This video is about how to clean your PS3 laser. When the PS3 laser gets dirty you will get an error code and your disc's won't play. This video will show you how to clean your PS3 laser and restore your PS3 's function
I followed this video step by step the whole way to the end, with high doubt that it would work. Reassembled my PS3, popped in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and it read almost instantly!! Thank you SO much for posting this!!!
Thank you ever so much for this video. It helped me to solve the problem I was having with my PS3 Slim. In case others are having the same problem I did, the nature of my problem was that the console could read CDs and DVDs, but NOT games or Blu Ray. When I would insert a game or Blu Ray disc, nothing would happen on screen. I could hear the disk revving and the sounds of the laser trying to read it, but ultimately the console would make a sound as though it was ejecting a disc. So I took to RU-vid searches to see if I could fix the problem, and I was led to this video. If you follow this tutorial exactly (also use a can of compressed gas for electronics to clear out the dust and wipe down with a microfiber cloth where appropriate) and it doesn't fix your problem, then you either did something wrong, or a dirty lens is not the extent of your problem. Just take your time, focus on the task at hand, and keep all the components that you're removing from the system all organized and grouped so that it will be easier for you to remember how to assemble everything back together again. I'm a girl who is not all that tech savvy, so if I can do it, there is hope for you, too!
To all the people who can't take the top off easily even after unscrewing all the screws: My PS3 Slim has a chrome warranty sticker underneath. Removing that sticker voids the warranty but also reveals another sneaky bolt which is the one preventing you from opening the lid off. It's a normal bolt, not a T8 one.
If you dont have a star key for the 4 screws, use a really small flathead screwdriver and line it up inside 2 of the 6 ridges (avoiding the little bump in the very center of the screw) and start unscrewing! Then just screw them back in using that same method
Tyhi I did everything as shown In the video, and my disc drive went from occasionally reading some discs if they were spotless, to not even letting me put in a disc or eject one. Guess I now have to pay someone to do it AND buy another disc drive.
THIS DID WORK TO GET DISCS TO BE READ PROPERLY AGAIN, but I have to give a warning to people with a slightly different interior to the PlayStation (like I had-maybe for a UK version?): You don’t need to take the disc compartment bit off AT ALL. We did because it showed him doing it on this video, and I believe his PlayStation required it, but what ended up happening for us was that this strip of plastic containing a load of lines of copper within it disconnected from the disc compartment to the board. It was a real hassle to get the white strip back into its slot which it was pulled out from, and we spent a good 15 minutes trying to stick it back in (with some tweezers coated with tape so as to not damage the strip) before we managed it-if it happens to you, it IS possible to stick back in, but it’s hard and we needed two people. All that being said, we’d tried a lot of different ways to get little big planet up and running again, and this was finally the solution we needed, so I’ve gotta thank the creator of this video for helping us out massively!
Thanks for this I've been struggling I also have a problem where it registered my PS4 controller as long as it's always plugged in facing the PS3 but no matter what I do it won't connect a PS3 controller
Thank you for making this video. I followed your instructions exactly and now my ps3 is reading my games. Sony wanted me to send it in and charge me $100 to fix. Thank you for saving me time and money.
Good video, thanks! Couple things; at 6:33, you need to remove the 2 screws at the end WITH the black tab, not the other end (as you can see in the video). At 7:31, there are 2 tabs you need to squeeze (other end from the screws) to remove the cover. Yes, I'm 7 years late.
Just finished doing this and it worked like a charm. Thank you! I did have a problem with the unit pulling in the disc after I put everything back together though. What it was was I didn't have the white strip plugged back all the way in that was next to the black screw at the back of the disc contraption. After I fixed that I tested everything to make sure it injected (?) and ejected and read disc's before I put it all back together again. Also for the tiny star screws, I used a small flat head screwdriver from an eyeglass cleaning kit. Hopefully that helps anyone having issues. Take care.
my shit missin screws when i took it off for the first time ohh hell nahh they planed the fuck up. nevermind i have a different version but still missing screws.
Thank you for this video! The other guides for removing stuck discs didn't help, but thanks to you I was able to confirm that my toddler shoved multiple scraps of paper into the slot.
great tutorial..for those still having difficulty with the little screws if you have a precision screw driver set the 3/64in flathead will fit perfectly in a grove for easy removal..
For anyone having trouble getting the lid off, there is a hidden screw under the warranty sticker! This was bothering me for ever. Don't try to pry and break it open!
Very nice tutorial, smooth and precise. Worth mentioning that the disc reader in the 3xxx models is slightly different, with less screws and more plastic clips. Anyway thank you for helping me save my ps3!
Man thnx big time, I had a great friend that done this for me but sadly he passed away a few months and you're voice even sounds like his...this vid really filled that gap, brought back memories, and also taught me how to do it myself...again thanx soo much
I used your video to completely clean out a 2nd hand console .. fan etc everything and clean the laser while i was at it ... looks like New inside and out now! One criticism... your video seemed to skip parts and could of been better ...many screws were already out which you didn't mention... like on the laser drive case( silver side .. there are 5 screws ) and a couple of other things... still i got the job done and so much easier to pull apart than the dreaded Xbox which had the red lights of death... terrible machine!! A bit of a longer video in its entirety would of been better but the jobs done now so thanks.
It worked for me. bought a 500gb PS3 slim for $70 off craigslist. watched the guy have repeated trouble getting it to read a game disk. he pops in a DVD and it reads it right away. then puts the game disk back in, and it recognized the game. I get it home, and it will not read/recognize games. so after feeling like I got taken, I saw this video, and followed it step by step. it's amazing the system even ran at all with the amount of dirt/dust inside. I cleaned the laser lens with an alcohol wipe, cleaned the fan and the cooling fins while I had it apart, put it back together, and am now the proud owner of my first PS3 that works great!
Ok, so I took it apart and fixed it ( I'm hoping) then when I reassembled it, it wouldn't physically accept my disc. I have a small black screw left over. Help?
Thanks for this video . I got a copy of twisted metal that was for PS3 off ebay. Haven't played my console in years. Disc wouldn't read, followed your video works awesome thanks alot!!!
I know you commented a long time ago, but the same happened to me, so i tried again and it turned og that i forgot to put a plug in. Hope this help if you haven't found it out yet.
SONY SUCKS when it comes to consoles that stop reading discs, consoles that over heat due to not enough vents or the vents are not large enough, and "drum roll", those DANG wireless controllers not connecting or not charging.
Hey buddy I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Someone once told me that if you feed a man a fish a day, you just fed him for the day. But if you teach a man how to fish, you've fed him for life. I am now the PS3 guy around my area thanks to you. SONY was charging me $79.00 and everyone around my area wanted $90-$100. I now charge $50.00 and everyone is happy thnx to your video. I have liked plus subscribed to your channel. And look forward to more videos. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Mark Chalmers you missed in the video 3 screws.... that caused my PS3 to completely bend and now we can't fix it... I'm so angry you need to show all screws because now my PS3 is broken and I have to now buy a new one. Thanks a lot
Thanks for providing a concise demonstration of disassembly, it helped me out a lot. Turns out a toothpick had been stuck in the disk drive by a toddler. This video made it an easy quick fix.
Hey mate, sorry to bother you, but I have a problem with my PS3 in which case it wont run a game disc, on the top right corner where the clock is, it shows that it spins, and I hear some weird noise inside the PS3 like its denying the CD, after that it spins, stops spins and stops all the time. It reads DVD's fine without a problem. Right now im not sure if its a system problem so I should do some recoverys, or if it is a problem with the Laser/Lens. Also its definently not due to the CD's, they're all brand new. Any kind of help would be appriciated! Thanks in forward :D
Try picking up the ps3 and tilting it backwards at an angle..thats what i did for a long time before i bought the tool to open my ps3 and clean it out really good with compressed air and a little brush.
I have the same issue - I am also not sure which solution will be the best. I bought it from a friend as a gift to my little brother but now he can't play any games - only watch DVD's and Netflix etc on it.
ItsNixa I've been having that trouble as well. I reckon it's the laser. I might attempt opening it up sometime to clean it. I think a lot of dust has gotten inside it during the past few years as well.
+Chris Huitzache take it to a near by repair shop and ask them to replace the star screws with philips screws, least thats what i plan to do lol the official tool is expensive, he said us a regular star head but i couldnt get that too work on the last one (RIP PS3 #1 you deserved a hammer tho)
JONNY CRASH I did end up taking off the star screws, and didn't screw them back in, and I carefully dissembled my ps3 to clean the bluray laser. It didn't work so for now I have to play digital games until I buy a ps4 in December
im skipping ps4, maybe next gen wront be pay to play online, sticking to pc for now and holdin onto my ps3 for a min. i invested $80 into a tb hard drive havent been happier lol
This is helpful! Something you should definitely be specific about is whenever you remove the Shiny steel cover to reveal the armatury of the disc drive, the plastic arms and small gears are held together mainly by plastic dial pins and the layers of the housing snap together using interlocking plastic tabs its very important to look over everything very closelyz make mental notes of everythings location before your remove layers to see the eye and clean the eyes! Basically soon as you take the 1 tiny Phillips head screw which is the only screw that holds the second cover on along with 3 plastic tabs one you remove that cover with the armatury, soon as you lift it off everything springs back into its proper place! The problem I had after taking it apart was the disc would eject or feed because i took it apart with a disc in it! I did a 100% clean on mine because this is something that you should definitely do yearly! Depending on the Consuls location and the environment! For example, i have a fore place in my house, in my living room! Plus 1 cat and 1 dog! Therefore, it's a very dusty environment. Regardless of how much you vacuum and clean, you're still going to get heavy dust and lint in your Game consoles! So cleaning properly is important! Also do this somewhere thats well lite with bright lighting and level surface to work on and the proper tools! I always tell my little brother whenever he is wrenching on something like a gaming system to take it apart in the tub in the bathroom! Why because your inclosed incase something shoots out like a spring or a screw falls youll not only see it bit hear it too! And being in the tub and curtains or doors closed around you nothing can get lost! Its funny but thats the type of area you need! Nothing like ruining something all because you lost 1 tiny part like a spring or screw!
Hey man thanks a lot. I was pretty sure that was the end of my old ps3 but this seems to have breathed new life into it. Your video was clear and easy to follow. Thanks again.
Thanks my man it worked perfectly just like the video , My game wouldn't reorganize the game did but would recognize non blue ray movies so I followed your instructions to the letter an now it works perfect, Again thank you
Hey Mark I disassembled mine and cleaned the laser and put it back together and it won't pull the disc in. It just makes a gear grind noise and just stops. Only thing that happens different from your video is that I forgot there was a disc in the player so I pushed on the disc just barely and the gears pushed it out. Could that make it not work or could be be something else? It was working fine before but it just wouldn't load anything? I love to hear your feedback on this thanks
⚠️WARNING⚠️ DO NOT PUT A SAW SHAPED CD IN YOUR PS3 IT WILL NOT COME OUT YOU WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE TO TAKE IT OUT NO OTHER METHODS WORK (trust me) Thank you for making this video it helped a lot
+Phantom9713 Did you figure it out? I just took mine apart and this video doesn't mention any hidden screw under the small sticker on the bottom front of the PS3. I almost broke my cover because there was one final screw.
Phantom9713 Wow! Okay, well glad you got in. :D I had to rewatch this video with other videos on RU-vid to make sure all screws are accounted for. There are some steps that are not clear. Good luck!
I did too I followed the steps but I did it different I took a shortcut to clean the lens without taking everything apart when I remove the j3 the lens was right there and all I had to do was clean it and put it back and that was it piece of cake it was so easy to clean the lens thank you for that👍
People shouldn't be afraid to work on things, take your time, pay attention, go slow, and try your best! All it is is a big puzzle that requires keys to take apart or put together! Keys being tools! I worked at a scrap yard for years of my life as a mantince guy! I fixed all the heavy equipment and machinery! During that time, i saw people throw away everything from AC units, tractors, lawnmowers, vehicles of all types, motorcycles, ATVs, TVs, all household appliances! And the sad part is at least 75% of all of that stuff could have been fixed easily and either for free or very little costs! I have 2 lawnmowers and 1 tractor i use to mow my yard, and all that was wrong is a pull string or a battery. Sometimes people let mowers and tractors sit for years at a time and the carburetors get gummy inside! All it takes is a couple hours of time, some simple tools and some carburetor cleaner with compressed air and everything is perfect like new but rather than do that the out gas in it sit there and crank on it and crank on it till the damn battery either blows up or goes dead then the pitch it and go and spend 2,000$ or 3,000$ even more than that on a brand new tractor! I have a neighbor that is so dumb he has literally 5 tractors and several lawnmowers behind his shed because he said they were junk! I got a lawn boy mower 4 stroke with the bag and all attachments for free! 900$ lawnmower! No shit look it up! I clean the carburetor replaced the air filter and pull starter, added new fuel line, and fuel filter! 3 pulls it started right up! Its not even about being cheap its about being smart and utilizing things rather than throw money away like a fool! I have seen cars like BMW's M3 Audi A 8. Really decent trucks and cars scraped because of a few small problems! People instead of trying to fix it or asking someone they junk the car and buy a brand new one! Even if i was a millionaire i would still never be like this! This is part of the reason this country is so fucked up! The way people are today this country will havw to rely on other countries to grow our food! Make all our products we need! Nothing will be made here! No one will know how to fix things or build things! All trades will die out! Just in my short lifetime only being 34 years old now i can not believe what a difference in everything since i was a young kid! I feel horrible for all future generations and even worse for the older people seeing there beloved country beign destroyed and going from proudest to most shameful! I have a daughter! And i feel so sorry for her! Its. Shame i have to tell my kid not to have kids of her own, never get married, stay single, stay away from people and trouble! Its so sad! Soon as she turns 18 ill be moving to the deep north west mountains to be as far away from the stupidity and lazy ass cry baby comys in this country!
Thanks for sharing this! I followed this video step by step when my discs were no longer playing in my ps3. I got it working again...and it was my very first time fixing any video game console too. Thanks again!
Yep m2 , it's making a clicking sound like something is stuck. I found out that's the rails that making that sound but idk how to fix it. Please someone HELP
WARNING ⚠️ in this video I heard someone in the comments broke their ribbon cable yes you can pull out ribbon cables like this guy does in the video BUT THIS RIBBON CABLE SHOWN IN THIS VIDEO HAS A LITTLE LATCH THAT YOU *MUST* pop open first look it up but no offense to the guy who made this video we all make mistakes besides that it's a good tutorial I'm just giving out this warning before it happens in the future these things can be really damaged if you just pull them you will mostly find these types of ribbon cables in old stuff or in xboxs, just remember that when you see those pop the little black piece up before you pull.
You only missed one VERY IMPORTANT STEP! YOU DID NOT disconnect the ribbon cable correctly. at 5:27 before you POP off the cable for the disc drive, there is a "BROWN" lock that holds that ribbon cable in place. It should be lifted up to release the cable. Just use a small screw driver or something to lift the brown tab in an upward direction. Then there is no need to POP the cable out as you call it. and makes setting the cable back in easier also, just let the cable drop back in and then lock it in place for reassembly other wise this worked for me and my PS3 slim 180gb ...
Those of you whos ps will not accept discs after this process didnt reassemble your disc drive correctly, check your ribbons, also there is a white sticker underneath the drive if you put a Phillips head screwdriver through it you can turn it to manually actuate the disc drive arms open and lower that tab that blocks you from feeding in a disc there are plenty of videos that show proper assembly of slim ps3 drive
Hi Luke. I have a small star screwdriver although it is not the safety one with the little hole for the nub in the centre. I don't think you will be able to remove it with anything else. Any hardware should have them.
Hey if you take an old bic pen and take out the ink you can melt the tip then shove it in the screw it will make the shape you need. Because of the melted plastic!! Hope this helps!
My problem I'm having is that DVDs and Blu Ray games play with no problem. they're read on the first attempt of inserting the disc. Blu Ray movies, however, do not play. Maybe 1 out or 10 inserts will the disc be read. It does the "eject sound" when it's trying to read the movie and just spins. Suggestions?
Feb 14 2022 -I enjoyed your video and a new subscriber I was just checking out my play station collection and cleaning them out til I stumble on to your video and thank you
When I put a disk in my ps3 it doesn't come up on the menu and after a few seconds it starts making this weird ejecting noise. It reads dvd's but not games, will this fix this problem?
So I'm five and a half minutes in and now realizing that thr interior of his PlayStation is different from mine in the top right section of the interior. I don't know how to proceed or if I even should
I cleaned the lens but when I put the system back together I have an even worse situation than before the disc won't go in because the white thing in the front when you take the tray out won't stay down please respond
Great vid! Found some dirt on one of the axles stopping the laser sled going all the way back. Now it works great! Annoyingly enough I found I had one screw left after reassembling 😬🤣 the one holding the black clip on the back of the blu ray.. well well I'll save it for a rainy day. Thx for the vid.
Other ps3 readers have 3 plugs. Make sure to hold the plastic of the plugs down with a small screwdriver before you pull the cable or you will rip the soldering of the plugs right off the board like i did.
i couldn't repair it because the solder joints are just too small. I think an electronic repair centre/store might can. Otherwise a used ps3 in good condition is not that expensive.@@menendezola1060
As long as you put it back the way it was you should be fine. Be sure to reconnect the ribbon cable to the drive and reconnect the power supply without bending or breaking the pins.
