PS3 HDD Tool

A cross-platform GUI application for decrypting and browsing PS3 hard drives using per-console HDD Key.

Built with .NET 8 and Avalonia UI — runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Features

• Decrypt PS3 HDD — AES-XTS-128 decryption using your EID Root Key
• Support for disk images and physical drives — Works with .img, .bin, .dd, .raw files or direct device access
• Browse UFS2 filesystem — Navigate the PS3's FreeBSD-derived file system with a tree view
• Extract files and folders — Export individual files or entire directory trees
• Partition viewer — See the PS3's disk layout and partition structure
• Activity log — Detailed logging of all operations

Prerequisites

• .NET 8 SDK
• Your PS3 console's EID Root Key OR ATA key + tweak from qCFW (32 bytes / 64 hex characters)

Building

# Clone or extract the project
cd PS3HddTool

# Restore packages
dotnet restore

# Build
dotnet build

# Run
dotnet run --project PS3HddTool.Avalonia

Publish a self-contained executable

# Windows
dotnet publish PS3HddTool.Avalonia -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained

# Linux
dotnet publish PS3HddTool.Avalonia -c Release -r linux-x64 --self-contained

# macOS (Intel)
dotnet publish PS3HddTool.Avalonia -c Release -r osx-x64 --self-contained

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
dotnet publish PS3HddTool.Avalonia -c Release -r osx-arm64 --self-contained

Usage

1. Open a disk source

   • Click Open Image File to load a disk image (.img, .bin, .dd, .raw)
   • Click Open Physical Drive to access a PS3 HDD connected via USB/SATA adapter

2. Enter your EID Root Key

   • Paste the 64-character hex string into the key field
   • Accepted formats: AABBCC..., AA BB CC..., AA:BB:CC...

3. Decrypt

   • Click Decrypt — the tool will derive the AES-XTS keys and attempt to mount the UFS2 filesystem
   • The partition table and filesystem structure will appear if successful

4. Browse and extract

   • Navigate the filesystem tree on the left
   • Select any file or folder to see its details
   • Click Extract Selected to save files to your computer

How It Works

Encryption

The PS3 encrypts its HDD using AES-XTS-128. The encryption keys are derived from the console's EID Root Key — a unique 32-byte key stored in each console's NAND/NOR flash memory.

The tool supports two key derivation paths:

• Standard derivation: HMAC-SHA1 of the EID Root Key halves with a fixed seed
• Per-drive derivation: AES-CBC decryption of encrypted ATA key data from the HDD header using the EID Root Key

Filesystem

The PS3's GameOS partition uses UFS2 (Unix File System 2), the same filesystem used by FreeBSD. The tool implements a read-only UFS2 parser that handles:

• Superblock parsing
• Cylinder group navigation
• Inode reading (direct, indirect, double/triple indirect blocks)
• Directory entry parsing
• File data extraction

Project Structure

PS3HddTool/
├── PS3HddTool.sln                    # Solution file
├── PS3HddTool.Core/                  # Core library (no GUI dependencies)
│   ├── Crypto/
│   │   ├── AesXts128.cs              # AES-XTS-128 implementation
│   │   └── Ps3KeyDerivation.cs       # EID Root Key → encryption keys
│   ├── Disk/
│   │   ├── DiskSource.cs             # Image file & physical disk readers
│   │   ├── DecryptedDiskSource.cs    # Transparent decryption wrapper
│   │   └── Ps3DiskLayout.cs          # Partition table parser
│   ├── FileSystem/
│   │   └── Ufs2FileSystem.cs         # UFS2 filesystem implementation
│   └── Models/
│       └── FileTreeNode.cs           # UI model for file browser
├── PS3HddTool.Avalonia/              # GUI application
│   ├── ViewModels/
│   │   └── MainViewModel.cs          # Main application logic (MVVM)
│   ├── Views/
│   │   ├── MainWindow.axaml          # UI layout
│   │   └── MainWindow.axaml.cs       # Event handlers
│   ├── App.axaml / App.axaml.cs      # Avalonia application entry
│   └── Program.cs                    # Entry point
└── README.md

Important Notes

• EID Root Key: You need to obtain this from your own console (e.g., via PS3Xploit, hardware flasher, or UART dump). This tool does not extract the key.
• Large drives: For HDDs over 500GB, initial directory loading may take a moment as sectors are decrypted on-the-fly.
• Key verification: If the UFS2 superblock isn't found after decryption, the key may be incorrect or the partition layout may differ from the standard one.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"UFS2 superblock not found"	Verify your EID Root Key is correct. Try different partition offsets.
"Invalid EID Root Key"	Ensure the key is exactly 64 hex characters (32 bytes).
Physical drive not accessible	Run the application with administrator/root privileges.
Slow browsing	Large directories decrypt sectors on demand — first access is slower.

License

See License.md