AVS › AVS Forum › Gaming & Content Streaming › Home Theater Gaming › PlayStation Area › Worst Nightmare: PS3 blinking red light of death!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Worst Nightmare: PS3 blinking red light of death!

post #1 of 430
12/23/08 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 
So I just get my new XPA-5 amp hooked up tonight and I go to play some ps3 and after about ten minutes it just shuts off with a blinking red light. I unplug it and plug it back in and turn it on and the fans kick in but then it just turns off and blinking red light. I also cannot eject my gamefly disk.

I can't believe my luck the day before christmas break starts. This is a launch 60gb. I am very dismayed that my ps3 died in only 2 years at this high of cost.

Anyone have a solution for this.
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 430
12/23/08 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sethhobrin View Post

So I just get my new XPA-5 amp hooked up tonight and I go to play some ps3 and after about ten minutes it just shuts off with a blinking red light. I unplug it and plug it back in and turn it on and the fans kick in but then it just turns off and blinking red light. I also cannot eject my gamefly disk.

I can't believe my luck the day before christmas break starts. This is a launch 60gb. I am very dismayed that my ps3 died in only 2 years at this high of cost.

Anyone have a solution for this.

Hey Seth, that is a bummer. At least your 60g lasted a year longer than mine, but mine was under warranty.

This maybe what you don't want to hear. The only solution for those who love the PS3 is to buy another one. It will cost 150.00 for SOny to repair the broken one, in the mean time you can use the new one. If the 60g is /was quiet, don't expect to get the same one back or a quiet one. Also there are some resets one can do to reformat the hard drive and sometimes that resolves the issue. Search this forum for threads.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 430
12/24/08 at 1:19am
Hold the power button down until the debug menu comes up; you can try the options available there. Best case scenario, you lose everything on your drive, but it's better than losing a 60gig PS3.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 430
12/24/08 at 6:33am
Sorry to hear about your PS3 malfunction, Sethhobrin. Yeah, it does feel like a nightmare, doesn't it? By the sounds of your problem, the exact same thing happened to my PS3 about half a year ago. You didn't mention the yellow light, but I'm pretty what you've got is the dreaded "yellow light of death". And unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do to fix it. I must have tried turning mine on about 500 times!

There is one thing you can still try, though. I'll post the link to the instructions, but basically, it's just removing the hard drive and giving it a shot. Didn't work for me, but who knows?

Here's the link: http://ps3.qj.net/Possible-PS3-flash...g/49/aid/75721

Here's another link for a poll in here I did about how long the repair/return service takes: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...001&highlight=

There's also some general return tips there, and even some inside information about possibly getting free service, even if your PS3 is long passed its warranty. (Which mine was.) Not only did I get free service, I got an extended warranty for one year--when the standard warranty after a repair is 90 days.

Good luck. I hope it all works out for you.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 430
12/24/08 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martez View Post

Hold the power button down until the debug menu comes up; you can try the options available there. Best case scenario, you lose everything on your drive, but it's better than losing a 60gig PS3.

OMG!!! I was just getting the error, "Cannot start. The correct hard disk was not found" on my November 2006 60GB. I held down the power button until I heard 2 beeps, as per your post. I then selected "Restore File System" from the debug menu. Moments later my PS3 was alive again!!! It's the same as it was before I got the error. Thanks!!!
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 430
12/24/08 at 9:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mulder_fbi View Post

OMG!!! I was just getting the error, "Cannot start. The correct hard disk was not found" on my November 2006 60GB. I held down the power button until I heard 2 beeps, as per your post. I then selected "Restore File System" from the debug menu. Moments later my PS3 was alive again!!! It's the same as it was before I got the error. Thanks!!!

Unfortunately, with the "blinking yellow light of death" you can't get your PS3 to go to any menu at all. It shuts itself off after about 1 second. It's awesome that you were able to fix your problem though! Gotta love when that happens!
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 430
12/24/08 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kess View Post

Sorry to hear about your PS3 malfunction, Sethhobrin. Yeah, it does feel like a nightmare, doesn't it? By the sounds of your problem, the exact same thing happened to my PS3 about half a year ago. You didn't mention the yellow light, but I'm pretty what you've got is the dreaded "yellow light of death". And unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do to fix it. I must have tried turning mine on about 500 times!

There is one thing you can still try, though. I'll post the link to the instructions, but basically, it's just removing the hard drive and giving it a shot. Didn't work for me, but who knows?

Here's the link: http://ps3.qj.net/Possible-PS3-flash...g/49/aid/75721

Here's another link for a poll in here I did about how long the repair/return service takes: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...001&highlight=

There's also some general return tips there, and even some inside information about possibly getting free service, even if your PS3 is long passed its warranty. (Which mine was.) Not only did I get free service, I got an extended warranty for one year--when the standard warranty after a repair is 90 days.

Good luck. I hope it all works out for you.

Great tips, Kess. You're a true asset to this community.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 430
12/24/08 at 2:26pm
I just got mine back from about a month ago, and did not want to send it to Sony and lose everything on my HDD. I tried to fix it myself but traced the problem to the motherboard, specifically the GPU. Some people have fixed the problem just by putting in another power supply unit. After running some continuity test found out motherboard was not sending 5v supply to a return wire. Without proper equipment to do a reball on the motherboard. So I took the easy way out and send it to a shop for $75, kept everything on my HDD, and they fixed it in a day, PS3 was only out to 3 days from the day i shipped to day I got it. Here is a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-PLAYSTATION...3%3A1|294%3A50
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 430
12/24/08 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mulder_fbi View Post

OMG!!! I was just getting the error, "Cannot start. The correct hard disk was not found" on my November 2006 60GB. I held down the power button until I heard 2 beeps, as per your post. I then selected "Restore File System" from the debug menu. Moments later my PS3 was alive again!!! It's the same as it was before I got the error. Thanks!!!

Lucky you. That was a close call. I wasn't so lucky had to get a refurb from Sony. It sucks having to put your stuff back on your hard drive when it comes back. I had to call Sony in order to get my songs from Singstar back.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 430
12/26/08 at 2:35pm
Thread Starter 
yes it was the YLOD. There is a HUGE thread at the official playstation forums on this issue. Apparently all 60gb ps3s are dropping like flies.

I spoke with Sony and they really ticked me off. First they said they could repair my unit and not format the hard drive. Then they came back and said sorry we don't repair units we just exchange for a refurb and you will loose all your data.

My faith in Sony is permantently tarnished after this incident. I refuse to purchase or repair any 60GB BC PS3 as I believe they are ALL defective and will eventually die. No sense in paying 150 bucks for a repair when the unit will most likely die again in a year or less.

I picked up a new ps3 from sonystyle.com for $250 using there special offer. Im going to send my broken one in and get it fixed for $150 and then sell it on craigslist to try and recoup as much cost as I can for the new ps3. I guess I lost all my data and won't have backwards compatibility anymore but it appears this is the only way to be totally safe from this problem again.

My punishement for being an early adopter I guess. Its a thankless job.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 430
12/26/08 at 2:55pm
Funny--My launch 60GB is still going strong. And, if it ever does die, I have been doing regular backups on the 320 GB HD I installed. Maybe that way, I won't overreact with the sky is falling hyperbole if anything ever happens to a piece of electronics gear.

Happy New Year, everyone!
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 430
12/26/08 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sethhobrin View Post

yes it was the YLOD. There is a HUGE thread at the official playstation forums on this issue. Apparently all 60gb ps3s are dropping like flies.

citation needed!

Even if it's 1000 people over there bitching, there's nothing to prove it besides all the people with dead systems posting for help in the same place.

Remember, the PS3 has some 17.5 million consoles that aren't defective. 1000 isn't even a measurable statistic to contemplate.

Still it does suck, and I do feel for ya, but what your saying is just hyperbole. My launch unit is going strong, without any problems.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 430
12/26/08 at 8:48pm
I'm not bitchin', but my 60G just died 3 weeks ago. I'm gonna send it off to that link above for $75. I think it is a bigger problem than most want to believe.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 430
12/26/08 at 10:08pm
Makes me wonder if the chip they put in for the BC could potentially have caused some other issue which is why Sony removed it from the new models? (In addition to the added cost of putting it in there).
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 430
12/27/08 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bassmonkeee View Post

Funny--My launch 60GB is still going strong. And, if it ever does die, I have been doing regular backups on the 320 GB HD I installed. Maybe that way, I won't overreact with the sky is falling hyperbole if anything ever happens to a piece of electronics gear.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mine is still going strong, too, but I'm starting to think I should back up my save files on a flash drive or something. Most aren't very big and it couldn't really hurt.

Not that I expect my PS3 to suddenly combust, though.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 430
12/27/08 at 3:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdurg View Post

Makes me wonder if the chip they put in for the BC could potentially have caused some other issue which is why Sony removed it from the new models? (In addition to the added cost of putting it in there).

I highly doubt that myself. I'm sure it was all cost.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 430
12/28/08 at 8:45pm
I agree that its more of a problem than what is percieved. I had no idea about this issue or even heard about it till it happened. Sending in my console to Sony for a refurb and lose all my data was not an option for me. You will be glad you sent it to those guys. $75 and keep your data sure beats $150 for a refurb. Oh and they warranty their work for 90 days same as you would get from Sony on the refurb. Dont get it why Sethrobin didnt send it to them?
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:02pm
I'm about to cry. After downloading and installing the SOCOM 1.30 patch, my PS3 has done the blinking red light thing.

Now when I try to power it on, it blinks yellow for a second and then starts flashing red.

Yes, it is a 60gb and was bought in Jan of 2007.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

I'm about to cry. After downloading and installing the SOCOM 1.30 patch, my PS3 has done the blinking red light thing.

Now when I try to power it on, it blinks yellow for a second and then starts flashing red.

Yes, it is a 60gb and was bought in Jan of 2007.

Did you poke around the debug menu?
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:09pm
Can't even get it to go into debug.

I start it and it has a quick flash of yellow and then starts blinking red immediately.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

Can't even get it to go into debug.

I start it and it has a quick flash of yellow and then starts blinking red immediately.

Oh No..
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

I'm about to cry. After downloading and installing the SOCOM 1.30 patch, my PS3 has done the blinking red light thing.

Now when I try to power it on, it blinks yellow for a second and then starts flashing red.

Yes, it is a 60gb and was bought in Jan of 2007.


Nooooo!!!

Did you check the link in my post a few posts up? It shows a video of the problem, and how you can maybe fix it. It's basically just taking your hard drive out, and trying to fire your PS3 up without it. It has worked...but not very often, I don't think. Otherwise....Someone else in here just kept trying to turn it on...and I think it actually finally came on for him. Didn't with me--and I must have tried about 2000 times!! When I talked to Sony, they said the yellow light means it's a heat problem--so maybe try letting it cool down for a bit, and then hit the power button over and over. Whether or not it comes back on again could also depend on how much damage the heat has done--so maybe you're still good.

Let me know what happens. In my post, I also have some tips in getting free service repairs, and how to speed up repairs. There's also a poll on how long repairs have taken everyone--and the news is good, at least for that, in that most repairs took 7-9 days, from first phone call, to receiveing a new unit.

**EDIT
Here's the link to my post with more links: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...70&postcount=4
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:31pm
Just tried the "remove the hard drive and fire it up" trick and..... no go!

I can't think of why it could be heat related. I have a chill mat, plus one of the fans attached to the side nearest to the optical drive AND I live in freezing Chicago and I don't use my heater in the apartment much!

I'll take a look at the thread and see what I can do.

I'm debating, buy a newer PS3, send this one in, and then put the fixed one up on Ebay.

My main issue is that I did not do another back up after the 12th of December. But that's got to be secondary.

Thoughts?
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

Just tried the "remove the hard drive and fire it up" trick and..... no go!

I can't think of why it could be heat related. I have a chill mat, plus one of the fans attached to the side nearest to the optical drive AND I live in freezing Chicago and I don't use my heater in the apartment much!

I'll take a look at the thread and see what I can do.

I'm debating, buy a newer PS3, send this one in, and then put it up on Ebay.

My main issue is that I did not do another back up after the 12th of December. But that's got to be secondary.

Thoughts?

Major sux King

You still have your wifes as a back up, right . I would peruse the links Kess supplied. Somewhere, there is a fix that did work for at least one guy...not sure if it will apply though. If it's a no go, send'r in and get it fixed (I believe it comes back with a warranty). Play on the wifes until it returns.

Going to back mine up right now...it's been a little over a month or so
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 430
1/9/09 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

I can't think of why it could be heat related. I have a chill mat, plus one of the fans attached to the side nearest to the optical drive AND I live in freezing Chicago and I don't use my heater in the apartment much!

I can confirm that, I see you guys all bundled up thru your ps eye. It's like you two are camping outdoors in the cold, in your apartment!.

I hope you can somehow get it working King. Good Luck! At least you have another PS3 to play until you decide what to do.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 430
1/9/09 at 4:16pm
If I send it in for repair, Sony's only guaranteeing a 90 day warranty after repair. Does it make sense to even send it in?
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 430
1/9/09 at 4:40pm
Someone managed to fix their 60gb system.

Quote:


well i just fixed my ylod, here's how i did it. I took a hairdryer and heated the cell and the rsx for about a minute and while i was doing that i pushed the four corners with a screw driver then wile they were too hot to touch i put artic silver mx-2 and the newly lapped heatsink back on, Then i waited about 5 minutes then i put the fan in and power supply, Then I booted it up and it said hardrive was missing so i was like sweet. Then i put in the hardrive and the bluray drive, pluged the battery back in, assembled it, and it booted up just like before it had the ylod. So then i have been running it for a week straight with f@h and gaming to see if the ylod would come back,but its awesome its running cooler(the air out the back is actually cool instead of blasing heat) and faster now, probably from lapping the heatsink and getting rid of that nasty silicone thermocompound. So my thery is that the ylod has something to do with the cell or the rsx coming off the motherboard or that something is wrong with the motherboard, because it would boot up fine with out all the drives. by the way mine was a 60gb(now a 320gb) made in December 2006.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 430
1/9/09 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

Someone managed to fix their 60gb system.

You going to try that?

More importantly, are you stealing your wife's PS3 for SOCOM Night?
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 430
1/9/09 at 5:29pm
I don't have the tools to take it apart. And he has not posted a tutorial on how to go about doing it. So I doubt I'll try that.

I'll go the Sony route and see what they can do for me. In the mean time, I guess I'll use my wife's ps3.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 430
1/9/09 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingShorty View Post

I don't have the tools to take it apart. And he has not posted a tutorial on how to go about doing it. So I doubt I'll try that.

I believe there are tutorials on YouTube for taking it apart King.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: PlayStation Area

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Gaming & Content Streaming › Home Theater Gaming › PlayStation Area › Worst Nightmare: PS3 blinking red light of death!