How to upsize PS3 hard disk

My Ps3 was running low on harddisk space will all the games data, demos, HD videos, etc. Fortunately, Sony had designed in such a way that we can DIY without voiding the warranty. So b4 any last minute panic, I have to upgrade my HDD first with the 250GB HDD I've bought couple of days ago at the IT Show.

1. Backup all necessary data (game saves, etc) to an external storage drive, which has to be in FAT32 file structure else the PS3 cannot recognise the external drive. Use the backup facility under PS3's XMB to backup.

2. Turn off the PS3 (front n power switch at the back) and unplug all other cables prior to the actual hard disk swap.

3. Remove the plastic HDD side panel. Use a flat tip screwdriver and the small space on the right side of the panel to pop it off. Careful not to apply too much pressure to scratch ur shiny machine.

4. Use a phillip screwdriver to remove the blue screw which secures the hard disk tray.

5. Raise the small metal handle and slide the whole thing to the right to remove it.

6. PS3 OEM hard disk (pictured left) is in the metal tray. Remove the 4 screws (2 on each sides) to remove the hard disk. Swap the new drive (pictured right) into the metal tray and install those 4 screws.

Note : These 4 screws are very tight and be very careful not to strip the screws. Use a fitting phillip screwdriver to remove and tighten after the swap. Do not over tighten the screws.

Sony is using the OEM Seagate Momentus 60GB 5400rpm. I'm swapping with my newly purchased Samsung HM250JI 250GB 5400rpm. Don't go wasting ur $$ to buy a more expensive 7200rpm hard disk because the speed increase is negligible. (I did my reading up)

7. Put back the hard disk and slide back to its left. Then put the blue screw back on to lock the drive. Put the HDD side panel back on, attach all ur cables and start the PS3.

8. Follow on screen instructions to format and set up the new drive.

9. There you go -> whooping 200+GB of free space. Don't worry bout the "loss" of disk space coz the PS3 reserves that for other stuffs.

10. Finally, restore ur data that u backup prior to this and u're done!

All I need to get now is an enclosure to use the PS3's OEM 60GB as another external hard disk!

IT Show 2008

Went to the IT Show this afternoon at Suntec and this time, I would say the range of products and exhibits this time round is one of the widest and anyone would be spoilt for choices. Typical stuffs like laptops, PMPs, cameras, HDTV,etc. Level 3 was all SONY (well, the other smaller side-Starhub).

PlayStation 3 booth

I was browsing the selection of Blu-ray titles at the booth and at $118 for 3 titles, its a rather good deal. I was also playing with Sony's Alpha range of DSLR cameras they had on display particularly the A350 and A700. I'm not thinking of getting myself a DSLR anytime soon but if I were to choose, I would prefer the Canon EOS 40D.

Being the 1st day of the exhibition, crowds not as crazy thus I could navigate through the crowd easily and take my time to look around for interesting gadgets and stuffs, and of course, the booth promoters. Too bad I did not took any pics of them.

Hard disk prices were getting cheaper over the years even those smaller laptop hard disk. Managed to buy a Samsung 250GB SATA 2.5-inch laptop size hard disk for $170. That's 68cents per GB! Since my 60GB PS3 is 'eating' up the space with all my media and game data, I decided to upgrade my PS3 with this new hard disk.

<- Samsung Spinpoint M series HM250JI 250GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA laptop hard drive

Free Earphones from Deal Extreme

Got this in the mail today. Took slightly more than a week for Deal Extreme to air mail over to Singapore. Paid for this from proceeds of some online activity, so to me its foc!

Ordered the metallic red colour to match my PSP slim and it looks great! The in-ear design provides excellent attenuation of ambient noise-perfect for the long commute .

Format war is over

Blu-ray vs HD DVD finally comes to an end with Blu-ray the victor.

Yeah this was always going to happen. Might sound like a fanboy here but when people argued that PS3 is crap compared to 360 (without reasons to) they always seem to leave out the RRODs failure rate and of course, the HD formats. BluRay's obviously miles better as seen by actions of those major players in the industry. Toshiba's official announcement to stop HD DVD production brings an end to this format war.

Freedom!

ORD Farewell Dinner

I finally got my FREEDOM (and pink IC) back today after working in the airforce as a regular for 5 years! It's damn tough to have to work and study for ACCA at the same time. Only started my part-time ACCA studies like 2+ years ago but it was very difficult phase of my life having to rush to classes after work, weekend burned to attend classes and revision, etc. Damn! I can't really explain or described the feeling of a regular like me to ORD. It's finally my turn after seeing so many batches of my NSFs ORD-ing. Will miss some of my mates there.

First thing I did after my official clearance from the airbase, I came back for a good shower and head off to a salon to dye my hair brown! Next, get a good camera phone. These 2 to-dos are strictly prohibited in the armed force ha ha.

Bought the above LG Viewty KU990 from Jacky at his shop right after spotting a new hair colour.

Ended a phase of life, need a well deserved break to enjoy n embrace life before the next major change to my life.

Boo DS Stylus

Got this purple Boo Nintendo DS Lite stylus from a Gashapon machine at Toys R Us, Suntec for only $2. This is the 3rd mario related stylus in my current collection. Too bad the Gashapon machine that dispenses the Bomberman series was empty.

Time Crisis 4

Bought this today (Christmas) coz I need some some games to tide over the holiday period and to enjoy myself after the exams. Affordable pricing $129 for a Region 1 title from Play Craft, Lot 1.

Many reviewers gave TC4 a mediocre rating but I've been playing TC in the arcades way back till now, its 4th installment in the Time Crisis series. Now I can play the arcade mode in the comfort of my room. A black Guncon 3 would be much prefered than this sucky orange one. This could be a great game to release work stress at the end of long day.

Exam Review - Dec 08

After 3 consecutive days and 3 core papers for this dec 08 sitting, I'm physically and mentally tired. This sitting, we are the 1st batch to be examined under the new ACCA syllabus and all I can say is, I did my best for all the papers. Should be able to score for P1 Professional Accountant and P3 Business Analysis. As for P2 Corporate Reporting, this is one of the toughest and lowest passing rate among the final year papers-no high hopes for this paper.

As usual, back to work day after the last paper. But hey, on a brighter side, Christmas and year end just round the corner and I will be gradually clearing and handing over my appointments and work stuffs coz I'm a month away from leaving the airforce after 5 damn years!

PES 2008

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is finally released for the PS3. Here goes my simple review.

Next-gen PES gives a HD boost and some change to the AI but its not perfect. Frame-rate drops when the game gets busy especially during replays. Graphics are slightly poor to for a PS3 title. Only 2 official teams for the English Premier League, but u still can edit yourself.

It seems like the developers at Konami applies the 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it' tenet but I feel that PES 2008 could benefit from some more development - just feels like a scrappy finished product to me.

Though a little disappointed, it is still one of the most realistic soccer experience.

Flu-zy day

This is what I've been surviving the whole day while studying for my Business Analysis paper. Had been sick the whole week and its nearer to my exams. Damn hard to concentrate with a leaking nose n headache!

Yoshi DS Stylus

Got 2 x Yoshi DS Lite stylus for 4 bucks each this evening from the Gashapon machine at Jurong Entertainment Center.

Easier to hold than the original stylus (which feels like holding a tooth pick) plus its cute!

The Legend of Zelda!

I finally got my hands on a copy of The Legend of Zelda - Phantom Hourglass for the DS! Been waiting for the US version of it ever since it was announced some months back. It was a Jap release back then, but nevertheless, I got the US retail of this game. Finally.

This game is seriously addictive so much that I played during my lunch break in the office for the past few days. It's the first Zelda game of its series to hit the portable DS and its damn good! Unique and innovative touch screen based control, so far so good (I've not even half complete the game) with some cute dialog n interesting storyline.

I'm so addicted and loving it that I customised my DS case with a Zelda pic.

Arrival Hall

I so damn tired. Just back from my Hong Kong trip with Adrian , DS and Marshall. My hands are sore and fingers are red from all the extra luggages due to all the shopping. All I need now is a good shower, coffee and a good sleep with my air con at full blast! Hong Kong is damn hot this period and on the 2nd day, the news over there mentioned that it was 37 degrees! I think I'll just unpack tomorrow after breakfast. Sian, back Singapore no more 'dim sum' for breakfast.

How to destroy a CD

1. Take a penknife
2. Scratch whichever way you what
3. Take a pic of ur 'design'
4. Post on ur blog - show ur friends how bored u r
5. Throw away the CD
6. Back to ur usual self - do nothing

The Magic Car

in order of appearance : 1- Marshall, 2- ah Tay, 3- DS, 4- Kasaya, 5- Kelvin, 6- Alton, 7- ah Poh, 8- Thomas & 9- Aaron

ah... fun times, happy times, silly times

ah Tay birthday feast

a nite of crabs and ktv fun!

the cake with dry ice effect....

a very happy birthday boy - 19/06

my boys : DS, Aaron, ah Tay

brrrr....

driver for the day - Kelvin

all of us, in 1 car!!

the guys

kelvin, ah poh (i guess he is a little drunk)

no comments

Exams over!

Yup finally after months of classes and hard work, the June 07 ACCA exams are finally over for me ha ha ha. Now its time to plan how to enjoy my short 'holidays' before the last semester starts in July.

Hmmm.. hardcore gaming on my PS3, catch up on my love for photography with my newly purchased DSLR cam, going out for movies and planning for the tour! But, first things first, gotta have a good sleep and back to work tml. I guess my work had piled up during my leave.

Audit in 18 hrs

Finally finished the intensive advanced audit revision today, Mother's Day. 6 hrs revision class per day : fri, sat and today. Jam-packed revision to cover all the syllabus which was taught over 20 lectures. Tiring shit.

No special Mother's day dinner.... just flowers and gift for mum.

Can't possibly study anymore later. I think I'll watch the last Man Utd match for this season later on and just head to bed. On study leave next week then back to work for 1.5 weeks then ACCA exams 5th and 6th June.

Crazy pursuit for success.

Wish you were here?

Manchester United Asia Tour 2007

wow... saw this at United's homepage.

17 July 07 vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
20 July 07 vs FC Seoul (Korea)
23 July 07 vs Shenzhen Xiangxue Eisiti FC (Macao)
27 July 07 vs Malaysian XI (@ Kuala Lumpur)

no info for tics yet. considering the KL trip down to catch the Red Devils.

link - http://www.muasiatour2007.com

You have 102 unread mails

Yes 102 emails to clear. This is exactly what was shown on my work email account after some tech error logout thing last friday. Finally able to "re-life" my email account today after lunch, exactly 1 week later and thats a lot to emails to go thru. Practically spent my whole afternoon going through all that load of emails, follow-up, flagging important emails, endless crap.... and of course, with my coffee!

Kinda frustrating clearing those emails and prioritise and sort them out ... DON'T 'CC' ME MAILS THAT ARE NOT OF MY CONCERNS! As if I wanna be in the loop of everything!!!

Guitar Hero II

The games I bought online yesterday from Seow Choon were delivered within the next working day! Great service. I bought Guitar Hero II for PS2 and Oblivion for PS3. Both highly rated games should keep me entertained for quite some time. Time to rock out some tracks from Nirvana and Motley Crue.

Smells like BAD spirit

Was goofing around the net and found this horrible shit. The guitar is out of tune especially the solo part, dun know what the hell the guitarist is doing, vocalist is crap, and the performance is beyond shit. The entire audience is either falling asleep or had a crush on her. I would had shouted YOU SUCK and got out of there within the 1st minute!

Kurt Cobain is going to kill her in her sleep.

Hectic week

Finally, an end to my hectic week. This week has been very busy and lots of multi-tasking. New boss on the job and thus changes almost everything and everything has to be done within a limited time. And I injured my neck and upper left back while carrying some heavy stuffs. Just hope that I can recovery by sunday and prepare for another busy week ahead.

Presentation next tuesday

Oh no, my oxford brookes uni thesis presentation is scheduled next tues eve. It's been a while since I need to do a presentation. In fact, the last presentation (not counting at work) I had to make was during my Ngee Ann times. Presentation at work is so much different coz of different audience and basically just updating ur boss or section and also, they are the people you seen everyday.

I was told that there will be a professional speaker to judge and gives feedback based on the presentation. Stress man! Here what I'm gonna do :

- be early & well dressed
- max 12 slides & max 15 minutes (given criteria)
- bullet points, then talk (lots of words n para = not ok)
- some visual eg. charts for better understanding
- look enthu
- clear projection of voice
- maintain eye contact

and try not to show audience that I'm nervous. Actually there nothing for me to be coz my contents are rather prepared till now, just need some fine tune to perfect it.

Playstation 3 pics...

My Sony Playstation 3 is finally here! Way before the official launch here in Singapore and indeed, I'm a proud owner!

haha cocky face

the contents

glossy & shiny (you can see the reflection of my bookshelves)

standing tall

Poly a 'stupid decision'

You decide.

Source : TODAY newspaper dtd 12 Jan 2007


I'm proud to graduate from Ngee Ann

2007 1st Tutorial

1st tutorial of the year.

Enrolled for the Oxford Brookes University - BSc (Honours) in Applied Accounting while waiting for my Dec 06 exam results. Being a saturday morning class, I was 5 minutes late for the tutorial... Ms Helena Johnson was already lecturing when I got there. This is a brand new challenge for me as this is not the usual modules that I took. I must prepare a research & Analysis Thesis and to do this, lots and lots of research and information gathering have to be done. Its not just study and apply in the exams. Classification of Honours are mostly based on critical evaluation of arguments, evidence and of course, presentation skills. I would really like to be awarded a First Class Honours. Its not all that difficult but its the sheer amount of time that I need to do all that & I have to submit my thesis by 6 Apr 07. Meaning, more hard work and less gaming.

Even the guide is so thick.....

New Year Resolutions?

This year, I'm not gonna spend 30 mins - 1hr to pen down my resolutions. Why? Coz its just useless. Its basically pretty much the same copy and paste minus here add there from last year's list. I'm just as lazy as the next guy when it comes to sitting down and making a list.

The problem with having resolutions is basically telling myself that I have 12 mths to accomplish and it seems a long time for that matter. This time, anything worth doing, I'm gonna action on it immediately. This year, I'm having many transition periods and many serious decision makings to ponder upon for eg. leaving the force in couple of months time, straight into accountancy field or to further studies first after completing ACCA, etc.

Whatever it is, this year is gonna to a whole new change. For instance, I've a just fully renovated my room and furnishings are bout 90% completed to kick start 2007. Now I'm just short of an air-con and a Playstation 3!