Salvaging a Disc From a YLOD PS3
As the PS3 has passed its 5th year, a number of people have had the misfortune of having to lay to rest their system in an untimely manner. Somberly staring at that yellow light, trying to hit the eject button in hopes to free your new game or movie from its black and silver coffin, you realize that the yellow demon has not only taken your system, but stolen your disc as well. The demon known as the yellow light of death, or YLOD leaves you with a problem that most people never think of. “How do I get my disc out of console that wont turn on?” Well, luckily for you, Sony has included a feature that will cause a YLOD PS3 to eject a disc. Depending on which style of PS3 you own the method may differ as follows.
NOTE: These instructions are only to be used on a PS3 that will not turn on and has been deemed unusable. Usage of these tips on a working PS3 may damage your console.
Original PS3
(Update: As some users have pointed out, the trick doesn’t work on all 60GB/20GB PS3s and seems to be rather hit-and-miss)
Step 1: Flip the main switch on the back of the PS3 into the OFF position.
Step 2: Press and hold the eject button located on the front of the PS3.
Step 3: While continuing to hold the eject button, flip the main switch to the ON position.
Step 4: This should cause your ps3 to turn on creating a good amount of noise, but shortly after the disc should eject.
Slim PS3
Step 1: Turn off your PS3 and unplug it.
Step 2: Carefully move the PS3 so that you can access the bottom of it.
Step 3: On the bottom of the PS3 next to the warranty sticker you should see a compartment that can be easily opened using your fingernail.
Step 4: This step you will need to remove the cover of the compartment, to do this you must carefully pull directly up on the swivel till it pops out.
Step 5: Insert a tiny Phillips screwdriver into the hole that the swivel cover was removed from.
Step 6: Turn the Phillips screwdriver counter-clockwise (unscrew), you should hear clicking sounds with each turn till the disc ejects.
If you need to set-up a Service Request through Sony go here.
We here at PSLS have had our own fair share of consoles depart on us (sorry Seb), and understand the hardships that come with the loss of not only your high-tech toy but a friend who has possibly seen you through some trying times. Luckily, our forum is filled to the brim with tips and fixes on how to get your PS3 back on its feet.
12 Responses to “Salvaging a Disc From a YLOD PS3”
Doesn’t work on 60GB PS3.
ive done it on 60gb when it died. You need to make sure you are holding down the eject button the entire time. As soon as it powers on, it should go into an overdrive function and turn on, eject the disc and power down.
*Edit – must have been my 40gb that YLOD. Article updated.
I am one of the lucky ones. I bought a Fat PS3 60 GB on the day it came out and have had no issues whatsoever! I pray it stays that way to.
I couldn’t get this to work on my dead 60 either. So, several years ago, I followed the Gilksy method on YouTube, and basically melted the solder back on the processors. Must have done a fair job, because I got about 2 years worth of gaming out of it, including some mega 8 hour + sessions. Then, one day, it just YLOD’d watching Netflix, and I decided I was done with Playstation for a while. I lasted about three months before I bought my Slim! LOL
If people are having issues getting this to work I will confirm the method, and report back.
You can also send the PS3 Slim into the same “self clean mode” by unplugging it, and holding down the eject button while you plug it back in. I’m not sure if this will eject the disc like on the “fat”…
It is also recommended to never use this mode on a working system, whether it’s fat or slim.
I have an original 60 GB PS3, and I have tried this MANY times. It does not work for me.
my launch PS3 wonders what you’ve been doing to your PS3s
I can confirm that this does work on some of the 40gb fat models. I’ve also read that if the system doesn’t come on immediately after flipping the switch you can press the power button long enough to usually turn on the system, and it should work.
I had to do this when my died. It was resisting the fall of man apparently while I was watching netflix. lol
Take my advice do not set your PS3 on anything that produces heat in anyway. Give it it’s own shelf or space somewhere.
I have my PS3 standing vertical. The heat exhaust is blowing out the back and into the cold air return on my furnace. Every time the furnace fires up while I’m gaming, the heat is drawn away. I still ended up with YLOD back on Dec 1st, 2011 (after 3 years of use). I used the trick described above to perform the fan test and eject the disc (I own a 40GB Fat). The PS3 was dead-dead-dead. I knew it wasn’t the power supply, because I had power, and knew it wasn’t the Blu-ray because it still had power and ejected the disc. So I did the solder reflow method and it’s back up and running again. At least the PS3 is simple to disassemble. No tricky boards glued to something. The thermal paste on the two main chips was so dry it was like saw dust. It just crumbled away. Why any company would put such a cheap paste on two of the most important chips in their product is just stupid. I know you have to cut costs, but do you really want a 1-5 year life span on a product you are supposed to be supporting for 10 years+??? It’s just greed. I wonder if launch PS3s have a higher rate of YLOD?
Oh, BTW for anyone that has a busted up old FAT PS3 sitting in their basements. TAKE IT APART and sell it piece by piece on eBay. I saw a power supply selling for $100+, a wireless network card selling for $80, and a Blu-ray drive selling for $160 dollars. All were still functioning. You can even sell the casing. There are a boat load of people looking for a main board, but I have yet to see one on eBay.
Standing a gaming system vertical is a bad idea to start with. Any vertical disc drive will eventually have the laser thrown out of alignment, and will start scratching the hell out of everything you put in it. The BR discs are a lot more resistant to this, but they will still get rings scratched into them after a while.
Not saying you are wrong to do what you want to do with your system, just saying it’s a poor design flaw on their part. In a way I think they design these things so you will do as much damage to them as possible, and have to replace games and systems faster. My PS1 never had a single problem. My PS2 has a dirty and weak laser, but the system is fine other wise. My ps3 has been replaced twice now. The first time the BR drive died, and the second time it YLOD. When the BR drives die they don’t lose power they stop reading discs. Thankfully I was under warranty the first time. Later there was actually a small recall on the remaining systems in that batch that hadn’t died yet.
I done this and saved my ‘God of War Collection’ disc!