• Raw format what to do. #3 – Using the CHKDSK utility. #4 – Checking the integrity of system files

    One of the problems faced Windows users 10, 8 and Windows 7 - hard drive(HDD and SSD) or disk partition with RAW file system. This is usually accompanied by the messages “To use the disk, first format it” and “ File system volume is not recognized" and when trying to scan such a disk standard means Windows, you will see the message "CHKDSK is not valid for RAW drives."

    The RAW disk format is a kind of “lack of format”, or more precisely of the file system on the disk: this happens with new or faulty hard drives, and in situations where, for no apparent reason, the disk became a RAW format - more often due to system failures, improper shutdown of the computer or power problems, while in the latter case the information on the disk usually remains intact.

    This instruction provides details on how to fix a disk with a RAW file system in different situations: when there is data on it, the system needs to be restored to the previous file system from RAW, or when any important data on the HDD or SSD is missing and formatting disk is not a problem.

    Checking the disk for errors and fixing file system errors

    This option is the first thing to try in all cases where a RAW partition or disk appears. It does not always work, but it is safe and applicable both in cases where the problem has arisen with a disk or data partition, and in cases where the RAW disk is system disk Doesn't boot from Windows or OS.

    In case the operating system is running, just follow these steps

    1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator (in Windows 10 and 8 this is easiest to do through the Win+X menu, which can also be called by right-clicking on the Start button).
    2. Enter the command chkdsk d: /f and press Enter (in this command, d: is the letter of the RAW drive that needs to be corrected).

    After this, two scenarios are possible: if the disk has become RAW due to a simple file system failure, a scan will begin and with a high probability you will see your disk in in the required format(usually NTFS) upon completion. If the matter is more serious, the command will display “CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks.” This means that this method is not suitable for disk recovery.

    In situations where the operating system will not start, you can use the disk Windows recovery 10, 8 or Windows 7 or distribution with operating system, for example, a bootable USB flash drive (I’ll give an example for the second case):

    1. We boot from the distribution kit (its bitness must match the bitness of the installed OS).
    2. Next, either on the screen after selecting the language at the bottom left, select “System Restore” and then open the Command Prompt, or simply press Shift+F10 to open it (on some laptops Shift+Fn+F10).
    3. IN command line use the commands in order
    4. diskpart
    5. list volume(as a result of executing this command, we look at which letter in present moment there is a problem disk, or, more precisely, a partition, since this letter may differ from the one that was in the working system).
    6. exit
    7. chkdsk d: /f(where d: is the letter of the problem drive, which we found out in step 5).

    Here the possible scenarios are the same as those described earlier: either everything will be fixed and after a reboot the system will start in the usual way, or you will see a message stating that you cannot use chkdsk with a RAW disk, then look at the following methods.

    Easily format a disk or RAW partition when there is no important data on it

    The first case is the simplest: it is suitable in situations where you see the RAW file system on a newly purchased disk (this is normal) or if an existing disk or partition on it has this file system, but does not have important data, that is, restore the previous one No disk format required.

    In such a scenario, we can simply format this disk or partition using standard Windows tools (in fact, we can simply agree to the formatting suggestion in Explorer “To use the disk, first format it)

    If for some reason you cannot format the disk in this way, try also by right-clicking on the RAW partition (disk), first “Delete volume”, and then click on the area of ​​​​the disk that is not allocated and “Create a simple volume”. The Volume Creation Wizard will prompt you to specify a drive letter and format it with the desired file system.

    Note: all methods for restoring a RAW partition or disk use the partition structure shown in the screenshot below: system GPT disk with Windows 10, bootable EFI partition, the recovery environment, the system partition, and the E: partition, which is defined as having a RAW file system (this information will hopefully help you better understand the steps below).

    Recovering an NTFS partition from RAW to DMDE

    It is much more unpleasant if the disk that became RAW contained important data and you need to not only format it, but return the partition with this data.

    In this situation, first I recommend trying a free program for data recovery and lost partitions (and not only for this) DMDE, the official website of which is dmde.ru(This guide uses the Windows version of the GUI program.)

    The process of restoring a partition from RAW in a program will generally consist of the following steps:

    Note: in my experiments, when fixing a RAW disk in Windows 10 (UEFI + GPT) using DMDE, immediately after the procedure the system reported disk errors (and the problem disk was accessible and contained all the data that was on it before) and suggested rebooting computer to fix them. After rebooting everything worked fine.

    If you use DMDE to fix the system disk (for example, by connecting it to another computer), keep in mind that the following scenario is possible as a result: the RAW disk will return the original file system, but when connecting it to the “native” computer or laptop, the OS will not load.

    Recovering a RAW disk in TestDisk

    Another way effective search and recovering a disk partition from RAW - free TestDisk program. It is more difficult to use than the previous option, but sometimes turns out to be more effective.

    Attention: Only undertake what is described below if you understand what you are doing and even then be prepared for the possibility that something will go wrong. Save important data to physical disk, different from the one on which the actions are performed. Also stock up on a Windows recovery disk or a distribution kit with the OS (you may need to restore the bootloader, for which I provided instructions above, especially if the disk is GPT, even in cases where it is not the system partition that is being restored).

    If everything went well, correct structure partitions will be written, and after restarting the computer, the disk will be accessible as before. However, as mentioned above, you may need to restore the bootloader, it works fine in Windows 10 automatic recovery when booting into the recovery environment.

    RAW file system on Windows system partition

    In cases where the file system problem has occurred on a partition with Windows 10, 8 or Windows 7, and a simple chkdsk in the recovery environment does not work, you can either connect this drive to another computer with a working system and fix the problem on it, or use LiveCD with tools for recovering partitions on disks.

    • A list of LiveCDs containing TestDisk is available here: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Livecd
    • To restore from RAW using DMDE, you can extract the program files to a bootable USB flash drive based on WinPE and, after booting from it, run executable file programs. The official website of the program also has instructions for creating boot drives DOS.

    There are also third-party LiveCDs specifically designed for partition recovery. However, in my tests, only the paid Active turned out to be workable for RAW sections. Partition Recovery Boot Disk, all others only allow you to restore files, or find only those partitions that were deleted (unallocated space on the disk), ignoring RAW partitions (this is how the Partition Recovery function works in bootable version Minitool Partition Wizard).

    At the same time, boot disk Active Partition Recovery (if you decide to use it) can work with some features:

    1. Sometimes it shows a RAW disk as a regular NTFS, displaying all the files on it, and refuses to restore it (Recover menu item), reporting that the partition is already present on the disk.
    2. If what is described in the first paragraph does not happen, then after recovery using the specified menu item, the disk is displayed as NTFS in Partition Recovery, but remains RAW in Windows.

    Another menu item solves the problem - Fix Boot Sector, even if it is not a system partition (in the next window, after selecting this item, you usually do not need to perform any actions). In this case, the file system of the partition begins to be perceived by the OS, but problems with the bootloader are possible (solved by standard Windows recovery tools), as well as the system being forced to start a disk check at the first start.

    And finally, if it happens that none of the methods could help you, or the proposed options seem frighteningly complicated, it is almost always possible to simply recover important data from RAW partitions and disks, they will help free programs for data recovery.

    Hello.

    This is how you work with hard drive, you work, and then suddenly turn on the computer - and you see a picture in oil: the disk is not formatted, file RAW system, no files are visible and nothing can be copied from it. What to do in this case ( By the way, there are a lot of questions of this kind, which is how the topic of this article was born)?

    Well, first of all, don’t panic and don’t rush, and don’t agree with Windows suggestions (unless, of course, you know 100% what these or those operations mean). It’s better to turn off your PC altogether for now (if you have an external hard drive, disconnect it from your computer or laptop).

    Reasons for the appearance of the RAW file system

    The RAW file system means that the disk is not partitioned (i.e., “raw,” literally translated) and does not have a file system specified on it. This can happen for many reasons, but most often it is:

    • abrupt power shutdown while the computer is running (for example, you turned off the lights, then turned them on - the computer rebooted, and then you see on RAW disk and a suggestion to format it);
    • If we are talking about an external hard drive, then this often happens to them when, when copying information to them, it turns off USB cable(recommended: always before disconnecting the cable, in the tray (next to the clock), press the button to safe shutdown disk);
    • when not proper operation with programs for changing hard drive partitions, formatting them, etc.;
    • also very often, many users connect their external hard disk to the TV - it formats them into its format, and then the PC cannot read it, showing the RAW system (to read such a disk, it is better to use special utilities that can read the file system of the disk into which the TV/TV set-top box formatted it) ;
    • when your PC is infected with virus applications;
    • in the event of a “physical” malfunction of the piece of hardware (it’s unlikely that anything can be done on your own to “save” the data)…

    If the reason for the appearance of the RAW file system is an incorrect disconnection of the disk (or a power outage, an incorrect shutdown of the PC), then in most cases, the data can be safely recovered. In other cases, the chances are lower, but they still exist :).

    Case 1: Windows is loading, the data on the disk is not needed, just to quickly restore the drive’s functionality

    The simplest and quick way getting rid of RAW is just formatting hard drive to another file system (exactly what Windows offers us).

    Attention! During formatting, all information on the hard drive will be deleted. Be careful and if you have necessary files on disk - resorting to this method is not recommended.

    It is best to format a disk from the system disk management(not always and not all disks are visible in “my computer”; besides, in disk management you will immediately see the entire structure of all disks).

    To open it, just go to panel Windows management , then open the section ““, then in the subsection “ Administration» open link « Creating and formatting hard drive partitions"(as in Fig. 1).

    Rice. 1. System and security (Windows 10).

    Next, select the disk that has the RAW file system and format it (you just need to right-click on the desired partition of the disk, then select the “Format” option from the menu, see Fig. 2).

    Rice. 2. Formatting the disk in the exercise. disks.

    After formatting, the disk will be like “new” (without files) - you can now write everything you need onto it (and don’t suddenly disconnect it from the electricity :)).

    Case 2: Windows boots (RAW file system is not on the Windows drive)

    If you need files on the disk, then formatting the disk is highly not recommended! First you need to try checking the disk for errors and correcting them - in most cases the disk starts working normally normal mode. Let's look at the steps step by step.

    1) First go to disk management (Control Panel/System and Security/Administration/Creating and formatting hard drive partitions ), see above in the article.

    2) Remember the drive letter on which you have the RAW file system.

    3) Launch command line on behalf of the administrator. In Windows 10, this is done simply: right-click on the START menu, and in the pop-up menu select “ Command Line (Administrator)«.

    5) After entering the command, checking and correcting errors, if any, should begin. Quite often in the end Windows checks You will be informed that the errors have been corrected and no further action is required. This means you can start working with the disk; in this case, the RAW file system changes to your previous one (usually FAT 32 or NTFS).

    Rice. 4. There are no errors (or they have been corrected) - everything is in order.

    Case 3: Windows won't boot (RAW on Windows disc)

    1) What to do if not installation disk(flash drives) with Windows...

    In this case, there is a simple solution: remove the hard drive from the computer (laptop) and insert it into another computer. Next, check it for errors on another computer (see above in the article) and if they are corrected, continue to use it.

    You can also resort to another option: take a boot disk from someone and make Windows installation to another disk, and then after booting from it, check the one that is marked as RAW.

    2) If you have an installation disk...

    Everything is much simpler :). First, we boot from it, and instead of installing, select system recovery (this link is always in the lower left corner of the window at the beginning of the installation, see Fig. 5).

    Next, among the recovery menu, find command line and launch it. In it we need to run hard check the drive on which Windows is installed. How to do this, because the letters have changed, because... Did we boot from a flash drive (installation disk)?

    1. Quite simple: first launch notepad from the command line (command notepad and look in it for which drives and with which letters. Remember the drive letter on which you have Windows installed).

    2. Then close notepad and run the scan using the already known method: chkdsk d: /f (and ENTER).

    By the way, usually the drive letter is shifted by 1: i.e. if the system drive is “C:”, then when booting from the installation disk, it becomes the letter “D:”. But this does not always happen, there are exceptions!

    If the above methods did not help, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with TestDisk. Quite often it helps in solving problems with hard drives.

    If you need to retrieve deleted data from your hard drive (or flash drive), I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the list of the most famous programs to recover data: ( you'll definitely pick something up).

    Best wishes!

    Most often, the disk file system changes to RAW after the computer was turned off incorrectly, when the lights were turned off, or the user saved time and pulled out the power cord system unit from the socket. Another reason is viruses that change NTFS to RAW format HDD drives. How to fix this problem, read this article.

    What is the RAW file system?

    If the disk is in RAW format, Windows will display it among other hard drive partitions. But when you try to open it, the computer will give you an error and ask you to format it. In addition, any actions with this volume will be unavailable: error checking, defragmentation, etc. (it is useful to read “”).

    There is no RAW file system as such. If the disk receives this formatting, it means that the computer drivers are not able to determine the type of its file system - NTFS, FAT or FAT32. In practice, this happens in several cases:

    • the file system structure is damaged;
    • The partition has not been formatted;
    • There is no correct access to the contents of the volume.

    If the OS volume is damaged, warnings “Reboot and select proper” will appear when you boot the computer. boot device" or "Operating System not found».

    Recovery

    If the problem occurs on non-system drive, but it contains important information, which will disappear during formatting, use standard Windows tools or third-party programs to fix the error.

    Windows tools

    It mainly helps to fix formatting problems in RAW standard utility chkdsk.

    After checking, the computer will be restored bad sectors and file NTFS system on the problematic volume.

    Important! This method is effective if the flash drive or hard drive has been formatted in NTFS.

    The chkdsk utility will also help when the system disk is damaged. But for this you will need a boot disk or flash drive.

    1. Start the computer from a bootable USB flash drive or disk → Select “System Restore”.
    2. Advanced options -> command line -> enter chkdsk drive_letter: /f.

    In the recovery environment, the partition letters are different from the name logical drives. To avoid mistakes, open the list of computer partitions in the command line.

    Enter diskpart → list volume → the list will indicate which disk is the system one.

    Third party programs

    There are third-party programs that help restore the NTFS file system if for some reason it was reformatted to RAW. They do not damage the user’s information stored on the volume, unlike the chkdsk utility, which can “affect” them during the recovery process.

    MiniTool Power Data Recovery

    Important! This method is most effective if the RAW file system appears on a flash drive.


    TestDisk

    It's multifunctional free utility, working with sections of hard disk using a large number of options. The program is presented in portable version, therefore does not require installation. The main disadvantage of TestDisk is that it does not have a Russified interface.

    1. Download the archive with the program → run the file testdisk_win.exe as administrator → select “create” → enter.
    2. Use the up/down arrows to select required disk→ enter.
    3. Specify desired type partition tables (the utility will do this automatically) → enter.
    4. To search for “lost” partitions, select “Analyze” → enter → Quick Search → enter.
    5. The utility will find “lost” volumes → press “p” to view the list of files.

    An alternative way to restore NTFS formatting of a partition is presented in the video.

    Most often, the disk file system changes to RAW after the computer was turned off incorrectly, when the lights were turned off, or the user saved time and pulled out the power cord of the system unit from the outlet. Another reason is viruses that change the NTFS to RAW format of HDD drives. How to fix this problem, read this article.

    What is the RAW file system?

    If the disk is in RAW format, Windows will display it among other hard drive partitions. But when you try to open it, the computer will give you an error and ask you to format it. In addition, any actions with this volume will be unavailable: checking for errors, defragmenting, etc. (it is useful to read “How to check the integrity of Windows 10 system files and restore them?”).


    There is no RAW file system as such. If the disk receives this formatting, it means that the computer drivers are not able to determine the type of its file system - NTFS, FAT or FAT32. In practice, this happens in several cases:


    • the file system structure is damaged;

    • The partition has not been formatted;

    • There is no correct access to the contents of the volume.

    If the OS volume is damaged, the “Reboot and select proper boot device” or “Operating System not found” warnings will appear when the computer boots.

    Recovery

    If the problem occurs on a non-system drive, but it contains important information that will be lost when formatted, use standard Windows tools or third-party programs to fix the error.

    Windows tools

    Basically, the standard chkdsk utility helps fix problems with formatting in RAW.



    After checking, the computer will repair damaged sectors and the NTFS file system on the problematic volume.


    Important! This method is effective if the flash drive or hard drive has been formatted in NTFS.


    The chkdsk utility will also help when the system disk is damaged. But for this you will need a boot disk or flash drive.


    1. Start the computer from a bootable USB flash drive or disk → Select “System Restore”.

    2. Advanced options -> command line -> enter chkdsk drive_letter: /f.

    In the recovery environment, the partition letters are different from the names of the logical drives. To avoid mistakes, open the list of computer partitions in the command line.


    Enter diskpart → list volume → the list will indicate which disk is the system one.

    Third party programs

    There are third-party programs that help restore the NTFS file system if for some reason it was reformatted to RAW. They do not damage the user’s information stored on the volume, unlike the chkdsk utility, which can “affect” them during the recovery process.

    MiniTool Power Data Recovery

    Important! This method is most effective if the RAW file system appears on a flash drive.



    TestDisk

    This is a multifunctional free utility that works with hard drive partitions using a large number of options. The program is presented in a portable version, so it does not require installation. The main disadvantage of TestDisk is that it does not have a Russified interface.



    An alternative way to restore NTFS formatting of a partition is presented in the video.

    RAW is the format that the hard drive receives if the system cannot determine its file system type. This situation can happen for various reasons, but the result is the same: the hard drive cannot be used. Although it will appear as connected, any actions will not be available.

    The solution is to restore the previous file system, and this can be done in several ways.

    Our hard drives have an NTFS or FAT file system. As a result of certain events, it may change to RAW, which means that the system cannot determine which file system the hard drive is running on. Essentially, it looks like there is no file system.

    This may happen in the following cases:

    • Damage to the file system structure;
    • The user did not format the partition;
    • The contents of the volume cannot be accessed.

    Such problems appear due to system failures, improper shutdown of the computer, unstable power supply, or even due to viruses. In addition, owners of new disks that were not formatted before use may encounter this error.

    If the volume with the operating system is damaged, then instead of starting it you will see the message "Operating System not found", or other similar notice. In other cases, when you try to perform any action on the disk, you may see the following message: "The volume file system is not recognized" or "To use the disk, first format it".

    Recovering a file system from RAW

    The recovery procedure itself is not very complicated, but many users are afraid of losing information that is recorded on the HDD. Therefore, we will look at several ways to change RAW format- with the removal of all existing information on disk and saved user files and data.

    In some cases, the drive may receive the RAW format incorrectly. Before you take action further actions, try the following: restart your computer, and if that doesn't help, run HDD connection to another connector on motherboard. To do this:


    Method 2: Check the disk for errors

    This method is where you should start changing the format if previous actions were not successful. It’s worth making a reservation right away - it does not help in all cases, but it is simple and universal. It can be launched while the operating system is running, or using a bootable USB flash drive.

    If you have a new empty disk in RAW format or the new RAW partition does not contain files (or important files), then it’s better to go straight to method 2.

    Running Disk Check in Windows

    If the operating system is running, then follow these steps:

    Checking the disk using a bootable USB flash drive

    If the disk with the operating system “flies”, you need to use bootable flash drive to run the chkdsk scanning tool.


    Method 3: Recovering the file system on an empty disk

    If you encounter this problem when connecting a new drive, then this is normal. A newly purchased disk usually does not have a file system and should be formatted before first use.

    There is already an article on our website dedicated to the first connecting hard disk to the computer.

    Method 4: Recovering the file system while saving files

    If there is any important data on the problem disk, then the formatting method will not work, and you will have to use third party programs, which will help restore the file system.

    The DMDE program is free and effective in HDD recovery at different problems, including the RAW error. It does not require installation and can be launched after unpacking the distribution.


    Important: Immediately after the recovery, you may receive notifications of disk errors and a prompt to reboot. Follow this recommendation to resolve possible problems, and the next time you start the computer, the disk should work properly.

    If you decide to use this program to restore a disk with an installed operating system by connecting it to another PC, then a slight difficulty may arise. After a successful recovery, when you connect the disk back, the OS may not boot. If this happens, you need to perform a restore Windows boot loader 7/10.

  • Format the disk to the desired file system.
    Most likely, you have a modern PC or laptop, so you need to format it in NTFS.
  • Transfer the files back.

    • We looked at various options for fixing the HDD file system from RAW format to NTFS or FAT. We hope this guide helped you fix your hard drive problem.

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