Restore the raw system. Raw file system how to open. CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks, what should I do? Why are HDD formats changing?

Many users have encountered a problem when, without any prerequisites, the hard drive stopped being displayed as local and displayed a message that it was not formatted and was working as a RAW file system. In a panic, people formatted the media, losing important data. If you encounter the same error, there is no need to accept Windows' suggestion and format the drive. It can be restored.

Why does the RAW file system appear?

In theory, the RAW file system is initially installed on the hard drive and indicates that it is not partitioned, that is, clean. After installing it into the system unit and formatting, it is suitable for installing an operating system or storing data. However, even formatted disks can be detected as RAW. The reason for this may be the following factors:

• Abrupt power shutdown (voltage surges, emergency shutdown from the socket).
• If the USB cable was disconnected or the SATA connector came off while copying data.
• If this is an external drive, then this error can occur if the device is unsafely removed, that is, without using the system tray options.
• Connection to TV, which formats the device to its format.
• Virus infection.
• Physical failure of the hard drive.

In the event that the reason for converting the disk to the RAW file system was a power failure, improper removal of the device, or an emergency shutdown, the data can be successfully recovered. Otherwise, it is possible to repair the disk, but without saving the information.

Method number 1. Recovering a disk without saving data. Windows is loading

The fastest way to get your system back up and running is to accept Windows' suggestion and format the drive.

It is safer to format the disk through the Disk Control Panel. To do this we do the following:

• Click “Start”, “Control Panel”, “System and Security”, “Administration” and select “Create and format hard drive partitions”.

• A new window will open. Select a disk that displays the RAW file system. Right-click on it and select “Format”.

• Select the format and click “OK”. After formatting, the disk will be ready for use.

Method No. 2. If the RAW system did not appear on drive C

If drive D begins to appear as a RAW file system and you need to recover lost data, it is worth checking it for errors. To do this we do the following:

• Go to disk management and look at the drive letter, which is displayed as RAW.
• Open a command prompt with Administrator rights and enter “chkdsk D: /f”, where “D” is the disk with the RAW file system.

• Often, after errors are corrected, the disk returns to its previous NTFS file system.

Method No. 3. Windows won't boot. Local drive C became RAW

If the operating system does not boot, you need to remove the hard drive from the system unit or laptop, connect it to a work computer and check for errors via the command line. If this helps, the disk will be restored.

If you have an installation disk with the version and bitness of your OS, you should run System Restore.

Enter the command “chkdsk D: /f”, where we indicate the drive letter.

You can view the drive letter using Notepad. At the command line, enter “notepad”. Next “File”, “Open”. Explorer will appear in which you can view the drive letter.

After checking and correcting errors, the old disk format can be restored.

RAW is the format that the hard drive receives if the system cannot determine its file system type. This situation can happen for various reasons, but the result is the same: the hard drive cannot be used. Although it will appear as connected, any actions will not be available.

The solution is to restore the previous file system, and this can be done in several ways.

Our hard drives have the NTFS or FAT file system. As a result of certain events, it may change to RAW, which means that the system cannot determine which file system the hard drive is running on. Essentially, it looks like there is no file system.

This may happen in the following cases:

• Damage to the file system structure;
• The user did not format the partition;
• The contents of the volume cannot be accessed.

Such problems appear due to system failures, improper shutdown of the computer, unstable power supply, or even due to viruses. In addition, owners of new disks that were not formatted before use may encounter this error.

If the volume with the operating system is damaged, then instead of starting it you will see the message "Operating System not found", or other similar notice. In other cases, when you try to perform any action on the disk, you may see the following message: "The volume file system is not recognized" or "To use the disk, first format it".

Recovering a file system from RAW

The recovery procedure itself is not very complicated, but many users are afraid of losing information that is recorded on the HDD. Therefore, we will look at several ways to change the RAW format - removing all existing information on the disk and preserving user files and data.

In some cases, the drive may receive the RAW format incorrectly. Before taking further action, try the following: restart your computer, and if this does not help, connect the HDD to a different connector on the motherboard. For this:

Method 2: Check the disk for errors

This method is where you should start changing the format if previous actions were not successful. It’s worth making a reservation right away - it does not help in all cases, but it is simple and universal. It can be launched while the operating system is running, or using a bootable USB flash drive.

If you have a new empty disk in RAW format or the newly created RAW partition does not contain files (or important files), then it is better to immediately proceed to method 2.

Running Disk Check in Windows

If the operating system is running, then follow these steps:

Checking the disk using a bootable USB flash drive

If the disk with the operating system has failed, you need to use a bootable USB flash drive to launch the scanning tool chkdsk.

Method 3: Recovering the file system on an empty disk

If you encounter this problem when connecting a new drive, then this is normal. A newly purchased disk usually does not have a file system and should be formatted before first use.

Our website already has an article dedicated to connecting a hard drive to a computer for the first time.

Method 4: Recovering the file system while saving files

If there is any important data on the problem disk, then the formatting method will not work, and you will have to use third-party programs that will help restore the file system.

The DMDE program is free and effective in recovering HDDs for various problems, including RAW errors. It does not require installation and can be launched after unpacking the distribution.

Important: Immediately after the recovery, you may receive notifications of disk errors and a prompt to reboot. Follow this recommendation to troubleshoot any problems, and the disk should work properly the next time you start your computer.

If you decide to use this program to restore a disk with an installed operating system by connecting it to another PC, then a slight difficulty may arise. After a successful recovery, when you connect the disk back, the OS may not boot. If this happens, you need to perform a Windows 7/10 boot loader repair.

We looked at various options for fixing the HDD file system from RAW format to NTFS or FAT. We hope this guide helped you fix your hard drive problem.

One of the problems that users of Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7 face is the hard drive (HDD and SSD) or disk partition with the RAW file system. This is usually accompanied by the messages “To use the disk, first format it” and “The volume file system is not recognized,” and when you try to check such a disk using standard Windows tools, you will see the message “CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks.”

The RAW disk format is a kind of “lack of format,” or rather a file system on the disk: this happens with new or faulty hard drives, and in situations where for no reason the disk has become a RAW format - more often due to system failures , improper shutdown of the computer or power problems, while in the latter case the information on the disk usually remains intact.

This instruction provides details on how to fix a disk with a RAW file system in different situations: when there is data on it, the system needs to be restored to the previous file system from RAW, or when any important data on the HDD or SSD is missing and formatting disk is not a problem.

Checking the disk for errors and fixing file system errors

This option is the first thing to try in all cases where a RAW partition or disk appears. It does not always work, but it is safe and applicable both in cases where a problem has arisen with a disk or data partition, and in cases where the RAW disk is a system disk with Windows and the OS does not boot.

In case the operating system is running, just follow these steps

1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator (in Windows 10 and 8 this is easiest to do through the Win+X menu, which can also be called by right-clicking on the Start button).
2. Enter the command chkdsk d: /f and press Enter (in this command, d: is the letter of the RAW drive that needs to be corrected).

After this, two scenarios are possible: if the disk has become RAW due to a simple file system failure, the scan will begin and, with a high probability, you will see your disk in the desired format (usually NTFS) when it is completed. If the matter is more serious, the command will display “CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks.” This means that this method is not suitable for you to restore the disk.

In situations where the operating system does not start, you can use a Windows 10, 8 or Windows 7 recovery disk or a distribution kit with the operating system, for example, a bootable USB flash drive (I will give an example for the second case):

1. We boot from the distribution kit (its bitness must match the bitness of the installed OS).
2. Next, either on the screen after selecting the language at the bottom left, select “System Restore” and then open the Command Prompt, or simply press Shift+F10 to open it (on some laptops Shift+Fn+F10).
3. On the command line we use the commands in order
4. diskpart
5. list volume(as a result of executing this command, we look at what letter the problematic disk, or, more precisely, partition, is currently located under, since this letter may differ from the one that was in the working system).
6. exit
7. chkdsk d: /f(where d: is the letter of the problem drive, which we found out in step 5).

Here the possible scenarios are the same as those described earlier: either everything will be fixed and after a reboot the system will start as usual, or you will see a message stating that you cannot use chkdsk with a RAW disk, then look at the following methods.

Easily format a disk or RAW partition when there is no important data on it

The first case is the simplest: it is suitable in situations where you see the RAW file system on a newly purchased disk (this is normal) or if an existing disk or partition on it has this file system, but does not have important data, that is, restore the previous one No disk format required.

In such a scenario, we can simply format this disk or partition using standard Windows tools (in fact, we can simply agree to the formatting suggestion in Explorer “To use the disk, first format it)

If for some reason you cannot format the disk in this way, try also by right-clicking on the RAW partition (disk), first “Delete volume”, and then click on the area of ​​​​the disk that is not allocated and “Create a simple volume”. The Volume Creation Wizard will prompt you to specify a drive letter and format it with the desired file system.

Note: All methods for recovering a RAW partition or disk use the partition structure shown in the screenshot below: a GPT system disk with Windows 10, an EFI boot partition, a recovery environment, a system partition, and an E: partition that is defined as having a RAW file system (this information , I assume, will help to better understand the steps outlined below).

Recovering an NTFS partition from RAW to DMDE

It’s much more unpleasant if the disk that became RAW contained important data and you need to not only format it, but return the partition with this data.

In this situation, first I recommend trying a free program for data recovery and lost partitions (and not only for this) DMDE, the official website of which is dmde.ru(This guide uses the Windows version of the GUI program.)

The process of restoring a partition from RAW in a program will generally consist of the following steps:

Note: in my experiments, when fixing a RAW disk in Windows 10 (UEFI + GPT) using DMDE, immediately after the procedure the system reported disk errors (and the problem disk was accessible and contained all the data that was on it before) and suggested rebooting computer to fix them. After rebooting everything worked fine.

If you use DMDE to fix the system disk (for example, by connecting it to another computer), keep in mind that the following scenario is possible as a result: the RAW disk will return the original file system, but when connecting it to the “native” computer or laptop, the OS will not load.

Recovering a RAW disk in TestDisk

Another way to effectively search and recover a disk partition from RAW is the free TestDisk program. It is more difficult to use than the previous option, but sometimes turns out to be more effective.

Attention: Only undertake what is described below if you understand what you are doing, and even then be prepared for the possibility that something will go wrong. Save important data to a physical disk other than the one you are working on. Also stock up on a Windows recovery disk or a distribution kit with the OS (you may need to restore the bootloader, for which I provided instructions above, especially if the disk is GPT, even in cases where it is not the system partition that is being restored).

If everything went well, the correct partition structure will be written, and after restarting the computer, the disk will be accessible as before. However, as mentioned above, you may need to repair the bootloader; Windows 10 has automatic boot repair that works well in the recovery environment.

RAW file system on Windows system partition

In cases where the file system problem has occurred on a partition with Windows 10, 8 or Windows 7, and a simple chkdsk in the recovery environment does not work, you can either connect this drive to another computer with a working system and fix the problem on it, or use LiveCD with tools for recovering partitions on disks.

• A list of LiveCDs containing TestDisk is available here: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Livecd
• To restore from RAW using DMDE, you can extract the program files to a WinPE-based bootable USB flash drive and, after booting from it, run the program executable file. The program's official website also has instructions for creating bootable DOS drives.

There are also third-party LiveCDs specifically designed for partition recovery. However, in my tests, only the paid Active Partition Recovery Boot Disk turned out to be workable in relation to RAW partitions; all the others only allow you to restore files, or find only those partitions that were deleted (unallocated space on the disk), ignoring RAW partitions (this is how the Partition function works Recovery in the boot version of Minitool Partition Wizard).

At the same time, the Active Partition Recovery boot disk (if you decide to use it) may work with some features:

1. Sometimes it shows a RAW disk as a regular NTFS, displaying all the files on it, and refuses to restore it (Recover menu item), reporting that the partition is already present on the disk.
2. If what is described in the first paragraph does not happen, then after recovery using the specified menu item, the disk is displayed as NTFS in Partition Recovery, but remains RAW in Windows.

Another menu item solves the problem - Fix Boot Sector, even if it is not a system partition (in the next window, after selecting this item, you usually do not need to perform any actions). In this case, the file system of the partition begins to be perceived by the OS, but problems with the bootloader are possible (solved by standard Windows recovery tools), as well as the system being forced to start a disk check at the first start.

And finally, if it happens that none of the methods could help you, or the proposed options seem frighteningly complicated, it is almost always possible to simply recover important data from RAW partitions and disks, free data recovery programs will help here.

Unfortunately, sometimes you can encounter a situation when a user turns on a computer or laptop, and instead of some logical partition, a disk with an incomprehensible RAW format is displayed. Let's try to find out what this is. At the same time, let's look at some of the simplest ways to convert this format into a normal form.

RAW format: what is it?

If we talk about a format of this type, you need to clearly understand that, in fact, this is not even a format in the usual sense. This is a modified file system type.

When accessing such a section, you can note two types of problems that arise. Firstly, the volume may not be displayed at all in the file manager. And secondly, even if it is visible, then either there are no files on it, or the system suggests immediate formatting, since the file system is incompatible with the operating system (RAW format of HDD drives). How to fix this situation? You need to choose the right approach, because formatting a partition and destroying even non-displayed data is not the best option.

Why are HDD formats changing?

Before proceeding to solve the problem directly, it is necessary to clarify the reasons for changing the section structure. In general, it is generally accepted among experts that the RAW format of HDD disks (how to fix it to readable will be discussed later), as a result, can appear, for example, under the influence of some viruses that purposefully change the file system during a sudden power outage ( electricity) at the time of performing any operations that require direct access to the partition, etc.

Actually, after this, sometimes the disk can be visible even with the folders and files present on it, but performing operations, say, changing the volume label, formatting it using standard means, changing the size, and much more, becomes simply impossible. This happens because, roughly speaking, the file system changes or fatal errors appear in the partition table. However, there are several solutions on what to do if RAW format HDDs appear in the system. Let's take a closer look at how to correct this situation.

Correction method

Now let's look at the main aspects of the remediation processes. As is probably already clear, HDD recovery as the main task uses a solution that allows you to bring the partition’s file system into a form that would be perceived by the operating system itself (FAT32, NTFS, etc.). Please note that in most cases, even rolling back the system to a previous state does not give the desired result, so it is not worth doing this. It's just a waste of time.

To begin with, you can try to make sure that the section displays files and folders, which in some cases makes it possible to copy them to another location, for example, to the same removable media.

How to make files visible and copy them to another location?

In this case, the RAW format is processed using a very interesting utility called MiniTool Power Data Recovery (the program belongs to the class of shareware).

After installation, you need to launch the Lost Partition Recovery module in the application, select the required partition and run a Full Scan. When the process is complete, the program window will display a list of all available files. All you have to do is mark the required data and click the Save button. The application will prompt you to select a location where the selected files will be copied. Specify it and activate the process. After this, you can start formatting the partition. If the procedure is not available, proceed to the next step.

The simplest way to restore the format using the system

Now let's look at how to convert RAW to NTFS using Windows' own tools (especially since this is what this solution is best suited for).

First, you should launch the command line (cmd) from the Run menu (Win + R). Please note that HDD recovery can only be done in this way; a standard partition scan in a Windows environment will not give any results.

Now it all comes down to just typing the command chkdsk “drive letter”: /f (for example, in the case of drive D, it will look like chkdsk d: /f) - and pressing the enter key. All that remains is to wait for the process to complete, during which the file system will be restored, and reboot the system.

By the way, this method is ideal for system drives in file systems that previously had an NTFS structure. Only when using this technique will the computer terminal or laptop need to be booted from a boot or recovery disk.

Correcting the format using the TestDisk utility

At this stage, we will consider another aspect of the topic “RAW format of HDD disks: how to fix it.” TestDisk (a utility for quickly restoring the original format) is best suited. The main advantage of this application is that it does not require installation. Because it comes in a portable version. Minus - it does not have a Russified interface and works in a DOS-like mode.

So, let's start restoring the HDD. At the first stage after starting the program, you need to select the creation of a new log file (Create item) and press the enter key. Then, use the arrows to select the desired disk or partition, after which the application will automatically determine the type of partition table (it can be changed manually, but I don’t think this should be done).

Next, you need to first use the analysis line (Analyse), and then quick search (Quick Search). After each action, press Enter. When the lost partition is found, you should use the option to save the structure (Write). Otherwise, if the desired section is not displayed in the list of search results, you should use Deeper Search, and then follow the steps just described to save the structure. Now, as in the previous option, you just need to restart your computer or laptop. The problem should go away.

Using Ontrack EasyRecovery

Here is another program that allows you to convert the RAW format of HDD disks. How can I fix it using this utility? As easy as pie.

In principle, the application works almost similarly to the TestDisk program, but many users can be attracted by the fact that it has a beautiful and user-friendly interface. By the way, many experts call this software product an indispensable tool when it is necessary to recover large disk partitions. The only negative is that the program is paid, but I think this is not a problem for our people. In the vastness of the Runet you can easily find activation keys, patches, and key generators for it.

Conclusion

What's the result? At the moment, the RAW format of HDD disks has been considered. I think it’s already clear how to fix it so it’s readable by the system. As for what exactly to apply depends on the specific situation. For example, if formatting using your own means is possible, you can display the files and copy them to another location. This is, so to speak, to be absolutely sure. You can also use the command to scan and restore the partition to its original state, which is provided in the system itself, but this process can take a very long time if the volume is large enough.

On the other hand, third-party utilities, described just above, are also perfect for simplifying user actions. Another thing is that some users will not accept the DOS interface of the TestDisk application. However, it is easy to get used to it. Moreover, as already mentioned, this is a portable version, which means you can always have it on hand and run it from the same flash drive. If you don’t like it, please use the similar Ontrack EasyRecovery application with a graphical shell. True, some may object to the question of cost, but here it is worth deciding for yourself what is more important: money or a hard drive with the information stored on it? In addition, among all such utilities, these two are the most powerful, and sometimes you won’t get high-quality results from free software. However, the choice is up to the users themselves.

Raw file system and how to return ntfs

Today we’ll look at how the raw format of hdd disks appears, what the RAW file system is, why it is needed, and what to do if one of your disks is determined to be invalid, not marked up, not formatted, or damaged. We will also consider what to do if it says “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” when trying to correct the situation using the operating system.

The RAW file system is implicitly present in NT operating systems from Windows Corporation. It was created with a single purpose - to provide applications and operating systems with data about the size of the current volume and the name of the file system (FS) used on it. If you received a RAW partition on a hard or solid-state drive (flash drive, SSD), this means that the file system of this volume or drive was not recognized by any file system driver installed in the environment used by Windows. That is, the file placement structure is clearly different from NTFS and FAT/FAT32. The consequence of this is errors such as:

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

If one of the above-described alerts appears, further work with the volume is impossible either in read mode or, especially, in write mode.

Sources of the problem

Most often, such an error appears on a flash drive due to improper handling or wear of the device, but also for hard drives, especially removable ones, the problem is very relevant. Its sources in most cases are:

• malicious applications that interfere with the file table or volume structure;
• partial damage to the boot sector or volume file table;
• damage to the file table, which contains information about all stored data;
• physical damage to sectors of a volume causes a type of file system called RAW to appear;
• Incorrect removal of the flash drive or abnormal operating modes of the device (voltage surges, loss of electricity, or improper shutdown of the PC).

Disk or partition treatment options

Depending on the reasons why the RAW format appeared instead of FAT/NTFS, there are many methods to gain access to the information stored on the device.

Checking the volume for bad sectors and errors

The first step that should be taken if the file system of a disk or flash drive is detected as RAW is to check for damage on the drive or its logical partition. For the case where the system volume is not detected, this recommendation will not work, but in other situations you should start with it.
We call the command line on behalf of an account that has system administrator privileges through WinX or the search bar.

In the black window, execute a command like: “chkdsk x: /f /r”.
In this case:
x: - target volume;
/f – flag responsible for error correction;
/r – the argument will allow you to find and fix bad sectors.

We wait for the operation to complete and try to open the problematic volume.
If the error “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” appears as in the screenshot, it means that the target volume is the system volume, and to check it we do the following.
Starting a PC from Windows installation media of the same edition and bit depth.
On the language selection screen, click “Next”.

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

Launch the command line.

Let's select "diskpart".
Using the “listvolume” command we find out the letter of the problematic volume.
Exit diskpart by entering “exit” and confirming its execution with the “Enter” button.
Execute a command like “chkdsk x: /f /r”.

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

In this case, the message “chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks” should not appear; if this happens again, move on to the next subsection of the article.

Checking the integrity of files in the OS itself

Often, to convert RAW to NTFS, you just need to resuscitate system files. This is no more difficult than searching for damaged drive partitions.
Call the “Run” window using the Win + R combination.
Execute “cmd” to launch the command line.
Run “sfc /scannow” to launch a utility that will find and fix errors in the operating system.

We format a section if there is no important information on it

A RAW disk or flash drive that does not have any files on it (let’s say you just purchased the device), is missing important data, or is duplicated, can be easily converted from RAW to NTFS using Windows.
Open the “Run” window using the Win+R key combination.
Execute the line “diskmgmt.msc” to launch the disk management utility.
Using the context menu of the problem section, call the “Format” command.

We set the desired label and decide on the file system (it is better to choose NTFS), then click “OK”.
If a removable hard drive (its partition or flash drive) is not formatted, try disconnecting the removable device, if it is one, and then connecting it and trying again. In the case of an HDD, restart your PC and be sure to end all programs that may be using the problematic volume.
Now you know how to fix the RAW format of HDD and flash drives, but the formatted storage medium will not contain the original data. If the option to format a drive or disk is not suitable, move on.

HDD RAW Copy Tool

The HDD RAW Copy Tool utility is designed for sector-by-sector copying of media and allows you to extract all data from the problematic device without data loss.
Download the utility from the official application support resource.
Install and launch the HDD RAW Copy Tool and wait until the partitions detected on the PC appear in the main frame.
We select the problematic device from which we will subsequently recover information (a file system defined as RAW has appeared on it).

Click “Continue”.
We specify the file type as *.img to create an image of the recoverable disk.
Here it should be taken into account that when specifying the image storage path where all the files from the RAW disk will fit, there must be more free space than the volume/drive itself that we will copy.

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

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

DMDE

Although the previous method is highly reliable, working with the original source is much safer and more reliable. Let's look at how to resuscitate important files if a RAW format has appeared 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 a change 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.