When you purchase a used Sony PlayStation 3, there's a good chance the previous owner's game data, profile data and other information may remain on the console. Beyond being a potential security or privacy risk, the saved data may interfere with your own games. Resetting the PlayStation 3 will return the video game console to a like-new state, erasing and reformatting the hard drive and wiping out all data except the PS3 firmware. If you wish to keep any data on the drive, use an external storage device to save the data beforehand.
Instructions
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1
Power on the PS3. Navigate to "Settings."
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2
Select "System Settings," then "Format Utility."
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3
Select "Format Hard Disk." Confirm the selection in the warning dialog. Follow the remaining onscreen prompts, if any. It will take a couple minutes to complete the process.
