My PS3 doesn't read PS3 games, but it reads Blu-ray movies and DVD's

[Mystique]

Recently, my PS3 stopped playing games. I didn't use it for a while and when I got killzone 2, I popped it in and the PS3 didn't read the game. I tried all my other games including PS1 and PS2 games with no luck. I tried CD's, DVD's, Blu-ray's and they all work and play fine. It's just the games that doesn't work anymore. Do you guys know what's wrong?

[Azyiu]

What is your firmware version? I don't know, but would that be the reason?

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Azyiu

What is your firmware version? I don't know, but would that be the reason?

I have the latest firmware update.

[SkantDragon]

That doesn't sound like a physical drive failure. That sounds like a borked OS.

Something easy to try throwing at it. Delete all of your game data. (Not the game saves, but the game data)

If that doesn't change anything, the next thing I'd try is backing up the hard drive to an external HD and reformatting it.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by SkantDragon

That doesn't sound like a physical drive failure. That sounds like a borked OS.

Something easy to try throwing at it. Delete all of your game data. (Not the game saves, but the game data)

If that doesn't change anything, the next thing I'd try is backing up the hard drive to an external HD and reformatting it.

I deleted everything under the game data utility with no luck still! I have no external hard drive so I need to buy one.

[CanadianKrazyMods]

try the restore option maybe?

[aygie]

Try the secret menu: http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/...recovery-menu/

It appears that firmware 2.50 also added one other feature, meant to help PS3 owners that are trying to troubleshoot their system. A recovery menu (pictured above) gives users access to a variety of restore features. It will even allow users to install a new firmware update, should anything go wrong during the installation process. To access the menu, you must hold down the power button to turn on the PS3 until you hear three beeps. Then the menu will show up.

There are a few reports of systems bricking after firmware updates, so this may be Sony's attempt at creating a fix for future problems. Hopefully, we'll never have to actually use this feature -- but if we do, it may be a quick way of avoiding a trip to the post office to send the PS3 to Sony's support center.

[krazeyeyez]

i don't know whats up with this...... my buddy knows a kid who's ps3 did something similar, i am not sure if it wouldn't play movies, but i do know it wouldn't play games, long story short he bought it off the kid for $50, he likes taking that kind of stuff apart and messing with it (technical stuff i don't pretend to understand), anyways apparently he added a new hard drive and thats all it took, don't know what the deal was with that but it worked fine after that.

[SkantDragon]

Originally Posted by Mystique

I deleted everything under the game data utility with no luck still! I have no external hard drive so I need to buy one.

That had a low chance of working, but it's very easy to try, so that's why I suggested it.

Reformatting your hard drive is very likely to fix the issue. What's going to be the case here is something somewhere along the way screwed up files on your PS3 hard drive which are related to running games. So you're looking for ways to clear that corruption. Reformatting will definitely do that... but of course, also loses everything off the hard drive.

You may find that restoring from your backup will actually restore the corruption as well. But there's a good chance it won't. So deal with that if it comes to it. Just try playing games immediately after reformatting first before trying to restore.

The secret menu Aygie mentions is likely to work. But various of those options may also lose things. You'd do well to backup before trying them. I think rebuilding the database won't lose anything important and may fix your problem, but I'm not sure. My own PS3 actually detected that it was screwed up once and automatically went into rebuilding its database and was fine after that. It didn't lose anything important... only forgot unimportant stuff like what point I was last at in stored videos, last date I played a game, etc.

You only need an external HD for a little while here. You might consider hitting up friends to borrow one rather than buying one just for this.

[Hytham]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Recently, my PS3 stopped playing games. I didn't use it for a while and when I got killzone 2, I popped it in and the PS3 didn't read the game. I tried all my other games including PS1 and PS2 games with no luck. I tried CD's, DVD's, Blu-ray's and they all work and play fine. It's just the games that doesn't work anymore. Do you guys know what's wrong?

I'd just like to point out that this exact same thin happened to me after I got Killzone 2 and updated the game software. So it's definatly nothing to do with your Blue Ray LED or a hardware problem.

It's defo a problem with the Killzone 2 software update (or even the killzone 2 game files themselves)

I just found this forum today and it's after helping me realise the problem.

H.

[Mystique]

Thanks SkantDragon & Aygie for all your tips and advice! I went to the secret menu, did a restore default settings, and then I went to restore file system. When I entered that menu, it said that my hard drive was corrupted and it will now be fixed. Clicked X to continue and then after it was done fixing, entered the regular PS3 menu, and then BAM! The game disc showed up!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!!!!!

[Twankies08]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Thanks SkantDragon & Aygie for all your tips and advice! I went to the secret menu, did a restore default settings, and then I went to restore file system. When I entered that menu, it said that my hard drive was corrupted and it will now be fixed. Clicked X to continue and then after it was done fixing, entered the regular PS3 menu, and then BAM! The game disc showed up!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!!!!!

Can't you just feel the love from our blu community lol

[SkantDragon]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Thanks SkantDragon & Aygie for all your tips and advice! I went to the secret menu, did a restore default settings, and then I went to restore file system. When I entered that menu, it said that my hard drive was corrupted and it will now be fixed. Clicked X to continue and then after it was done fixing, entered the regular PS3 menu, and then BAM! The game disc showed up!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!!!!!

Glad to be of service!

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Thanks SkantDragon & Aygie for all your tips and advice! I went to the secret menu, did a restore default settings, and then I went to restore file system. When I entered that menu, it said that my hard drive was corrupted and it will now be fixed. Clicked X to continue and then after it was done fixing, entered the regular PS3 menu, and then BAM! The game disc showed up!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!!!!!

[Marine Mike]

Originally Posted by Aygie

Try the secret menu: http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/...recovery-menu/

Wow! Thanks for sharing that piece of information! I'll definately be recommending that to everyone who has issues!

[AikonEnt]

My brother also had a problem last weekend. He'd watched a DVD fine, then later turned on the PS3 and only got a blank screen. He turned off/on, left for 5 mins etc with no luck.

I told him about the 'secret' menu and he used it to format the HDD, and it seemed to work after that. Just before it formatted it also told him that the HDD was corrupted! Lost all his game saves but at least the machine now works (told him to get a USB stick to back up some stuff).

He did tell me he always uses the switch on the back to turn the machine off, never the button on the front or through the menu. Wether this had anything to do with it I don't know, but if the machine is turned off before it finishes accessing the HDD I suppose it could affect it.

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by Aygie

Try the secret menu: http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/...recovery-menu/

Aygie, you win today's MOST USEFUL POST Award! THANKS!!!

[aygie]

Originally Posted by FriedEggs

Aygie, you win today's MOST USEFUL POST Award! THANKS!!!

[SkantDragon]

Originally Posted by AikonEnt

He did tell me he always uses the switch on the back to turn the machine off, never the button on the front or through the menu. Wether this had anything to do with it I don't know, but if the machine is turned off before it finishes accessing the HDD I suppose it could affect it.

In fact, that is probably exactly how these hard drives are getting corrupted. It's never a good thing to suddenly shut off power to any machine that has a hard drive. The inherent nature of the technology makes this risky. There are techniques such as journaling that can be used to reduce those dangers, but nothing can make it totally safe to suddenly cut power. Lots of interesting and unpredictable things happen when power is cut to a drive head that's currently writing to the disc.

I don't know whether the PS3's internal hard drive uses a journaling file system. It probably doesn't. Therefore... yeah. Just cutting power to it via the rear switch is quite risky. Put it in standby using the front switch first, then cut power at the rear.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by SkantDragon

In fact, that is probably exactly how these hard drives are getting corrupted. It's never a good thing to suddenly shut off power to any machine that has a hard drive. The inherent nature of the technology makes this risky. There are techniques such as journaling that can be used to reduce those dangers, but nothing can make it totally safe to suddenly cut power. Lots of interesting and unpredictable things happen when power is cut to a drive head that's currently writing to the disc.

I don't know whether the PS3's internal hard drive uses a journaling file system. It probably doesn't. Therefore... yeah. Just cutting power to it via the rear switch is quite risky. Put it in standby using the front switch first, then cut power at the rear.

+1Billion.