Question about PS3 Drive swapping

[becomingwater]

Basically I want the 60Gig PS3 features minus the HDD since all of my data is on my 20Gig PS3 which I will upgrade to another HDD later on.
.
Okay, my question, is it possible to swap my friends HDD from his PS3 to my console and vice versa and his HDD 60Gig to my console? Basically the 20Gig PS3 will have the 60Gig HDD and the 60Gig PS3 console will have the 20Gig HDD inside. Thanks for the help.

[BlackLightShark009]

Yes.

[Tanman19az]

Yes it is possible and there are tons of threads here describing how I'm just a lil too lazy to find one for ya sorry. I'm sure some good samaritan will show you one on this fine easter sunday. Happy Easter!!

[BlackLightShark009]

Just read the manual that came with the PS3.

[Xerious]

back up your data before you do it. the HDD have to be formated before it's installed to a PS3 that it wasn't OEM'ed with.

[KretzJ]

Originally Posted by Xerious

back up your data before you do it. the HDD have to be formated before it's installed to a PS3 that it wasn't OEM'ed with.

Hmmm.. the original question was interesting however. Essentially take an OEM PS harddrive out of one model and swap it into another PS3. The hard drive was formatted as a PS3, just a different model PS3. I know there are tons of threads about swapping in NEW HDs for our PS3s but I don't remember seeing one asking this question.

Is there something specific to the formatting process that tells the HD what PS3 model it is being formatted with/for?

-John K.

[DeathByAsh'aman]

Originally Posted by Xerious

back up your data before you do it. the HDD have to be formated before it's installed to a PS3 that it wasn't OEM'ed with.

Yep. Just swap the drives and follow the prompts on screen. Piece of cake. I just dropped a WD 320 gig drive in mine took all of 10 mins.

Heres the thread for help changing it.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=37467

[Xerious]

Originally Posted by KretzJ

Hmmm.. the original question was interesting however. Essentially take an OEM PS harddrive out of one model and swap it into another PS3. The hard drive was formatted as a PS3, just a different model PS3. I know there are tons of threads about swapping in NEW HDs for our PS3s but I don't remember seeing one asking this question.

Is there something specific to the formatting process that tells the HD what PS3 model it is being formatted with/for?

-John K.

i had this issue arise when attempting to swap out my 60 gig and 80 gig drives. they are both OEM, seagate drives however they are "married" to the original console they were shipped with. in away, it's kinda like bluetooth... you can't have one headset (HDD) paired with two devices (PS3). there's an "activation key" which ties your HDD to your PS3. that tie is broken when you switch drives and is restored to the new drive. so, regardless of whether they are formated for the PS3, they will not accept a swap from a different console other than their original HDD without a format. if you swap it out, the PS3 will request that you format the old drive and wipe out all your data. so... it works, but you can't swap drives and expect that the old PS3 data will be on there. obviously not many people come across this because they usually just upgrade their HDDs rather than swap them with existing ones. sorry bro, it's not like a memory card

[DeathByAsh'aman]

Originally Posted by KretzJ

Is there something specific to the formatting process that tells the HD what PS3 model it is being formatted with/for?

-John K.

I wouldnt think so, but i dont know for sure. Would there be any difference in hard drive use between the two models that would require it to reformat?

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by Xerious

i had this issue arise when attempting to swap out my 60 gig and 80 gig drives. they are both OEM, seagate drives however they are "married" to the original console they were shipped with. in away, it's kinda like bluetooth... you can't have one headset (HDD) paired with two devices (PS3). there's an "activation key" which ties your HDD to your PS3. that tie is broken when you switch drives and is restored to the new drive. so, regardless of whether they are formated for the PS3, they will not accept a swap from a different console other than their original HDD without a format. if you swap it out, the PS3 will request that you format the old drive and wipe out all your data. so... it works, but you can't swap drives and expect that the old PS3 data will be on there. obviously not many people come across this because they usually just upgrade their HDDs rather than swap them with existing ones. sorry bro, it's not like a memory card

The solution to the activation key "problem" is .. the PS3 comes with a backup and restore utility (including protected content) so you don't lose data when swapping/upgrading your drive.

[becomingwater]

Originally Posted by ps3andlovinit

The solution to the activation key "problem" is .. the PS3 comes with a backup and restore utility (including protected content) so you don't lose data when swapping/upgrading your drive.

Thanks for the help.