PS3 YLOD

[Shojin]

So... My PS3 (Original 60gb version) yellow lighted on me today with LittleBigPlanet still inside the drive, and can't get it out (fuck!). I've been reading around and this problem seems to be a lot more common that some people are making out (this also happened to my brother back in the UK a month ago...), and seems to be more with the earlier models of the PS3.

I've contacted Sony and it's out of warranty by about 6 months (bought Sept 15, 2007), I've read that some people still got a free replacement, but when I called the only option the dude gave me was cough up $150 for a replacement/refurb. Which would have been okay, but when I asked what to do if it happens again, he said there is a 90 day refurb warranty with Sony, and if it happens again after that I'll have to pay another $150...


Few questions...

1. Long shot, but is there any other trustable repair service that might be able to do it cheaper?

2. Is there any way for me to get LittleBigPlanet out of the drive by myself? And is there any way for me to recover any info on my hard drive like game saves? (I asked and they said I can keep the HDD)

3. Is there any company that offers extended warranties for stuff like this if I decide to go through with the Sony replacement?

4. How often is this YLOD problem, and does it only happen with the early models? Also, what EXACTLY is the cause of it? Just overheating, hardware malfunction?

5. Do I have any other options other than getting a replacement/repair, or buying a brand new PS3?

Thanks in advance =\

[Shojin]

Just in case some people don't understand what I'm trying to describe, this guy says it a little better:

YouTube - PS3 Dead - Yellow Light - Sony Customer Service

[virusiidx]

Wow, didn't even know YLOD existed, never heard about it 'til now. I have the original 60gb version as well. Wish I can give more advice other than I know those maintenances can be long :\

[Hiryo]

Didnt know this existed either, and now I'm scared for my ps3 too lol...

Only thing that came to mind though, if you bought it from somewhere like Toys R Us or Best Buy that offers warranties with their systems, you may be able to call the service department and talk to a supervisor about helping you out. Maybe saying something along the lines of you're willing to buy the warranty in the store right now because you didnt think you would need it when you purchased it lol.

Hopefully someone else can come on with a better solution for you @@

[Tymon]

There's really no reason to be scared.

It's a nearly 60gb exclusive error, for one, and for second, it only happens in about 0.5% of those models.

So, if you have a 20, 40, 80, or 160GB model, you have nothing to worry about.

Even if you have a 60gb you really have nothing to worry about, it rarely ever occurs.

Not to mention you can usually get it repaired for free.

[Shojin]

There's really no reason to be scared.

It's a nearly 60gb exclusive error, for one, and for second, it only happens in about 0.5% of those models.

So, if you have a 20, 40, 80, or 160GB model, you have nothing to worry about.

Even if you have a 60gb you really have nothing to worry about, it rarely ever occurs.

Not to mention you can usually get it repaired for free.

That's what I thought too, when it happened to my brother, then it happened to me, and I thought what are the chances? Then read up more on it, and see that it's happened to quite a few people. And it's being reported more as the PS3's are getting slightly older.

This is just the people registered on the US playstation boards who posted about it:

ONLY For Registered PS3 Owners With The YLOD Malfunction. NOW UPDATED! - PLAYSTATION®3 General - PlayStation.com Forums

As for getting it repaired for free, only if your PS3 is still in warranty (they extended it for the very early batch of PS3's but only by a few months), the only option I was given was to pay $150 for a refurb replacement/repair which only grants you with a 90 day warranty once you receive your PS3 back, and in the link above, you see the guy was 3 days out of warranty and they wouldn't do it for free for him lol.

As to whether you can get it replaced for free when it's passed it's warranty, I'm sure that is very YMMV, and I've had no luck.

As for what I'm going to do, I definately want to keep my 60gb model, as full backwards compatibility with ps2 is a nice bonus, as our PS2 can't read quite a few games, most especially blue back PS2 games.

[Jotaru]

anything anything of death has people up in arms. Its not a common problem at all. Did you and your bro buy your PS3's at the same time / store? Could be that you both purchased some of a bad batch.

[Shojin]

anything anything of death has people up in arms. Its not a common problem at all. Did you and your bro buy your PS3's at the same time / store? Could be that you both purchased some of a bad batch.

My Brother bought his PS3 in the UK lol, around their time of release, (March 2007?), I bought mine in the US on Sept 15th 2007. From what I've read this also happens to the 20gb models (Sony extended warranty on both 60gb and 20gb models, but that was only until February 2008 ), and some people have reported it happening to the 80gb models (Not sure whether it is the earlier models or the ones in production now).

This guy was pretty funny about it: YouTube - EG WRAP-UP: PS3 Red Rings & Yellow Lights (06/25/07)

While I don't think the amount is anywhere near as bad as RROD, I do think a few people are underestimating the amount of people this is affecting.

On a slightly more positive note, managed to get LittleBigPlanet out of the drive today by some miracle!

[Shojin]

One other thing, my wife bought the add-on PS3 fan/cooler thing for when we get the PS3 back/Refurb, trying our best to not have this happen again. (Sony said it was an overheating problem, but I'm more inclined to agree with a few others in saying it is a random hardware defect) In any case, we're looking at the best options to keep our PS3 well maintained.

I kept pretty good condition of it, even put a light vacuum hose over the vents to clean them out from time to time like the manual suggested, but we want to find better ways to keep it cooler, as we tend to play our PS3 quite a bit and I'm somewhat of a trophy whore. Our setup is we have our PS3 standing up on an open table with nothing blocking the vent airways, I've read that doing things like putting the PS3 on an empty cardboard box (like the PS3 box?) helps alleviate some of the heat by absorbing heat through the bottom and trapping it in the empty space.

Does this work? Any other ideas like this?

[Pro]

I had this happen to my system 1 week before SF4 came out(I was fucking pissed). I ended up coughing up the 150, and was happy with the turnaround (called Tuesday, got shipping box Thursday[sent out same day], received new/refurb following Thursday). The systems are built sturdy, we just had shit luck.

And no point in buying a "cooling" system, since the PS3 has a huge fan already, and it cools it just fine.

[Shojin]

And no point in buying a "cooling" system, since the PS3 has a huge fan already, and it cools it just fine.

I told her the same thing, but if it helps in the slightest towards the longevity of the PS3, then what the hell, it was only $25. (Might also prevent the shutdowns the PS3 does when it gets too hot and automatically shuts itself off to prevent damage, happened to me once or twice in the summer time when our AC was broken.)

What model was your PS3 btw? And did they ship you the same model?

[Eticket]

Most of the cooling systems use a weird power system and supposedly can cause a lot of problems as well. I read a lot of posts on it back when I considered buying one. I have mine standing on end on top of my entertainment center and it seems to stay pretty cool.

[Shojin]

Most of the cooling systems use a weird power system and supposedly can cause a lot of problems as well. I read a lot of posts on it back when I considered buying one. I have mine standing on end on top of my entertainment center and it seems to stay pretty cool.

Nyko 360 cooler used the power source from the cable to the 360 yeah, caused a lot of problems and burns. Avoided the Nyko one like the plague, even though the PS3 version looked somewhat decent and wasn't any complaints, the one my wife bought uses an external power supply (AC adapter plug), I'll probably just use it in the summer mostly or for long periods of play/remote play and stream from my PC > PS3 > PSP through PS3MediaPlayer, seeing as the fans are supposed to be pretty loud.