Looking for assistance with file systems? Need advice on using NTFS and FAT32 together on a single drive.
Looking for assistance with file systems? Need advice on using NTFS and FAT32 together on a single drive.
I checked this information, I see it’s feasible and I have a plan in mind. The main concerns are the potential risks to existing data and whether you can undo the changes later. You’re dealing with a 1TB NTFS drive that has 250GB free, and you want to create a ~200GB FAT32 partition for restoring a PS3 system backup. Since the PS3 only supports FAT32 and needs an MBR, you’ll need to prepare the drive correctly beforehand. There’s a chance the process could be reversed if needed, but it depends on how the filesystem is structured. Be cautious about data loss during the conversion, and consider backing up everything first.
This approach carries a chance of losing data. I performed some heavy software changes on my PS3, including enabling NTFS support. The safest backup method is to transfer the HDD to a PC and create a sector-by-sector copy. You’ll need the eid_root_key—the encryption key for the PS3 drive—and PS3TOOLS for Windows or a comparable tool on Linux to access the console’s storage.
I already have the backup on my laptop, but now I need a medium compatible with the PS3. Using the original drive might be a workaround, though it could be tricky since I still have the PS3 system. For the console itself, its OFW should work, but you may need CFW for the eid_root key process.
To obtain the eid_root_key, you need CFW. When backing up from the console, the system already knows not to back everything up. Some developers have disabled saving game files, so you can still perform a sector-by-sector backup on the PS3 drive connected to a PC. Without the eid_root_key, you won’t be able to access the data because it’s the encryption key. You’ll still be able to use this backup as long as the PS3 remains functional. If you back up from the console, it’s best to use an empty drive formatted to FAT32 for the backup.
Sure, that sounds like the simplest choice. However, since you don’t have an empty drive, I considered creating a fat32 partition on your 1TB storage. I’m not sure if it would be safe, but I think it could work. The PS3 shouldn’t be able to read the NTFS partition, so it should be secure. Just to confirm, you already have backups, and now you need to transfer the data to the console. It would be straightforward if you just copied it, but that won’t work because the PS3 requires a proper restore process. In short, you might need a new drive for this task.