Can You Really Pull Off The PS3 YLOD Fix Quick, Easy and Cheap?
The odds are, that if you have landed on this site, that you are trying to figure out what you can do to either prevent the PS3 YLOD, or what you can do to get the fastest, easiest and cheapest PS3 YLOD fix. Just in case, the PS3 YLOD stands for the PlayStation 3 Yellow Light of Death. It is a serious downer for each and every PS3 owner, and is quite a bit like the Red Ring of death on the Xbox 360. It isn’t much fun, but getting a legitimate PS3 YLOD Fix is probably easier to get than you would think. Stick with us because we’ll go through a couple of easy fixes on your own, as well as provide a bit of information that can help you to choose your path to getting things all fixed up and running again.
*note: you can skip to the bottom for our two recommended resources to taking care of the PS3 YLOD fix on your own.
Before we begin, we should clarify a bit as to what the YLOD really is, how common this problem appears to be, and what you can do about getting a real and lasting PS3 YLOD fix. After all, nobody wants to spend $300 (maybe just around $200 now) on an expensive console just to toss it in the garbage, along with all of those games, right?
To begin with, the YLOD is a general error message related to a hardware problem. Depending on what you read online, it could be due to soldering giving out on some models, as well as overheating issues, disc problems on start up, or simply a connection gone bad in the hard drive. Some or all of the could be true in each case of the YLOD. What makes it so maddening is that the error is a big one, but it is a “general” one, and there aren’t a lot of hard facts and stats on what is going on. Again depending on where you get your information, the percentage of people who will ever have to figure out their options for a PS3 YLOD fix are between 1% and 15% or so. That is what was noted in this post by Beetronix, an Australia based repair service.
With the issue of how common the problem may or may not be at least touched on, what can you do should the YLOD happen to your console? There are a few pointers that are successful in some cases, and we’ll talk about those in just a second. Before we do though, remember that your warranty is probably going to be voided if you try any option for a PS3 YLOD fix on your own, so keep that in mind.
1) Sometimes simply sliding the hard drive in and out a few times can help to get rid of the PS3 YLOD. There are some concerns over whether the HDD will reformat, but it doesn’t seem to be a common occurrence.
2) Allowing the console to cool completely is a good idea. Since many cases of the YLOD appear to be caused by overheating, it would make sense that giving the system a rest and letting it cool could be at least a temporary measure to get things working again for a short while.
3) Fixing any worn out cables or a broken power supply. This one may be a long shot, but it is worth taking a look at.
Of course, the real key is to ensure that the PS3 is maintained properly, which means keeping hte vents clear of surrounding objects as well as dust free. Also, not leaving the disc in the console is a good idea, as well as not running the PS3 for hours and hours at a time.
What About the Manufacturer to Fix The YLOD?
To be clear, the only way that you can 100% guarantee that you will get a working PS3 again is to send it back to Sony. The only downside is that if you are no longer covered under your warranty, the cost could be as high as $150 and the wait time in the 6 week range. With that price tag and turn around time, a lot of people want to look for an alternative so they can play sooner and for less money.
DIY PS3 Repair Options
That brings us to the two most popular repair guides on the market today. They are both rated highly by just about everyone who uses them to fix their PS3 for just about any error code imaginable.
The first is PS3 Lights Fix. PS3 Lights Fix is the creation of Rob Sheffield, a repair specialist based in Australia. He has tons of experience dealing with not just the PS3 YLOD fix, but also every other known error code light that anyone knows about.
The product is set up as a membership that has a ton of benefits for anyone who signs up:
- 24/7 Support
- Videos, Ebook, Instruction Manual, Pictures, and a Member’s Area
- One Hour fix time with no fancy tools required
- Great bonuses for putting Linux on the console, getting stuck disc out and more.
The product does come with a 60 day money back guarantee, and is definitely worth taking a look at.
The second popular repair guide is known as YLOD Repair Wizard from Paul Thompson. This is very similar to PS3 Lights Fix, but with a couple of twists. YLOD Repair Wizard is also set up as a membership type of site that guarantees:
- 24/7 Support
- Fix the console in less than one afternoon, apparently an hour or so on average
- A detailed set of resources, including Pictures, a Manual, and Videos to guide the PS3 YLOD Fix from start to finish
- Huge Bonuses including a guide on how to start your own repair business, a maintenance guide, how to put Linux on your PS3 with NO hacking, as well as a way to get Ps3 games at a fraction of the cost
Both guides get great reviews and the bonuses involved make them worth the price on their own.
Before we end this article, we should also mention that there are free guides on the market to walk you through the process of fixing the PS3 YLOD. The downside to these guides is that the only support system you can find are usually in forums online. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong, but should things not go according to plan, there isn’t a dedicated support system in place.
We hope that this post has provided a solid value to you. We have the comments open, so please let us know how these work when you try either YLOD Repair Wizard or Ps3 Lights Fix when you decide you want to handle the PS3 YLOD fix on your own.
