• The best recovery program raw to ntfs converter. RAW file system: how to recover NTFS or FAT32

    A “healthy” storage device has an NTFS file system (if it is a hard drive or external storage device) or FAT (if it is a flash drive). The corresponding entry can be seen in the properties. When it fails, you can see the RAW mark in this place, which means “raw, raw.” This data format has become generally accepted. It allows you to save files, but does not allow you to work with them normally.

    Reasons for the appearance of RAW

    Errors leading to loss of data of various formats and types:

    • Power surges, improper shutdown of the computer, malfunctions of the uninterruptible power supply unit, other hardware,
    • The consequences of a virus infection, which are rare, but can destroy the NTFS file system,
    • Failure caused by physical damage. After scanning, in this case it is necessary to identify bad sectors with a special program (MHDD, Victoria).

    What to do with a RAW file system

    If such a problem became relevant for you when the pre-existing NTFS partitions were destroyed, then the OS denies access, stops displaying information about the equipment: “it doesn’t see”, and also requires you to format the disk. Under no circumstances should you do this, at least until all methods of saving data have been tried.

    Methods for restoring the hard drive file system

    We recommend that you first try the standard method of resuscitating the hard drive:

    (Checkingdisk - disk check). This is a Windows tool for testing and repairing NTFS partition table. Since it's possible that Windows won't start in case of a crash, CHKDSK is activated by typing on the command line:

    • Press the key combination Cntrl + R,
    • In the Run window that appears, type CMD
    • At the command prompt, enter: chkdsk (drive name): /f
    • You will receive a message stating that verification cannot be performed. Agree to perform a reboot check (Y) and reboot the PC.

    These actions start scanning for errors and correcting them on the hard drive. If you need to overcome RAW on an external drive, then enter “chkdsk (name): /f” into the search bar that appears when you click the “Start” button.

    The process of finding and correcting errors will definitely take a lot of time. How much is difficult to say. This depends on the size of the hard drive, the formats used and the extent of the damage. We recommend not to fuss and wait for another PC reboot, which will happen without your participation. If the file system has been successfully restored, then it is now possible to boot the computer in normal mode.

    Next you should check the integrity of Windows itself:


    Alternative Ways to Deal with RAW

    If you have done all of the above, but the result is not marked as NTFS in the properties, then still do not rush to format. There are several programs that, in many cases, will be more effective than the standard CHKDSK.

    1. Try TestDisk, a free data recovery utility. This program will be able to adjust the partition table and restore “lost” partitions, rebuild the NTFS boot sector. It works with almost any operating system and any format. When working with TestDisk, you will need administrator rights.
    2. is a powerful recovery program that fixes all commonly used file system types. It searches for and recognizes unreadable hard drive partitions using the advanced IntelliRAW algorithm. R.saver does not require installation on a PC and works with various formats.
    3. Recuva is a free popular program with a user-friendly interface that will return the file system to its original state. Often used by beginners. It has the function of searching and restoring information of a certain type and format: only photos, or only text files.

    If a computer could be turned off like a pocket calculator, smart engineers and software developers would have realized this possibility a long time ago. Perhaps this will be the case in the future, but for now it is necessary to shut down the PC using the appropriate means of the operating system, otherwise disaster will inevitably arise. Changing the file system NTFS V RAW- just one of the troubles that can result from a sudden computer shutdown.


    As a rule, a partition with such a file system is detected by Windows, but no information about the data written to it is provided, as if it doesn’t exist, and the progress bar is not displayed in Explorer. When you try to open a section, you get a message thorny mistake "Can't access X:/. Reading is impossible, the disk is not formatted" or something like that.

    Changing the partition letter or launching a utility to check the disk from its properties is also impossible. Only formatting is possible but do not rush to do this, otherwise all your files will be deleted.

    If NTFS "turns" into RAW on the system partition, when you turn on the computer, a boot error appears, most often "Operating System not found" or “Reboot and select proper boot device”.

    What is the RAW file system

    No matter how strange it may sound, RAW just means the absence of a file system as such. More precise definition RAW is chaos, disorder of data on the disk. The error occurs when the Windows file system driver fails to determine its type. There may be several reasons for this, but the most likely is damage in the main file table area MFT, boot sector, as well as incorrect logical partition geometry values ​​in the partition table. Unformatted volumes can also be of the RAW type.

    Recovering RAW volumes

    The success of fixing the error depends on the nature and extent of damage to the data responsible for Windows determining the file system type. There is no universal way to solve the problem, but in most cases restore normal reading NTFS the built-in utility, launched with the parameter, helps /f from the command line. In other cases, specialized volume recovery programs help, for example, TestDisk.

    If your user data partition has become unreadable due to the appearance of RAW, you can reconstruct it from RAW to NTFS from a running operating system.

    To do this, in a command prompt running as an administrator, you need to run the command chkdsk D: /f and wait until the disk is fully scanned.

    If the system partition is damaged, it is advisable to connect the hard drive to another computer and check it, but you can also use any boot disk with Windows to check and correct errors, not forgetting, however, that the partition letters in the recovery environment will be different. For example, logical drive C will have a letter D .

    If the reason for the appearance of RAW is minor damage to the file table MFT, most likely, the system can be restored even after the errors are corrected by the utility it will boot normally. If to incorrect entries MFT bootloader damage will be added, you should also run the following recovery commands in the console:

    bootrec.exe /FixMbr
    bootrec.exe /FixBoot

    Note: This boot recovery method may not work for computers running in UEFI.

    In some cases, it may be necessary to reinstall the operating system or restore it from a backup copy. As for user files on non-system RAW volumes, they usually remain intact and are perfectly readable after reconstruction in NTFS. However, there is a risk of accidental data corruption when reconstructing RAW with the utility or other programs are still available.

    Therefore, if the data is of particular value, before you start fixing the main error, try to perform data recovery using specialized programs like R-Studio. Experience shows that they cope excellently with such tasks, restoring files even from severely damaged volumes. After this, you can simply format the problematic partition and transfer the recovered data to it.

    Unfortunately, sometimes you can encounter a situation where a user turns on a computer or laptop, and instead of some logical partition, a disk with an incomprehensible RAW format is displayed. Let's try to find out what this is. At the same time, let's look at some of the simplest ways to convert this format into a normal form.

    RAW format: what is it?

    If we talk about a format of this type, you need to clearly understand that, in fact, this is not even a format in the usual sense. This is a modified file system type.

    When accessing such a section, you can note two types of problems that arise. Firstly, the volume may not be displayed at all in the file manager. And secondly, even if it is visible, then either there are no files on it, or the system suggests immediate formatting, since the file system is incompatible with the operating system (RAW format of HDD drives). How to fix this situation? You need to choose the right approach, because formatting a partition and destroying even non-displayed data is not the best option.

    Why are HDD formats changing?

    Before proceeding to solve the problem directly, it is necessary to clarify the reasons for changing the section structure. In general, it is generally accepted among experts that the RAW format of HDD disks (how to fix it to readable will be discussed later), as a result, can appear, for example, under the influence of some viruses that purposefully change the file system, during a sudden power outage ( electricity) at the time of performing any operations that require direct access to the partition, etc.

    Actually, after this, sometimes the disk can be visible even with the folders and files present on it, but performing operations, say, changing the volume label, formatting it using standard means, changing the size, and much more, becomes simply impossible. This happens because, roughly speaking, the file system changes or fatal errors appear in the partition table. However, there are several solutions on what to do if RAW format HDDs appear in the system. Let's take a closer look at how to correct this situation.

    Correction method

    Now let's look at the main aspects of the remediation processes. As is probably already clear, HDD recovery as the main task uses a solution that allows you to bring the partition’s file system into a form that would be perceived by the operating system itself (FAT32, NTFS, etc.). Please note that in most cases, even rolling back the system to a previous state does not give the desired result, so it is not worth doing this. It's just a waste of time.

    To begin with, you can try to make sure that the section displays files and folders, which in some cases makes it possible to copy them to another location, for example, to the same removable media.

    How to make files visible and copy them to another location?

    In this case, the RAW format is processed using a very interesting utility called MiniTool Power Data Recovery (the program belongs to the class of shareware).

    After installation, you need to launch the Lost Partition Recovery module in the application, select the required partition and run a Full Scan. When the process is complete, the program window will display a list of all available files. All you have to do is mark the required data and click the Save button. The application will prompt you to select a location where the selected files will be copied. Specify it and activate the process. After this, you can start formatting the partition. If the procedure is not available, proceed to the next step.

    The simplest way to restore the format using the system

    Now let's look at how to convert RAW to NTFS using Windows' own tools (especially since this is what this solution is best suited for).

    First, you should launch the command line (cmd) from the Run menu (Win + R). Please note that HDD recovery can only be done in this way; a standard partition scan in a Windows environment will not give any results.

    Now it all comes down to just typing the command chkdsk “drive letter”: /f (for example, in the case of drive D, it will look like chkdsk d: /f) - and pressing the enter key. All that remains is to wait for the process to complete, during which the file system will be restored, and reboot the system.

    By the way, this method is ideal for system drives in file systems that previously had an NTFS structure. Only when using this technique will the computer terminal or laptop need to be booted from a boot or recovery disk.

    Correcting the format using the TestDisk utility

    At this stage, we will consider another aspect of the topic “RAW format of HDD disks: how to fix it.” TestDisk (a utility for quickly restoring the original format) is best suited. The main advantage of this application is that it does not require installation. Because it comes in a portable version. Minus - it does not have a Russified interface and works in a DOS-like mode.

    So, let's start restoring the HDD. At the first stage after starting the program, you need to select the creation of a new log file (Create item) and press the enter key. Then, use the arrows to select the desired disk or partition, after which the application will automatically determine the type of partition table (it can be changed manually, but I don’t think this should be done).

    Next, you need to first use the analysis line (Analyse), and then quick search (Quick Search). After each action, press Enter. When the lost partition is found, you should use the option to save the structure (Write). Otherwise, if the desired section is not displayed in the list of search results, you should use Deeper Search, and then follow the steps just described to save the structure. Now, as in the previous option, you just need to restart your computer or laptop. The problem should go away.

    Using Ontrack EasyRecovery

    Here is another program that allows you to convert the RAW format of HDD disks. How can I fix it using this utility? It couldn't be simpler.

    In principle, the application works almost similarly to the TestDisk program, but many users can be attracted by the fact that it has a beautiful and user-friendly interface. By the way, many experts call this software product an indispensable tool when it is necessary to recover large disk partitions. The only negative is that the program is paid, but I think this is not a problem for our people. In the vastness of the Runet you can easily find activation keys, patches, and key generators for it.

    Conclusion

    What's the result? At the moment, the RAW format of HDD disks has been considered. I think it’s already clear how to fix it so it’s readable by the system. As for what exactly to apply depends on the specific situation. For example, if formatting using your own means is possible, you can display the files and copy them to another location. This is, so to speak, to be absolutely sure. You can also use the command to scan and restore the partition to its original state, which is provided in the system itself, but this process can take a very long time if the volume is large enough.

    On the other hand, third-party utilities, described just above, are also perfect for simplifying user actions. Another thing is that some users will not accept the DOS interface of the TestDisk application. However, it is easy to get used to it. Moreover, as already mentioned, this is a portable version, which means you can always have it on hand and run it from the same flash drive. If you don’t like it, please use the similar Ontrack EasyRecovery application with a graphical shell. True, some may object to the question of cost, but here it is worth deciding for yourself what is more important: money or a hard drive with the information stored on it? In addition, among all such utilities, these two are the most powerful, and sometimes you won’t get high-quality results from free software. However, the choice is up to the users themselves.

    Raw file system and how to return ntfs

    Today we’ll look at how the raw format of hdd disks appears, what the RAW file system is, why it is needed, and what to do if one of your disks is determined to be invalid, not marked up, not formatted, or damaged. We will also consider what to do if it says “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” when trying to correct the situation using the operating system.

    The RAW file system is implicitly present in NT operating systems from Windows Corporation. It was created with a single purpose - to provide applications and operating systems with data about the size of the current volume and the name of the file system (FS) used on it. If you received a RAW partition on a hard or solid-state drive (flash drive, SSD), this means that the file system of this volume or drive was not recognized by any file system driver installed in the environment used by Windows. That is, the file placement structure is clearly different from NTFS and FAT/FAT32. The consequence of this is errors such as:

    • a message that the drive/partition is not formatted in a known file system;
    • there is no possibility of normal access to the device/partition;
    • The disk file system has been damaged.

    If one of the above-described alerts appears, further work with the volume is impossible either in read mode or, especially, in write mode.

    Sources of the problem

    Most often, such an error appears on a flash drive due to improper handling or wear of the device, but for hard drives, especially removable ones, the problem is very relevant. Its sources in most cases are:

    • malicious applications that interfere with the file table or volume structure;
    • partial damage to the boot sector or volume file table;
    • damage to the file table, which contains information about all stored data;
    • physical damage to sectors of a volume causes a type of file system called RAW to appear;
    • Incorrect removal of the flash drive or abnormal operating modes of the device (voltage surges, loss of electricity, or improper shutdown of the PC).

    Disk or partition treatment options

    Depending on the reasons why the RAW format appeared instead of FAT/NTFS, there are many methods to gain access to the information stored on the device.

    Checking the volume for bad sectors and errors

    The first step that should be taken if the file system of a disk or flash drive is detected as RAW is to check for damage on the drive or its logical partition. For the case where the system volume is not detected, this recommendation will not work, but in other situations you should start with it.
    We call the command line on behalf of an account that has system administrator privileges through WinX or the search bar.

    In the black window, execute a command like: “chkdsk x: /f /r”.
    In this case:
    x: - target volume;
    /f – flag responsible for error correction;
    /r – the argument will allow you to find and fix bad sectors.

    We wait for the operation to complete and try to open the problematic volume.
    If the error “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” appears as in the screenshot, it means that the target volume is the system volume, and to check it we do the following.
    Starting a PC from Windows installation media of the same edition and bit depth.
    On the language selection screen, click “Next”.

    Go to the diagnostics section and open the list of advanced parameters.

    Launch the command line.

    Let's select "diskpart".
    Using the “listvolume” command we find out the letter of the problematic volume.
    Exit diskpart by entering “exit” and confirming its execution with the “Enter” button.
    Execute a command like “chkdsk x: /f /r”.

    This way, you can regain control of the disk without losing any data.

    In this case, the message “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” should not appear; if this happens again, move on to the next subsection of the article.

    Checking the integrity of files in the OS itself

    Often, to convert RAW to NTFS, you just need to resuscitate system files. This is no more difficult than searching for damaged drive partitions.
    Call the “Run” window using the Win + R combination.
    Execute “cmd” to launch the command line.
    Run “sfc /scannow” to launch a utility that will find and fix errors in the operating system.

    We format a section if there is no important information on it

    A RAW disk or flash drive that does not have any files on it (let’s say you just purchased the device), is missing important data, or is duplicated, can be easily converted from RAW to NTFS using Windows.
    Call up the “Run” window using the Win+R key combination.
    Execute the line “diskmgmt.msc” to launch the disk management utility.
    Using the context menu of the problem section, call the “Format” command.

    We set the desired label and decide on the file system (it is better to choose NTFS), then click “OK”.
    If a removable hard drive (its partition or flash drive) is not formatted, try disconnecting the removable device, if it is one, and then connecting it and trying again. In the case of an HDD, restart your PC and be sure to end all programs that may be using the problematic volume.
    Now you know how to fix the RAW format of HDD and flash drives, but the formatted storage medium will not contain the original data. If the option to format a drive or disk is not suitable, move on.

    HDD RAW Copy Tool

    The HDD RAW Copy Tool utility is designed for sector-by-sector copying of media and allows you to extract all data from the problematic device without data loss.
    Download the utility from the official application support resource.
    Install and launch the HDD RAW Copy Tool and wait until the partitions detected on the PC appear in the main frame.
    We select the problematic device from which we will subsequently recover information (a file system defined as RAW has appeared on it).

    Click “Continue”.
    We specify the file type as *.img to create an image of the recoverable disk.
    Here it should be taken into account that when specifying the image storage path where all the files from the RAW disk will fit, there must be more free space than the volume/drive itself that we will copy.

    We return to the HDD RAW Copy Tool interface, where we click “Continue” again.

    After this, you can safely open the generated image through a data recovery program that supports working with images, for example, R-Studio, and begin restoring the necessary data, and format the just copied media to NTFS.
    We will not describe how to recover data from an image due to the large amount of information, which will be enough for another similar article.
    On this HDD RAW Copy Tool you can close it.

    DMDE

    Although the previous method is highly reliable, working with the original source is much safer and more reliable. Let's look at how to resuscitate important files if a RAW format has appeared for one of the HDDs. Here we will do without formatting, so if some disk has become RAW, using the method described below you can easily access all its files.
    Go to dmde.ru and download the DMDE utility, which allows you to read a disk in a format such as RAW and restore it.
    Working with the program consists of the following sequence of steps.
    Select the physical disk where the partition with the raw file system is located, checking the “Physical” option. devices."

    When we find the required partition, select it and click “Open Volume”.
    If this does not happen, we scan the media, the file system of one of the partitions of which has become defined as RAW.

    We open the volume and look at its contents to see if the files are on it.

    If everything is correct, click “Restore” and confirm the restoration of the boot sector.

    If everything happens properly, after a short time the DMDE program will recover the lost partition without making any changes and return it to the previous file system.

    Attention! If the system volume was problematic and recovery was performed by booting from another disk or after installing the media on another computer, you will additionally have to resuscitate the bootloader.

    TestDisk

    The TestDisk program is the most difficult to use, but it also performs the best recovery of volumes with RAW file system. Having launched the installed application, perform the following steps:

    Click “Create”, then select the target partition.

    We decide on the partition type, if this does not happen automatically (MBR or progressive GPT).
    Click on “Analyze” and press “Enter”.
    On the next screen, press “Enter” again, selecting “Quick Search”.
    Find a partition for data recovery from a disk with the RAW file system.
    To view the files stored on it, press the Latin “P”, exit the preview mode by pressing the “Q” button. If the partition is marked P, it can be restored; volumes marked D will not be restored.

    Make sure that the table shown on the screen, which she will be after resuscitation, is correct.
    Here you should be confident in the correctness of your choice, but you shouldn’t become a coward and do nothing either.
    Select “Write” and confirm the action by clicking “Y” in order to perform RAW recovery.

    The change will take effect after restarting Windows.

    At this point, the topic “how to change the file system if the disk is in RAW format” can be considered fully covered. As you can see, there are absolutely no difficulties in solving the problem.

    Imagine inserting a flash drive into your computer and seeing a message: “To use the drive in drive F:, first format it. Do you want to format it? If it's a new flash drive, no questions asked, but what if there was data on it? Then don’t rush to agree to formatting - perhaps there is a chance to save them.


    First of all, you can try to take a risk and fix errors using Windows tools. To do this, open the console as administrator and write:

    Chkdsk f: /f

    Naturally, f: will need to be replaced with the current disk name. The /f option means error correction during scanning.

    If the operation was successful, you can try opening files. But it may also be that you see the error “Chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks.” Don't despair, we have a couple more options in stock. Let's use a special program DMDE.

    DMDE is a very cool program that is useful for searching, editing and restoring data on disks. The developer reports that it uses clever algorithms, thanks to which it can restore directory structures and files in difficult cases when other programs do not give the desired result.

    DMDE has a disk editor, a simple partition manager, the ability to image and clone disks, rebuild RAID arrays, and so on. Paid editions support the recovery of files and directories without restrictions, but the free version is also very good and helps just as well in many situations.

    After starting the program, select our media.



    A partition window opens, where we double-click to select a full scan.



    After a quick scan, you need to go one level higher to the “Found” folder and click “All found + reconstruction”. A dialog will open where we select “Rescan current file system” and wait for the end of the operation.



    After scanning, DMDE will show a list of found files. We look through the folders and choose what to restore. Unfortunately, you cannot restore entire folders in the free version. To restore one file at a time, right-click and select “Restore object”, then indicate where to restore and click OK.



    It is worth noting that file names are generated automatically and often do not correspond to the original ones. Don't be surprised if some files come out broken or artifacts appear in your photos. By the way, images can sometimes be restored using one of the special utilities. For example, Recuva, R-Studio and “PhotoDOCTOR”. To my great surprise, the latest program restored almost dead photographs in very good quality and with a minimum of artifacts - many of its competitors could not cope with this.

    In general, good luck in your recovery! But it’s better, of course, to immediately rewrite all data from temporary media and make backups.

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