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How to Backup a PS3 to a Home Server

When video games first hit the market, they were a one shot deal. Gamers lost all progress as soon as the system was turned off. Then, game cartridges came with built in batteries, but those soon ran out. The advent of memory cards brought the ability to save loads of game data, but they were still susceptible to loss and theft. Now the PlayStation 3 (PS3) allows for the creation of a digital backup using an external hard drive, a much more secure way to save information.

Things You'll Need

PS3 System
External USB hard drive

Instructions

Create a System Backup
- 1
  Power on the PS3 and wait for the Cross Menu Bar (XMB) to load.
- 2
  Scroll left to the 'Settings' column.
- 3
  Scroll down to the 'System Settings' option and press the X button.
- 4
  Scroll down to the 'Backup Utility' and press the X button.
- 5
  Select the 'Back Up' option on the following screen and press the X button. You will receive a warning that Trophies will NOT be backed up by this operation. Be sure to sync your trophies before continuing by going to 'Game', 'Trophy Collection' and select 'Sych with Server'.
- 6
  Select 'Yes' to continue.
- 7
  Attach a portable USB hard drive with an appropriate amount of free space to one of the USB ports on the system. From here, the system will take over and create a backup copy of all the data on the PS3 hard drive for future reference in the event of a system crash.

PlayStation 3