With this tutorial you with learn how to first set-up your PS3 console so its ready to install
custom firmware, then you will install the custom firmware itself. Next you will install a file on your PS3, this will be the program that you run to load the backup/pirated games!

This works on all PS3s there has been no reports of any bricks whatsoever, so it is very safe unlike other methods like Waninkoko's.

This tutorial has been updated so that you no longer are required to run the lv2 "hotfix" on every boot to play backups! You can just turn on your PS3 and play

Right now you should have an idea on what we are going to be doing lets begin shall we...

Installing/Reinstalling 3.55 Firmware
First you are going to ether install or reinstall 3.55 firmware onto your PS3, this is necessary to prevent any firmware problems which we do not want!

Download the offical 3.55 firmware from here provided by Sony:


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You will need some form of storage to put this on like a USB stick for example. In this storage make the folder "PS3" then inside that make an "UPDATE" folder. Place the "PS3UPDAT.PUP" file in this folder.

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Connect this storage to your PS3 and go to "System Update" then select "Update via Storage Media" and go through like normal with the update.

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Again if you get an error telling you that "No acclicable data was found" then you need to enter the PS3's recovery menu. You can do this by following the steps below:

1. Turn off your PS3
   
2. Hold the power button down till the console turns on and off
   
3. Press the power button again untill you hear two beeps
   
4. Stop pressing the power button
   
5. You will be asked to connect your controller and press the PS button, do this
   
6. You should now be in the recovery menu
   

Now scroll to "System Update" at the bottom and install the firmware like normal from there.

Installing Custom Firmware
This step would normaly be fairly complex but I have uploaded my own made custom firmware to make it simpler for you.

Download this custom firmware archive from here:
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Once downloaded extract the archive and place the "UPDATE" folder in the "PS3" folder on your storage and make sure you overwrite the other "UPDATE" folder from the previous step!

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Connect this storage to your PS3 and go to "System Update" then select "Update via Storage Media" and go through like normal with the update.

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If you get an error telling you that "No acclicable data was found" then you need to enter the PS3's recovery menu. You can do this by following the steps below:

1. Turn off your PS3
   
2. Hold the power button down till the console turns on and off
   
3. Press the power button again untill you hear two beeps
   
4. Stop pressing the power button
   
5. You will be asked to connect your controller and press the PS button, do this
   
6. You should now be in the recovery menu
   

Now scroll to "System Update" at the bottom and install the firmware like normal from there.

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On restart you should see two new options in the "Game" section, these should be "/app/home/PS3_Game/" and "Install Package Files" if you do you have successfully installed custom firmware on your PS3.

Installing and Using Backup Manager
Last step now, you will install and use a backup manager called "multiMAN" on your PS3. This is the program used to run the backups themselves off of the PS3.

Download multiMAN from here:
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Extract the pkg files from the archive and place it onto your storage. Connect it to your PS3 and scroll to the "Install Package Files" it will come up and select it to install.

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Now go back to the "Game" section and you will see "multiMAN". Run it and it will then load up, if it crashes do not worry this is normal on the first run of the program. Just turn your PS3 off and on and load it again.

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Agree to all the terms and conditions. Now here you will see what game you have currently in your PS3 (if any). To copy the game to your internal HD press "O" and select "Yes". The game will then copy it onto your HD, this can take a while so be patience.

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Once it has finished load the game in the manager by pressing "X" on it. Press "No" on the option that comes up. This will return you back to the XMB, just scroll to where you would usually load a game from (the blue disc) and load it. Please note that you are required at the moment to have any game already in the drive to "trick" the your PS3 into loading the game.
How to use downloaded games and run them on your PS3.

FTP:
Send game over to PS3 via FTP location hdd0/games/

External HD:
Put game folder in root of hard drive.

More indepth soon.
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[u][i][b]If the game fails to load and you get a blackscreen there is a way to fix this. Load up multiMAN and hover over the game that did not work. Press R1 this will patch the file permissions of the game and hopefully make it work for you.