Restore the file system without formatting. Format raw file system
Every operating system contains storage devices, and for them to work, a file system is required. With its help, the computer converts information (photos, music, videos) into a binary system, in other words, into a language that it understands. After this, the data is organized and further transformed for viewing by the user.
Storage devices- This is very vulnerable technical equipment. Damage occurs in both the logical partition and the physical partition. Most hard drive problems are fatal and require hardware replacement, but there are also solvable problems. The RAW file system is of this type.
Raw file system - what is it?
As was previously said, HDD has a file system. The most popular are NTFS and FAT, which can be used for both hard drive, and for flash drives.
But what is the RAW file system? No matter how contradictory it may sound, this is the absence of any system at all! In other words, this is a critical error in the existing file system and Windows does not recognize it. It occurs due to the inoperability of the file system. As a result, technical information about the media is not displayed and access to files is impaired.
Let's look at the features of the RAW system
1.
Access to the device is denied, and if the file system on your computer or laptop is faulty, Windows will not boot and you will see an error.
2.
If such an incident occurs with a removable drive, an advertisement will pop up telling you about the need for formatting.
3.
Open the “properties” of the drive and in the displayed information column, you will see “File system type – RAW”.
Why does the flash drive have the RAW file system?
For such dramatic changes to occur in the file system, one reason from the “gentleman’s set” is enough:
- Incorrect shutdown of the computer, power surge and disconnection of the computer from the network with a USB flash drive connected! Such treatment can also affect the computer’s file system and cause fatal problems with other components.
- Malfunctions operating system can also cause this problem.
- The most common cause is viral infection. After all, it was not fools who came up with the idea of installing anti-virus programs.
- Physical damage to the drive, which can also cause loss of information.
- Processes occurring at the file system structure level. Problems with the boot sector, broken partition geometry values, etc.
The appearance of a RAW file system is not fatal in most cases, and recovery of user data is possible. There are exceptions, this is due to physical damage incompatible with life.
It is recommended to contact a service center, where specialists will carry out the necessary operations to restore the flash drive and the data on it. This can be done with your own efforts, but you should be very careful not to aggravate the situation and not lose all the information. 
To return the file NTFS system You can use one of these programs:
- Hard DISK Format Tool,
- Recovery Tool,
- Acronis Disk Director.
- Online service – RecoveryOnLine.
- Reformat the disk to NTFS using MS Windows.
If using these programs did not help solve the problem, then in the global storage you need to find out which controller the drive has and reflash it, but this is a very difficult procedure and even experienced users may not be able to cope. If even such manipulations did not help, then your flash card is dead.
3 more useful articles:
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 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.
Call the command line as account with 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.
Some users may be unable to access their hard drive(or flash drive). In the operating system, such devices receive the “Raw” status, and their file structure becomes inaccessible to the user. In this article, I will examine this dysfunction in detail, tell you what to do in a situation where the file system is RAW, as well as how to return NTFS, FAT32, what tools will help us with this, and how to use them.
To understand that this is a RAW file system and how to return the NTFS, FAT32 format, you need to determine the meaning of the term “RAW” itself. Translated from Shakespeare’s language, the lexeme “Raw” means “raw”, “raw material”. Accordingly, in our case, this term refers to disks that are either not yet formatted, or the data structure on them is damaged (errors in the MBR partition table and MFT file table, viruses, PC hardware problems, and so on.).
Simply put, RAW disks are disks that are not recognized by Windows for various reasons. Typically, in this case, Windows recommends formatting such a disk, which should not be done, since the data on the disk will be lost as a result of formatting.
Reasons why a disk from NTFS and FAT32 becomes RAW
The reasons for the appearance of RAW disks instead of the usual NTFS and FAT32 file systems are as follows:
- Sudden shutdown of such disks (loss of voltage in the network, physical disconnection by the user, problems with the power supply, etc.), as a result of which the integrity and structure of the data on the disk is disrupted;
- Problems with cables connecting the motherboard and hard drive;
- The operation of virus programs that violate the integrity of the bootloader, partition table, file structure, and so on;
- Bad sectors on the hard drive, as a result of which the system structure on the hard drive is damaged;
- Error in installing or updating the operating system;
- Errors when working with various hard disk partition managers;
- Not a tight connection between the flash drive and the USB connector of the PC (in the case of a flash drive);
- Problems at work motherboard computer and so on.
How to return NTFS, FAT32 from RAW
- Just try restarting your computer, the problem may be random;
- Check the tightness of the cable connections to the hard drive, try using a different connector for connecting the hard drive on the motherboard, as well as a different USB connector on the computer when connecting an external flash drive;
- Use the built-in CHKDSK() utility. Launch a command prompt as administrator and type
chkdsk X: /f (where X is the RAW drive letter)
The “f” parameter means correcting errors on the disk, that is, the CHKDSK utility not only looks for problems, but also fixes them.
I also note that this command is relevant, first of all, for those disks that were formatted in the NTFS file system. Moreover, if you cannot boot the operating system, then boot using a bootable system disk or flash drive (you can use various “Live CD” builds), select “System Restore” there, go to “Advanced options” and then to “Command Line” , and there type the above command.
If you still can't access command line from your PC, then it is recommended to connect your hard drive to another computer and check your disk for errors from it.
- Use the capabilities of another system utility, sfc, created to check the integrity of system files. Also run the command line as administrator and write in it:
sfc /scannow
and press enter.
- If you have access to the operating system, then it is worth checking your computer for viruses using special anti-virus programs (for example, Web CureIt! or Malware-AntiMalware);
- If there is no important information on the problem disk (or it is not significant), then the problem disk (or flash drive) can be formatted. Click on the “Start” key and type diskmgmt.msc in the search bar, the Disk Control Panel will appear. Right-click on the raw disk and select “Format” from the menu that appears.
If you have a RAW file system, return NTFS, FAT32 - using third-party programs
If you want to restore the NFTS and FAT32 file system, then you should use the functionality of special programs that will help us with this. I suggest programs such as Recuva and TestDisk.
Recuva
One of the popular programs for recovering lost files is Recuva. Download, install and run this product, select the option to restore all files, indicate the problem disk, enable the in-depth analysis option and click on “Start”.
After the scan is completed, the program will display a list of found files, mark them with checkboxes and click on “Recover”.
TestDisk
The second program that can help with the issue of the RAW file system is TestDisk.
- Download and install this program, run it as administrator.
- Select the “Create” command and press enter, select the raw disk with the cursor and press “Enter”.
- After selecting the desired type of partition table, press enter, then select “Analyze” and “Quick Search” (a quick search for problematic partitions will be carried out).
- After TestDisk finds the problematic volumes, click on “Write” to record the structure of the found partition.
How to change the file system of a flash drive [video]
Above I analyzed the problem when the file system is RAW. The most optimal tool for returning NTFS, FAT32 is to use the CHKDSK system command, as well as special programs that can restore the file structure of the problem disk. If none of the tips I suggested turned out to be effective for you, then I recommend contacting a service center - perhaps your hard drive has problems not of a software, but of a hardware nature, and it needs a thorough repair.
In contact with
Read about the causes of a RAW disk, as well as how to convert it to NTFS. Which ones are there? ways to restore access to a “RAW” disk and how to recover data from it. Is the file system on the disk defined as "RAW"? Do you want to get your "NTFS" partition back after data loss? I can’t format the disk in the “NTFS” file system, do I need a program to change “RAW” to “NTFS”? You can find answers to these and other questions in our review article.
Our interaction with each other is based on information; we use it in our professional activity(economic, financial, scientific, social, cultural, etc.), used for entertainment and leisure activities.
Various computer devices help us control and manage the ever-increasing flow of information, as well as store and have instant access to it. One of the main types of such devices are stationary personal computers and laptops. Thanks to the advanced elements of information processing and storage used in them, they easily cope with the tasks assigned to them and make it easier for users to process information control.
The main role in managing a computer device, as well as collecting, processing and storing information, is played by software that exercises full control over the device’s activities and information flows.
The most well-known software that fully meets the stated requirements is the operating system "Windows" from the corporation "Microsoft". The internal system shell, which allows you to instantly process gigantic amounts of data, perform many different processes simultaneously without reducing the overall performance of the device, and has an attractive user interface, allowed the operating system "Windows" gain widespread worldwide fame, leading to extraordinary popularity. Separately, it should be noted the high threshold of resistance to various system problems and errors, which significantly increases the overall security of the operating system as a whole, also increasing the attractiveness of its use.
Along with advanced software responsible for the full and correct functioning of a computer device, data storage, used primarily to store all information, is also of great importance. Internal hard drives and drives, external plug-in storage, "USB" drives and other devices are each used to solve specific problems, but the main requirements placed by users on them are the safe use and storage of various information, with the ability to quickly access it at any time.
And the situation when a user finds empty unallocated space on a storage device instead of his data can cause feelings of despair and fear that all stored information is lost forever. The current situation is always unpleasant, but not critical. All data stored on such a storage device remains in place, but the system cannot recognize the internal structure of the disk and provide access to it. However, the user can correct the file system format, represented as "RAW", and bring it back to the original version, and return your data back. In this article, we will look at the seven main causes of this problem and provide you with some solutions to fix it.
General concept "RAW"
Before we begin to describe the problems of the format "RAW" on your storage device and possible ways their decision, it is necessary to dwell in more detail on its explanation.
Concept "RAW" is intended to denote an undefined volume file system (a part of a computer's long-term memory, accepted as a single whole storage area for ease of use).
Each volume or entire disk space has a specific file system that represents a specific order and defines a specific way of organizing, storing, and naming data on storage media in computers and other electronic devices.
A system component is built into the kernel "RAWFS", the main function of which is to notify any applications about the volume size and file system version when prompted. If it is impossible to determine the file system, the symbol appears "RAW". In other words, this means that the file system name of the disk partition cannot be recognized by any of the file system drivers installed and available in the operating system "Windows", for any reason.
In practice, this indicates that the partition is not marked for a specific format, the file structure of the system is broken, or there is a reason as a result of which there is no access to the internal contents of the partition (disk). Further in our article we will present a list of the main reasons for the emergence of the format "RAW".
Seven main causes "RAW"
There are many symptoms when a hard drive partition becomes "RAW format". As we already described in the previous section, the reasons for not recognizing the name of the disk file system on a partition may be different. Additionally, the system may require you to perform certain actions before allowing you to use a disk partition whose file system appears as "RAW". For example, operating system "Windows" displays an error message prompting you to perform the following procedure: “To use a disk in a floppy drive, first format it. Do you want to format it?. In this case, you will not be able to access the disk partition and all the information located on it until you comply with the operating system requirement.
In this case, formatting the disk partition may help you get rid of the problem "RAW" format. But such a process will destroy all data stored in this partition. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the main causes and tips for eliminating them without losing data.
Note: Sometimes the disk or drive appears in the format "RAW", if the file system specified on it is not supported by the current version of the operating system installed on your computing device. In this case, you should take steps to open the drive in the operating system for which it was originally intended for use, and which supports the use of that file system.
1. Bad sectors
If there are bad sectors in the key area of the hard drive, then the drive is definitely working abnormally, which may damage the file system and cause it to display in the format "RAW".
2. Structural damage to the file system
The main system-critical reason for problems and display of disk partitions or individual drives in the format "RAW" is related to the performance of the file system, which can be corrupted for reasons other than the presence of bad sectors. Therefore, if the file system suffers internal structural damage, then the partition may become formatted "RAW".
3. Partition table damage
The next, no less important reason for the format problem is "RAW" on a disk partition, the partition table may be damaged. For example, incorrect values in the table "MBR", which contains data and a code fragment, as well as special signatures necessary for correct loading, may be one of the reasons.
4. Reinstalling the operating system "Windows"
When you upgrade an old operating system to its newer advanced version, the file system of the system partition may also be changed to new version system (for example, switch from version "FAT" to the file system "NTFS"). In such a case, the file system may not be identified by the new operating system, and as a result, it will appear as "RAW" format.
5. Attack of viruses and malware
One of the most common reasons for displaying a disk partition in the file system format is "RAW" is an attack by viruses and malware. Such malicious influence on the system can damage the part of the partition table that indicates the beginning and end of the partition and contains other additional information, change or delete important hard disk settings. As a result, it will become impossible to determine the boundaries of the affected partition and its file system, as a result of which, when subjected to a malicious virus attack, the disk partition will be displayed, when accessed, in the format "RAW".
6. Damage to cables or connection connectors
In some cases, the hard drive or storage device may appear as an undefined file system "RAW" if the connection cable is damaged or there is a bad contact in the connection connector.
Typically, the hard drive connection cable rarely fails, but keep this in mind as a possible reason why the system identifies the drive as "RAW", necessary. Especially when power surges or other mechanical damage occurred. More often, problems arise with the drive's connector, which becomes damaged when it is used repeatedly, or has a weak connection level that is insufficient for the drive to display and function correctly.
7. Incorrect partition permission
One of possible reasons assigning a format to a section "RAW" This may be due to incorrectly configured access permission to the partition, which is directly related to the local security policy settings. As a result, the system may restrict your access to the disk partition and display it as an undefined file system.
Ways to restore access to "RAW" disk
Depending on the reasons that affected the display of a disk partition or the entire drive in the format "RAW", you will need to follow a certain procedure to correct the current situation. The following steps must be performed sequentially until the disc display problem is resolved. After each action, you need to check whether the problem is resolved and move on to the next one if the result is negative.
1. Check the integrity of cables or connection connectors
If there has been a power surge, it is necessary to check the cables and connectors for possible damage. Replace the cable with another, working cable, and check your drive again. Or connect your drive to another connector that you are completely sure is working, and try to access it again. Perhaps these actions will be enough to completely eliminate the problem.
2. Change security settings in the section properties
In terms of setting access permissions to partitions, you can change the necessary security settings in the partition properties window. Open File Explorer "Windows" and find your partition or disk in the format "RAW". Right-click on it and, in the pop-up context menu from the list of possible actions, select section "Properties".
Then in the new dialog box that opens, go to the tab "Safety", where you can remove useless users and any messy codes, and add a local user to resume access to the disk.
3. Change the security settings in the section properties
If for some reason it was not possible to allow access to the desired partition, then you can change the security settings using the internal operating system tool. You can open the Local Policy Tool window different ways. For example, Click on the button "Start", located on "Taskbars" in the lower left corner of the desktop, and open the main user menu "Windows". Using the scroll bar, move the slider to the bottom of the list installed applications, and find the section "Windows Administrative Tools". Click on it once and open the submenu. From the list of presented system tools, select section.
In the window that opens, select a section in the left panel "Local Politicians", and then in the right pane, double-click the section "Security Settings" or right-click on it and select section from the pop-up menu "Open".
In the right pane of the security settings window, all main types of policies will be presented with the specified settings for each of them. Using the scroll bar, move the slider down the list and find the policy "Network Access: A Sharing and Security Model for Local Accounts". Double-click on it with the left mouse button to access the policy properties window. Or right-click on it and open the pop-up menu in which select the section "Properties".
In the network access policy properties window that opens, in the tab "Local Security Option" in the central cell, open the pop-up menu and change the set parameter to the value “Normal – local users authenticate themselves as themselves”.
Then press the buttons "Apply" And "OK" so that your changes made came into force.
4. Transform "RAW" to the file system "NTFS" through the disk formatting process
If, when you turn on your computer or when you connect a drive to it, the operating system detects your disk, a message will always be displayed in which you will be asked to format the disk to resume access to it and install the correct version of the new file system on it. In the case where the information stored on such a disk, the format of which is defined as "RAW", is not important for the user, then you can immediately click on the button "Format disk" and start the file system setup process.
However, if the information is of paramount importance, then refrain from formatting the disk and move on to the next section "5" our article to get your data back. The formatting process will not be able to completely erase all information located on "RAW" disk, but can significantly complicate the subsequent data recovery process and reduce the total number of usable whole files.
If the message is not displayed, you can format the disk from the application "Disk Management". You can open the application different ways. For example, right click on the button "Start", located on "Taskbars", or press the keyboard shortcut together "Windows + X", and open the pop-up menu. Select, among the available applications, the section "Disk Management" to access it directly.
In the application window that opens, click "RAW" disk, right-click and select partition from the pop-up menu "Format".
In the new window, set the necessary formatting parameters and click the button "OK" to start the process.
You can also format "RAW" disk from file explorer "Windows". Right-click on the disk name and call up the pop-up context menu. From the list of available actions, select a section "Format".
Specify the required file system and other additional settings, if necessary, and click the button "Begin", thereby starting the formatting process.
At the end of your "RAW" the disk will have a new file system and is completely ready for further use.
5. Recovering files from disks in the format "RAW" using data recovery software
If you are interested in maintaining all information located on "RAW" disk, then you will have to use a data recovery program that allows you to perform such operations. One of such programs that has become widely known and highly appreciated by users for the results achieved in recovering lost data is a program from the company Hetman Software. It fully meets the requirements of users in the situation of an uncertain partition "RAW", has a pleasant and convenient user interface, as similar as possible to appearance operating system "Windows", is quite easy to use and has high performance final recovered files.
A big advantage is the fact that the program has a preview function for recovered files, which prompts users to view or listen to the contents of any files before saving them. This approach allows you to be completely confident in selecting and saving the best versions of recovered documents.
Download the program installation file from the company’s official website and install it on your computer or laptop. The installation process of the program will not take you much time and will not cause any special difficulties thanks to step by step wizard to the installer. Follow its instructions, and the installation of the program will be completed successfully.
Open the program and find your "Raw" disk or partition.
Double-click it and, in the window that opens, select the required type of analysis. Mark a cell "Full Analysis" to search for all available information and restore the disk file system.
After setting the scanning options, click "Further" and start the process of analyzing and recovering possible information. It may take from a few minutes to several hours, depending on original size disk, degree of file system damage and other additional criteria. For user convenience, the scanning mode will be reflected in real time.
When finished, click the button "Ready" and go to the preview window to select the recovered files and then save them. By clicking on each file, you can view its contents and select the option that suits you best.
After selecting all the required files, click the button "Restore", with a lifebuoy depicted on it, and located on the main strip of the window.
The program will offer you a choice of several options for saving the marked files: saving to your hard drive, recording to "CD/DVD", create a virtual image "ISO" or upload by "FTP". Depending on your preferences or needs at each specific moment, set the indicator in the corresponding cell opposite the selected saving method, and then click the button "Further" to continue.
In the next window, mark the necessary additional options, for example, specify the path to save files or use the suggested option, and click the button "Restore" to complete.
Now that you have recovered all the files that are important to you, you can format your disk or partition in the format "NTFS" for subsequent use using the method described previously in section "4".
Conclusion
Information is of utmost importance and requires secure ways to store it. The reasons why access to a disk with important user information may be lost can be completely different. However, almost all of them can be eliminated using internal operating system tools "Windows" or thanks to a third party software for data recovery
The hard drive of a normally operating computer device is always formatted in the NTFS or FAT file system. If one of the HDD partitions begins to work incorrectly, an entry appears in the disk properties about converting its format to RAW. This means that the standard file system is damaged and needs to be restored. In practice, you can find out about such damage as follows. When accessing the disk, it does not open, and a message appears on the monitor indicating that it needs to be formatted.
What does this message mean:
- The structure of the file system being used is destroyed.
- There is no access to the contents of the hard drive.
- Writing incorrect or damaged data to the boot sector of the disk.
When opening the properties of the hard drive, you will notice that the partition supposedly does not contain any information. In any case, it is necessary to restore the file system to return the data on the disk.
What could cause a crash?
The reasons for such a failure may be:
- Impact from a virus that has entered the computer.
- Critical operating system failure.
- An incorrectly working program that replaces the original system files with its own files. This also includes “crooked” drivers.
- User errors when shutting down the computer. This is how the file system on flash media is often damaged.
- External factors that can cause damage to the file system. In particular, frequent power outages can trigger a similar problem.
How can I restore the file system and information on my hard drive?
Even though the operating system will prompt you to format the damaged partition, it is better not to agree with such actions. However, if you were in a hurry and gave the formatting command, all is not lost. However, in this case, it will be much more difficult to completely restore the contents of this section. First, you should restore all the information available on the faulty partition, and then restore the file system itself.
It is recommended to restore data and functionality of a logical partition using the RS Partition Recovery program.
This program allows you to:
- Recover files from a HDD on which the file system has been changed. That is, with RAW.
- Recover data from a hard drive that you formatted.
- Obtaining the most complete information from a logical partition that was deleted.
- Complete recovery of damaged partitions.
- Copying data from damaged partitions to other media.
- The program copes well with the assigned tasks on any medium.
Working with RS Partition Recovery
The program interface is quite simple. The main menu is divided into three main parts. On the left you can see a list of hard drives and logical partitions. In the center, the disks are filled with information, as well as data on the sizes of all disks. The files we selected appear in the right column. The program even displays hidden files, as well as partitions managed by other operating systems.
It's time to move on to direct data recovery using this wonderful program. To do this, just click on the upper left button, designated “Wizard”. The wizard's work menu will open in front of the user. The selected disk will be analyzed.
The program divides all partitions into three categories: logical, removable and hard drives. To restore data, you must select the appropriate partition. Enter it and then click “Next”. You will be prompted to select an analysis type.
The choice consists of two options:
- Quick scan.
- Full analysis.
- 1 filter will detect NTFS system files. Most internal partitions operate in this space.
- 2 filter will process files belonging to the FAT system. This formatting is more typical for removable media, but such files can also be found on the computer’s hard drive. Linux OS also works with the FAT system.
- Deep Scan works regardless of the file system. During its operation, the program simply finds on the disk all the files that were once there or are currently there. However, it is not advisable to use in-depth analysis alone, since some information may be lost. It is best to analyze a section using all three filters.
When choosing quick scan, some files simply will not be found. Only intact files will be found, without any signs of damage.
After completing the analysis, the program will tell you how many folders and individual files were found in this section.
To view all files found during analysis, you need to go to the main menu of the program by clicking the “Finish” button.
In the center of the program window you will see a folder called “Deep Analysis”. Double clicking on it will open the contents of the folder. In order to restore selected files, you need to select them in this folder, and then top panel click the “Restore” button. In this case, the following choice of location for saving them will be offered:
- To the hard drive.
- To removable media.
- Mounting the image.
- Uploading to the Internet via FTP protocol.
In this window, you should select the location to save the files, the option to restore the structure of deleted folders, as well as restore file streams to NTFS. After this, click the “Restore” button. All found files will be restored to the location you specified.
recoverit.ru
How to return NTFS from RAW file system without data loss?
What is the RAW file system and how to return the NTFS format without data loss - in this article we will look at these issues in detail, as well as recovery methods.
It often happens that after an incorrect shutdown of your computer, for example, if you unplug the cord from the socket or the power in your house is suddenly turned off, or your computer has experienced a virus attack, an unpleasant situation may occur. The disk file system on your computer or laptop changes its format to RAW and for proper operation device (as a rule, you want to do this as quickly as possible), you need to return it to NTFS format. 
What is a RAW disc?
So, RAW file system type, let's figure out what it is. The RAW system is a non-existent system. If the computer indicates that the storage medium has this format, then the drivers cannot determine the type of its file system (FAT, FAT32 OR NTFS).
If the media has received the RAW format, Windows 10 OS will display it among the hard drive partitions, but any actions with it will be impossible, such as defragmentation, checking for errors, and, of course, viewing the data on the disk. The computer will constantly give an error and prompt you to format the disk, and “RAW” will appear in the “logical disk properties” line. So how do you restore a file system from RAW to NTFS format on a hard drive?
Restoring a file system from RAW to NTFS
The system will offer you the easiest way - to format the disk. But don’t rush to do this, because your data is not lost, now there is simply no access to it. If you format a RAW disk to convert the file system back to NTFS, you will have to spend a long time recovering data from the media using special programs. We offer several ways to restore a disk from RAW to NTFS without losing data.
Restoring a file system to NTFS from RAW without formatting
Method 1: Windows Tools
Mainly, to change the file system from RAW to NTFS, the standard utility from the operating system chkdsk helps. Follow these steps:
- Right click "Start" and select "command prompt"
- Type the command chkdsk drive_letter: /f
- The computer will begin a scan, after which it will repair the damage and the NTFS system in the problem area
Chkdsk will also help if the system disk is damaged. For this you will need a flash drive or boot disk.
Here are your steps:
- Start your computer from a flash drive or disk, and then select “Recovery”
- Then open “advanced options”, and then “command prompt”. There, enter chkdsk drive_letter: /f
When restoring, the partition letters may differ from the disk names. In order to prevent errors in operation, open the list of computer partitions in the command line, then enter diskpart, then list volume and you will see which disk is the system one. This will be indicated in the list.
You can also try restoring your system from previously saved backups.
Method 2: Using special programs
Here's how to make NTFS from a RAW file system using third-party programs.
First of all, we recommend using free program Testdisk. This is a utility that interacts with hard disk partitions. She will help correct the situation. The disadvantage of working with the Testdisk program is that it does not work with Russian names and they may not be displayed correctly.
Here's how to convert RAW to NTFS using Testdisk:
RAW format on your flash drive
Reasons for conversion:
- When the flash drive is connected, the computer is turned off incorrectly or there is a voltage drop
- Crash Windows operation
- Banal viruses
- External damage to the flash drive, from impact or fall
How to change the wrong system format to the correct one:
The MiniTool Power Data Recovery converter gives good results. The principle of its operation is that the program does not convert RAW to the desired format, but makes all the files on your flash drive visible, which makes working with them possible. The disadvantage of the program is that only the trial version is free, which works with files no larger than 1 GB.
How to use the program:
Also on our website you can familiarize yourself with the following topics:
- Merging hard drive partitions on Windows 10
- How to change hard drive partitions
- How to change the page file in Windows 10
windows10x.ru
Recovering the HDD file system while saving all data
The problem with the appearance of the RAW file system can affect not only removable media, but also a hard drive with data or a separate hard drive partition. If the malfunction is of a software nature, then it can be corrected using formatting. However, changing the format using standard Windows tools is fraught with the appearance of deleted data.
If the file system of your hard drive is detected as RAW, and the system persistently asks you to format it, then it is better to abandon this procedure. Disconnect the hard drive and do not perform any further operations on it to avoid accidental overwriting.
Important: if the hard drive is physically damaged, you should not try to restore it yourself.
If upon inspection you find that the hard drive is physically intact, then first try restoring the file system using the CHKDSK utility. This will help avoid the subsequent time-consuming recovery of deleted files.
Using the CHKDSK utility
The CHKDSK utility is a built-in diagnostic and hard recovery disk. The problem is that if the file system is damaged, then you will not be able to start the system. Therefore, you will have to run the CHKDSK utility using the installation disk:
The parameter in the command syntax means to start searching and fixing errors. The letter “d:” indicates the drive that will be scanned. If the operation is successful, errors are detected and eliminated, then you will again receive a working disk with a normal file system and without deleted important data.
Extracting files using R-Studio
If the TestDisk program did not help you get rid of the RAW format, and you did not return the NTFS or FAT32 file system, then you will have to go another way. You will need:
- Another computer with a scratch disk and installed system.
- R-Studio program.
Remove the HDD with the RAW file system and connect it to another computer. To avoid the appearance of deleted files, run the R-Studio program. Here you need:
You need to save the files to a different drive than the one from which they were just extracted. The hard drive format will not change - it will remain RAW. To restore the HDD, format it as suggested by the system. The format will change, but there will no longer be problems with deleted files, since you previously “pulled them out” from the damaged media.
Formatting to NTFS
If you need to format your hard drive to the NTFS file system without losing information, you can try doing this via the command line. This will not solve the problem with the RAW format; This method cannot be used to change to FAT32. But if you need to change the disk or partition format from FAT32 to NTFS, then try the following steps:
Enter the command “convert G: /FS:NTFS /X”. Instead of “G” there should be the letter of the hard drive you connected, the partition format of which you want to change from FAT32 to NTFS. Running this command will help you avoid data loss, that is, you will not have to recover deleted files, since formatting will not be required.
easyrecover.ru
How to restore a hard drive file system
Photos from open sources A situation in which a hard drive requires recovery can happen to every PC user. It may be needed for various reasons. One of them is file system corruption.
If the disk is used for its intended purpose, it has a FAT or NTFS file system. These formats indicate that it works well and does not require restoration. But sometimes it turns into RAW. How can you understand that a failure has occurred? If you access the disk, but it does not open and a message appears about the need to format it, then a failure has occurred.
This message may mean the following:
- The structure of the file system used was destroyed;
- There is no clear access to the content;
- Invalid data was written to the boot sector.
- To start the recovery, you must click “Wizard”. After this, the operation menu will appear. The hard drive will be analyzed.
- In the program, all partitions are divided into 3 categories: hard, removable and logical drives. In order to start data recovery, you will need to select the desired partition. After that, click "Next". You will be asked to select the type of analysis: operational scanning or full analysis.
- It is better to immediately conduct a full analysis. It processes 3 filters at once. The first filter will calculate NTFS systems. The second one will process files that belong to this system. Deep analysis will work regardless of the file system.
- If you choose the first option, then some of the files simply will not be found. In this case, files may be found that do not show signs of damage.
- After this you can start scanning. The larger the volume of the disk being checked, the longer the process will be.
- After the analysis is completed, you will find out how many folders are in this section.
- In order to familiarize yourself with all the files found during the analysis, you need to go to the main menu and click “Finish”.
- The “Deep Analysis” folder will appear in the center of the window. Next, you will need to select them in this folder, and then click “Restore”. All that remains is to choose a place to save them.
- In this window, you will need to select the location to save the data, the option to restore the folder structure that was deleted, and restore file streams to NTFS. After this, you will need to click the “Restore” button.
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RAW format of HDD disks: how to fix it in NTFS using Windows tools or third-party software
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, 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 a 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.
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.
- Start your computer with bootable flash drive or disk → Select “System Restore”.
- Additional 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.
Good to know! If these methods do not help, try restoring your system from previously saved backups.
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.
The utility does not restore the required format, but makes all files stored on the media visible. Therefore, you can work with them. The main disadvantage of MiniTool Power Data Recovery is that it is shareware. The trial version works with files whose size does not exceed 1 GB (also read “Recovering information on disks using Disk Drill for Windows”).
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.
