PS3 jut got a Slim PS3 and I wish to CFW

[Balteck]

Hello everybody, I've just got an old PS3 SLIM CECH-25 with 320 GB HDD.

I checked the min version and the tool show me 3.40, while the OFW is 4.85. So I think that I could flash a CFW.
But now that bgtoolset is unavailable, the only path I see is to follow this guide:

-> threads/bgtoolset-down-got-a-ps-with-firmware-3-56-4-85-there-might-be-a-workaround-for-you.38895/

Is it safe also for CECH-25xx console?
Because the drive is old I wish to change it with a new one (maybe a 1 TB one).

As I seen, replacing the drive involve to reinstall the OFW from the recovery menu. So is it better to flash the HFW directly from the recovery or flash the OFW from recovery and then the HFW from System update menu?

And last question: After I JB the console, which kind of CFW is the best for gaming PS3, PS2, PS1 and some emulation and homebrew?

I see CEX, PEX, DEX, REX but I didn't understand the differences.

Also I see the only Evilnat is update on 4.89. May install directly alfter jailbreak from 4.85?

Thank you very much for any help

 

[NiQ]

If the min ver is 3.40 then your 25xx supports CFW. Congrats.
Yes, if your current OFW is 4.85 then you can use the Flash Writer to install CFW. Make sure you understand and precisely follow every step. Flash Writer is generally safe when used properly but screwups can potentially lead to bricks.
If you want to replace the HDD, either do it before jailbreaking and reinstall OFW 4.85 then jailbreak it (you could probably install HFW 4.85 directly but better be on the safe side), just make sure you don't accidentally go above 4.85 or you'll have to wait for an updated Flash Writer (which hopefully should be coming in a couple of months). Alternatively you can first jailbreak, install CFW then replace the HDD and when prompted to reinstall the firmware just install the CFW again. If your PS3 had CFW before the HDD change it will accept CFW when the disk is changed, assuming it's not a lower version than the CFW it previously had.

Use Evilnat 4.89.3 PEX since it's the most feature-rich variant, and there's really nothing that the other variants have an it does not.
Unfortunately it seems that people have issues installing 4.89.3 directly on OFW. I would recommend first installing Evilnat 4.88.x, then updating to 4.89.3. After you have CFW installed, better also QA flag your console so you can also downgrade if needed.

EDIT: While PS1 games (and obviously PS3 games) will work, with PS2 your mileage may vary. First, it's limited to playing ISOs copied to the HDD. Attempting to play a physical PS2 disc (whether original or burned) will crash your PS3 and you'll need to power-cycle it. Second, PS2 emulation uses the emulator normally used to play the PS2 classics purchased from PSN. That emulator was really only designed to run those specific games, and while it can (and often does) run other PS2 games just fine, not all PS2 games run perfectly and there's nothing really you can do about it. The only PS3 consoles that can play all PS2 games are the truly hardware-BC ones, i.e., CECHA and CECHB.

 

[CaioMM]

If the min ver is 3.40 then your 25xx supports CFW. Congrats.
Yes, if your current OFW is 4.85 then you can use the Flash Writer to install CFW. Make sure you understand and precisely follow every step. Flash Writer is generally safe when used properly but screwups can potentially lead to bricks.
If you want to replace the HDD, either do it before jailbreaking and reinstall OFW 4.85 then jailbreak it (you could probably install HFW 4.85 directly but better be on the safe side), just make sure you don't accidentally go above 4.85 or you'll have to wait for an updated Flash Writer (which hopefully should be coming in a couple of months). Alternatively you can first jailbreak, install CFW then replace the HDD and when prompted to reinstall the firmware just install the CFW again. If your PS3 had CFW before the HDD change it will accept CFW when the disk is changed, assuming it's not a lower version than the CFW it previously had.

Use Evilnat 4.89.3 PEX since it's the most feature-rich variant, and there's really nothing that the other variants have an it does not.
Unfortunately it seems that people have issues installing 4.89.3 directly on OFW. I would recommend first installing Evilnat 4.88.x, then updating to 4.89.3. After you have CFW installed, better also QA flag your console so you can also downgrade if needed.

EDIT: While PS1 games (and obviously PS3 games) will work, with PS2 your mileage may vary. First, it's limited to playing ISOs copied to the HDD. Attempting to play a physical PS2 disc (whether original or burned) will crash your PS3 and you'll need to power-cycle it. Second, PS2 emulation uses the emulator normally used to play the PS2 classics purchased from PSN. That emulator was really only designed to run those specific games, and while it can (and often does) run other PS2 games just fine, not all PS2 games run perfectly and there's nothing really you can do about it. The only PS3 consoles that can play all PS2 games are the truly hardware-BC ones, i.e., CECHA and CECHB.

I Have a Doubt about this. I used to have CFW on my PS3, but, installed OFW, then HFW, and I am with HEN now. I think that is not possible, but can i just install CFW normally (without Flash Writer or bgtoolset) ? Obviously I'm gonna wait for those before going to CFW, since I'm in 4.89

 

[NiQ]

I Have a Doubt about this. I used to have CFW on my PS3, but, installed OFW, then HFW, and I am with HEN now. I think that is not possible, but can i just install CFW normally (without Flash Writer or bgtoolset) ? Obviously I'm gonna wait for those before going to CFW, since I'm in 4.89

When bgtoolset returns or Flash Writer is updated to support 4.89, it should be possible, at least technically to go directly from HEN to CFW, but I wouldn't recommend it, mainly because you really don't want to be the first who tries that. AFAIK it's not a supported scenario. Just reflash to remove HEN and use the tool. The only flasher that is intended to be used on HEN is HEN Flash Patcher and it doesn't seem it'll be available really soon.

 

[Balteck]

Use Evilnat 4.89.3 PEX since it's the most feature-rich variant, and there's really nothing that the other variants have an it does not.

thank you very much.
Why the PEX variant?

 

[NiQ]

thank you very much.
Why the PEX variant?

First of all, the only variants you can technically install are CEX and PEX. DEX and D-REX can only be installed on consoles already in DEX mode (either official DECH debug units or units converted to DEX mode using CFW). CEX is basically similar to the previous version (Evilnat 4.89.2) but with updated Cobra 8.4 and some extra utilities. PEX on the other hand is the successor of Rebug REX 4.84.2. It has everything both CEX and DEX have and will allow you to switch the mode of your console (CEX to DEX or vice versa) without having to reinstall the firmware.