Problem with PS3 HDD or system? Time to format HDD over 28 hours???

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I picked up a 500gb hdd 6-8 months ago and installed it with no problems. It's been working fine up until about a month ago.

Recently, i've been getting "Correct Hard Disk not Found" messages occasionally on bootup, and I read to remove/reattach the hard drive, but the problem continued after doing that. Right now I am in the process of backing up the data, format the drive, restore data.

I backed up my data to a USB flash drive and started the HDD format, it's telling me the format is going to take 28+ hours!!!! After an hour, it's 1% done.

This is a launch PS3, has anyone formatted a 500gb hdd in their PS3 and if so, did it really take that long?

I'm fine with letting it run, but concerned that it might be a sign of a bigger problem, coupled with the "Correct hard disk" error i've been getting lately.

Thanks for any help or feedback.

***Update***
After 12 hours of running, the format is 33% complete, so it looks like it is actually working. Still strange that it takes that long just to format a hard drive...
 
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Well, I've been formatting drives for years in my computer. What it sounds like the PS3 does is a full format (none of this Quick stuff that computers do these days). However, even a full format of 0s and 1s to the drive should only take 2-3 hours. I'd say you've got a far bigger problem. Namely, I'd be worried about a hardware issue in the drive itself.
 
Have you updated your PS3 to the 3.0/3.1? That might be the reason. And it sounds like your HDD is getting problem. What I would do is try putting it in a computer and run some movie or music of it for awhile and see if you get the problem. And formatting shouldn't take that long lol. 28hours? What type of HDD do you have? Oh and if you have already backed up your datas. I recommend formatting it on the PC first. Then put it back in the ps3 and format it through the ps3. That might fix the long formatting time
 
this is interesting to me. i also have a 500gb hard drive that i put in a launch ps3. i get that error every couple days and i have yet to figure out why. i had a 320gb in before and i never got this error. i would say it has nothing to do with 3.1 because i was getting the error before 3.0 even came out. i just figured the hard drive was a little loose in there. i could be wrong.
 
You could put it in your computer so you could run some diagnostic software (the hard drive manufacturer typically has their own software on their site). The hard drive should still be under warranty, so nows the time to figure out if the drive is failing so you can get a free replacement.
 
Well, as they say, if you think there's something wrong with your hard drive, there's something wrong with your hard drive.

Since you bought it within the last year, chances are it's still under warranty - I'd contact the manufacturer and get a replacement. It really isn't worth hoping it's working correctly - because it'll die when you're about 50 hours into a game and you haven't backed up your saves.
 
I think the drive is a Seagate, but can't remember at the moment. I'm going to let the format complete and then restore my data and see what happens.

I'm not 100% convinced the hdd is the issue as the problem only happens when starting the PS3 and it happens maybe twice a week. I never get errors when playing games or downloading from the PS store. It seems more like the PS3 is not detecting that the drive is installed on boot. It's laying flat on a media unit and doesn't get moved around. Anytime I get the error, it's when I am booting the system from the front button or by starting the system with the controller. If I power it down with the button in the back, and power it back on, it always comes back up the first time. Strangeness...

I bought another 500gb drive at the same time that I use to back up pictures to, so I might swap that out and start the format on it to see if the time is still 28 hours. If so, then that should rule out the HDD hardware as the problem. I may format the drive it came with to see how that responds too.

When i first got the drive, all I did was install it and then run the restore utility. I don't remember if it prompted me to format the drive at that time...

I'll let everyone know what happens when the format completes....tomorrow morning. :\
 
Did you try using the recovery menu before you actually started to format the hdd? But seeing how long it takes just to format, I think it's most likely a hdd issue.
 
[quote name='WyldRyce']Did you try using the recovery menu before you actually started to format the hdd? But seeing how long it takes just to format, I think it's most likely a hdd issue.[/QUOTE]

i've tried this on mine, it doesn't help anything.

i noticed it happens more when i start via the controller as well.
 
Okay, so after closer to 26 hours (way to exaggerate 2 hours Sony! ;)) the format was complete.

I restarted the system through the controller and restored my game data. Restarted via the controller and front power button a few times and haven't had the problem so far.

I noticed that the Uncharted 2 demo was out, so I downloaded that and I have to say that was the fastest I had ever downloaded a demo, it was done in just a couple of minutes, definitely under 10. Usually a full 1gb + demo would take 10-15 minutes for my PS3 to dl, and another 5-10 to install. I didn't install the demo, i'll try that when i get home tonight to see if it seems quicker to install too.

It always seemed like downloading demos on the PS3 took a lot longer than on my 360, but it has always just been something I attributed to being with the free Playstation network. Maybe that drive was having problems writing data fast enough and the download slowed because of it?

It even seems like little things like navigating the system interface moves a little faster.
I'll keep using it for a few days and post if the problem comes back, but so far so good.

bigdsinferno - Since the problems you and I are experiencing are so similar, I would recommend that you give it a shot and see what you think. Just make sure you back up your data and synch your trophies (if you care about them). Also, I'm curious to see how long it prompts for a full format for your 500gb drive.
 
Well, so far so good. I installed the Uncharted 2 demo last night and the install went through fine. I didn't notice any speed difference for the install.

Using the remote, I powered the machine off and on at various points of the night, probably a dozen times - no issues.

I'm going to chalk the "Correct hard disk not found" issue up as being resolved due to the full hard drive format. Whether or not a quick format will also resolve it remains to be seen.

Thanks for everyone's feedback and suggestions. If the issue returns, I will post in this thread.
 
I'm currently debating whether I should install a 500gb HDD into my 60gb, and after reading through your thread - I was wondering - when you install a new HDD does the PS3 format it?, or does it just do a quick scan for compatibility/errors?

I hope you don't run into this issue again.
 
It will force you to format it before you start. I believe it uses NTFS, not its own proprietary format. But I know it can read Fat 32 from an external drive. But to install an HDD in the PS3 itself, it formats it as NTFS. I upgraded to a 250gb last year and the format did take quite a while.
 
I recently installed a 320gb HDD it actually took a few second to format it. I was thinking of the restoring process hehe.
 
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I recently upgraded my launch 60gb PS3's HD to 160gb (lost my savegames cos I didnt backup properly first, but not the point here). It took my PS3 almost 10 seconds to format the drive... yes 10 SECONDS; I'm thinking there is something wrong with your drives people. Its no special hard drive; seagate 5400rpm.

Actually.. it takes about 10 seconds for both the 160 and the original PS3's 60gb, because I had been trying to restore my savegames I had windows and my PS3 format and reformat both the 160gb and the 60gb HD's several times this week.

Basically, your PS3's might be detecting something wrong with the drive, which would cause it to perform a full format, where its just doing a quick format on my drive.

I recommend you guys (BACKUP FIRST!) take the HD out of the PS3; take it into windows, format it to NTFS and run this (free) tool: h2testw 1.4. Have a google for it. It was made to check the integrity of flash drives, but I also find it useful to test HD's. another (also free) tool you can use is HD Tune 2.54; personally, I like to use BOTH, HD Tune will give me more detailed info and test quicker (and it can test the performance of the drive as well), but I found h2testw's test method more reliable.

Another possiblity is that my HD's may be formated in FAT32 (which I guess is probably similar to what the PS3 uses internally, considering it will only read external drives in this format); and yours may have come in NTFS, making the PS3 want to full format it.
I used fat32format.exe to format my drive to FAT32 before putting into the PS3 (cos its the same drive I used to extract the backup). fat32format.exe takes about 5 seconds to format the drive.

As to someone that said the PS3 formats to NTFS; I'm sorry, but I am 100% sure that you are wrong. The PS3 doesnt really format to any file system we know; if it does use a known file system, its likely FAT32 or exFAT (since external drives must be in this format for the PS3 to read them); but with different or encoded headers so that it is not understood by normal operating systems when you place the HD in a computer.

Also, someone said a new HD took little time to format cos there was nothing in it... that doesnt matter; a hard drive full of crap will take exactly the same amount of time to format as an empty one. A perticular hard drive will either take a few seconds to quick format or several minutes to full format (regardless of how much data is stored). Again, my 160gb was full of crap (it had less than 1gb free) and it took a few seconds to (quick) format.

[quote name='LHG Straxus']I'm currently debating whether I should install a 500gb HDD into my 60gb, and after reading through your thread - I was wondering - when you install a new HDD does the PS3 format it?, or does it just do a quick scan for compatibility/errors?

I hope you don't run into this issue again.[/QUOTE]

Straxus, I believe you will be OK; but just in case, you might wanna use fat32format.exe on the drive before taking it to your PS3. Dont forget to backup your PS3; I recommend you copy your savegames to a flash drive on their own, and if you also wanna use the backup utility so u can backup your themes and stuff; I recommend deleting all the games, game data and MP3s, pictures, movies, etc before doing so; otherwise the PS3 will copy all that stuff that you can re-download or re-copy to the backup and it will take forever to backup and again to restore.


Aaanyway... back to work :booty:
 
Replacing HDD's in anything is a volatile situation. Of course, I'm paranoid that my first-gen 60GB PS3 is going to die just given the nature of its rarity. I upgraded it to a 250GB and the 60GB I took out of it died in my laptop not one month later. Kind of scary.
 
[quote name='LFLFM']I recently upgraded my launch 60gb PS3's HD to 160gb (lost my savegames cos I didnt backup properly first, but not the point here). It took my PS3 almost 10 seconds to format the drive... yes 10 SECONDS; I'm thinking there is something wrong with your drives people. Its no special hard drive; seagate 5400rpm.

Actually.. it takes about 10 seconds for both the 160 and the original PS3's 60gb, because I had been trying to restore my savegames I had windows and my PS3 format and reformat both the 160gb and the 60gb HD's several times this week.[/QUOTE]

Those 10 second formats are quick formats, there is an option for a full format in the menu.
Anytime you install a new drive in the PS3 it does a quick format. You have to go into the system menu to choose to perform a full format. The system will never automatically try to perform a full format.

I chose to run a full format on my drive due to the error message I was getting. When I first installed the 500gb drive, i only used the quick format that the system automatically performed when the different drive was detected.

As for the long times for a full format, there's nothing wrong with the hard drives, it is the utility that Sony uses in the PS3.
A full format on the original 60gb drive takes 200+ minutes.
A full format on a 500gb hdd takes 1500+ minutes.

What I am waiting to see now is whether or not the "Correct Hard Drive not found" message returns after performing the full format.
If not, then maybe a full format is needed on larger drives in the PS3.

If it does return, then it takes me back to square one and I have to try and determine if the PS3 or the 500gb hard drive is the problem.
The next step will be to install and quick format a different 500gb hdd and see if the problem eventually comes back.
If it does, I will quick format a smaller drive and see if the problem eventually comes back.

It's a huge process of elimination, but it's the only way to know if the drive or the system is having the problem.
 
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If the error do come back. It's either your HDD drive is having problem, could be the connector getting burn, or the drive itself. It could also be your PS3 connector problem. Dirt? or particles on it perhaps. I would suggest try cleaning the connectors on the HDD if it happens again. But honestly if it is under warranty you should just make an arrangement with the manufacturer to have it replace now rather than waiting till it runs out of warranty.
 
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