Hacking Upgraded Internal hard drive - now all games show as corrupt

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 21, 2020

I upgraded the hard drive on my first gen PS4 that is jailbroken 5.0.5. I followed what I thought was the correct order of steps, I have my jailbreak still and all my games show, but when trying to launch any of the games it says that they are corrupted and to uninstall them and reinstall them.

Here's what I did:
Made a backup using the PS4's built in backup/restore
Made a backup using the "HDD Upgrade Backup" which was part of PS-Phwoar! v1.2 in the backup section
Replaced the failing 500 gig drive with a 2TB drive
Using USB stick I went through the process of using the 5.0.5 recovery firmware file to get the drive ready for the console
I restored the PS4 using it's built in backup/restore
(at this point all the games/homebrew show up, but with the lock symbol on their icon)
I then go into the web browser and using my PC reinstall the PS-Phwoar! v1.2 Menu
I start HEN 2.1.2 and it runs correctly.
I press the PS button on the controller to go to the main PS4 menu. After a moment the lock symbol is removed from the games/homebrew. but clicking them will prompt that the data is corrupted
I open the web browser and in PS-Phwoar! v1.2 navigate to the "HDD Upgrade Restore" option in the backup section and it finds the backup on USB0 and restore it.
After it says "Data restore complete"
I press the PS button on the controller to return the main PS4 menu, attempt to run a game, and it stills says:

"Cannot start the application
The data is corrupted. Delete the application from the PS4, and then download it again from [library] on the home screen."

The only thing I can think of as a possible reason for this is that I used the "AppToUSB" with the old hard drive due to the size being far too small to hold everything. So I had used that to move the games to the 6TB external drive. But if that's the source of the problem I can't seem to figure out how to work around it, or if I'm going to have to start over from scratch and dump my discs again :-/

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Hayato213 · Feb 21, 2020

I recommend occasionally backup your database with DB_SG_backup.

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 21, 2020

Hayato213 said:
I recommend occasionally backup your database with DB_SG_backup.

Is there any way to recover the database or fix it, if that's the problem? I tried running a python script "fix_db.py" that I had to use one time, but that doesn't do anything useful for the current situation.

Hayato213 · Feb 21, 2020

Nocturnal4Life said:
Is there any way to recover the database or fix it, if that's the problem? I tried running a python script "fix_db.py" that I had to use one time, but that doesn't do anything useful for the current situation.

I used the DB_SG_Backup to occasionally backup my database, when I first started back in 4.05 days I was getting corruption prior to doing backup. Just use the DB_SG one and you should be fine, occasionally run it.

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 21, 2020

Hayato213 said:
I used the DB_SG_Backup to occasionally backup my database, when I first started back in 4.05 days I was getting corruption prior to doing backup. Just use the DB_SG one and you should be fine, occasionally run it.

DB_SG_Backup is built into the PS-Phwoar! v1.2 menu I'm using, but I don't see how that can help me at the current state where the drive has been upgraded and the games all are saying they're corrupt. Unless the old hard drive would still work if I put that drive back in and try to make different backup that I need? If there's any way to avoid the hours of ripping the discs again I'm wiling to try about anything, but I'm finding out quickly that the PS4's JB is quite different than my CFW PS3 which was much easier to work with by comparison :rofl2:

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 22, 2020

Hayato213 said:
I used the DB_SG_Backup to occasionally backup my database, when I first started back in 4.05 days I was getting corruption prior to doing backup. Just use the DB_SG one and you should be fine, occasionally run it.

Okay so I have what I -think- is good news.

I put the old 500 gig hard drive in the PS4 and all games launch just fine, no errors. But I still want to be able to upgrade to the 2TB Firecuda drive. With perfect access to the working drive, do I need do a separate backup of the database, then try to restore that backup when I put the 2TB back in? The DB_SG_Backup doesn't have a way to restore - it just backs up from what I can tell. Whereas PS-Phwoar! it has an payload to DB Backup, DB Restore, Save Data Backup, and Save Data Restore. Not sure if I backup the DB and Save Data that way, swap to the 2 TB, then restore, if maybe that'd work? Going to try it now

Edit:

I tried Restore DB, Save Data Restore, Trophy Restore, Offline Cache Restore (after running the backup with the working hard drive) and after trying to restore those, the games still say they are corrupt, but I put the original 500 gig drive in and everything works fine.

MostlyUnharmful · Feb 22, 2020

I haven't tried myself (and to be honest I only skimmed the whole thread) but have you tried the option to export the fpkg(s) to an external disk and then reinstall them on the new HDD?

The payload should be available on the PS-Phwoar IIRC.

Also, I'm surprised that the old HDD still works after installing a new one (i.e. after using a rescue FW): shouldn't the HDD encryption keys on the console flash change when formatting the new HDD? That's how I recalled it.

godreborn · Feb 22, 2020

MostlyUnharmful said:
I haven't tried myself (and to be honest I only skimmed the whole thread) but have you tried the option to export the fpkg(s) to an external disk and then reinstall them on the new HDD?

The payload should be available on the PS-Phwoar IIRC.

Also, I'm surprised that the old HDD still works after installing a new one (i.e. after using a rescue FW): shouldn't the HDD encryption keys on the console flash change when formatting the new HDD? That's how I recalled it.

well, if it's like the ps3, the registry file that contains the hdd serial number is located on the hdd. as a result, the system has no idea that a different hdd is being used. this is only possible with NOR consoles though. they'll ask to flash the system due to 90% of the firmware being on the hdd.

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 22, 2020

It looks like when I used the App2USB that in itself saved all the packages in nicely organized folders. I hooked up the external hard drive to my pc to take a look. I'm currently copying them off that external so I can do a whole wipe and start fresh so there's no bits and pieces left of games or homebrew. I actually bought the console already on 5.0.5 and with it running HEN. So there's stuff on there that I'd never use. I was just hoping for a magic wand of sorts to make everything better without doing remote package installs. But I guess at the end of the day I don't have to re dump almost 1TB of game files... so that's a major plus.

MostlyUnharmful · Feb 22, 2020

godreborn said:
well, if it's like the ps3, the registry file that contains the hdd serial number is located on the hdd. as a result, the system has no idea that a different hdd is being used. this is only possible with NOR consoles though. they'll ask to flash the system due to 90% of the firmware being on the hdd.

Yeah, I was thinking about the PS3 as in the past I've tried to plug back in a previous HDD but it wasn't recognized and (IIRC) asked to format it.

Shadow_The_Hedgehog82 · Feb 22, 2020

Nocturnal4Life said:
Okay so I have what I -think- is good news.

I put the old 500 gig hard drive in the PS4 and all games launch just fine, no errors. But I still want to be able to upgrade to the 2TB Firecuda drive. With perfect access to the working drive, do I need do a separate backup of the database, then try to restore that backup when I put the 2TB back in? The DB_SG_Backup doesn't have a way to restore - it just backs up from what I can tell. Whereas PS-Phwoar! it has an payload to DB Backup, DB Restore, Save Data Backup, and Save Data Restore. Not sure if I backup the DB and Save Data that way, swap to the 2 TB, then restore, if maybe that'd work? Going to try it now

Edit:

I tried Restore DB, Save Data Restore, Trophy Restore, Offline Cache Restore (after running the backup with the working hard drive) and after trying to restore those, the games still say they are corrupt, but I put the original 500 gig drive in and everything works fine.

I would advise against using a firecuda I had my ps4 kill one and had to get seagate to replace it. I've seen other people who have experienced the same thing I've had another firecuda in a laptop for years which is still going but I think there is something weird going on with them in the ps4 https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/6jmt06/firecuda_2tb_is_garbage_as_an_internal_ps4_drive/

Leeful · Feb 22, 2020

@Nocturnal4Life I think that because they are apptousb games is definatly the cause of the issue.

Have you tried copying one of the CUSA folders from your working drive to the new one.
From your working drive goto user/app/ and copy just one of the CUSA game folders.
Put your new drive back in and overwrite the same CUSA folder with the one from copied from your working drive and test that game.

It's worth a try. If you test it with just one game and if that game then works you can do it for all the rest.

I think the problem is because the game was moved with apptousb, the official backup/restore sees the game as corrupt when trying to backup or restore it.

I fully tested the HDD Upgrade Backup/Restore payloads and everything worked fine.The only thing was is that the games I tested it with were on internal. I did not try it with any apptousb games installed.

PS. I have also heard bad things about using a firecuda drive in the PS4 as @Shadow_The_Hedgehog82 said..

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 23, 2020

@Shadow_The_Hedgehog82

I'll have to do some more research it seems. If only the PS4 used a 3.5" drive I'd just shuck the drive out of my external and throw it in there and call it a day. I may go with a WD Black drive, My concern with those drives is the higher 7200 RPM speed compared to the 5400 of the OEM drives. Don't exactly want to introduce more heat into the tiny machine.

@Leeful

I kind of figured it was the AppToUSB, sadly with the factory 500 gig drive I didn't have a choice but to to use that so the 6TB external drive was still readable in a PC if I needed it for something. Thank you for the idea I'll give that a shot

It'd definitely be nicer than doing remote package installs for everything all over.I have a dual hard drive dock I can use to try and see if I can copy the game data as you suggested.

Edit: I'm an idiot and forgot the PS4 drives aren't readable in a PC

Guess the best bet will be to put the working drive in the PS4, and use a USB3 to SATA adapter to connect the new drive externally to it and then do the test copy on the PS4 itself.

Leeful · Feb 23, 2020

@Nocturnal4Life Just use FTP on the PS4 to copy the files.

Deleted User · Feb 23, 2020

Yeah another vote for app2usb which remember is sort of tricking the ps4 into thinking your usb drive is your internal drive. Methinks that when you place the upgraded hd into that ps4 the games are looking for the original drive still. For anyone wondering I had done this process in the past to go from a 500gb internal in a launch fat to a 4tb internal (i had to bend some plastic and metal but hey if it fits it ships!). I used the ps4’s internal backup method only. No db restore. It worked perfectly with the fpkg data.

godreborn · Feb 23, 2020

the hdd's serial number may be stored in the app.db or something similar.

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 23, 2020

@Leeful Well I took the working original drive and put it in the PS4, used the FTP to copy all the folders in /user/app/ to my desktop. Then I changed the hard drive to the new one, used FTP to send the folders to the /user/app/ on the new drive telling the ftp program to overwrite any identical files. Sadly, any game I try still says that the game is corrupted. Unless there's something else I'd have to do besides reboot the console after copying the files over.

Leeful · Feb 23, 2020

Sorry to hear that it didnt work.

It was worth a try anyway.

Have you tried running apptousb again? Maybe it will re-link the games.
To be safe I would just put 1 CUSA in the game list in the config file and see if it fixes that particular game.
You dont want to end up loosing all the pkg's on your apptousb drive.

If that doesnt work I'll do some tests later today to see if I can work out how to fix it.
I'll set up one of my PS4's with just 2 games on it. 1 on internal and 1 on external with apptousb and do a backup/restore on a fresh HDD and try and get the apptousb game working.

Nocturnal4Life · Feb 23, 2020

@Leeful

I already made a backup of all the packages that were on the apptousb drive

I had a spare 1TB drive I copied literally the entire contents of the AppToUSB drive to.

I greatly appreciate the attempt to figure out a work around - I had already tried to run the AppToUSB again to see if that would help.

I admit that I decided to call it and initialized the PS4 and formatted the external USB drive. But now I'm a bit weary of using the AppToUSB option now >.< and considering I had 800+gig of package files I don't think it'll take long to fill up the 2TB internal drive meaning I'll eventually have to use the AppToUSB again.

And now I guess I need to look into a different hard drive for the internal - I don't want to run more of a risk of HDD Failure. But as long as I don't use the AppToUSB for now at least I can just use the HDD Upgrade Backup / HDD Upgrade Restore feature to do that task

Edit:

Again I do appreciate everyone's input and suggestions though

It just seems that I was an oddball for trying up upgrade the hard drive after using the AppToUSB. I can't possibly be the only person who this could eventually happen to though. I'm just not PS4-Smart enough to figure out exactly how the different payloads are working and where the conflict was to develop a work around.

godreborn · Feb 23, 2020

another possibility is that the system doesn't like debug licenses. since you're rebuilding the database, the debug licenses are read before you can initiate hen. though, that's just my theory. I think it might be more likely than the serial number needing to be the same, because I think this has happened to people using the same hdd.

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