How to Set Up an External HD for a PS3

Format your external hard drive to FAT32 in order for the PS3 to use it.

The Sony PlayStation 3 comes standard with USB ports. This means you can connect external hard drives to the console and save data, such as music and movies. Many drives come in the NTFS format, but the PS3 does not read this format. The only external format the PS3 reads is the FAT32 format. So, before you can use your external HD on your PS3, it needs to be formatted to FAT32.

Instructions

1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer and click the "Start" button on your computer task bar. Right-click "Computer" and click "Manage." Click "Disk Management."

2. Right-click your external hard drive and click "Format." Click the "File System" button and select "FAT32." Click "Quick Format" and "Start" to format the external hard drive into a readable PS3 format.

3. Right-click the external hard drive again and click "Eject" to safely disconnect it from your computer. Turn your PS3 on and connect it to your PS3. Your PS3 will read the drive and you will be able to save data to it.

References

• Mahalo: Formatting an External Hard Drive
• PlayStation: Official PS3 Manual