PS4 Internal Hard Drive Format Guide – Reasons & Benefits
There must come a time, after playing for too long on PS4, that you feel PS4 is no longer as fast as it was once you bought it. PS4 is slow, and games and applications are taking too long to load. Worse than that is when PS4 system begins to crash, and the internal storage device generates errors.
Although we strongly recommend to upgrade/replace the stock internal hard drive of PS4 for the remarkable performance improvement modern hard drives offer (read more), taking into consideration the low-quality and obsolescence of the hard drive PS4 is utilizing, you can still try with the stock hard drive and restore its original performance by formatting it.
Note that if your purpose for reading this article is to learn how to format a new hard drive to be used in upgrading PS4 stock hard drive, then get to know there’s no need for that step, because PS4 system will automatically detect and format the new hard drive without your interference.
Why Format PS4 Hard Drive
Just like computer’s hard drive, formatting the internal hard drive of PS4 can be really useful in the following situations:
- The performance of PS4 hard drive has degraded and the drive is no longer as fast as before. For this situation, to restore the hard drive’s performance to its original state, you must full-format it.
- PS4 hard drive crashes or generates errors. Usually this happens due to the existence of bad sectors or the corruption of the hard drive’s file system. A full-format can totally fix both issues.
- You want to reuse the stock hard drive of PS4 for a different purpose after replacing it with a new drive, or you want to sell it out or just dispose of it, and you want all stored data to be absolutely destroyed/erased. Although this can be done via PS4 system reset, a full-format is recommended here in order to reallocate the drive’s sectors and restore performance to factory specifications.
- There’s an ambiguous conflict between games and applications that you cannot really detect. Although a format process can fix it properly, you better perform system reset instead to save time and efforts, as both will make the same result.
In all cases, performing a full-format to the hard drive once or twice a year can keep it running on its peak performance level until it totally gets out of action.
How to Format
Formatting your hard drive will erase all stored data in it. You better take a backup of your data if you don’t want to lose it.
There are two ways by which you can format the internal hard drive of PS4. Both ways inevitably require that you remove the stock hard drive from its drive cage and connect it to a computer.
These two ways are:
- Place PS4 hard drive into a USB external hard drive enclosure, then connect it to a computer via USB connection. Once your computer recognizes the drive and automatically install the required driver files, you can format it like you format any external hard drive.
- If you have a free/unused SATA data cable and another free power cable, you can directly connect your PS4 hard drive to the motherboard of your computer. But this requires that you turn off the computer while doing this operation. Afterwards, the system will recognize the drive, and you’ll be able to format it just like you format any internal hard drive.
You must remember that the best format option for restoring the original performance of PS4 hard drive is the FULL format. Don’t go for quick format if performance is one of your concerns. That’s because the FULL format will eliminate bad sectors that might impact the performance of PS4 HDD and cause errors.
The Format Procedure
Once you successfully connect PS4 HDD to a PC, you’ll need to initialize and create a new partition before you can format it.
Once connected, the PS4 HDD won’t appear in the File Explorer, but on Disk Management, it’ll appear as unallocated space.
To properly format the PS4 hard drive, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the experience.
- Right-click the hard drive marked as “Unknown” and “Not Initialized,” and select Initialize Disk.
- Check the disk to initialize.
- Select the partition style:
- Master Boot Record (MBR) for hard drives smaller than 2TB in size.
- GUID Partition Table (GPT) for hard drives larger than 2TB in size.
- Click the OK button.
- Right-click the Unallocated space, and select the New Simply Value option.
- Click the Next button.
- Under the “Simple volume size in MB” section, leave the default size, as this will help format the entire hard drive.
- Click the Next button.
- Use the “Assign the following drive letter” drop-down menu to select a letter for the new hard drive.
- Click the Next button.
- Use the “File system” drop-down menu, and select FAT32. Don’t select NTFS as PS4 system doesn’t recognize that file system.
- Use the “Allocation unit size” drop-down menu, and select the Default option.
- In the “Value label” field, type a descriptive name for the drive.
- Clear the Perform a quick format option. This is a very important step here. This will force the system to FULL format the drive.
- Additionally, clear the Enable file and folder compression option.
- Click the Next button.
- Click the Finish button.
After completing the steps, the PS4 hard drive will be initialized, partitioned, and properly formatted. The bad sectors will also be eliminated and the original performance of the PS4 HDD will be restored.
Conclusion
Formatting PS4 hard drive can be a life saver for a variety of users who cannot afford to buy a new, modern hard drive for their game console. By carrying it out on PS4 hard drive, the original performance will be restored, and any errors caused by bad sectors or corrupt system files will be fixed.
In the future, you may want to consider upgrading PS4 internal hard drive with a more powerful drive in order to enhance your gaming experience and give more power to your game console.
I just bought a new Western Digital blue 2.5″ 2tb internal hard drive because my PlayStation 4 slim has been stuck in safe mode death loop and I’ve seen some hard drive installation videos saying you need to format the hard drive and others not mentioning it at all.
● Insert your PS4 hard drive into a USB hard drive enclosure and connect it to your computer via USB.
● Your PC drive will automatically detect the drive and install the necessary driver files!
● After that, format it as you would an external hard drive.
Hi. So when I started this process I had the issue with the GPT being active the disk. When I followed the suggestions here —>>> https://www.ps4storage.com/ps4-hard-drive-format/#comment-6258
It worked kinda. It brought the disk to just being unallocated and does not give me the option to initialize. Any suggestions???
Right-click on it and there should be an option for that. If that doesn’t work, you may need to power-cycle your computer and unplug your HDD then try again.
Tell us if this has worked for you or not. Thanks
My PS4 has been acting up lately (running extremely slowly, games lagging/crashing, etc.). When I contacted Sony support, they advised me to uninstall the PS4 software and then reinstall it. I followed their advice. I’m still experiencing the same problems with my system, which leads me to believe that there might be a problem with the hard drive given that I’ve received the error codes CE-34878-0 and CE-36329-3.
Put your PS4 hard drive in a USB hard drive enclosure, then use a USB cable to connect it to your computer.
Your computer’s drive will automatically recognize the drive and install the necessary driver files! Then you can format it similarly to how you would format an external hard drive.
Hello! I’d like you guys’ imput on the problem I’m having with my ps4 pro. Congrats on the posts! They are incredibly helpfull and very detailed!
So, about a year ago from today I started noticing that my ps4 pro was asking me to uninstall some games due to data corruption. That usually happened when I tried loading my saves or playing said game, sometimes loading an older save would solve the issue and sometimes not, this was a digital game btw. I deleted it and installed it again to no avail, but kept loading older saves (onyl few minutes older) until I completed the game.
By september of this year it got very frequent, and I noticed that the ps4 was also starting to check the database every time I turned it on and sometimes asked fot the usb stick update when It couldn’t start, which I didnt do, I’d cancel and then it would proceed to boot normally.
I then decided to make some research and found you guys! I proceeded then to rebuild the database, which worked for a while, then I removed the HDD and put it back in to check if it was any placement issue, and when that changed nothing and some games got corrupted again (so that I couldnt even up their saves to the plus cloud storage due to the corruption) I then decided to Initialize the PS4 from the safe mode menu.
It worked for a couple of days, then it started checking database again when I turned it on and after a couple of days it would be blinking the blue light with a black screen. I had to turn it off by holding the power button and turn it on again and then it would check database and function normally. after a week of this, when I turn it on now it is not checking anything and not blinking blue, its booting up normally. I have been noticing that some games get frozen on loading screens, so I have to close them many times to start again, and more recently, and most curiously, games from secondary accounts that I have (one I share with my girlfriend, with the primary ps4 option) are not opening and informing either error CE-32930-7 or CE 30005-8 (even after I delete and reinstall them again), but games that are from my personal account are working normally and the menus are on their normal speeds not taking any extra time.
I would like your imput on this issue, im considering full formating the HDD on my pc, as I have heard no clicking noises from it, before buying a replacement (barracuda 1tb) or an SSD (I know you recommend an SSD but I’m a bit reluctant as I’ll probably be switching for a ps5 in the next two years or so, and here in Brazil they’re a bit expensive).
Btw, after the format, to put it back in the PS4 we must do the proceedure as if it were a new HDD? With the update on the USB stick and all?
Thank you for your help and keep up the great work!
Hi Edson and welcome to our website. We are glad that you like our posts and find them helpful.
Based on your description of the problem, your PS4 internal hard drive is messing up, most probably it is a bad sector issue. The symptoms tell that. Since you can play some games normally and some freeze up, and when you rebuild the database or initialize the PS4 it will work fine for a while then relapses, that all indicates that your internal HDD is suffering from bad sectors.
Fixing bad sectors is very easy. You only need to pull out your PS4 internal HDD and connect it to a PC and perform a FULL format on it. Please read this article with the comments below, there are many helpful comments that help you carry out this operation successfully.
And yes, after the completion of the format, your PS4 internal HDD will become like new. You need to download the PS4 system software on a USB and do a fresh installation, just like you do when you add a new hard drive.
My best wishes for you.
Hi, thanks for the article.
I wonder why use MBR for sizes less than 2TB. Why not use GPT for every size?
Hi Tekila,
Because GPT won’t work with drives less than 2TB.
Hi there i need help i bought the gta trilogy definitive edition digital back in November they was working fine but now i cannot play gta vice city and sanandreas they was working fine until there was a electricity trip in the apartment building when there was a storm both the games start up fine but 20 or 30 seconds after i load a save file a error comes up with the error code CE-30005-8 with the message saying cannot continue using the application the data for the following application is corrupted delete the application from the ps4 and then download it again from the library i downloaded them again I start up vice city and sanandreas I load a save 30 seconds after I load a save I get the same message with the same error code I uninstalled them and reinstalled them same message and error code i did this i deleted the applications and reinstalled them I had to delete and reinstall 3 times and still having this same error i put put the ps4 into safe mode factory reset the console and format the hard drive and then restored the license for my games i redownloaded the gta trilogy i start up vice city and then sanandreas both start up fine i load any save play the game for 30 seconds and and still the same error message pops up with the error code CE-30005-8 i downloaded the other games like the gta 3 definitive edition to see if they have any problems but they all work fine it’s just vice city and sanandreas definitive edition that’s having this problem will this have something to do with my HHD because I’m looking to switch my hardrive for a 2tb external
Kind regards.
Hi Martin,
Welcome to our website.
Based on the description of your problem, I can tell that you have to repair the storage device where your game is installed. If you’re using an external hard drive, you may want to learn how to full-format your PS4 external HDD. Otherwise, this article (on which we’re commenting now) teaches you how to full-format the PS4 internal HDD and restore its factory performance.
We recommend though that you consider upgrading your PS4 internal HDD to a better drive (an SSD is highly recommended to avoid errors in the future). You can check this guide for more details.
Additionally, for more tips on how to fix error CE-30005-8, please view this guide.
Hello, I’m in no way a techie.
My question is: for example I bought a replacement SSD for my old HDD. Can I simply install it and let it run? Or do I have to follow the steps provided above still?
Given that the PS4 will do the formatting on its own (formatting it to FAT32)
Please advise, thanks!
No need to do anything. Just install it as it is and the PS4 system will do all for you.
Hi, I appreciate your blogs. I have recently had issues with my ps. Most likely due to the hard drive as one time I was updating Warzone I got error saying something about corrupted files. I deleted the game right after but the issues such as lagginess, freezing, slow menus, slow bootups, long flashing white light when switching the console off. I’ve rebuilt the database, done multiple full initilization but the problems still persist. I order a new hard drive which will arrive in a week.
While waiting for it to arrive, Id like to full format my hard drive but I am a bit confused on how to connect it my laptop. Could you eloborate on which cables I need to connect it to my windows laptop.
Hi Rick and welcome to our blog.
If you already own an external hard drive, just disassemble it and put your PS4 hard drive in the corresponding place. If you don’t own one, you will need a USB external hard drive enclosure, but I don’t think it’s wise to buy one while you are already waiting for your new hard drive.
thank you so much mister, finally my console is back to the first time i bought, really2 thankful to you guys also from the comments section. just in time to play them fifa 22.
You’re very wlecome
Hello there I have been having some troubles and I want to make sure this is the right choice before I even attempt this. I have had damages to it and multiple crashes causing data corruption to the point it corrupted every downloaded video game and I had to redownload. I tried rebuilding the data base from safe mode menu and it’s still sketchy and after it was done rebuilding it gave me the message could not rebuild.
Yes surely you need a full format, and if it doesn’t work, you’ll need a PS4 hard drive replacement.
hey, would the ps4 install the system software by itself after I format the hard drive and put it back into the ps4?
No, you need to download the PS4 System Software first and follow the steps in this guide.
Thanks for the guide! Just the information I was looking for!
You’re very welcome, anytime!
Hi,
Found out your site and I have to admit that I learned a looot of things, well done!
I have some issue with my hard drive so I tried to follow your guide but the thing is that once connected to my laptop via and external enclosure, the hard drive of my PS4 doesn’t show up, nowhere. It’s like nothing was connected.
I can hear that the hard drive is working but no matter what I do it doesn’t show up, how can I fix this?
Hi,
Thanks for your nice compliment. We are glad that we could deliver some good work to our readers.
As for your issue, apparently there’s a problem in the USB connection of the external hard drive enclosure. Either the USB port is defective, or the USB bridge in the enclosure is damaged/defective.
If you are sure that your laptop’s USB port is working properly, you can try with the enclosure.
A trick that works sometimes is to remove the enclosure and let the hard drive connected to the USB bridge without any cover. You can try to reseat the hard drive, plug it out and in, and do whatever you can while the USB connector is inside the USB port of your laptop.
You can turn off your laptop, unplug the external HDD, then plug it in again while the laptop is off, and finally turn on the laptop and see whether it recognizes it or not.
If you have tried everything yet nothing has worked, most probably it’s the enclosure that you need to change.
Good luck
Hi and thanks for your answer!
I finally managed to connect my hdd to my pc, I had to first connect the empty enclosure so my pc would detect it and then connect the hard drive to the enclosure.
Did the formatting, everything worked fine. Then put the hdd back in my PS4 pro, installed the update from my USB but now the issue is that the PS4 is not booting anymore.
I get the PlayStation sign and then black screen, the PS4 light is ticking blue but nothing happen, I don’t know what to do.
Hi again, and you’re welcome.
This tool will fix it for you, hopefully. It might take hours to completely format the drive, but it is worth it. Try it and come back to us with the updates on your case.
Hi,
I finally managed to make it works. I had to format my Hdd again and to reinstall the update and now it’s fine, no more blue light!
Unfortunately for me it seems that my issue didn’t come from the hdd
Sorry to hear that. What’s exactly your problem? We may help
Hi again – well, well well…, I just installed a Samsung 1tb 870 QVO and it looks as though it’s actually working again!!!! Got all the way through the menu system, signed into my account and all menus are working very fast (as they should). I’ll leave it running for a bit to monitor then I’ll try installing some games on it tonight. Fingers crossed this has saved my PS4 Pro!!!
Thanks for all your help PS4 Storage 🙂
Hi again Ray,
I am glad that you eventually could overcome this problem. Also we appreciate your efforts in providing us with your feedback/updates on this issue, that will surely help many users who have the same issue as yours.
Be sure that you’re always welcome to our website if you have any issue in your console.
Have a good day.
I have tried formatting the drive using “full format” but my ps4 is still laggy and freezes and sometimes shuts down.
Make sure the PS4 fan is spinning seamlessly and you don’t have an overheating issue (read more here). Once you verify this and you still have this issue, it means your hard drive must be upgraded. I strongly recommend upgrading to an SSD (read more here).
Hello, after I try to initialize the drive I receive CRC error (drive is in offline state and can’t change it) any other options to format it or check for errors?
I am not sure what exactly you mean, can you please elaborate with screenshots? Thanks
Hello
I have followed your guide and reformatted the PS4 HD. The new installation went fine and the PS4 booted into the welcome setup screen. The menus are still very slow taking minutes to progress to the next section (time and date, country location etc.). Once at the controller user screen, and after waiting 10 minutes, the PS4 would not progress from there. I could still access the restart menu so restarted but the console took ages to boot down and start back up again. It has now just shut off.
The PC read the HD fine.
Prior to the format the console had the following issues:
Crashing in game.
Crashing on boot.
Freezing completely.
Menus VERY slow
Constant checking storage loop.
Error codes 36329-3, 36006-5, and another one I don’t have to hand.
I have also tried rebuilding the DB, changing HDCP to 1.4, changing the resolution and all other options in safe mode.
Do you have any idea what is wrong with it?
Many thanks
Just had error code CE-33380-7 pop up when trying to sign in to PSN. I hit skip after that. Got into the navigation menu and as I went to settings, the console black screened. It was doing this when attached to my son’s monitor. Now it’s attached to the TV and it has done the same.
In reference to my previous answer to your comment, if you can just take the console to a technician and ask him to open it and clear the CMOS memory (he just needs to remove the CMOS battery then replace it after 10 seconds), then that will save you a considerable amount of money if it works. If it doesn’t, you better use an SSD replacement for your PS4 hard drive, as it consumes less power than the HDD and is more resistant to power instability, and I think this what you should really consider in this situation if the CMOS memory trick doesn’t work.
It’s one of two: either your hard drive is not receiving enough power from the power supply (read more about what a defective PS4 power supply can do), and the fix for that is to get an SSD for your PS4, as SSD use lower power than HDDs, or that the CMOS data is corrupted and you need to clear PS4 CMOS memory. It can be even as simple as changing the PS4 power cord if it’s malfunctioning.
Thanks for your responses.
I’ve tried a different power cord, so that can be ruled out too. However, I do notice that when plugging the power cord into the back of the PS4, there is an electric crackling sound that occurs when you first push it in and the connectors are not fully in contact. This sound stops when you completely push it in. Is this normal? I don’t ever recall it doing this before we had the issues.
Reading your guide on the power issues, yes I have also had the pulsating blue light of death. It’s intermittent though.
Also, much to my dismay, my son had been using the console whilst not having the power cord plugged all the way in. I hope it’s not fried the power supply and/or GPU.
I will try the CMOS and report back. That and the SSD are the only two things I’ve not tried yet.
Hi again Ray,
You said:
It’s indeed a grave mistake to connect any electrical device to power this way. You should first plug in the power cord into the PS4, plug the power cord into the power outlet, then finally turn on the switch.
And yes, this very likely has a correlation with the problem you’re encountering.
You said:
Don’t worry about the GPU, it’s the PSU that you should worry about the most. The power supply might be malfunctioning due to the misuse, but, according to your description of the problem, I see there’s still a good chance to work around this issue with minimum expenses, and hopefully an SSD is your fix. It’s not a waste of money to get one, because the PS4 stock hard drive must be upgraded in all cases to avoid future errors/degradations.
Hi – I’ve taken the console apart and reset the CMOS battery as per your guide. The console booted up after checking the storage… again! Once in the setup menu, the console crashed at the “Welcome back to Playstation, who is using this controller?” screen, with it finally black screening and eventually turning itself off. I guess the only option is to bite the bullet and buy a SSD and see if that works.
Hello again Ray,
I am sorry for that. I hope the SSD upgrade will completely fix that. Please provide us with your updates on this issue. Thanks
I did this and it crashed
You mean you have tried to format it on a PC then replaced it inside the PS4 and it crashed? Please clarify so we can better help.
My ps4 was still laggy I did quick format
You need a full-format, not quick.
Hi man, I did format my hard drive because of its failure, but to make sure it would work properly I decide to run “chkdsk” on it, and I choose chkdsk /r, but it’s taking way too long, it’s about 56% and it’s been 3 days already, should I just stop the process and try only formating?
Yes you must stop it and go directly to format, because this indicates there are many serious bad sectors that must be fixed immediately.
can i convert the hdd to gpt without wiping everything off it ?
No, you can’t.
EXCELLENT article. Unfortunately upon attempting to format my stock ps4 hard drive I’m unable to. In disk management initialization option doesn’t work, basically unable to format.
Furthermore I tried a spare external HDD I had (fully formated to EXFAT) with the reinstalled PS4 8.3 version on USB (not the update file), and when attempting option 7 from safe mode I get error code CE-33567-4 cannot initialize.
So two HDD and two different issues, any advice would be very much appreciated.
Hi Michael,
First off, thanks for your compliment.
As for your hard drive not getting formatted, please refer to this comment to see how to work around that.
As for the second hard drive, try to FULL-format (remember, FULL not quick) it as FAT32 and try again. If it doesn’t work as well, you may need to consider an SSD. It means the hard drive doesn’t get enough power from the power supply, and an SSD would work fine in a problematic power-related environment.
One of our valued reader called Dan has almost the same issue as yours, and he just fixed it with an SSD. Have a look at the conversation here.
Please do provide us with any feedback/update on your case, as it will help readers more resolve this issue.
I tried formatting the HD and followed every step. But when trying to run the PS4 again after completion, the playstation logo appears on the screen and then the screen goes black with my power light flashing blue. Any ideas of what can fix this?
Check first your hard drive on a PC and confirm it’s healthy and working properly. You better format it to FAT file system instead of NTFS.
Next, Check if the hard drive is seated and screwed to the system properly.
Finally, you have to insert a USB flash drive that contains the PS4 system software in order for the PS4 to initialize. Maybe you haven’t done this step, that’s why you fell in this situation.
Finally done but now when insert back onto the PlayStation it acts like it’s updating software but it never comes on keep getting the ps4 can not start press ps button and it all starts again with inserting the usb… I have done this several times with no luck…. what am I doing wrong?? Please help!!
Sorry, can you please illustrate more on your issue? You have formatted the PS4 internal hard drive and inserted it then when you tried to install the PS4 system software you’re getting that error? This is what you mean?
If so, you might have formatted the PS4 internal HDD using NTFS, or the USB flash drive you’re using is damaged and malfunctioning. Try to format the PS4 internal hard drive again and check the USB flash on a PC and format it also, then try again.
Thank you for the help!! I’m sorry let me
Try this again.. for the most part I think you understood what I’m meaning … I’m not getting an error code i keep getting “CANNOT START PS4” USE USB TO CONNECT DUAL CONTROL AND PRESS THE PS BUTTON “ or something like that, You either say ok or it shuts the system off. Then once I hit the psbutton it says “CONNECT USB FOR SYSTEM UPDATE it acts like it’s downloading it goes through the processing of the software 100% (not those exact words)then it starts over again with CANNOT START PS4” I double checked the hard drive I had to use the FATEX that I seen in another comment and the usb, I have tried 3 of them. I am going to buy 1 more to be sure it’s not the usb. I also was thinking it almost has to be something like that. I checked the internal hard drive again and it says healthy, allocated, not unknown need initialized , but it does not have a drive letter? Does that matter?
There seem to be an electrical short within the motherboard circuits, especially those directly related to the hard drive. We can’t be sure until we check it in reality and perform several tests on it.
It can be also the hard drive that is malfunctioning. In this case we use an alternative hard drive to see whether it resolves this problem or not.
If the problem still persists, we suspect the PS4 power supply. In this case, turn off the PS4 and unplug it from the power outlet. Wait 3 minutes before turning it on, and try again to see whether you have a power problem or not.
This problem can also be caused by humidity/water or whatever that impacts the electrical performance of a device.
Eventually, if you try all possible solutions yet nothing work, you need to take it to a computer repair shop to perform a full diagnose with advanced tools and tests.
How long does the formatting take? It’s been over 20 mins and I’m only at 2%.. does that sound right?
If the hard drive has lots of bad sectors it can take hours. Have patience and hopefully it will end soon.
when I put in what I think is my old PS4 drive my disck management shows me all the volumes on the disc. DO I just delete each parition and then I’ll be left with unallocated space to do a format with one clean partition.
My drive has 15 partitions in itwith the biggest being 420.19GB the others are one 16GB, two 8GB, a 6GB, seven 1GB, etc
Yes, you’ve got it right. Delete them all and perform the full-format on one unallocated partition.
Hi, do you know the correct way to do this on a Mac? thanks
Sorry, no. We don’t have a MAC-fan in our team.
Do i have to format drive to fat32 as disk management only has options for exfat and after a long (5hr) format its still not recognised by the ps4
It means you have to initialize the PS4 and reinstall the system software. It’s a common system error with the PS4.
Yes, i installed the new software and the ps4 goes through all the set uo, but when it comes up with the logo at the end and should goto the first sign up screen i get a blank screen for a while then it turns off
You need to format the PS4 internal hard drive, as this problem means there are some errors with the internal HDD.
If i fromat my ps4 internal hard drive can i use it again for my ps4 ?
Absolutely yes.
After doing those steps my default ps4 hard drive will run smoothly again? It won’t cause anymore “corrupted database”, stuttering and freezing?
Yes, unless the PS4 hard drive is deeply damaged, then you have to consider a replacement for it.
Got a question will format help if my ps4 is having trouble Goin into safe mode or is formatting a lost cause ? Because I ain’t sure if my hard drive is dead .
Yes it will help in most cases (not all). It depends on the level of damage your hard drive undergoes. Just make sure to perform a FULL format, not quick.
Would the usb work for formatting the ps4 slim internal hard drive ?
USB 3.0 to SATA III Adapter Cable with UASP SATA to USB Converter for 2.5″ Hard Drives Disk HDD and Solid State Drives SSD
If so I am gonna order it. My hard drive has so many errors on here . Crashed so many time corrupted database . Wanted to format so when 8.00 rolls out there won’t b no issues on hard drive .
Yes it will definitely work
My issue is when I go to do 1st step it won’t it says eventually semaphore timeout period has expired I can’t get it to past the point of the first step I am using windows 10
This article might help you.
Quick tech question: Which partition style should be used for drives that are 2.0 TB in size? (MBR or GPT)
It doesn’t matter as the PS4 system will format it automatically once you insert it.
Step 13
When i chose what File System i want,it doesn’t give me option FAT 32, gives me only NTFS and exFAT…what should i do ?
Pick exFAT. The PS4 system will then format it automatically. So, don’t worry.
Hi thanks for this amazing article! I just bought the Seagate SSHD drive for my PS4 a few months ago and now i’m having issues with COD crashing and graphics not rendering. All signs point to issues with the hard drive which is unfortunate. I was wondering if there is any difference between reformating my hard drive with the methods in article (via PC) vs doing it through the re-initializing process through the PS4 OS. Much appreciated and thanks again!
Yes there’s a big difference between the two methods. The first method (formatting on a PC) will restore the original performance of the hard drive and eliminate bad sectors; whereas the second method will only erase data and reinstall the PS4 system software without doing any sort of maintenance.
Hello, So i want to upgrade my internal hard drive from 1 TB to 2 TB, can i just copy the game from my old internal hard drive into the new hard drive with hard drive enclosure or i must re download all my game again? thankyou
Yes you can do that using the Backup & Restore utility.
Question, if i fully format the internal storage back to normal, will it stop heating up the ps4 as my ps4 shut down by itself as i can feel the heat at the back of the console where the internal storage is.
You have first to clean the inside of the PS4 before trying that step.
Hi i have this problem my ps4 keeps shutting of by ietself while am playing online games. I did clean deep clean my ps4 slim, but still do the shame thing. Can it be my internal hdd 1tb please help
It’s most probably a power issue, not a hard drive failure. Hard drive failure causes crashes, not shut downs. Have a look at this article and this one.
Hi
Im having difficulty formatting the drive because it doesn’t show me the FAT32 option only exFAT and NSFAT. I don’t know if i should choose exFAT instead. My HDD is a 1TB for PS4 slim.
Try formatting it to exFAT. Eventually the PS4 system will set it to the appropriate file system. So, don’t worry.
Thanks.
You’re very welcome.
Hey i cant get my hard drive to show in disk management. It shows up under disk devices on the computer management page but that is it. I have the hard in a enclosure and hooked up through USB connection.
Can you provide us with a screenshot please?
Thanks for the article. Although it is mentioned in scenario #3 “You want to reuse the stock hard drive of PS4”, those looking to address the other scenarios may not pick up that this procedure will erase all HDD content. May be worth highlighting.
You’re welcome, and thanks to you too for this notification, although I don’t fully get what you mean. I will approve it though in hope that other readers may benefit.
An example: Someone experiencing performance/slowness issues with their PS4 but not too familiar with formatting hard drives – it’s important they understand the full format may improve performance but it will erase the drive and thus they may first want to do a backup, will need to reinstall the system software etc.
If that what you mean, you’re completely right here. Thanks for the clarification. But I think almost everyone knows that “format” will erase all existing data, it’s one of the very basic knowledge in computers.
I think you are overestimating the level of knowledge most people have. I don’t think any more than 1 out 10 people I know would actually know that to reformat a hard drive will erase all data from that drive. However, when doing so (reformatting) a prompt does first come up before they format it that says something along the lines of “this will erase all data…” but even with that, so many people just rush through things and don’t bother reading what they are agreeing to. I think his point still is very important. You should put that disclaimer just as an extra precaution for people that they should back up everything before messing with their hard drive. Thanks!
Thank you for your valuable notice. We have implemented your suggestion and added an “important note” section to warn novice users.
I have formatted the internal hard drive from my PS4, and have downloaded the newest version of the software but once I connect my USB to transfer the new software it says The Update file cannot be used. Connect a USB device that contains an update file for reinstallation for version 7.00 or later.
(CE-34788-0)”
I followed the steps shown how to download the file but it doesn’t seem to be working. im doing this because I kept having problems with my PS4 saying theres been problems with the data base. I have a new internal hard drive being shipped.
Please check this article that resolves this problem.
Mine didn’t come as reallocated or unknown. After connecting the hhd to my computer it apeard (GTP protective Partition) . And after right cliking the drop down window have *Convert to dynamic drive
*ofline
*properties
*help
What should i do then
Hi Daniel,
Well, it can happen, no problem. Just follow the instructions illustrated below:
Step 1. Find disk number of the GPT protective partition and remember it.
To do that, follow these steps:
Step 2. Remove GPT protective partition in Windows 7/8/10.
To do that, follow these steps:
Note: Diskpart will remove all your data and partition structure from the disk. Thus, you should backup files in advance if there are vital data.
Mine said “The disk you specified cannot be converted to MBR. Please select an empty GPT disk to convert.” after I entered “DISKPART> convert to mbr”. What should I do then? Thanks
Btw I did that in Windows XP.
Hi,
Follow the instructions in this comment.
My problem is that, my system storage games are fine but my external storage games are slow and laggy what do I do? The external storage also makes a lot of weird noises.
The external hard drive is dying. Go and take a full backup of your data immediately before you lose access to the external HDD.
after doing this it says “leaving diskpart…”
and now the drive isn’t even showing up in disk management, but still shows up when I “list disk”
I re did the cleaning, and not sure if I just hadn’t noticed it before, but disk 0 showed up in the lower part of disk management, but not the top area.
So, nevermind, thanks.
You’re most welcome Christopher. We’re glad that you could eventually get it properly done.
Does the ps4 need a hard drive to get to save mode. Because I can never get to the safe mode with or without the hard drive. I hold the button and stuff but just get the same error message about the drive cannot be access.
Yes it does need. Otherwise Safe Mode can’t be accessed.
I need help
I want to reformat my ps4 harddrive from my pc and when I right click on the harddrive everything is grayed out except help, format is grayed out.
It also says HEALTHY (GPT Protective Partion)
What do I do now?
Ummm, the “New Volume” option should be available. Can you please send me a screenshot?
Mine says the same thing. Was this ever resolved? If so… Could you please tell me what the issue was? Thanks.
I have the same problem, I download the Acronis true image wd edition software from the web of western digital. In the aplication you must select de the option tools>add new disc, you must format the disc whit the second option “partition GPT.When finish the process you can format the drive in the windows management disc.
Delete all partitions on the disk. After you delete them it should be black bar instead of blue and it will also say “unallocated”. Then right-click the far left box and “Convert to MBR” if it is under 2TB. ONLY convert to “GPT” if it’s OVER 2TB.
Right-click over black bar box that says “Unallocated space” then select New Simple Volume.
This should help your question.
Now I have a question for the Techs. I did everything this page says and followed all the steps on the PS4 safe mode. I reinstalled software using the PUP file from PlayStation.com. It ran through the process and restarted and came to the black screen stating “cannot start PS4” still.
I have entered a brand new HDD and it works fine on the PS4. My old PS4 hard drive appears fine on my PC Disk Management but will not work in my ps4 still? What would cause it to work for the pc but not PS4?
Hi Brett,
We appreciate where you answered the question of our reader. Thanks for that.
As for your question, old hard drives tend to consume more power than new ones, and the PS4 motherboard cannot provide that level of power to run the hard drive properly, especially if it’s an old PS4. This is the reason.
Additionally, you may want to low-level format the HDD in hope to restore its factory state. If you want to do so, you need a third party software such as HDD LLF tool.
Hope that helps.
Hello,
Thank you for explaining this.
I do recently have a lot of troubles with my ps4 slim 1tb and I had to reinstall the system software completely. I did download the right file from the playstation web page and I did put that file on an external hdd. I did format my ps4 hdd like described as above when connecting it directly to the motherboard of my pc and I did format it with file support of FAT32 in windows CMD.
Now I do have the problem that I can’t install the system software. I have to reboot my playstation after preparing for the installation but my ps4 is unable to reboot.
What can I do?
I already had contact with the Dutch support line of Playstation (because I am Dutch) and they said I should do option number 5 in the safe mode menu, while only option 7 is available for me. all other options are gray and I cannot select them.
Hopefully it is possible to help me out, since reaching out to the American support line of Playstation by a phone call would be extremely expensive, and they are unable to process my chat request.
Hi there, and welcome to our website.
Do you get the “Cannot start the PS4. Cannot access system storage. [CE-34335-8]” error message?
If the hard drive is not functioning, this message should appear in the start.
If it doesn’t appear, try to remove the hard drive and leave PS4 without any storage device. Will that message appear?
I have this problem. I have tried a new drive but was still getting that message. And if i leave out the drive i also get the same message. what is the fix for this? There was nothing wrong with my original drive before. it gave me that cannot access system storage. Then i took it to a pc and plugged it up and it read it. But i also got a new drive anyways and it was still giving the same message. I tried what you mentioned above and message still appears. AM i supposed to format the drive to a specific file system? please help.
The hard drive seems just fine since the PC recognized it already. The problem is with the PS4 itself. Try the tips illustrated in this article. If none works, the SATA interface of your PS4 needs a fix. You have to take it to a technician for this cause.
I have a new SSD hard drive 2T
Installed in my slim ps4 . I have also 32 g flash drive with new update but keeps saying there is no update file on flash drive . And nothing happens can u help me
Most probably you have downloaded the update file not the full installation package, right?
hi guys the web its extremely cool with a lot Have to know information i have 1 issue with my ps4 after the message bots virus and 6.02 actualization my ps4 comes into a kind of loop or reboot of the data storage i got the idea of format my internal hard drive on a pc but i have some questions on the process about how i solve the type of particion on the hdd about is a GPT or other kind of system because all know that the file is in fat 32
Hi there,
Thanks for your nice compliment. I really wish to help you but your English is difficult to understand. Please clarify more your problem in a simple way so as to know exactly how to help.
Awesome, thanks!
Hi there. Sorry if I completely missed it in the article, but I want to format an old PC SSD for use in my PS4. When I format it using a USB enclosure plugged into my PC, which file format is required for it to work in my PS4? (FAT32, NTFS, ExFAT, etc.)
Or is it possible to just completely wipe it to a factory state, and then let the PS4 do the rest?
Thanks.
Hi there,
Any file system will work with PS4, as PS4 will automatically format your internal drive to FAT32 whether it was NTFS, exFAT or whatever.
So just wipe it to the factory state, and PS4 will do the rest.