The ultimate guide to PS4 troubleshooting

Unfortunately, if you are reading this page, there may be a problem with your Playstation 4 system. As with any new hardware, there are always issues that need to be resolved. Fortunately, PS4 has a built-in safe mode option that allows you to try to repair your system.

Interestingly, Sony installed a safe mode option in PS4, but Microsoft does not have a comparable option for Xbox one, even if everyone knows the safe mode of Windows. You can start Xbox in low resolution mode, but that’s it. There is no dedicated diagnostic mode for fixing problems.

Boot PS4 into safe mode

To boot PS4 into safe mode, follow these steps:

  1. Turn off the PS4 by pressing the power button on the front panel. It may take a few seconds to completely shut down.
  2. Now press the power button again, but this time hold it down. You will hear a beep during the initial press, and you will hear a second beep after about seven seconds. After you hear the second beep, you can release the power button.
  3. After booting up, use the provided USB cable to connect the DualShock controller to the system and press the PSbutton. It will not connect wirelessly, so you need to find that cable and hope it can still fit in the box.

If you do everything correctly, the safe mode screen will pop up. You should see the following options:

Let’s use different options to see what they do and what data in the system is affected.

  1. Restart PS4-Like restarting the computer, this will restart the PS4 in normal mode. Turning off the PS4 and turning it back on is the same thing as restarting, so if this doesn’t solve your problem, let’s move down.
  2. Change Resolution-This feature is very useful if you connect your PS4 to an old monitor that does not support high resolution and end up with a blank or black screen. Selecting this option will restart PS4 at 480p resolution.
  3. Update system software-You can use this option to update PS4 software via the Internet, USB or CD.
  4. Restore default settings-This will reset the Playstation 4 to the factory default settings. According to the Sony website, it seems that this option does not delete your user data, it just resets the settings to default values. This includes date and time, network settings, video/display settings, audio settings, video playback settings, etc. It will not downgrade the system firmware.
  5. Rebuild database-This will delete the current database, create a new database and scan everything on the system. If the database is corrupted, this should solve the problem
  6. Initialize PS4-The last two options will almost reset the PS4 to a clean tablet. This option will delete everything except the system firmware. This means you can reopen it and it will start up completely.
  7. Initialize PS4 (reinstall system software)-Thisoption is the same as 6, but the system software will also be deleted. You basically start with a blank hard drive. This option is very useful if you want to replace the PS4 hard drive faster or larger. By default, it is a 500GB 7400 RPM drive. After putting in the new drive, you will use this option and download the system software from the computer to the USB memory stick. Plug it in and reinstall the system firmware.

Other PS4 problems may indicate a problem with the actual hardware. For example, many PS4 users see flashing blue lights and flashing red lights. These two are also the main reasons why PS4 shuts down or shuts down unexpectedly.

PS4 flashing blue light troubleshooting

If your PS4 does not turn on properly or turns off randomly and gets stuck in blue flashing instead of turning white, then you may encounter hardware issues. You can try the following methods:

  1. Check the power adapter and the power port on the back of the PS4. Make sure that there is no obvious damage or bending. You can even use the power cord of PS3 on PS4.
  2. The second problem that causes the blue light problem is that the hard drive bay is not connected properly or is loose. You should close the console, remove all cables, and then slide out the HDD bracket cover in the direction of the arrow.

Obviously a screw fixes the whole thing, so if it is loose, then the hard drive may not connect properly. You can remove the screws and take out the hard drive and reinstall it.

  1. Finally, it may be an HDMI output port or TV compatibility issue. Remove the HDMI cable and make sure that the port on the PS4 is not damaged. If possible, try another HDMI cable. You should also try to connect the system to another TV to see if that solves the problem.

Image source: playstation.com

PS4 flashing red light

If your red light flashes instead of the normal white light, it means that the PS4 is overheating. The system does not have enough airflow or is too hot at the current location. If something happens to be stuffed in, try moving the system to a more open space.

Another thing you can try is to stand it upright instead of laying it flat. It seems that Xbox One has solved this notorious problem they encountered on Xbox 360, but it has not yet been eradicated on PS4.

PS4 software update problem

If you try to update your PS4 system software and something goes wrong, your only option is to erase everything and start from scratch. If you installed an update, but restarted the PS4 and prompted to reinstall the same update, as if it was not installed the first time, you will have to reinitialize the PS4.

You can do this by entering safe mode, selecting option 4, and then when the console restarts, selecting option 6. You will have to reset it.

PS4 audio issues

A prominent problem of PS4 is related to audio output. PS4 can output audio in digital or optical format. By default, it will automatically detect and optimize audio based on the connection. If you connect an HDMI cable, the audio will be sent through HDMI. When you have complicated settings or a system that does not support a certain type of audio, problems start to appear.

The first problem is that if you connect PS4 to a, it will not make any sound. Devices that use HDMI do not support HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). In fact, if it does not support it, you will not be able to get audio or video, so if you are passing through the receiver, try connecting to another device or directly to the TV.

Second, you may need to change the audio output settings. Go to sound and screen , then audio output settings .

Here, make sure that the output to the headphones is grayed out and try to change the main output port between the digital output (optical) and HDMI . If you have an audio splitter and your center channel does not output any audio, you should set the output to digital output (optical) , uncheck DDS5.1, ACC and DTS5.1, and then check the strong under Audio Format >Linear PCM.

Now, when you are playing a movie that supports DTS5.1 or DDS 5.1, it will only detect linear PCM stereo output. To solve this problem, you have to press options when playing the disc , go to settings and select the bitstream (direct) audio format under .

PS4 console freezes

If your PS4 console freezes a lot, there are a few things you can do. First, you should download any updates to the system software from the Playstation network as soon as possible.

If you experience a freeze when trying to download the updates yourself, then you should copy them directly from the Sony website to a USB drive and install them directly by connecting the USB drive to the console. This is a tedious process, but I hope that when you are running the latest version of the system software, you no longer have to perform this operation manually.

If you encounter more problems with PS4, leave a comment here and we will try to help. enjoy!

 

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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