PlayStation 4 Slim Hard Drive Replacement

Written By: Jordan Crooks
  • Comments: 2
PlayStation 4 Slim Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

6

Time Required

2 - 5 minutes

Introduction

One of the reasons your PlayStation 4 Slim might not be booting is a failing hard drive. Alternatively, you may just be looking to replace it for an upgrade to either have more storage, or utilize a solid state drive to improve load times and speeds.

Before doing this procedure, here are a few steps to check for and see if it's failure that requires complete replacement (you can ignore this checklist if you are simply upgrading):

  1. Sometimes dust can buildup in the system, causing it to overheat and shutdown or not get past boot. It could even be inside where the hard drive connects to the system.
  2. Your drive's data might be corrupted, which can be fixed by a simple system software reinstallation and other safe mode boot fixes. You can boot into safe mode by pressing and holding the power button for 7 seconds and go down the list of restore options.
  3. You can also check for failure by looking for tell-tale signs. This includes any noises coming from the hard drive, especially loud and quick clicking, slower performance than usual, sudden system failures/forced shutdowns, and more.

Before beginning, power down your system fully (do not put it in rest mode) and disconnect all cables, especially the power cable.

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    • Slide your thumb to the right to remove the plastic cover.

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    • Remove the silver 6 mm #0 Phillips screw that holds the hard drive caddy in place using your screwdriver.

    • This screw is very important as it ensures the drive does not come loose from the connector during operation.

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    • Pull out the black glossy tape handle using your fingers.

    • Remove the caddy from the bay.

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    • Remove all four 8 mm Phillips #0 screws from the hard drive caddy (two on each side).

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    • Slide your hand under the sled opening near the black tape handle, and press one of your fingers against the slate drive to push it up.

    • Carefully extract the hard drive from the caddy.

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    • Place your replacement hard drive or solid-state drive into the caddy.

    • Make sure the drive is upside with the connector's golden pins facing up like so.

    • Also be sure the connector is facing away from the black tape handle. This and the above point will ensure proper connection to the Playstation 4.

    • If installing a solid-state drive, make sure the screw holes of the sled and the drive are aligned properly before screwing back in.

    • This isn't a problem with 2.5" hard disk drives since the thickness allows for proper alignment during placement.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order starting from Step 4.

Be sure to have a USB stick ready with an official PS4 firmware update file from Sony's website to reinstall the system software on your new hard disk or solid state drive. Follow Sony's instructions for formatting the USB as well.

Author

Jordan Crooks

Member since: 02/02/24

301 Reputation

2 comments

I need help why is my ps4 slim not turning on, all it does Is show the Play Station logo then the screen is black then turns off?

Henry Ramsey -

This tutorial for some reason fails to mention the important step that you need to reinstall the system firmware using a USB drive. Other tutorials are out there though that don't skip this important piece of information.

Anon999 -