Program for recovering hdd from raw. Recovering an NTFS file system from RAW

If at one point you connect your removable drive with a bunch of important information to your computer, you see the message “To use the disk in drive n:, first format it. Do you want to format it?”, then this article is just for you.

Restoring a flash drive after converting it to RAW format.

First, let's figure out what RAW is. After all, everyone is accustomed to seeing familiar file systems on their drives, such as NTFS, FAT32. They are used for both SSDs and hard drives and flash drives.

The file system is needed so that the disks can function and communicate with the computer. Thanks to it, the computer translates information into binary code, which it understands and with which it can work, and the user already sees the result of this work: photographs, text, videos, audio recordings, games and applications. What exactly is RAW? Without going into too much detail, RAW is a glitch, a system error. Let's figure out why this problem occurs.

Why did the flash drive become RAW?

If the file system on your flash drive suddenly becomes RAW, it means that there have been various types of failures while working with it or your computer. Starting from banal system failures, ending with the operation of a malicious program, the so-called virus. If you are sure that the failure occurred due to a virus - when you connected the flash drive, the antivirus informed you that there was a threat on it, but you ignored these warnings - then first you should scan the system and eliminate the original source of the problem, namely the virus that caused you have a lot of problems.

The virus could also get onto your computer via the Internet; to prevent infection in the future, you should be more selective in choosing sites when searching for this or that information, focusing on trusted sites. It is also quite possible for physical damage to the drive, for example, due to a fall, voltage drop in the computer, or improper removal of the flash drive.

So now you know why this problem occurs. The main thing is, do not rush to format the flash drive, you will lose all the files on it. You can try to “revive” it with the built-in Windows utility or other third-party programs that are publicly available on the Internet.

How to fix RAW format on a flash drive

If you don’t need the data on the flash drive, then you can safely format it using the built-in tools. But if it contains valuable data, you need to fix this problem. This raises the question: how to fix a flash drive in RAW format?

There is no need to despair, everything can be restored without loss, however, everything is not always so easy and cloudless. If you have little idea what to do if the flash drive is in RAW format, then you should still contact a specialized service center, where they will restore all the data for a fee. If you are confident in yourself, then you can restore the flash drive yourself. There are special programs to solve this problem.

How to fix the RAW format on a flash drive? You should start with the built-in program, which is launched via the command line. You just need to enter the command in the command line field: chkdsk n: /n, where n is the letter indicating the drive that you want to “cure”, and the second /n is the function of fixing the file system during scanning. If the built-in program does not cope with this problem, it will display the message “Chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks.” But don’t be upset, there are still many third-party programs that will help in the fight against this ill-fated RAW.

If the built-in program is powerless, the relatively free DMDE program will come to the rescue, which can be downloaded from the official website. Launching and installing this utility is not difficult, so we won’t dwell on it in detail. After installing and launching the application, you will see two windows. On the left, select “Phys. Device”, on the right - a problematic flash drive. Double click on it. At this moment, an express scan of the contents of the flash drive will take place.

Go to the “Found” folder, then to the “All found + reconstructions” folder, then click “Rescan entire volume” and confirm your actions. Now be patient, because the larger the capacity of your flash drive, the longer the scanning will take. After completing this procedure, in the window you will see all the files contained on the flash drive before it failed, but keep in mind that they will have completely different names. Then you can start restoring them.

If, after all that has been done, nothing worked for you or the functionality of this program does not meet your requirements, you should consider another option, namely MiniTool Power Data Recovery. There is a free version of the program, the functionality of which is limited only by the maximum weight of the restored file (up to 1 GB).

1. After installing and running this utility, you must specify the drive from which you want to recover data.
2. Select a flash drive. MiniTool Power Data Recovery will show you the files it contains. You can select all or only the necessary ones.
3. In order to save files, you need to click the Save Files button (located on the left, blue).
4. Next, the program will ask you to specify the directory (disk) where you want to save the files from the ill-fated flash drive. And she will also warn you so that you do not think of saving data to the flash drive from which you are restoring it.

From this moment the copying process will begin; the duration can be a decent amount of time, which depends on the size of the files and the computing power of the computer. After all your manipulations, wait for the copying to complete. That's all, all that remains is to check the necessary files in the folder where you saved them to see if they are readable. And actually start “resurrecting” the flash drive. That is, simply format it.

What to do if the flash drive cannot be formatted in RAW format

It would be useful to touch upon one more aspect of this problem, namely: what to do if the flash drive cannot be formatted in RAW format? If you managed to extract the files using the above program, you now need to think about how to restore a flash drive that has become a RAW format and return it to its previous functionality. Go to “My Computer”, right-click on the drive and select “Format”. If after this the same ill-fated RAW format remains, then not everything is so rosy and you will have to “sweat a little”.

In this case, to restore the flash drive, it is necessary to perform the so-called low-level “deep” formatting of the drive. Unfortunately, Windows itself cannot do this, but the wonderful NDD Low Level Format utility, which is distributed shareware, will come to the rescue.

Working with this utility is simple:

1. Launch it in “Continue for free” mode to continue using it for free. In this case, the functionality of the free version will be enough for us.
2. In the window that opens, select the drive.
3. Next, in the window that opens, go to the “LOW-LEVEL FORMAT” tab, click “Format this device” and confirm this action.

After completing the low-level formatting process, the duration of which depends on the computing power of the computer and the size of the flash drive, a message will appear that you need to format the flash drive using built-in Windows utilities in order to restore the “normal” file system. When formatting, specify your preferred NTFS or FAT32 format, but remember that the FAT32 file system does not allow storing large single files, so if you download movies, games and similar “heavy” files, the NTSF file system is perfect for you.

To sum up all of the above, I would like to say that there is nothing terrible in this problem and everything can be solved. Even if your flash drive contains very important files, documents, etc., there is no need to hang your nose. If you do everything correctly, you will recover all your files without loss.

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 also 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.
Open 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 appears 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.

Greetings, dear readers! Perhaps every PC user knows that any operating system has partitions for storing data. We also use removable hard drives, CD and DVD drives, and flash cards to store information.

In order for them to fully function, a file system is necessary, thanks to which the computer first translates the information into a form it understands, necessary for reading by the device itself, and then converts it into a form that is suitable for viewing photographs, texts, videos and other things. , directly by users.

Today, the most popular file systems are NTFS and FAT: they are used both for hard drives inside the operating system and for flash drives.

Now let's try to figure it out: what is the RAW file system? What needs to be done to return the ntfs or fat32 file system to your removable storage device. So, to be more precise, we can say that Raw is a failure, an error of the existing system, and perhaps even its complete destruction. The file system becomes inoperable and the user cannot access files stored on the device. If an error occurs on a computer or laptop, your operating system will not boot and the device will display information about the error.

If this happened on a flash drive, then you will receive a message stating that you need to reformat the memory card. And when you open the “Properties” column of your flash drive, you will see that the file system is RAW.

Outwardly it usually looks like this:

Why does this happen? It must be remembered that all memory storage devices are very vulnerable, not only technically, but also physically - damage to your flash card can occur even in the event of a normal fall.

Also, it is worth remembering that a similar problem can be caused by a sudden voltage drop in the computer, an unexpected disconnection from the network, or improper removal of the flash drive from the computer. Remember that you cannot leave the flash card when you turn off the device. In addition, the most common cause of failures not only in the operation of flash cards, but also in the operation of the entire computer is all kinds of viruses that enter the system from the Internet.

They are the cause of many errors and can destroy both individual files and the entire file system. Therefore, if you want to prevent the problem, then you should approach the installation of anti-virus programs seriously and responsibly.

However, do not despair right away - most problems with file systems are quite solvable, and the RAW system can be returned to NTFS and FAT without loss. However, there are situations when it is very problematic to return the ntfs or fat32 file system to your flash drive.

How to return ntfs or fat32?

To restore your flash drive, you should contact specialists at a service center, who will probably know what to do, and in ninety cases out of a hundred, they will be able to save your storage device. So, if when you connect the flash drive, a message pops up on the computer screen, something like this character - “To use a disk in a drive, first format it,” then do not rush to format, read this article:

If you are quite confident in your own abilities, or cannot get to the service due to any other circumstances, then you can try to restore the flash card yourself. However, it is necessary to remember that the formatting offered by Windows may lead to the fact that the device itself will be able to work, but all the information stored on it will be deleted without a trace, and even professionals will not be able to restore it later. Therefore, do not rush to apply formatting - it is much better to use special programs offered for these cases.

File system recovery programs

The most common program among users, which can also be downloaded for free, can be called RECUVA. Very easy to use, so it is suitable even for novice users. The downside is that not all files can be recovered. I have already talked about this program in more detail in.

The UndeletePlus program is also quite easy to use, works with flash drives, hard drives and other memory storage devices and is suitable for recovering deleted files.

During the process, you will need to select a specific reason for deleting information and indicate which files need to be restored. The program is perfect for recovering recently lost information, and will not cope with serious damage.

R-studio is a professional program that is one of the best for data recovery from any media. The advantages of the program are that it restores information, regardless of the degree of damage, and can be launched from a CD or flash drive if Windows does not start. This program is a paid one, although if the information stored on the media was important, then purchasing the program is certainly worth it.

Another way to get back the “NTFS” and “FAT32” file systems are recovery utilities. You just need to copy all the files contained on the media to another media using any of the numerous recovery utilities.
They usually manage to recognize all folders and files, regardless of errors and damage that prevent the operating system from doing so.

An excellent utility for restoring the functionality of a flash card is Transcend. Very simple and easy to use: you just need to act as written in the master’s advice.

Downloaded for free on the official website. Its detailed description is also given here.

Adata also offers its own utility for recovering files on flash drives, and the manufacturer undertakes to solve almost any problem - from the fact that you are told that the disk is not formatted and to other errors that make the drive unreadable.

If all the data on the flash drive is displayed as shortcuts, then read this article:

You can also find a utility for flash drive recovery on the manufacturer’s official website, since many manufacturers post useful programs that help get rid of problems on flash drives and return them to excellent performance.

If none of the listed utilities suits you, then you can choose one for your flash drive yourself by going to the “iFlash” website. I suggest you watch the following video for clarity:

If none of the methods listed above helped you restore the file system, then there is only one thing left to do - reflash the device at a service center. I am finishing this article for today; I hope that the information presented in today’s article will help you return a full-fledged and functional file system with all the important data on it to your removable drive. See you all in the next article.

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.

Hard disk drives (HDDs), which for various reasons are not detected by the operating system, receive RAW status and access to them is no longer possible. When you try to open such a disk, Windows advises you to format it, but if you follow this recommendation, all recorded information will disappear. It is advisable to restore an acceptable format: NTFS or FAT32.

The sources of problems with the HDD can be different, and before doing anything to restore the format, it is worth identifying them. Here are the most common:

1. Connection failures. For example, the user incorrectly disconnected the disk or the power supply stopped and the file system became corrupted.
2. The cable that connects the drive to the board is broken.
3. Malicious software that violates the data structure.
4. Errors that occurred when reinstalling or updating the OS.
5. In the case of a flash drive, the reason for changing the format to RAW may also be a malfunction of the USB connectors.
6. Malfunctions of the PC motherboard.
7. Errors when working with Acronis Disk Director.

Format recovery

To restore NTFS format from RAW, try the following:

Restoring format using special programs

If, when you try to check the HDD using the method described above, a message appears: “CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks,” you can use programs that allow you to restore the NTFS format from RAW. Let's look at the most popular of them.

DMDE

DMDE is a utility that looks for damaged partitions in the file system and helps restore the disk to NTFS status. After downloading and installing the program, you need to do the following:

1. Launch the application.
2. On the left, check the box next to the phrases “Physical devices” and “Show partitions”.
3. Select the damaged drive and click OK. After this, the utility will find the RAW section and indicate it with a crossed out icon. If this does not happen, perform a full scan (the corresponding button is located at the bottom of the window).
4. Now try to open the RAW volume and click “Recover” and then “Apply settings”.
5. After this, as a rule, the HDD format changes to NTFS.

DMDE program window

IMPORTANT. If you are trying to return the NTFS status to the system disk and do it from another PC, then after the operation is completed and the HDD is returned to its place, the old computer will still display it in RAW format, so it is advisable to first restore the Windows bootloader.

Recuva

A simple and easy-to-use program that can fix RAW disks and flash drives. The procedure is as follows:

1. Launch the application, select “Recover all files”, mark the damaged disk and click “Start”.
2. The utility will detect files with a broken structure and correct the format to NTFS.

Piriform Recuva program window

TestDisk

The third utility that restores the disk format. Just download and run it, and then:

1. Select New, press Enter.
2. Then click on the problematic HDD, then Enter again and select Analyze and Quick Search.
3. After executing the command, select Write to restore the information structure.

TestDisk window

If all these manipulations lead to nothing, most likely the disk has mechanical damage or its components do not interact correctly and it would be more advisable to show it to a specialist.