Wiping HDD and Reinstalling Firmware possible?

[dboy1612]

So yeah, I'm the new guy, just recently getting in to the jailbreaking scene. I've done quite a lot of research about jailbreaking your PS3 over the past two weeks from what chipsets and how to program them, to getting around to actually playing the games you want; though just now, I recently came across a question that I can't seem to find an answer to.

Lemme explain myself quickly, so I don't sound like a total noob like those repeatedly asking how to downgrade/reinstall their firmware. Though, I can't remember where the sources are on where I read about all this, so bear with me.

(For the record, I have a PS3 with firmware 3.50 running on it)

I learned that you are not able to -downgrade- from firmware 3.50 or hack it from that matter. Kay cool, not thinking about it.

Then I read about how to unbrick your PS3 if anything were to go wrong. The tutorial read about taking your harddrive out of your PS3, throwing it away, and installing a new one, and then installing your firmware on it.

Now, I found the whole throwing away a harddrive to be odd, why couldn't I simply low level format it and throw it back in? And then put the firmware back, with possibly the version of my choice? ... You see what I'm getting at.

So, pretending this wouldn't void my warrenty, does the theory make sense? If I were to take out the HDD, wipe it clean, put it back in my PS3, and then install the firmware of my choice (which I'm guessing would be from a game disc), would I get away with it?

Stupid question? Maybe; but hey, thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[PS3 News]

Not possible, hate to tell you but that's the true answer short and sweet.

Pre PS3 Firmware 2.20 you could downgrade with an Infectus modchip if you dumped your own PS3's flash prior to updating, but as expected Sony blocked that and since then there is no way at all to lower your PS3 Firmware yet... including swapping HDD's or any other ideas all the Devs tried several years ago.