Insert an audio CD into the PS3 and go to the [Music] icon on the XMB. The PS3 should automatically connect to the Internet to obtain track information. Under the [Music] menu, you will see a CD icon. Before ripping a CD, you can modify the quality of the music from the [Settings] menu. Press TRIANGLE to access the menu and select Import. It should take a few minutes to rip the music onto the PS3 hard drive.

The PlayStation 3 uses a login system to separate the files for different users, however, not all the files are private. Some things are available to all users who log onto the PS3, see below for information on what is shared and what is private to each user:

Shared Content

• Gamesave data for PS1 and PS2 titles
• Photos
• Music
• Videos

Private to each user

• Savedata for PS3 titles
• Buddy list
• Sent and received messages
• Browser bookmarks
• Predictive text

No. In order to use the PlayStation 3 console, a hard drive must be installed and formatted to the PS3 filesystem. This is the reason why all PS3 models contain hard drives. Using the system without a hard drive will cause an error on start up.

The PlayStation 3 has two 128MB flash chips, totalling 256MB.

Depending on where you live, your PS3 Blu-Ray drive will be locked. Only movies from the same region, or those coded with no region settings will playback on the console. See the list below.

• Japan PS3
  – Blu-ray Region A
• Hong Kong – Blu-ray Region A
• Taiwan PS3
  – Blu-ray Region A
• Singapore PS3- Blu-ray Region A
• United States PS3 – Blu-ray Region A
• European PS3
  – Blu-ray Region B
• Australia PS3
  – Blu-ray Region B

Yes you can. However, the contents of the hard drive are encrypted using a code unique to your PlayStation 3. As a result, you will not be able to read any information from the hard drive. The otheros partition of the drive is not encrypted but will not be readable on a PC either. If you wish to backup your PS3 data, you must use the Backup Utility built into the PlayStation 3.

You can connect your PS3 Hard Drive to your PC using a 2.5" SATA to USB/Firewire caddy (pictured above), which cost between $8 to $20.

Yes. Although you cannot run unsigned code currently, the PlayStation 3 can still be bricked. The most common method of bricking a PS3 is switching off the console or removing external media containing firmware information during a firmware update. This can easily be avoided by taking care when updating the console. If unsigned code can be executed on the PS3, it could lead to viruses like the ones seen on the PSP.

Sometimes, an Error 80029564 “An error occurred during the install operation” occurs during the installation of a game. This is because the game might not have been downloaded properly. The error is common when the PlayStation Network is experiencing a high load of traffic or if your Internet connection is poor. To solve the issue, here are a few basic tips:

• Download the game again and try to install it.
• If the error still occurs, try and download the game over night, when the Internet traffic is low.
• Avoid downloading games when they first appear on the PlayStation Store. New games usually attract many users, slowing down the servers.

Please note that it may take several download attempts to resolve the issue. If the error occurs more that once, it is advised to wait a few hours before trying again.

The PlayStation 3 has various Parent Control options. You can adjust parent settings for Blu-Ray Disc playback, DVD playback, games, and the [Internet Browser]. Access to these controls requires the use of a 4-digit PIN code (default is 0000). If you have forgotten your PIN, you must perform a System Restore to revert the PIN back to default settings.