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Reformatting a PS4 or PS3 hard drive on Windows 7?

Anonymous
2013-12-13T02:40:35+00:00

So I just recently updated my original PS4 hdd to a 1tb and am trying to reformat the original 500gb to use as a media storage device to transfer music to other pcs in the house. I was successful the first time I tried this when I did the same thing with my ps3 hdd.  I had vista premium then and am now running windows 7 premium.(through upgrade not full edition) I have the hdd in an external usb case the same as before but its throwing up the ever dreaded and ambiguous error 43 code. driver install unsuccessful. it only shows up as an unknown device. cant get it to register in the formatting utility. I have tried everything I can think of. PLEASE help have been at this for a week now.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-12-23T19:19:30+00:00

    This would indicate the optical drive has a 4 pin Molex connector, you would need a Molex to SATA converter.

    The only format which is compatible with both OS-X (Mac) and Windows is FAT32. If formatted on a Mac you can use Disk Utility to create a single partition for the whole drive. This is technically too big but does work. However it would mean that if successful the Master Boot Record would have been reset to a standard layout so in theory it could then be reformatted again as NTFS once connected to the PC. Oversized FAT32 partitions can be seen and used by Windows but has an appreciable performance hit.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-12-23T15:46:19+00:00

    Sooo..... sad day my optical drives don't use the same power connector as the 2.5 hdd. now im at a loss on what to do other than try to convince a friend that has a mac, which is very few, to see if it will be able to read it. If it is what format should I use so that its readable by windows?

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-12-13T15:47:56+00:00

    HI BrentSaxton,

    This issue can be caused if any of the following situations exist:

    • The currently loaded USB driver has become unstable or corrupt
    • Your PC requires an update for issues that may conflict with a USB external hard drive and Windows
    • Windows may be missing other important updates hardware or software issues
    • Your USB controllers may have become unstable or corrupt
    • Your external drive may be entering selective suspend
    • Your PC motherboard may need updated drivers

    I would suggest you to refer to the steps mentioned in the help article and check if it helps.

    Error: “USB Device not recognized” when you try to access a USB external hard drive.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2654149

    Let us know the status of the issue. If you need further assistance, please post back. We will be glad to help you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-12-13T20:34:22+00:00

    I agree with your assessment that the USB mass storage driver may be failing because of the current disk format.  Your best bet would be to connect the drive directly to a SATA port if possible and try to repartition it that way.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-12-13T16:18:20+00:00

    thanks for the speedy response but I feel that the issue is that the hard drive was formatted by the ps4 which uses a Linux based system. I have tried several different methods to resolve this but still no luck. I even tried different pcs in the house all the same issue. all usb drives are up to date as well as bios for mother board. I can hear and feel the hard drive spin up and it stays spinning as long as its plugged in. my hdd case has a solid light indicating no issues with the drive itself.

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