PlayStation 3 Firmware 4.20 Causes Massive Problems for Users

For me its working fine after the update except one time when i started playing prince of persia trilogy the game just froze and then i had force shutdown my ps3 by pressing the power button .. i have not tried playing the game again.. so not sure whether the problem still exist for me. will check today

I have been haveing nothing but trouble with the new update. I downloaded and tryed to install it. But for some resson it get to 57% and then gives me a error code. I am not even able to put my PS3 into safe mode. Every time I turn it on it installes all the way up to 57% and stops and gives me the same error code. Like always Sony wants me to pay them money and send my PS3 to them to fix.

Updated fine but, now I can't check my gmail. Loads 97% then stops, so I have to use HTML which is really inconvenient. Also, I cannot post simple comments on YouTube with my PS3 cause the will automatically get "flagged as spam". Some websites that used to work now don't as well.

I GOT THE SAME PROBLEM TOO, CANT TURN ON MY PS3

Absolutely true, I am experiencing same problem. Sony just says send it in and for $100. We will fix it.

I try to start a game and there is nothing but a black screen forever and I can do nothing, it just sits there constantly. I have no idea what to do now?! If anyone has found a fix for this (Other than firmware downgrade) please help! Thanks! ;-)

I had a serious bug with Firmware 4.20. I've turn off my console in XMB using the PS3 controller. The problem is the green light never stop blinking and the console did not turn off. I had to turn off with the button on the front of the console. Next restart it's said my hard drive was corrupt and I had to format the hard drive to make it work. This is the worst firmware so far, stay away from it.

everyone if you dont want to pay start a class action law suit and go to the psn blogs and post its the only way. remember what happened to xbox the red light of death but then the class action law suit happened and they were forced to fix it.

I downloaded the update last night and my playstation doesnt even turn on anymore. The light just blinks yellow goes off and im left with a blank screen. what a joke. Anybody have any idea what sony are going to do about it.

GOT MADDEN 13 WENT TO UPDATE INSTALL STOPPED 99% SONY SAY I HAVE TO SPEND 130 TO REPAI WILL NOT RESPOND TO SAFE MODE

my ps3 wont install it get to 99 then dose nothing been like that sin 12 sep 830am still not done

I sent this to sony because ive never been more fed up with a company. I appologize in advance for the fury that will certainly manifest itself in this email. i have only felt this way about a select few companies in my life and sony has nowmade this exclusive list. I am yet another victim of the software updates are known to have crashed 3 of my hard drives and finally has left me with a non functioning ps3 slim. 3 beeps brief yellow light then red. I am aware that my unit is no longer under warranty and that Sony will not replace such units. My disgust came with the realization that Sony is so preoccupied with limiting its product functionality with other brands products that it stops at nothing in order to force it's customers to buy only products that playstation can make a hefty profit on. Why else would a host of consumer complaints follow each software update and often cause Irrepairable damage to hard drives or even destroy the ps3 entirely? I bet the repair technicians are raking in money for Sony hand over fist, but that's nothing compared to all the money that moms and dads everywhere are shelling out to replace their children's ruined gaming consoles. Am I claiming that the destruction is an intentional inside job on the part of Sony? You bet! And what is more their are many thousands of fed up consumers who have finally came to such a realization and a class action lawsuit is almost certain to come out of it as consumer awareness grows. I for one will be pushing for such a lawsuit and campaigning online and to any news media that will take my phone calls and emails. The amount of wasted time, effort, and resources used to resolve these problems caused by Sony are only certain to result in a tattered playstation and Sony name brand with consumer anger leading to an eventual rejection of the brands. Because of these problems I have already informed 3 of my close relatives and friends whom i had previously suggested purchase a unit to wait and see how these issues pan out because the stress they cause far outweigh any benefits over other brands. My brother had planned a pre holiday purchase as many are planning but even some associates working at best buy and other retail stores aren't suggesting a ps3 purchase as they themselves also have fallen victim to Sonys insatiable greed and wanton disregard for its customers satisfaction . Although this is in the form of an email it will also serve as my 4th of many reviews I will posting online and emailing to news media, high traffic blog moderators, face book contacts with mass forwarding capabilities, key word optimized postings, and im considering creating or partnering with a web site dedicated to the cause.I will stop when the number of hours I've spent trying to remedy my ps3 issues has a corresponding number of hours alerting all who will listen about the perils of entering a business relationship with the once trusted Sony corporation. If nothing more it will allow my frustrations so long kept tightly within to be expressed clearly for all who will listen. May my efforts prevent as many as possible from feeling the same frustration, disappointment, and regret.
I'd suggest contacting me to calm me down but with the pre knowledge of how you've handled other irate customers I'm not sure it would do you any good to be sarcastic cause lighting a fire of Sony contempt could easily be my unmatched determination otherwise.
A once loyal customer,
Jordan Bockart

I support you fully, and will gladly submit all the correspondence and other assorted bull sent to me by Sony regarding their update freezing my console. I said exactly the same to them, bu they reply with their (well rehearsed) answer of you cant prove its the software, its anly a few out of millions and your out of warranty blah blah blah. I suspect the update contains a coding that checks the systems age, and will crash it in time for you to shell out for the newly released units, or at worst for Sony pay for a refurb replacement.

Any coincidence Sony centers around the country are disappearing!!!!

I have the same problem too. PS3 will not turn on. Beeps 3 times, goes green, and then yellow, and then to a blinking red light. This sucks!

I don't know what has developed since this was posted in July 2012, but I found the same problem with my original Fat PS3. The minute I installed firmware 4.0 my blu-ray stopped functioning correctly. Despite thousands of people complaining to Sony the helpline pretended that there was no firmware issue and that my PS3 must have developed a coincidental fault (one of the many scripted BS replies they are told to trot out). They blamed my hard drive. I informed them that my drive had actually recently been replaced with a fully compatible larger model and that even the original drive was still functioning perfectly as an external drive. They then switched to more pre-scripted BS including claiming that the blu-ray drive had coincidentally failed at that exact time (I had already opened it up - surprise, surprise it was fully functional) and that millions of PS3s were having no issues. Of course, firmware 4.2 came along and started causing even the Slim PS3s the same problems. By this time I had purchased a Slim for £120 to run alongside my Fat (it should be noted that Sony's only offered solution was to take your PS3 and replace it with a Slim model at a cost of £150 - but, I thought you just needed to replace the hard drive and/or blu-ray drive, not the whole machine SONY). Both have been kept updated with the latest firmware and both currently function pretty much perfectly except that the Fat PS3 has still not regained normal blu-ray playback. It will play blu-ray games and films (which proves that the mechanism is operational), but it crashes after 5 minutes with data handling problems which is one of the things that were tinkered with in the 4.0+ updates.

Every now and then I check to see if Sony have yet admitted that their software is faulty and badly written and they are still in blanket denial mode. According to them it's complete chance that 1000s of PS3s threw a major wobbly as soon as an update was installed (even more galling when you consider that this isn't the first update to cause this problem). Their continued denial makes it clear that they are fully aware of their liability and don't want to stump up the cash to resolve the problem. One could even be forgiven for thinking that this was a synical attempt to forcibly phase out the hardy Fat PS3 model which is keeping faithful owners from investing in newer models (remember the Fat PS3 was released at a huge loss in order to get in on the shelves quickly).

Sony's behaviour in this (on top of other classics like removing the Other OS option which was the reason for me getting a bigger drive in the first place) has been disgusting in every aspect. Fortunately, the machine itself and the people actually responsible for it's construction are fantastic. If only the top dogs were as capable and responsible in their jobs as the actual doers in the company.

Sony please grow a pair and man up on this. I, like many others, have a wonderful machine that is fully functional and now has it's XBox killing main selling point of possessing blu-ray game and video capability crippled. I will not be forced into buying another updated machine if you pull this trick again. Sony will lose my custom on ALL of it's products. I have had every playstation model and two PSPs and they are amazing. But Sony the company really is NOT. I will boycott all their products if there is a repeat performance and I would hope others have the will to do so also. These bigwigs understand nothing but profit and if people vote with their feet they will find that Sony suddenly have a change of perspective. Their previous errors of judgement dropped them from Number 1 console to number 3 and they'll be lucky if they fall so little a distance next time. Sony, you have been warned. Pay attention this time.

The software I can say for certainty is missing an important command in the written software, making it impossible to move of that 99% mark, which is reality is 100%. One of their software writers must not have got his bonus.
I do agree with all you say about Sony and folks are catching on when it comes to ethics of this company.
I am blessed where I can go out and buy an X-Box, but pity the kids, who like myself, just let their corrupt software enter my PS3.
The sad thing is that a fix is impossible via software route. 99 bucks please and their tech takes less than 5 minutes to repair.
99 bucks x even 100,000 machines is still good money, and the chicks for free.

I believe Sony's approach to this update, which IS flawed, is about as corrupt as a company can get. They make the buyer of the PS3 the bandit in this story, rather than doing the morally correct solution, but they seem to think they are untouchable because of their size. Ethics and Sony just does not make a good soup. Thousands of PS3s frozen, and they say 99 bucks. I will throw it out before I fall for that.

Every time a put a new ps3 game in it says update needed and takes forever it get to 100% anyone else get this problem

My stopped working during update as well. I recommend we start a class suite against Sony.

CANT INSTALL ANYTHING .... Before update 4.20 , Everything was fine. Now , Everytime i install something , it gets to 14% and gives me the ( ERROR ) code... As if Sony Became money greedy and now is trying to have people send in there playstation for a little extra money... I bet Sony made so much money off of this... Almost like Cheating Customers.. This needs fixed, i Spent so much money for nothing.. "Like if you agree" For the complaints of the money spent and nothing but "Errors" Sony should give everyone about $20 on Psn" I Agree . You?
- BxbbleGum-

My fat PS3, which worked just fine prior to update, also died from update. Installed, it seemed to hang up during the install, never worked again. And the same thing happened to a good friend who bought his PS3 around the same time I did. This is not a coincidence and I will never give another cent to Sony until they make this right. I will not hold my breath in the meantime.

I purchased my ps3 60 gb about 5 years ago. I updated it yesterday and now it will not start at all. The red light comes on and the it blinks yellow and then it starts to blink red. This is BS..... My ps3 was working just fine until it turned off after the update and never came back on.

iv had my ps3 slim for 3 years and done every update becaus im an online gamer and strait after v4.41 update on the 25/04/2013 my games and blu ray discs wont play, i contacted sony and was told its a hardware problem not firmware and was told to send my ps3 in or i could get a refurb for £110 wich im not doing its there problem and they will sort it, i think thease tech guys get there qulifications off the back of a corn flakes box