What is the CE-35888-2 Error Code?

The notorious and dreaded CE-35888-2 error code… Your PS4 Blu-ray stops reading discs or ejecting them—worst yet, it stops making any noises and appears completely dead. You thought you could fix it, so you went on eBay, bought a replacement drive, had it delivered, and replaced the drive. Then, when it seems to work by taking and reading the disc, the excitement fades as the error crashes the game.

Frustrated and trying different parts without success, you eventually searched online for a fix. Unfortunately, there is no fix to your issue because the problem isn’t with the drive. The PS4 system is married to the Blu-Ray drive it comes with from the factory. To repair your drive issue, you must repair the drive. For a proper drive replacement, check out our Blu-ray Replacement service.

How to Fix the CE-35888-2 Error Code?

There is no easy fix to this issue. Stop and locate your old drive—it is very important that you keep it. The chip on the old drive, if lost, means your drive will never come back to life!

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Here at TDR we have re-married many a system. Below is a video of how we re-marry the daughter-boards with a donor one.

Now that is not the only fix… The reason you replaced the drive is because you didn’t know how to fix it. We fix the Blu-ray drive without remarrying.

Why is it impossible to swap the drives as is?

The PS4 Blu-ray drives on models earlier than 1215A have married chips to the board, meaning the chip and firmware must stay together to function. Sony designed it this way, and we have to work around these limitations.

Do we recommend swapping drives?

Never! It just doesn’t work. Unless you remarry the chips, you will end up with nothing but a bricked disc.

Should you buy a drive for replacement?

Maybe! In rare cases, the drive motors and spindles fail. To avoid the CE-35888-2 error, you should swap the daughter-boards from the old drive to the new one. If that works, great! If not, you’ll need to remarry the daughter-board on the Blu-ray or get it repaired—services that TDR can diagnose and repair.