60GB PS3: October 2007 - January 2010.
Heed my tale, fellow PS3 owners; or you, too shall soon fall prey to the Yellow Light Of Death. My trusty Blu-Ray gaming companion died this past weekend of unknown causes. Possible culprits include a failed motherboard, cracked soldering, or overheating (likely, a combination of all).
This is the part where I plead with those of you who still enjoy your older (60GB) PS3’s to protect yo-selves:
1.) BACK UP YO DATAZ. Over the past year or so, I would occasionally think to myself: “Self, you should really back up your PS3 data. You’ve got a lot of saved games and DLC. What if something happens? You’d lose all of it, you knucklehead.” Then, I would be distracted by a dog with a fluffy tail and forget all about my backup plans. Without a doubt, this is the most painful part of my PS3 death. ALL of my data — from 2.5 years of playing games — is likely gone. (Unless, of course I manage to find a heat gun and thermal paste and discover a heretofore unrealized skill as an electrician.)
2.) CLEAR YO VENTZ. Electronics get dusty. The PS3, with it’s shiny, happy exterior, is a veritable dust magnet. Over time, more and more will pile up inside your system, creating dirty little clouds that literally can choke the life out of it. Use compressed air. Vacuum it out. Cleanliness is key.
3.) LISTEN FO TROUBLZ. When I first got me PS3, it was quiet, stealth-like beast. Only rarely did I hear the fan come on to cool things down, and that only lasted for moments. More recently, it’s taken to run the fan more often. Over the past few months, it would be run on high — sounding like a jet engine — from the get-go. This is a sign that things are overheating. Make sure the system is well ventilated. If it is ventilated, and it still runs hotter than a mofo — well, prepare for the worst. It could be the death knell of your PS3.
In terms of backing up the data, you’ve got two options: 1.) An actual System Backup option in the XMB. This will copy all of your data that is not copy-protected (for some asinine reason, certain companies don’t allow you to back up your saved data — Rock Band being one of them) to an external drive of your choosing. The other option was just released a few months ago: it basically clones your hard drive to a new PS3. You connect them via ethernet cables, and all your old stuff (including your copy-protected data) moves to a shiny, new system. (Not included: Shiny, new system.)
For me, I’m going to have to get a one of those new systems; and, thankfully, the “PS3 Slim” doesn’t suffer from YLOD. I will to have to start all my games over again, and will have to re-download everything I’ve ever purchased from the Playstation Store. Needless to say, not looking forward to it.
The one blessing is that I won the Mafia Fantasy Football League this year. My winnings should just about cover things.
Once Diesel pays up, of course.
