) as I could before bedtime.

Please note, the quick-format only takes ONE-MINUTE on my console...
...However the full-format takes 20 hours 30 minutes. yuck!
So, I can indeed confirm what others have told you...
Sorry for the bad news!


- SYSTEM INFORMATION -


System Software= 4.82
Free Space= 145 / 298 GB


- RESTORE PS3 SYSTEM -


Format Method= Quick Format
Clicked CROSS @ 11:08 pm
Format Finish @ 11:09 pm
Total Duration= 00:01 min


Format Method= FULL Format
Clicked CROSS @ 11:17 pm


33% @ 8:22 am
Total Duration (SO FAR)= 09:05
Remaining Time (Reported via PS3)= approximately 12 hours 24 minutes remaining...


61% @ 4:07 pm
Total Duration (SO FAR)= 16:50
Remaining Time (Reported via PS3)= approximately 04 hours 30 minutes remaining...


Format Finish @ 7:47
Total Duration (IN TOTAL)= 20:30
Remaining Time (Reported via PS3)= Wasnt even close to accurate.


...although, possibly it updates-times at certain unknown-intervals, which simply didnt correspond with my physically checking the monitor.

Im pretty sure, removing the drive, and performing the initial full-format (apparently a wipe?) from PC, then re-inserting and quick-formatting from within PS3 console, is the way to go here.

IMO "EaseUS Partition Master", should perform the Full-Format "wiping" in just a fraction of the time.

However, I have abused the HDD and PS3 quite-enough over the past 21 hours, and I dont think Ill be performing another of these tests for some time.

If somebody does that specific test, Id be glad to know to results.