PS3 Explained

This guide explains how to manually download PS3 System Software (firmware) Updates on your PC, copy to a USB flash drive, and then copy and install on your PS3. It is also possible to just connect your PS3 to the Internet and let it handle the updating for you.

Prerequisites

You will need a USB flash drive (thumb drive, removable media, storage media, etc) with enough free space to store the system software update file. You will need at least 120MB.

It might be worth noting that updates are not incremental. Each time you download an update file you are getting all the previous updates in the file too. This means that the filesize will grow with each version.

Step 1: Prepare your removable media

1. Plug your USB drive into your PC
2. Create a new folder on it called PS3
3. Inside that PS3 folder, create a new folder called UPDATE (must be in capitals)

Step 2: Download the update file on your PC

1. You must download the update file suitable for your region. Start at www.playstation.com and find the “System Software Updates” page
• Regional links: Australia, Europe, New Zealand, North America
2. Find the “Download” link
3. Save the file “PS3UPDAT.PUP” into the UPDATE folder on your USB storage device

Step 3: Copy the file to your PS3

1. Unplug the flash drive from your PC and plug into any free USB slot on your PS3
2. Go to the “Settings” XMB menu, choose “System Update”
3. Choose “Update via storage media”
4. The USB drive will be scanned. If you get an error that no update file was found, ensure that the folder structure is correct (Step 1)
5. Select “OK” to copy the update file to the PS3’s hard disk
6. Wait for the file to be copied and the PS3 should reboot automatically (leave the USB drive plugged in during this phase)

At this point, for two different update/firmware attempts, I have had my PS3 freeze. The copy completes and the screen goes black, but there is no activity from the machine. Both times I had to force a shutdown and start it up again. Thankfully everything still went smoothly.

Step 4: Install the update

1. When the PS3 has started up again you should be presented with a screen showing the version of the system software ready to install. Press the PS button
2. Wait for the “Checking for update data” to complete
3. Accept the user agreement
4. Press X button to confirm the installation
5. The update will be installed and the PS3 should be rebooted!