There are several reasons why you may need to reset your PS3. If the game or video you are watching freezes, a quick system reset may fix the problem. If you've changed your television or connecting cable, you may need to reconfigure your video settings. If, on the other hand, you are encountering frequent system crashes or XMB interface problems, you may need to perform hard drive maintenance in safe mode.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Reset a Locked PS3
Step 1. Press and hold the PS3's Power button
If your console is frozen and no longer responding to any commands, perform a manual reset. This procedure must be performed directly from the console, as the connected controllers will no longer respond to commands.
Step 2. Press and hold the Power button for about 30 seconds
You will hear three beeps in quick succession and the PS3 will shut down.
Step 3. Wait a few seconds, then press the Power button again to start the console normally
Do not turn it on using the controller, as it may not be detected by the console.
Step 4. Wait for the system to check for errors
The PS3 will run a hard drive check for errors. This procedure may take some time or be completed in seconds.
Method 2 of 3: Reset Video Settings
Step 1. Make sure you turn off the console
The red light should appear indicating Standby mode.
If you have changed your television or HDMI cable, you may need to perform this procedure if no image appears on the screen when the PS3 is turned on
Step 2. Unplug both the PS3 and the TV from the electrical outlet
Step 3. Make sure the console is connected to the TV via HDMI cable
Step 4. Reconnect both the PS3 and the TV to the mains
Step 5. Turn on the TV and select the correct HDMI source
Step 6. Press and hold the PS3's Power button until you hear two short beeps in succession
This step should take approximately 5 seconds.
Step 7. Use the console controller to finish configuring HDMI video settings
First, you may need to press the controller's PS button to turn it on.
Step 8. Go to "Settings", then select the "Video Settings" option
From here you can set the correct resolution for your TV.
Method 3 of 3: Start the PS3 in Safe Mode
Step 1. Why use Safe Mode
PS3 Safe Mode gives you access to some diagnostic and recovery tools that can repair your system after a series of freezes or errors. You can use Safe Mode to re-create a system file and perform a factory reset.
Step 2. Back up your game save files
Before trying to get your console or system files back to working properly, it's always a good idea to back up your files in case something goes wrong. You can do this using any USB storage device, as game save files are typically around 5-20 MB in size.
- Connect your USB device to the PS3.
- Access the "Game" menu and select the "Copy saved data to memory medium" item.
- Select the first file you want to save.
- Push the button △, then select "Copy".
- Select the USB device on which to save the data and proceed to copy. Repeat the process for all the files you want to back up.
Step 3. Turn off the PS3
To enter Safe Mode, you must first turn off the console.
Step 4. Press and hold the Power button
You will hear the first beep.
Step 5. Continue holding the Power button until you hear the second beep and finally the third
The system will shut down and the indicator light will turn red.
Step 6. Press and hold the Power button again
As before, you will hear two beeps in succession.
Step 7. Continue holding the Power button until you hear two beeps in quick succession
Now release the Power button. You will see the message "Connect the controller using a USB cable, then press the PS button" on the screen.
Step 8. Connect the controller to the console and turn it on
In safe mode, you cannot use a wireless controller.
Step 9. Use Safe Mode to reset the console
There are several options that you can take advantage of in Safe Mode that can help you solve the problems that plague your PS3. Try the options in the menu in the order provided to try to solve your problems. If the selected option does not solve the problem, move on to the next one.
- Restore File System. This option attempts to fix damaged files on the hard drive.
- Rebuild Database. This procedure attempts to correct the information in the database saved on the hard drive. In this case, messages and notifications will be deleted as well as any folders created by you. However, no files should be deleted.
- Reset the PS3 system. This option resets the PS3 to factory settings. All data on the disk will be erased. Make sure you have backed up any files you want to keep before proceeding to use this resource.
