So, I bought a Second-Hand "Fat" 200GB PS3 that was rarely used by its previous owner.

I only used it for... like a year and last week it got the Yellow Light of Death, a light that appears when the System of the PS3 crashes, melts or overheats. I dunno which is the case. if its overheating, I guess that a WEEK is enough to refresh itself, right? It still doesn't work. 1 year of hard gaming is now lost and I CANNOT, I reapeat, I CANNOT send it to Sony to be repaired as I live on Portugal.

I'm gonna buy a Second.Hand "Slim" 500GB PS3 for 200€, but it's no use for me if I have to repeat all of my games again from scratch... I can't just replay them all over and over...

I heard that... a PSP is a good trick to place PS3 Save Files and I would like to do that. Someone told me to try this trick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Qri-971so

It can, atleast make my PS3 work for some time and allow me to put my save files on my PSP.

If there's another way, please... tell me! I'm desesperate! School just started... I need something to keep me busy and relaxed... I hate the thought of never being able to play my favorite games ever again and to loose all the effort I've put on several games like... The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. (It's a RPG game that I really enjoy to play. I had to remade my main character because of a Corrupted Save File and stuff... I don't want to re-make it AGAIN.)

So, please... help me? And please, don't send me ridiculous comments like: "Send it to Sony", "You're screwed" or anything like it...

I just need a way to save... ATLEAST 1 SAVE FILE!

By the way, I live on a place which the weather is either hot or cold... My room is a bit stuffy, it can reach like 23 degrees or even more... When my PS3 died... it wasn't even hot... My father told me that maybe it "melted"...

I think PS+ is the best way to get the saves transferred.

It shouldn't be hard to come by a 30 day trial if you don't want to spend any money on it.

@kidavenger: But how am I supposed to do that?! What happens if I do have the PSN plus? How can I recover it, anyway?! I also can't afford that... not allowed.

@marcomax: You can't recover saves off of a PS3 that won't turn on. The hard disk is encrypted with a key specific to that console so even if you swapped the hard drives it would just ask you to format it.

@zidd: Does the Hair Driver thing works?

I really want to save my files, there has to be a way!

Did Ryan not have to send his dead PS3 and new PS3 to Sony for them to transfer data? I might be talking crazy though.

I assume it wont turn on at all anymore? If so you might as well try the hair dryer trick, its not like you can break it anymore. Just make sure you have something to save the files to before you boot it up, you don't know if it will last a week or 5 mins before it breaks again so use the time wisely. And i believe a PSP with a memory card or any mass storage device thru USB should work for saves so long as it has the right folders for the PS3 to recognize where to put the save data, you can also format the card to make the folders for you with the PS3.

But yeah as others have said if you cant boot it up there is no way to get any data off that hard drive.

Yeah... You need to get the console to tur on and transfer to a new one. Either take it to a local repair shop, if there is one, or try the hair dryer thing. The PS3 is dead.