RAW Drive Recovery

Have you encountered error messages such as "You need to format the disk before you can use it." while opening a hard drive, partition, USB drive, or other storage device, preventing you from accessing its files? This is caused by the file system becoming RAW, but don't worry. This blog provides information about RAW drive recovery, what it is, why this situation occurs, and other related details.

Table of contents

About RAW Drive/Partition

1. Definition
2. Symptoms
3. What Causes This Problem
4. Risks of Improper Handling or Continued Use

RAW Drive Recovery using Freeware

1. ToolGeeker FileRescuer (Windows and Mac)
2. Microsoft File Recovery Software (Only Windows 11 and 10)
3. TestDisk (Windows, Mac and Linux)

Recover Data from a RAW Partition/Disk by Backup

1. For Windows PC
2. For Mac

Data Recovery from RAW Drive with Services

How to Convert RAW File System to FAT/NTFS

1. In Windows 11/10/8/7
2. On Mac
3. In Linux

Recap of Key Points

FAQs

About RAW Drive/Partition

1. Definition

This is the system's identification of its file system when your drive has a logical failure. You should know that the operating system uses the file system to identify the storage device and control how to store and retrieve data. When it has a problem, the computer cannot identify your drive correctly so that it will be marked as "RAW" in the disk management tool.

2. Symptoms

• 🧫 Capacity not displayed in File Explorer.
• 0️⃣ When you view the properties of the hard disk, volume, or other storage device, it will show that the used and available space are 0 bytes.
• ⚠️ When you try to open it, you will receive an error message like "You need to format it before you can use it," "The drive or volume does not contain a recognized file system," or "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable..."
• 💢 Trying to repair the RAW drive using Command Prompt will show "Convert/Chkdsk is not applicable for RAW drives."

3. What Causes This Problem

• ♻️ Not initialized
• ⛓️‍💥 Formatted incorrectly, or you accidentally canceled during this process.
• ⏏️ When removing a USB drive or memory card from a computer, you did not use the "Eject" option but directly pulled it out.
• 📆 The partition table of the drive is damaged
• ⁉️ Bad sectors on the storage device
• 💽 Driver issues
• 🚫 Error converting the file system
• 🦠 Virus infection
• ⚠️ Hardware failure

There are many more reasons than the ones mentioned above that can lead to such issues. However, data recovery from a RAW drive is still possible as long as you take the right measures.

4. Risks of Improper Handling or Continued Use

The sudden shift of a storage device to RAW format might seem alarming, but it's not. The biggest risk is mishandling it, which could lead to data corruption or, even worse, permanent loss. Therefore, you must immediately stop using this malfunctioning device and use the following methods to recover the RAW disk/partition as soon as possible.

RAW Drive Recovery using Freeware

For users without backups, using tools is a reliable solution. After your drive file system shows RAW, the computer cannot correctly recognize it, which can prevent you from accessing its data. However, data recovery software has special algorithms that deal with such problems. It can scan your failed drive to find stored file traces and achieve recovery.

Many free software is available, whether you are using Windows PC, macOS, or Linux. Do you want to achieve the best results with minimal effort? Please check the following solutions.

#1. ToolGeeker FileRescuer (Windows and Mac)

This is the first free solution you can use, which is compatible with Windows and macOS FileRescuer has the following specific features that can effectively help you deal with RAW drive issues.

Step to Data Recovery from RAW Drive on Windows PC and Mac

1. First, click the corresponding download button according to your computer system to get the installation file of FileRescuer.
2. Next, click its executable file (.exe or .dmg) to install it on your computer.
3. Then, launch FileRescuer. At this time, you will see a list of all storage devices. You need to select the RAW drive. If you need RAW USB drive recovery, then please connect it to your computer first.
4. Click "Search for lost files" at the bottom right of the page. The time required for this scanning process will vary depending on the capacity of your disk. For this, you just need to wait patiently without any other operation.
5. When the process is completed, you can view all the data found from the RAW drive through the path on the left side of the page. At this time, you can also click the "Preview" button to see the details of the file.
6. Finally, select the files you need and click "Recover." At this time, please choose a location to save them in the dialog box that appears.

#2. Microsoft File Recovery Software (Only Windows 11 and 10)

This is another method used to recover data from a RAW drive in Windows 11/10 free. Although it may not be as user-friendly as using FileRescuer, but it provides a valuable alternative for users who can use the command line. If you are willing to try this working method, please refer to the following steps:

1. Open the Microsoft Store and search for "Windows File Recovery." Then, click the "Install" to install it to your PC.
2. In the search bar at the bottom of the screen, type "Windows File Recovery." Then, click it from the list, choose "Run as administrator," and finally click "Yes" to confirm launching the tool.
3. In the newly opened window, type "winfr source-drive: destination-drive: /extensive" (source-drive is your RAW drive, destination-drive is the one where the files are saved), and then type "Y" to start RAW drive data recovery. If you have other things to do now, you can also press "Ctrl + C" to stop the process.
4. Finally, when the progress shows 100%, you can open the destination drive and find a folder named "Recovery_Data" to view the data recovered from the RAW drive.

#3. TestDisk (Windows, Mac and Linux)

When discussing RAW partition/HDD recovery, Linux users are also not left out. Here, you can use TestDisk to do this. It is an open-source tool that helps you recover lost files and repair corrupted drives.

1. Since there are many versions of Linux, please choose the corresponding command to install TestDisk.

   For Debian or Ubuntu: sudo apt update > sudo apt -y install testdisk

   For Red Hat and CentOS 7: yum install epel-release > yum update > yum install testdisk

   For CentOS 8: yum install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm > yum update > yum install testdisk

   For Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S testdisk

   For Fedora: sudo dnf install testdisk

2. Type "testdisk" in your terminal to launch it and select "Create > Your RAW drive > Its partition type > Analyze > Quick/deep search > Select specific partitions."
3. Next, you will see a list of files in "red," which are the data found from your RAW hard drive or partition.
4. Finally, click "C" to select a directory to save them, then click "C" again.

Recover Data from a RAW Partition/Disk by Backup

If you backed up the drive or its data using File History and Time Machine before it became RAW, you are in luck. Here, you can use the following method to retrieve important files quickly.

For Windows PC:

Note: Although there are multiple ways to retrieve your lost files after using file history backup data, for RAW drive recovery, you can only use the following steps to save the data in another location. Because, the other methods can only save to the original folder. However, the RAW drive is not currently available.

1. Please connect the external hard drive or network drive that is used as the RAW drive backup to your computer.
2. Open File Explorer, click "This PC" in the left panel, find the failed drive in the list of hard drives and partitions, right-click, and select "Properties."
3. In the window that opens, switch to the "Previous Versions" tab. Under this option, select a version of the partition or drive before it becomes RAW.
4. Click the down arrow of the screenshot location and select "Restore to." Finally, choose another location to save the files in the RAW drive.

For Mac:

1. Connect the external hard disk where you store the copy of the files to your Mac using a USB cable.
2. Open the Time Machine by Clicking the clock icon in the menu bar and selecting Enter Time Machine. If the icon isn’t visible, then you should go to Apple menu > System Settings > Control Center and enable Show in Menu Bar for Time Machine.
3. Use the timeline on the right side of the screen and browse through backups, navigating through the Date and Time before the file became RAW.
4. Look for the files you want to recover and click "Restore."

Data Recovery from RAW Drive with Services

Is there any other method I can use when I don't have a backup and can't retrieve files from this drive using the above free tools? Of course! In this case, you can only use a professional data recovery service but must pay for it. Their technicians will use professional tools to ensure the maximum recovery success rate, even if your hard drive is physically damaged. If you think it's worth it, you can search to find a service provider with a good track record in your area.

How to Convert RAW File System to FAT/NTFS

Using the above method only ensures the safety of your files. But, the drive is still denied access, right? To this end, you can use the following way to convert its file system to FAT, NTFS, and EXFAT. Then you can use it again.

In Windows 11/10/8/7

Method 1. Using Command Prompt

When your hard drive or partition is not seriously damaged, you can use this method to convert RAW to FAT/NTFS without formatting. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click the "Start" icon at the bottom of the screen and select Terminal (Admin) for Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) for Windows 10/8/7.
2. When a window opens, type "chkdsk [drive letter]: /f /r" and press Enter. Here, you need to replace [drive letter] with the one that is displayed as RAW, such as "E."

When completed, your drive file system may be converted to the previous one. If that fails, try the next method.

Method 2. Using Format Option

Find the drive displayed as RAW in File Explorer, right-click, and select Format. Then, select FAT32 or NTFS under the File System option. Finally, click "Start" and confirm.

On Mac

Open "Finder" and click "Applications" in the sidebar. Then open the "Utilities" folder and click "Disk Utility." Select the RAW drive from the sidebar. Finally, click Erase at the top of the page, select the desired Format (exFAT or APFS), and click Erase.

In Linux

Open GParted and select the RAW drive. Unmount the drive and choose "Format to" from the menu. Select FAT or NTFS and apply the changes.

Tips on Preventing Drive File System from becoming RAW and Keeping Your files Safe

With the help of the above RAW drive recovery and file system conversion methods. Now, everything is back to normal. Finally, you can also refer to the following tips to protect the safety of drives and files.

• 🎏 Regularly create copies of important data using the system's built-in backup options or third-party tools.
• 📈 Please use tools such as CrystalDiskInfo to monitor drive health.
• ⏏️ When you need to unplug the external hard drive, please use the eject option.
• 🛟 Use antivirus software to protect your disk or data from malware.

Recap of Key Points

Coming across a RAW drive can be alarming, but data recovery and conversion to a usable file system is easy with the right approach. In this article, you'll have a better understanding of them. In the end, even if such a situation occurs again, we believe you can easily handle it through this knowledge.

FAQs