As you know, if the structure of the file system of a logical disk is damaged in any way, the operating system and all programs that are accustomed to a clear and harmonious structuring begin to experience difficulties in determining the type of file system of the damaged partitions. In such cases, a meaningful entry appears in the “logical disk properties” line: RAW. Here are just a few possible reasons its occurrence: hardware failure, program failure, virus invasion.
For one reason or another, incorrect values for a logical disk appear in the partition table (for example, MBR), and damage occurs in boot sector system or in the MFT (master file table in an NTFS system) area. You can try to correct minor errors in system data; if things are really bad, you can at least restore the necessary files.
Correct mistakes? Maybe!
At its core, RAW is not a separate file system type. Your disk was and remains formatted in FAT or NTFS. However, it will no longer be possible to work with it according to the standard scheme - the disk simply will not open or will require formatting. And if you intend to save as much information as possible stored on a broken disk (yes, it hasn’t disappeared anywhere yet!), we strongly do not recommend agreeing with the latter. It may not be possible to return the “FAT” or “NTFS” entry to the disk properties. But it’s easy to recover all the necessary information from it!
So, first, let's find out whether our file system is actually RAW. We check the “properties” of the disk using context menu in the “My Computer” tab. If the "type" line says " local disk", and in the line "file system" - "RAW", it’s time to start the data recovery process. By the way, for this it is better to choose a proven and effective recovery program. If your data is really important to you, it is better not to be seduced by dubious offers with promises of all kinds of “bonuses”.
Second life of the system...
RS Partition Recovery is a reliable tool for recovering data from inaccessible, formatted, broken disks. In most cases, the program is able to recover partition data even after severe damage, reconstruct logical drive, restart the system literally from scratch!
Even if you managed to format a disk with a damaged structure, it is possible to save your data! The “deep analysis” function used by RS Partition Recovery will scan and analyze all pieces of data saved on the disk, and based on them, it will recreate the partition structure and return the disappeared files in a form completely suitable for further use.
How to do it?
A smart program can bypass the blocking of access to the partition structure, which is activated after the system is converted to RAW. Moreover, if you did not have time to format the disk, recovery will be really quick and painless. If the goal is to get your data back after formatting, just be patient. The results of RS Partition Recovery are worth it!
Just download and install the program (on any disk or other media except the one being restored), start scanning the required disks. In a new program window you will see all files available for recovery. Save them - also on any disk other than the one being restored.
Faster and convenient work The recovered information will be processed using the “Preview” and file sorting functions according to various parameters. Use a competent program - and forever forget about all the unpleasant emotions associated with the word “RAW”!
One of the problems faced Windows users 10, 8 and Windows 7 - HDD(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 rather a file system on the disk: this happens with new or faulty hard drives, and in situations where for no reason the disk has become 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 the RAW file system in different situations: When there is data on it, the system needs to restore the previous file system from RAW, or when there is no important data on the HDD or SSD and formatting the 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 a problem has arisen with a disk or data partition, and in cases where the RAW disk is a system disk with Windows and the OS does not boot.
In case the operating system is running, just follow these steps
- 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).
- 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.” It 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):
- We boot from the distribution kit (its bitness must match the bitness of the installed OS).
- 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).
- On the command line we use the commands in order
- diskpart
- list volume(as a result of executing this command, we look at what letter the problematic disk, or, more precisely, partition, is currently located under, since this letter may differ from the one that was in the working system).
- exit
- 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 as usual, 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 with standard using Windows(essentially, you can just agree to the formatting suggestion in Explorer "To use the drive, format it first)
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, the EFI boot 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’s 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 the program in general case will 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.
In case you are using DMDE to fix 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 you connect it to your “native” computer or laptop, the OS will not boot.
Recovering a RAW disk in TestDisk
Another way to effectively search and recover a disk partition from RAW is the 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 a physical disk other than the one you are working on. 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, the correct partition structure 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 WinPE-based bootable USB flash drive and, after booting from it, run executable file programs. The program's official website also has instructions for creating bootable DOS drives.
There are also third-party LiveCDs specifically designed for partition recovery. However, in my tests, only the paid Active Partition Recovery turned out to be workable for RAW partitions 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 the bootable version of Minitool Partition Wizard).
Wherein, boot disk Active Partition Recovery (if you decide to use it) can work with some features:
- 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.
- 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 we are not talking about 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.
How to recover data from a disk or partition whose file system is defined as RAW?
First you need to answer what a file file is. RAW system?
In fact, the RAW file system does not exist, and defining the partition file system as RAW means that none of the file system drivers installed in the operating system recognized the file system name of the disk or partition.
If the disk file system is recognized as RAW, reading data, assigning a volume label, and other operations with this partition become impossible.
In this case, the operating system displays the size of the partition and, when accessing it, offers to format it.
RAW hard drive
Rice. 1 Hard drive is displayed as RAW
If the operating system cannot recognize the file system of the hard drive, it will display it as RAW. In this case, the user will not have access to data or disk partitions.
However, its capacity, free space and used space will be displayed as “0” (zero). This means that all data from the disk is lost.
They are not available to the user for viewing or copying.
RAW hard drive partition
There are times when, as a result of a virus attack or damage, only one of the disk partitions will be displayed as RAW.
When you try to open such a disk, Windows will report an error and the need to format it.
Formatting such a partition will make it available for further use, but will lead to the loss of all data stored on it.
Reasons why a hard drive or partition may become RAW
The reasons can be very diverse, but if we summarize them, the following can be called the main ones.
For the entire disk:
- Connection or drive cable problems. Sometimes a hard drive can be detected as RAW if its connection cable is damaged or there is poor contact in the connector.
- Broken sectors. Availability of large quantity bad sectors on the disk may damage its file system.
- Damage to the file system structure. In addition to a large number of bad sectors, the file system can also be damaged for other reasons.
- Partition table damage. Regardless of the reasons for the damage to the partition table, if it is damaged, the entire disk will be detected as RAW.
- Reinstalling or restoring the operating system.
- As a result of exposure to viruses. Malicious software can change or delete important settings or information on your hard drive.
For a disk partition:
- Viruses. Virus programs can, for example, damage the part of the hard disk partition table that indicates the beginning and end of the partition.
- Reinstalling Windows.
- Quantity hard drives and sections. Too much a large number of disks and partitions on the computer can lead to the appearance of RAW partitions.
Methods for restoring a RAW disk
If Windows boots, and the data from the RAW disk has no value for the user.
This is the easiest and fastest way to restore the functionality of a RAW disk or partition.
In this case, it is enough to simply format it in order to be able to use it in the future.
It, of course, does not imply saving or restoring data, but the user must understand that such a possibility exists.
If Windows reports an error and the need to format it, just click the “Format disk” button.
Fig.2 Formatting the disk
If the operating system does not inform the user about the error, but after checking the properties of the disk, the absence of a file system is visible or the disk is not displayed in the “This PC” folder, then you can format it using the Disk Management menu (Fig. 3).
To do this, go to Disk Management by clicking right click mouse on the Start menu.
In the window that opens, find a disk with the RAW file system (it will be signed as such), right-click on it and select Format.
When Windows boots, it is important not to lose data from the RAW disk.
If the data of a disk or partition that is defined as RAW is important to you, then do not rush to format it.
First, try checking such a disk for errors and fixing them. This may restore its functionality.
For this:
- Go to Disk Management (see above).
- Remember the drive letter of the RAW file system.
Note: if the drive does not have a letter, assign one to it. To do this, click on the desired disk right-click and select “Change drive letter or drive path” (Fig. 4).
- Run Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, right-click on the Start menu and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”
- Enter the command chkdsk D: /f (instead of D: - specify your drive letter) and press Enter (Fig. 5).
- After running the command, the process of checking and correcting errors will begin. Often, after Windows checks reports that all errors have been corrected. After that, try going to your disk again, the RAW file system should change to the one that was originally (FAT or NTFS).
If Windows does NOT boot and the disk on which the operating system is installed is defined as RAW.
If the user does not have installation disk:
- you need to disconnect the hard drive from the computer and connect it to another. Using another computer, this hard drive can be checked for errors using the method described above or scanned using a data recovery program.
If you have an installation disk available:
- Boot your computer using the installation disc and select Repair your computer instead of installing.
- In the recovery menu, find and select Command Prompt. Use it to check for errors on the disk on which Windows is installed.
For this:
- Enter in Command line Notepad command. As a result of executing this command, a Notepad window will open in a new window.
- Select File/Open and look for availability and drive letters.
- Run the Command Line to check and fix errors on the disk on which the operating system is located.
Rice. 8 Running check and execution and disk errors from the command line
Recovering data from a RAW disk using data recovery software
If none of the described methods restored the functionality of the hard drive or partition, then another way to recover disk data is data recovery programs.
There are many and varied programs for data and file recovery today.
But in in this case For the user, only one of them is suitable that is capable of recovering information from a RAW disk or partition.
That is, from a disk or partition from a missing or damaged file system.
Here you should pay attention to the so-called Raw Recovery or Partition Recovery programs.
The principle of their operation is similar, there may be differences in some functions and interface.
For clarity, let's look at the process of restoring data from a RAW partition using Hetman Partition Recovery(the program can be downloaded from the developer’s website).
After the user launches the program, he will be provided with a list of all disks and partitions on the computer. You need to select the RAW section and double-click on it.
In our case, this is Disk (E:).
A special feature of the program is that it recovers data from disks or partitions with any file system, which it detects automatically, without the need for the user to make additional settings.
That is, the user just needs to select the required type of analysis in the next window and wait for it to finish (in this case, it is recommended to carry out “Full analysis”).
Depending on the size of the disk being scanned, the analysis process can take from 15 minutes to several hours.
As a result, the program will display all detected files and arrange them into folders in accordance with the extensions of the found files.
Transfer the necessary files to the recovery list and click "Recover", optionally viewing or listening to them in the preview window.
Also about how to recover data from other storage media.
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 disks have a file NTFS system or FAT. 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 the RAW format - removing all existing information on the disk and preserving user files and data.
In some cases, the drive may receive the RAW format incorrectly. Before taking further action, try the following: restart your computer, and if this does not help, connect the HDD to a different slot on the motherboard. For 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 newly created RAW partition does not contain files (or important files), then it is better to immediately proceed 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 recovering HDDs for various problems, including RAW errors. 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.
Most likely, you have a modern PC or laptop, so you need to format it in NTFS.
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.
Due to improper shutdown of the computer (for example, during a sudden power outage), errors made when working with applications that interfere with the file system (for example, Acronis Disc) or as a result of infection of the PC with malware, the structure hard drive may be damaged. Because of this, one of its sections (or its entirety) may stop working. The easiest way to get rid of the error is to run HDD check standard utility Windows CHKDSK. However, in some cases, when trying to launch it, the user may see a message: CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks - we’ll figure out what to do in this case in the text below.
IN Windows disks RAW drives are called drives that do not have any file system. For example, if you delete a partition of your hard drive through one of the utilities, it will take on the RAW state. If the file system of a partition is critically damaged, it can also become RAW, since the OS will not be able to load and read the file system table.
Thus, if the disk worked normally, files were freely written to it, but now it does not open, and CHKDSK utility does not want to correct errors on it, then there is a rather serious problem, which, in most cases, can be corrected only in one way - formatting. We will fix it next CHKDSK error not valid for RAW discs.
How to restore functionality to a RAW disk
If the hard drive partition you are interested in does not have important files, then returning it to service will not be a problem. To do this you will need to do the following:
- Open “Control Panel”;
- Go to the “System and Security” section;
- Select "Create and format hard sections disk";
- In the window that opens, select the desired section;
- Right-click on it and click on “Format” in the drop-down menu;
- A window will open in which you need to select NTFS in the “File system” item;
- Click “Ok” and wait for the process to complete.
- After this, you can restart your computer (although this is not necessary).
However, if the partition that has now become RAW has important information, then you will need to restore it. Therefore, you will have to wait with formatting and perform a number of actions:
- Download the TestDisk program (it’s free) from the developer’s official website and unpack it anywhere;
- Go to the program folder and find the TestDisk.exe file;
- In the window that opens, select the “No Log” option;
- Select the damaged disk and click on Proceed;
- After this, you will need to specify the disk type, in our case – Intel/PC;
- Having done this, you will need to select Quick search and press P;
- After some time, a list of folders and files that the program found on the partition will be displayed;
- Select the ones you need and copy to your working partition.
Once the necessary files are in a safe place, you can begin formatting.
Be aware that after formatting (especially full formatting), it will be impossible to restore the files that were on the damaged disk. Therefore, be sure to make sure that you save all the important data that you found using the TestDisk program.
Fixing the message CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks [video]
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