Using the same HDD on two different PS3s?

[galneon]

I just bought a second slim that I can mod and have on hand as a backup. Whenever I have a modded console where the latest versions aren't moddable and a solid emulator is nowhere in sight, I'm always too scared to use the damn thing for fear that it will die and I'll be left without a way to play certain exclusives forever. Crazy, I know. I guess it demonstrates the fact that I'm more of a collector/hoarder than a player.

Anyway, my main PS3 uses an internal harddrive that has been "externalized" for my convenience and to reduce heat inside the case. Say I mod the new (used) PS3 I have coming in the same way with the same firmware (Rebug 4.46). After installing the CFW on the new one, I swap cables and hook it up to my other PS3's harddrive. Will it boot or is there some sort of system ID binding it to the harddrive that it had when firmware was initially installed? If necessary could I just change the system ID of one to mirror the other?

It may seem worthless, but I'd like to only have to maintain a single drive and should one PS3 die, a cable swap is all that I must do to move over to the other unit. Any reason this shouldn't work?

[master737373]

You can't use the same HDD in two PS3's like that.

Now, there /might be/ a way to use the same HDD in multiple systems but they HAVE to be on the same firmware and at most 3.55. You'll need to use Linux to remove the drive encryption, which will format the drive, and have encryption turned off on both systems. Reinstall the 3.55 firmware and it /might/ work.

I don't think anyone has ever tried that, but if so, that's most likely how it's done. You won't get a brick if you do this either, so you're safe.

Links for help: http://www.ps3news.com/ps3-hacks-jai...-graf-chokolo/

http://www.ps3devwiki.com/wiki/HDD_Encryption

http://www.ps3devwiki.com/wiki/Mounting_HDD_on_PC

http://www.ps3devwiki.com/wiki/Storage_Manager

/If/ this work, it'll probably only work with phats, but it just may work with slims.

[galneon]

Ahh I see... Not a matter of system IDs needing to match, but of encryption keys then. In that case I'll just do a proper system setup complete with newly formatted HDD if/when the day comes that one of my PS3s dies. Thanks for the links.