How to disassemble and clean your PS3 laser

This video is about how to clean your PS3 laser. When the PS3 laser gets dirty you will get an error code and your disc's won't play. This video will show you how to clean your PS3 laser and restore your PS3 's function

[alexrivera]

I followed this video step by step the whole way to the end, with high doubt that it would work. Reassembled my PS3, popped in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and it read almost instantly!! Thank you SO much for posting this!!!

[wisdomwithwit]

4 years later and I just used this video to help me clean out my PS3.

[Hardyfly]

It's crazy that you have to go through so much just to do so little.

[AnotherComputer]

To all the people who can't take the top off easily even after unscrewing all the screws:
My PS3 Slim has a chrome warranty sticker underneath. Removing that sticker voids the warranty but also reveals another sneaky bolt which is the one preventing you from opening the lid off. It's a normal bolt, not a T8 one.

[jordan]

If you dont have a star key for the 4 screws, use a really small flathead screwdriver and line it up inside 2 of the 6 ridges (avoiding the little bump in the very center of the screw) and start unscrewing! Then just screw them back in using that same method

[karafurious]

Thank you ever so much for this video. It helped me to solve the problem I was having with my PS3 Slim. In case others are having the same problem I did, the nature of my problem was that the console could read CDs and DVDs, but NOT games or Blu Ray. When I would insert a game or Blu Ray disc, nothing would happen on screen. I could hear the disk revving and the sounds of the laser trying to read it, but ultimately the console would make a sound as though it was ejecting a disc. So I took to YouTube searches to see if I could fix the problem, and I was led to this video.

If you follow this tutorial exactly (also use a can of compressed gas for electronics to clear out the dust and wipe down with a microfiber cloth where appropriate) and it doesn't fix your problem, then you either did something wrong, or a dirty lens is not the extent of your problem.

Just take your time, focus on the task at hand, and keep all the components that you're removing from the system all organized and grouped so that it will be easier for you to remember how to assemble everything back together again. I'm a girl who is not all that tech savvy, so if I can do it, there is hope for you, too!

[DogSuru]

Good video, thanks! Couple things; at 6:33, you need to remove the 2 screws at the end WITH the black tab, not the other end (as you can see in the video). At 7:31, there are 2 tabs you need to squeeze (other end from the screws) to remove the cover. Yes, I'm 7 years late.

[higaddrip]

THIS DID WORK TO GET DISCS TO BE READ PROPERLY AGAIN, but I have to give a warning to people with a slightly different interior to the PlayStation (like I had—maybe for a UK version?):

You don’t need to take the disc compartment bit off AT ALL. We did because it showed him doing it on this video, and I believe his PlayStation required it, but what ended up happening for us was that this strip of plastic containing a load of lines of copper within it disconnected from the disc compartment to the board.

It was a real hassle to get the white strip back into its slot which it was pulled out from, and we spent a good 15 minutes trying to stick it back in (with some tweezers coated with tape so as to not damage the strip) before we managed it—if it happens to you, it IS possible to stick back in, but it’s hard and we needed two people.

All that being said, we’d tried a lot of different ways to get little big planet up and running again, and this was finally the solution we needed, so I’ve gotta thank the creator of this video for helping us out massively!

[cprogress]

great tutorial..for those still having difficulty with the little screws if you have a precision screw driver set the 3/64in flathead will fit perfectly in a grove for easy removal..

[ribbleslap]

Thanks for providing a concise demonstration of disassembly, it helped me out a lot. Turns out a toothpick had been stuck in the disk drive by a toddler. This video made it an easy quick fix.

[jameswharton]

Thank you for making this video. I followed your instructions exactly and now my ps3 is reading my games. Sony wanted me to send it in and charge me $100 to fix. Thank you for saving me time and money.

[mauricez]

Worked for me in 2019. Simply amazing. Thought I would have to buy a ps4... Glad I can still use my old-fashioned ps3. Thank you Mark Chalmers.

[justinstone]

Man thnx big time, I had a great friend that done this for me but sadly he passed away a few months and you're voice even sounds like his...this vid really filled that gap, brought back memories, and also taught me how to do it myself...again thanx soo much

[orlandomendez]

Hey buddy I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Someone once told me that if you feed a man a fish a day, you just fed him for the day. But if you teach a man how to fish, you've fed him for life. I am now the PS3 guy around my area thanks to you. SONY was charging me $79.00 and everyone around my area wanted $90-$100. I now charge $50.00 and everyone is happy thnx to your video. I have liked plus subscribed to your channel. And look forward to more videos. Happy holidays to you and yours.

[gojambe]

Very nice tutorial, smooth and precise. Worth mentioning that the disc reader in the 3xxx models is slightly different, with less screws and more plastic clips. Anyway thank you for helping me save my ps3!

[GoBirds]

Remember when you just had to open the top and boom there's the laser

[Joel-eeph]

Purchased my playstation 3 in 2010. I havent been able to use game disk or watch Bluray for about 4 years, followed your video. I had to open it up twice and clean lens a second time, but finally success. Thanks for the vid!!

[allenstayduhar]

This is helpful! Something you should definitely be specific about is whenever you remove the Shiny steel cover to reveal the armatury of the disc drive, the plastic arms and small gears are held together mainly by plastic dial pins and the layers of the housing snap together using interlocking plastic tabs its very important to look over everything very closelyz make mental notes of everythings location before your remove layers to see the eye and clean the eyes! Basically soon as you take the 1 tiny Phillips head screw which is the only screw that holds the second cover on along with 3 plastic tabs one you remove that cover with the armatury, soon as you lift it off everything springs back into its proper place! The problem I had after taking it apart was the disc would eject or feed because i took it apart with a disc in it! I did a 100% clean on mine because this is something that you should definitely do yearly! Depending on the Consuls location and the environment! For example, i have a fore place in my house, in my living room! Plus 1 cat and 1 dog! Therefore, it's a very dusty environment. Regardless of how much you vacuum and clean, you're still going to get heavy dust and lint in your Game consoles! So cleaning properly is important! Also do this somewhere thats well lite with bright lighting and level surface to work on and the proper tools! I always tell my little brother whenever he is wrenching on something like a gaming system to take it apart in the tub in the bathroom!
Why because your inclosed incase something shoots out like a spring or a screw falls youll not only see it bit hear it too! And being in the tub and curtains or doors closed around you nothing can get lost! Its funny but thats the type of area you need! Nothing like ruining something all because you lost 1 tiny part like a spring or screw!

[tjb]

I’m six years late to this video. I just bought a used PS3 Slim, and clicked on this video so that I could open it up and clean it, but I swear there’s nothing to clean. I don’t think the guy I bought it from used it at all, the insides are spotless, LOL! Regardless? This video was very helpful, thank you!

[justmeish]

Just finished doing this and it worked like a charm. Thank you! I did have a problem with the unit pulling in the disc after I put everything back together though. What it was was I didn't have the white strip plugged back all the way in that was next to the black screw at the back of the disc contraption. After I fixed that I tested everything to make sure it injected (?) and ejected and read disc's before I put it all back together again. Also for the tiny star screws, I used a small flat head screwdriver from an eyeglass cleaning kit. Hopefully that helps anyone having issues. Take care.