My PSP Won't Turn On

When you turn on the PSP and no green light shows or if the green light comes on, but the unit won't power up, you could have a battery problem. If the PSP powers up, but then immediately shuts off, this also could be a battery problem.

Clean out the battery compartment. Use a can of compressed air to remove dust, hair and other debris. If you left the battery in while you stored the unit, look around the connectors for any sign of corrosion that could be affecting the connection.

Plug the PSP into the power adapter with the battery still inside. If this doesn't work, remove the battery and see if the PSP powers on with the adapter only. If it does, then the battery likely needs to be replaced.

Boot the unit in recovery mode. The PlayStation Portable is like a small computer with a tiny hard drive. And just like a computer, sometimes it gets scrambled; booting in recovery mode can help you identify or correct the problem.

Determine if your PSP has been "bricked." If the PSP was turned off for any reason during a firmware update, it can cause "bricking," so named because it renders your PSP into a useless, plastic brick. Buying a new PSP or sending yours to Sony for repair are your only options if this has occurred.