File system raw how to open. What is a RAW file system and how to work with it. RAW file system on Windows system partition

There are situations in which a user may lose access to his hard disk (or its separate partition), and the file system of this disk (or its problematic partition) will begin to be defined as “Raw”. On such a hard disk, there may be data that is necessary for the user to be accessed (often at any cost). In this article I will try to help a user in such a situation, I will explain how to fix it. RAW HDD format, and also tell you about the tools that will help us with this.

To understand what “RAW HDD format” means, you need to refer to the translation of the word “RAW” itself. Translated from English, the word "raw" means "Raw, unprocessed"... Accordingly, this term denotes disks on which either the file system is not installed at all (the disk is not formatted), or their file system is damaged for some reason (the structure of the MFT file table is broken, incorrect data of the MBR partition table, etc.).

Originally, RAW was the default file system for CD-ROMs. Blank discs being prepared for recording were detected by the system as using the RAW "file system".

Illustration of RAW format - HDD disk

Nowadays, every hard drive that is not formatted in the NT file system format (such as FAT or NTFS) has a "RAW" hard drive status. Check out the most effective ones.

Reasons for the RAW status of a hard disk

To understand how to fix RAW format of HDD disks, you need to understand the list of reasons that cause it. I would point out the following determinants:

• Power surges;
• Problems with the hard drive cable (cable damaged, poor contact of the cable with the hard drive, and so on);
• PC problems;
• Bad sectors on the hard drive (especially noticeable when accessing the hard disk, when it responds with a slowdown);
• Damage to the structure of the file system or damage to the partition table;
• Incorrect reinstallation or;
• The activities of various viral programs.

So, we have identified a list of reasons causing the RAW status to appear on a hard drive. Now let's decide how to fix RAW format of HDD disks.

RAW format of HDD disks - how to fix

So how to get rid of RAW format HDDs? I suggest doing the following:

• Use the capabilities of the system utility CHKDSK... If the RAW status appears on one of the hard disk partitions, and you have access to the command line (or use a live build on CD (DVD) or flash drive), then run the command line as administrator, in which type:

chkdsk X: / f (where X is the letter of the problem drive)

After this check, usually the RAW problem will be resolved and you will receive your working disk back.

If you have a bootable disk or flash drive, then boot from them, select the "System Restore" menu option, go to "Advanced Options", then "Command Prompt", and there enter the above command. When doing so, make sure you select the correct letter for the desired section. To do this, type in a line one by one the commands:

dispart

list volume- (this allows us to find out the letter of the drive we need)

exit

You can also connect your hard drive to another PC and run the CHKDSK command from it;

Use third party apps

Various auxiliary programs (for example, MiniTool Power Data Recovery or TestDisk) can also help us in eliminating the RAW format on HDD disks.

1. The first of the mentioned programs will allow us to recover the necessary data from a RAW disk.
2. Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery (link just above), click on "Lost Partition Recovery" in the main window.
3. Select the RAW drive and scan it by clicking on "Full Scan".
4. Then decide on the partition and files that you want to restore, click on "Save", indicating the path where you want to save the recovered files.

To use the TestDisk utility, download it, run it as administrator.

1. Select "Create" and press enter, then use the arrows to select the problem disk and press enter again.
2. Then decide on the type of partition table you need (the utility will do it automatically) and press "Enter".
3. Search for problematic or lost sections by selecting Analyze and then Quick Search.
4. After the utility finds the required volumes, select "Write" to save the resulting partition structure.

Video instruction

Above, I presented the answer to the question about the RAW format of HDD disks, indicated the reasons for the appearance of RAW disks and described the tools for solving this problem. In most cases, the appearance of this format of your disk can indicate both hardware and software problems on the PC, which are described by me in the list of causes of this dysfunction (except for a situation when the disk is new and not formatted). To solve the problem, I recommend following the list of tips I suggested above, this will help you effectively fix the problem of RAW format HDD disks on your computer.

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Today we will look at how to recover information from a hard disk when the structure of the file system is damaged, when the RAW file system is displayed in the disk properties. Below we will talk about several methods that will allow you to recover a disk with a RAW file system.

It should be noted right away that there is no universal way to eliminate the problem that has arisen. Below we will look at some of the most effective ways to recover a disk.

Reasons for displaying the RAW file system

1. The disk has not been formatted. However, if the disk worked normally before, then this reason is swept aside;

2. There is damage to the structure of the file system;

3. There is no correct access to the disk;

4. Invalid data was written to the boot sector or MFT.

RAW file system disk recovery methods

Method 1: check the disk

This method should be done by users first, because it is launched by standard Windows tools, without resorting to third-party programs.

To use this method, you need a bootable USB flash drive with Windows OS.

Enter BIOS and set your USB stick as the default boot device.

When Windows Installer appears on the screen, set the system language, and then select "System Restore" .

In the window that appears, click on the item "Command line" .

In a terminal window, you need to enter a command that looks like this:

chkdsk [drive letter]: / f

For example, for drive D, the command would look like this:

chkdsk d: / f

Press the Enter key and wait for the command to complete. When the check is complete, restart your computer normally and check the status of the disk.

Method 2: using the MiniTool Power Data Recovery program

An effective program for troubleshooting disk problems. The program has a free version, however, the size of recoverable files should not exceed 1 GB).

In the next window, select the disk from which you want to recover data, and then click on the item "Full Scan" .

After waiting for the end of the scan, the files available for saving will be displayed on the screen. You can select all files, or select only the necessary ones selectively. Once the files you need to restore are selected, click on the button "Save" .

A window will appear on the screen in which you will need to specify the final path for the files being restored. Please note that you do not need to specify the disk to recover.

The copying process begins, the duration of which will depend on the number of files selected. Once the procedure is complete, a message will be displayed on your screen stating the success of the operation.

Now you can safely format the disk and transfer all the files back to it.

Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free

Method 3: using the TestDisk utility

A functional free utility that is endowed with the following features:

1. Recovering deleted partitions;

2. Rewriting the MBR;

3. Performing recovery of the boot sector from a backup (FAT32 and NFTS);

4. Copying files from remote partitions;

5. Reconstruction of the NTFS boot sector and more.

Many users are frightened off by working with this utility, because all actions are performed through the command line. However, you should not be afraid of this, especially since the developer's website is given.

Raw filesystem and how to get ntfs back

Today we will look at how the raw format of hdd disks appears, what is the RAW file system, why is it needed and what to do if one of your disks is identified as invalid, not partitioned, not formatted, damaged. We will also consider what to do if it says that "chkdsk is invalid for RAW disks" when trying to correct the situation using the operating system.

The RAW file system is implicit in NT operating systems from Windows Corporation. It was created with a single purpose - to provide applications and operating systems with data on 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 allocation structure is clearly different from NTFS and FAT / FAT32. This results in errors such as:

• message that the drive / partition is not formatted in a known file system;
• there is no opportunity to carry out normal access to the device / section;
• the file system of the disk has been damaged.

If one of the above-described notifications appears, further work with the volume is impossible neither in read mode, nor, moreover, in write mode.

Sources of the problem

Most often, such an error appears on a USB flash drive due to improper handling or wear and tear 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 the sectors of the volume contributes to the appearance of a type of file system called RAW;
• improper removal of the flash drive or abnormal operating modes of the device (power surges, power outages 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 access the information stored on the device.

Checking a volume for bad sectors and errors

The first step that should be taken if the file system of a disk or flash drive is defined as RAW is to check for damage on the drive or its logical partition. For the case when 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 a black window, execute a command of the form: "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 dead sectors.

We are waiting for the completion of the operation and trying to open the problematic volume.
If the error "chkdsk is invalid for RAW disks" appears as in the screenshot, then the target volume is the system volume, and to check it, do the following.
Launching a PC from the Windows installation media of the same edition and bitness.
On the language selection screen, click "Next".

Go to the diagnostics section and open the list of advanced parameters.

We start the command line.

We eject "diskpart".
With the command "listvolume" we find out the letter of the problem volume.
We exit from diskpart by entering "exit" and confirming its execution with the "Enter" button.
We execute a command of the form "chkdsk x: / f / r".

This way, you can regain control of the disk without losing any data.

In this case, the inscription "chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks" should not appear, if this happens again, go to the next subsection of the article.

Checking the integrity of the files of the OS itself

Often, in order to convert RAW to NTFS, you just need to reanimate the system files. This is no more difficult than finding damaged drive partitions.
We call the "Run" window with the Win + R combination.
We execute "cmd" to start the command line.
We execute "sfc / scannow" to run a utility that will find and fix errors in the operating system.

We format the section in the absence of important information on it

A RAW disk or flash drive that does not have any files (for example, you just purchased the device), important data is missing or is duplicated, can be easily converted from RAW to NTFS using Windows tools.
We call the "Run" window using the keyboard shortcut Win + R.
We execute the line "diskmgmt.msc" to call the utility for disk management.
Call the "Format" command through the context menu of the problematic section.

We set the desired label and determine the file system (it is better to choose NTFS), then click "OK".
If the removable hard drive (its partition or flash drive) is not formatted, try disconnecting the removable device, if it is, and then connect and try again. In the case of the HDD, reboot the PC, and be sure to terminate any programs that might be using the problematic volume.
Now you know how to fix RAW format of HDD and flash drives, but the formatted storage medium will not contain the original data. If the option to format the drive or disk does not work, move on.

HDD RAW Copy Tool

The HDD RAW Copy Tool is designed for sector-by-sector copying of media and allows you to extract all data from a problem device without losing data.
Download the utility from the official application support resource.
Install and run 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, appeared on it).

Click "Continue".
We specify the file type as * .img to make an image of the recovered disk.
It should be borne in mind here that when specifying the image storage path where all files from the RAW disk will be placed, there must be more free space than the volume / drive itself that will be copied.

We return to the HDD RAW Copy Tool interface, where we press “Continue” again.

After that, you can safely open the generated image through a data resuscitation program that supports working with images, for example, R-Studio, and start restoring the necessary data, and format the newly copied media to NTFS.
We will not describe how to recover data from an image in view of the large amount of information that will be enough for another similar article.
On this HDD RAW Copy Tool can be closed.

DMDE

Although the previous method is highly reliable, it is still much safer and more reliable to work with the original source. Let's consider how to reanimate important files if RAW format appeared for one of the HDD disks. We will do without formatting here, so if some disc has become RAW, using the method described below, you can easily access all its files.
Go to dmde.ru and load the DMDE utility, which allows you to read a disk in a RAW format 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 by checking the box “Phys. devices ".

When the desired partition is found, 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 began to be identified 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 goes well, after a short time, DMDE will restore the lost partition without introducing a change and return it to its original file system.

Attention! If the system volume was problematic and the recovery was performed by booting from another disk or after installing the media on another computer, you will additionally have to reanimate the bootloader.

TestDisk

The TestDisk program is the most difficult to use, but it also performs the best recovery of volumes from RAW filesystems. Having launched the installed application, we perform the following actions:

Click "Create", then select the target partition.

Determine the type of partitions, if this did 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 recovering data from a disk with a RAW file system.
To view the files stored on it, press the Latin "P", exit the preview mode - press the "Q" button. If a partition is marked with P, it can be reanimated; volumes marked with D will not be recovered.

Make sure that the table shown on the screen, which it will be after resuscitation, is correct.
Here you should be sure of the correctness of the choice, but also 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 you restart Windows.

On this topic, "how to change the file system if the disk is in RAW format" can be considered fully illuminated. As you can see, there are absolutely no difficulties in solving the problem.

Each operating system contains storage devices, and a file system is required for them to function. With its help, the computer converts information (photos, music, videos) into a binary system, in other words, into a language that it understands for itself. After that, the data is sorted and further transformed for viewing by the user.

Storage devices Is a very vulnerable technical equipment. Damage occurs both in the logical partition and in the physical. Most of the problems associated with the hard drive are fatal and require replacement of hardware, but there are also fixable problems. The RAW file system is of this type.

What is a raw file system?

As mentioned earlier, a hard drive has a file system. The most popular are NTFS and FAT, which can be used for both hard drives and flash drives.

But what exactly 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 due to the inoperative file system. As a result, technical information about the media is not displayed and access to files is impaired.

Consider the signs of a RAW system
1. Access to the device is denied, and if the file system on the computer or laptop is out of order, Windows will not boot, and you will see an error.
2. If such an incident occurs with a removable storage device, an announcement will pop up, where it will be said about the need for formatting.
3. Open the "properties" of the drive and in the column of displayed information, you will see "File system type - RAW".

Why is there a RAW file system on the flash drive?
For such drastic changes to the file system to occur, one reason from the "gentleman's set is enough:"

• Incorrect shutdown of the computer, power surge and disconnection of the computer from the network when a USB flash drive is connected! Such treatment can also affect the file system of the computer, cause fatal problems with other components.
• Operating system failures can also cause this problem.
• The most common cause is viral infection. After all, not fools came up with the idea of ​​installing antivirus programs.
• Physical damage to the drive, which can also cause loss of information.
• Processes occurring at the level of the file system structure. Boot sector problems, broken geometry values ​​for partitions, etc.

The appearance of the RAW file system is not fatal in most cases, and it is possible to recover user data. There are exceptions, this is due to physical injuries incompatible with life.
It is recommended to contact the service center, where specialists will carry out the necessary operations to restore the flash drive and data on it. You can do this with your own efforts, but you should be very careful so as not to aggravate the situation and not to lose all the information.

To restore the NTFS file 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 the use of these programs did not help to solve the problem, then in the world 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. Even if such manipulations did not help, then your flash card is dead.

3 more useful articles:

Some users may find it impossible 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 consider this dysfunction in detail, tell you what to do in a situation when 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, it is necessary 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, etc.).

Simply put, RAW disks are disks that are not recognized by Windows OS for various reasons. Usually, in this case, Windows recommends formatting such a disk, which you just should not do, since the data on the disk will be lost due to 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 disconnection of such disks (loss of voltage in the network, physical disconnection by the user, problems in the operation of the power supply, etc.), as a result of which the integrity and structure of the data on the disk is violated;
• Problems with the 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 structure of the system on the hard disk is damaged;
• An error in installing or updating the operating system;
• Errors when working with various hard disk partition managers;
• Not tight connection of the flash drive with the USB-connector of the PC (in the case of a flash drive);
• Problems in the work of the computer motherboard and so on.

How to recover NTFS, FAT32 from RAW

• Try to simply restart your computer, the problem may be random;
• Check the tightness of the connection of the cables to the hard drive, try using a different connector to connect the hard drive on the motherboard, as well as another USB connector of the computer when connecting an external flash drive;
• Use the capabilities of the built-in utility CHKDSK (). Run Command Prompt as administrator and type

chkdsk X: / f (where X is the RAW drive letter)

The "f" parameter stands for fixing errors on the disk, which means that the CHKDSK utility not only looks for problems, but also fixes them.

Note also that this command is relevant, first of all, for those disks that have been formatted in the NTFS file system. In this case, if you cannot load the operating system, then boot using a bootable system disk or flash drive (you can use various assemblies "Live CD"), select "System Restore" there, go to "Advanced options" and then to "Command line" , and there type the above command.

If you cannot access the command line from your PC in any way, then it is recommended to connect your hard drive to another computer, and check for errors on your drive from it.

• Use the features of another system utility, sfc, designed to check the integrity of system files. Also run the command line as administrator, in it write:

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 essential), then the problem disk (or flash drive) can be formatted. Click on the "Start" button, and in the search bar type diskmgmt.msc, the disk control panel will appear. Right-click on the raw disk and select "Format" from the pop-up menu.

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 offer programs like 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, specify the problem disk, use the advanced analysis option and click on "Start".

After the scan is over, the program will display a list of found files, mark them with checkmarks and click on "Restore".

TestDisk

The second program that can help with the RAW file system is TestDisk.

1. Download and install this program, run it as administrator.
2. Select “Create” and press enter, cursor select the raw disk and press “Enter”.
3. 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).
4. After TestDisk finds the problem volumes, click on "Write" to write 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 recovering NTFS, FAT32 is to use the system command CHKDSK, as well as special programs that can restore the file structure of a problem disk. If none of the tips I have proposed turned out to be effective for you, then I recommend contacting the service center - perhaps your hard drive has not software, but hardware problems, and it needs a thorough repair.

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