How to Hook Up an External Hard Drive to a PSP

By Marshal M. Rosenthal

Updated September 22, 2017

Items you will need

  • PSP to external USB hard drive connection cable

  • Graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive

i Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The PSP game portable uses a memory card for storing data and other files. Memory cards are limited in their size, making them less useful for storage than that of a portable hard drive. There are some portable external USB hard drives that are compatible with the PSP and will recognize and work with the game console once they are hooked up together. These hard drives include a graphic interface so that the files on them can be manipulated and transferred to the PSP for use. The PSP does not need to be opened up or modified to use with one of these external USB hard drives, and the warranty is not violated.

Plug the PSP connector of the PSP to external USB hard drive connection cable to the PSP’s USB port. Plug the other end of the PSP to external USB hard drive connection cable to the USB port on a PSP-compatible graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive such as the Archos 20 external USB hard drive (see link in "Resources" section).

Turn on the PSP. Turn on the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive.

Click on the icon of the PSP that is listed beneath the “Devices” tab. Click on the “+” button to reveal the “Music,” “Video” and “Photos” folders beneath the icon of the PSP.

Navigate from the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive’s menu to its music folder. Select a song from the music folder. Drag the song from the music folder into the “Music” folder beneath the icon of the PSP that is listed beneath the “Devices” tab. Wait as the song is copied from the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive to the PSP’s music folder.

Navigate from the PSP’s Home menu to the “Music” tab. Select the song that has been copied from the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive to the PSP. Highlight the song and press the “X” button to play it.

Repeat the procedure just completed, but navigate in the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive to its “Video” folder or “Photos” folder in order to copy a video file or photo to the PSP’s “Video” or “Photos” folder beneath the icon of the PSP that is listed beneath the “Devices” tab.

Turn off the PSP and the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive when done. Disconnect the PSP to external USB hard drive connection cable from the PSP and from the graphics interface-driven external USB hard drive.

Tips

Keep the PSP's power adaptor plugged in when using the external hard drive with the PSP.

Warnings

The PSP’s battery will be depleted quicker than is normal when a USB external hard drive is connected.

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