Now the main reason I wanted a bigger drive (other than games taking up too much room on a stupid 60GB HDD), is that I wanted to experiment with Linux on the PS3, so I did a fair bit of research before I did this and found out that it is now a fairly simple procedure and available free on the interweb.

Obviously before we do anything, we will need the installation disc to get Linux onto the machine. After messing around with the pathetic website, I finally found the free download link which I will provide here for you: http://us.fixstars.com/support/downloads/

Please note that the file is a 3.7GB .iso image file, so be prepared to have something to do in the meantime, I played Guitar Hero again After downloading, I mounted the .iso file (using Disk Utility on my Mac) and burnt it straight to a DVD with that. Whilst it was burning, I found this very helpful PDF guide to using/installing YDL on the PS3.

First thing’s first, I need to partition the PS3 hard drive so that there is a space for Linux to go on, we go to Settings > System Settings > Format and you will then be asked if you want to partition the drive so that you get 10GB for your PS3 or 10GB for “the other OS” (this is pathetic, 320GB HDD and I can only give Linux 10GB of it, grrr). The PS3 then completed the partitioning so I went back to Settings > System Settings and this time popped in my newly burnt DVD then clicked on Install Other OS. After doing as I was told by the PS3 and selecting the other OS as the default OS, the install began!

We got a black screen for about a minute, it just gets to the point where you are thinking “oh crap I’ve messed up” and then it carries on. During my research (this is also on the PDF linked up there) I noticed that there is a command you must type in depending on which TV you have your PS3 connected to, now mine is a 1080p one so when the KBOOT: line appeared, I quickly typed in install_ps3_1080p and hit enter.

After some more command line stuff appeared (not be doing anything, but just the OS loading all the files off the DVD) we finally got to a more user friendly graphical interface where we begin the real installation process, very similar to Windows.

Just go through the setup process here (as you would with Windows) and I also installed the WLAN device as I don’t have a network cable in my PS3 currently, the PC I’m trying to sell is using it! After clicking next a few times, the install will start and you’ll get the following screen.

When that’s done, your PS3 should reboot itself (remember to grab the disc from the PS3 quickly or it will suck it back in and start the install process over again!) and you’ll get some more comman line stuff whilst it loads the OS.

Almost there!

Just a few last bits to do now, click next a few more times to go through the EULA and that crap, create a user account (basically everything you go through when settings up Windows as well).

Eventually we’ll finish with that bit, welcomed with a lovely login screen where you just need to put in the username and password you have just created then bam, all done!

That’s it, we are done. Now all I have to do is a find a use for having Linux on my PS3 I wanted to do this as I thought it would be challenging like getting Mac OS X to work on a normal machine with dual booting Vista, now that was a good challenge, took me 3 weeks to get everything working, YDL on a PS3 will take about 6hrs and that includes downloading the 3.7GB iso file!

My next little project will probably be modifying my PSP (buying replacement covers and a new screen) as mine is scratched to hell and I have a few dead pixels now Though I will not just go and buy a new “slim” one as mine is running on custom firmware at the moment so I’m playing through FFVII (the PSX version)!.

Peace out.

There, that toon didn’t take too long to make and it even has what I’m actually wearing!! Those eagle eyed readers among you may notice that it is actually the Rock Band guitar. I’m playing Guitar Hero with the Rock Band guitar as it is wired, so no losing buttons through the air and the GH one that my bro has, the yellow button doesn’t work (I found out the hard way LOL). The game itself is awesome, I’m currently working my way through all the songs on normal difficulty (there must be like 100 songs!) and I’m gradually getting the hang of it, sometimes venturing onto hard where the use of the orange button just confuses the hell out of me! I’m keen to rock this one as much as I did the other two with the standard controller

The hat and the t-shirt in the toon are also things I got for x-mas, as well as some new speakers for my iMac, some lovely JBL Spot 2.1 in glossy black.

These speakers sound awesome, the bass is great, the touch controls on the speaker itself are great, they make an amazing sound considering the size of them (I dunno what to compare it to, smaller than an apple I’d say). Highly recommended.

Also got a bigger HDD for my PS3 (320GB) which I will be installing Linux on tomorrow so I’ll make a post about that, a new Nokia 6500 slide which is proving to be awesome and so much better than my piece of crap iPhone, some other games, lots of chocolate, Swift Sport aftermarket parts catalog imported from Japan and lots of beer \m/ amongst other small things.

So yeah, tomorrow I will post my experience with installing Linux on the PS3 as I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but could never be bothered to do it!

Bring on 2009 \m/