How do I install a new hard disk in my PlayStation 3?

The PlayStation 3 has a hard disk slot on the left end of the PS3 (bottom side if you stand it up vertical). Upgrading the hard drive is simple and only takes a few minutes. Follow the instructions below to remove and install a new hard drive:

Remove the plastic cover to see the hard disk enclosure. The slot is marked with a label.
Use a screwdriver to remove the blue screw.
Flip the metal lever and pull the hard drive to the right. It should pop straight out. Now pull the tray towards you to remove it from the PS3.
Once the tray is out, you can remove the four screws around the tray keeping the original hard drive in place.
Remove the original hard drive from the casing and replace it with the new one.
Replace the four screws you removed earlier to lock the new hard drive in place.
Place the tray into the PS3’s hard drive enclosure and slide the tray to the left to lock it in place. Place the lever down to prevent the drive from moving.
Replace the blue screw and pop the plastic cover back on.
When you turn on the PS3, you will be prompted to format the new drive. Once this is done, you are free to restore any backed up data.

Warning: Before you attempt to change your hard drive, it is vital that you backup your current contents to a removal hard disk. Once you have installed a new drive, the data in the old drive will not be readable. Please see the Backup/Restore FAQ for more details. Once you have installed a new drive, you can simply restore the old data to the new one.

How do I backup my PlayStation 3 savedata?

To backup your PS3 savedata to an external device, go to Game > [Saved Data] and press to bring up the menu. From the menu, select [Copy] and choose the destination. Data can be imported back to the PlayStation 3 if needed. It is recommended that you backup any important data.

Please note that not all savedata can be backed up. Depending on the model if your PlayStation 3, you may need a USB Memory Card adapter to copy data to memory cards. Copy protected data cannot be copied to external media either. For these games, your savedata is locked to the PlayStation 3 console and cannot be backed up in any way.

How can I backup/restore data on the PS3?

The PS3 had a Backup/Restore utility that allows you to backup/restore various data on the PS3. It can be found under: Settings > System Settings > Backup Utility. The backup utility does not backup user settings and copy-protected material, this includes downloaded games, certain game savedata (e.g. Killzone 2 and Guitar Hero 5) and videos downloaded from the PlayStation Video Store.