How to get the raw file system back. How to change the RAW file system to NTFS. Raw file system - what is it

Disks with an uninstalled file system are indicated RAW(translated from English " raw», « raw"). This means that the data standard unknown, the stored information does not have a clear specification. If in Windows one of the disks or partitions is recognized as RAW, it means that the installed drivers was not recognized file system name. In normal mode this name should be FAT or NTFS.

When you try to enter such a section, you will see next error.

Or a message that the disk is not formatted.

If you go to Administration Control panels, choose Computer management, can see state this disk.

In this case, the system reports that the logical drive OK, But unknown format.

Reasons There can be several occurrences of an unknown RAW format:

file system structure broken(partial destruction of boot sectors);
disk not formatted(file system not installed);
No access.

This may be a consequence of the following actions:

incorrect installation(reinstallation), OS recovery;
faulty hard drive sectors (you may have recently noticed a long response time when trying to open a particular directory);
unstable work Power supply or mains voltage fluctuations;
poor contact of cables and cables connecting the hard drive to the power supply and motherboard;
viruses.

Checking for errors

If the disk has not suffered serious damage, and most of the file system structures have survived, you can fix the error using standard system tools. In this case, the section should not be systemic.

Let's launch command interpreter with rights administrator.

There is a system utility Checkingdisk, designed specifically for checking the hard drive.

To call it in the console, enter chkdsk (drive letter): /f

Confirm checking the specified volume by entering a character Y– the search and elimination of errors will begin. Upon completion reboot. Scanning can take a lot of time, depending on the size of the disk that needs to be fixed. Wait for it to complete, because there is a high probability of a successful recovery this way.

Using Formatting

Carrying out the procedure formatting, Please note that all data will be lost. If the information stored on it was not important to you, to start reformatting, go to as shown earlier.

Right-click on the disk and select.

If a lot of necessary data is stored there, then proceed to formatting The last thing you should do is try to restore them using other available means.

Using DMDE to recover without data loss

One of the tools is a free program DMDE. Download it from the official website. After installation and launch select physical device that contains a RAW section, check the box below Show sections and press OK.

The required disk can be found at crossed out icon or type RAW, select it and click Open volume.

View contents, if it opens, make sure that the selection was made correctly.

Then click the button Restore And Yes to confirm the recovery of the boot sector from the copy.

Using the TestDisk utility

Another free program that can restore partitions in case of data corruption is TestDisk. It works more effectively than the previous one, but you will have to tinker with it a little more.

After pressing " Create"(creating a new log file) select drive with ROW format.

The disk is selected using cursor keyboards.

Select Analyze and button Enter for confirmation.

Wait until the analysis is completed - the program will find several disks, including the one that contains information in RAW format. To identify it is possible, knowing the volume.

Select P to enter the mode viewing. Once you are sure that this is the drive you need, click Write for recovery and Y to confirm this action.

After recovery is complete reboot and check if the recovery was successful.

Raw format on the system partition

If you are restoring a system partition, you should take into account that after returning the disk to the original format of the OS file system will stop loading- required restore loader.

For recovery, you can use the same utilities that were discussed above. We recommend for these purposes, connect the hard drive to another device and perform this procedure from it, or use a special boot disk containing, for example, Minitool Partition Wizard, Active Partition Recovery Boot Disk or similar specialized facilities.

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.

RAW file system - what is it?

If the disk is in RAW format, Windows will display it among other hard drive partitions. But when you try to open it, the computer will give you an error and ask you to format it. In addition, any actions with this volume will be unavailable: checking for errors, defragmenting, etc. (it is useful to read “How to check the integrity of Windows 10 system files and restore them?”).

There is no RAW file system as such. If the disk receives this formatting, it means that the computer drivers are not able to determine the type of its file system - NTFS, FAT or FAT32. In practice, this happens in several cases:

the file system structure is damaged;
The partition has not been formatted;
There is no correct access to the contents of the volume.

If the OS volume is damaged, the “Reboot and select proper boot device” or “Operating System not found” warnings will appear when the computer boots.

How to change the RAW file system to NTFS

If the problem occurs on a non-system drive, but it contains important information that will be lost when formatted, use standard Windows tools or third-party programs to fix the error.

Windows tools

Basically, the standard chkdsk utility helps fix problems with formatting in RAW.

After checking, the computer will repair damaged sectors and the NTFS file system on the problematic volume.

Important! This method is effective if the flash drive or hard drive has been formatted in NTFS.

The chkdsk utility will also help when the system disk is damaged. But for this you will need a boot disk or flash drive.

Start the computer from a bootable USB flash drive or disk → Select “System Restore”.
Advanced options -> command line -> enter chkdsk drive_letter: /f.

In the recovery environment, the partition letters are different from the names of the logical drives. To avoid mistakes, open the list of computer partitions in the command line.

Enter diskpart → list volume → the list will indicate which disk is the system one.

Third party programs

There are third-party programs that help restore the NTFS file system if for some reason it was reformatted to RAW. They do not damage the user’s information stored on the volume, unlike the chkdsk utility, which can “affect” them during the recovery process.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Important! This method is most effective if the RAW file system appears on a flash drive.

TestDisk

This is a multifunctional free utility that works with hard drive partitions using a large number of options. The program is presented in a portable version, so it does not require installation. The main disadvantage of TestDisk is that it does not have a Russified interface.

Download the archive with the program → run the file testdisk_win.exe as administrator → select “create” → enter.
Use the up/down arrows to select the desired drive → enter.
Specify the desired type of partition table (the utility will do this automatically) → enter.
To search for “lost” partitions, select “Analyze” → enter → Quick Search → enter.
The utility will find “lost” volumes → press “p” to view the list of files.
Good to know! TestDisk does not work with Russian titles, so they will not be displayed correctly.
Select “Write” to save the partition structure.
If the partition is not found the first time, use the “Deeper Search” command and repeat all the above steps.

An alternative way to restore NTFS formatting of a partition is presented in the video.

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

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

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

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

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

Outwardly it usually looks like this:

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

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

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

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

How to return ntfs or fat32?

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

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

File system recovery programs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If a computer could be turned off like a pocket calculator, smart engineers and software developers would have realized this possibility a long time ago. Perhaps this will be the case in the future, but for now it is necessary to shut down the PC using the appropriate means of the operating system, otherwise disaster will inevitably occur. Changing the file system NTFS V RAW- just one of the troubles that can result from a sudden computer shutdown.

As a rule, a partition with such a file system is detected by Windows, but no information about the data written to it is provided, as if it doesn’t exist, and the progress bar is not displayed in Explorer. When you try to open a section, you get a message thorny mistake "Can't access X:/. Reading is impossible, the disk is not formatted" or something like that.

Changing the partition letter or launching a utility to check the disk from its properties is also impossible. Only formatting is possible but do not rush to do this, otherwise all your files will be deleted.

If NTFS "turns" into RAW on the system partition, when you turn on the computer, a boot error appears, most often "Operating System not found" or “Reboot and select proper boot device”.

What is the RAW file system

No matter how strange it may sound, RAW just means the absence of a file system as such. More precise definition RAW is chaos, disorder of data on the disk. The error occurs when the Windows file system driver fails to determine its type. There may be several reasons for this, but the most likely is damage in the main file table area MFT, boot sector, as well as incorrect logical partition geometry values in the partition table. Unformatted volumes can also be of the RAW type.

Recovering RAW volumes

The success of fixing the error depends on the nature and extent of damage to the data responsible for Windows determining the file system type. There is no universal way to solve the problem, but in most cases restore normal reading NTFS the built-in utility, launched with the parameter, helps /f from the command line. In other cases, specialized volume recovery programs help, for example, TestDisk.

If your user data partition has become unreadable due to the appearance of RAW, you can reconstruct it from RAW to NTFS from a running operating system.

To do this, in a command prompt running as an administrator, you need to run the command chkdsk D: /f and wait until the disk is fully scanned.

If the system partition is damaged, it is advisable to connect the hard drive to another computer and check it, but you can also use any boot disk with Windows to check and correct errors, not forgetting, however, that the partition letters in the recovery environment will be different. For example, logical drive C will have a letter D .

If the reason for the appearance of RAW is minor damage to the file table MFT, most likely, the system can be restored even after the errors are corrected by the utility it will boot normally. If to incorrect entries MFT bootloader damage will be added, it is also worth executing the following recovery commands in the console:

bootrec.exe /FixMbr
bootrec.exe /FixBoot

Note: This boot recovery method may not work for computers running in UEFI.

In some cases, it may be necessary to reinstall the operating system or restore it from a backup copy. As for user files on non-system RAW volumes, they usually remain intact and are perfectly readable after reconstruction in NTFS. However, there is a risk of accidental data corruption when reconstructing RAW with the utility or other programs are still available.

Therefore, if the data is of particular value, before you start fixing the main error, try to perform data recovery using specialized programs like R-Studio. Experience shows that they cope excellently with such tasks, restoring files even from severely damaged volumes. After this, you can simply format the problematic partition and transfer the recovered data to it.

Imagine inserting a flash drive into your computer and seeing a message: “To use the drive in drive F:, first format it. Do you want to format it? If it's a new flash drive, no questions asked, but what if there was data on it? Then don’t rush to agree to formatting - perhaps there is a chance to save them.

First of all, you can try to take a chance and fix errors using Windows. To do this, open the console as administrator and write:

Chkdsk f: /f

Naturally, f: will need to be replaced with the current disk name. The /f option means error correction during scanning.

If the operation was successful, you can try opening files. But it may also happen that you will see the error “Chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks.” Don't despair, we have a couple more options in stock. Let's use a special program DMDE.

DMDE is a very cool program that is useful for searching, editing and restoring data on disks. The developer reports that it uses clever algorithms, thanks to which it can restore directory structures and files in difficult cases when other programs do not give the desired result.

DMDE has a disk editor, a simple partition manager, the ability to image and clone disks, rebuild RAID arrays, and so on. Paid editions support the recovery of files and directories without restrictions, but the free version is also very good and helps just as well in many situations.

After starting the program, select our media.

A partition window opens, where we double-click to select a full scan.

After a quick scan, you need to go one level higher to the “Found” folder and click “All found + reconstruction”. A dialog will open where we select “Rescan current file system” and wait for the end of the operation.

After scanning, DMDE will show a list of found files. We look through the folders and choose what to restore. Unfortunately, you cannot restore entire folders in the free version. To restore one file at a time, right-click and select “Restore object”, then indicate where to restore and click OK.

It is worth noting that file names are generated automatically and often do not correspond to the original ones. Don't be surprised if some files come out broken or artifacts appear in your photos. By the way, images can sometimes be restored using one of the special utilities. For example, Recuva, R-Studio and “PhotoDOCTOR”. To my great surprise, the latest program restored almost dead photographs in very good quality and with a minimum of artifacts - many of its competitors could not cope with this.

In general, good luck in your recovery! But it’s better, of course, to immediately rewrite all data from temporary media and make backups.