Ultimate Guide: Fix RAW Drive Without Losing Data [Windows 10 & 11]

What is RAW Drive?

A RAW drive refers to a storage device (like a hard drive, USB drive, or SD card) that has no recognized file system by Windows or other operating systems. Normally, drives use file systems like NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT. When a drive becomes RAW, the operating system cannot read its data, and you may see messages like:

• "Drive is not accessible"

• "The volume does not contain a recognized file system"
• "You need to format the disk before using it"

Why Does a Drive Become RAW?

If your internal or external drive becomes RAW, you won’t be able to access it or the data stored inside. So, what should you do? Should you format it directly to a recognized file system? No! Formatting will erase all data on the drive. That’s why learning how to fix a RAW drive without losing data or formatting is so important.

Before we dive into the solutions, it’s helpful to understand what can cause a drive to become RAW:

• Bad sectors – Physical damage or worn-out storage areas on the disk.
• Virus or malware attacks – Malicious programs can corrupt the file system.
• Partition errors – Accidental deletion or corruption of the partition table.
• Sudden Power Failure-Power outage, connection issue, improper system shut down, etc.
• Unsupported file system – Connecting a drive formatted in an unknown file system like Ext to Windows.

How to Repair RAW Drive without Losing Data?

When a drive becomes RAW, you might panic about losing important files. To fix RAW drive without losing any data, it is a great idea to recover files from the drive prior to any repairing attempts. Next, we will show you how to recover files from RAW drive, and then fix it safely.

Section 1. Recover Data from RAW Drive

To recover files from RAW or other inaccessible drives, you can start with Microsoft's free Windows File Recovery tool. It is compatible with both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Download it from Microsoft Store and complete the installation. Open Command Prompt as Admin by pressing Win+X at the same time and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the result.

Then run the commands referring to the basic syntax: winfr source-drive: destination-folder [/mode] [/switches]

For example: to recover recently deleted files from F: drive to E: drive, run the command: winfr F: E: /regular

If you want to recover data from formatted drive, replace "/regular" with "/extensive".

To recover a specific type of files, like recovering JPG and PNG pictures, add "n" filter at the end, like winfr H: D: /regular /n *.jpg /n *.png

Then wait for the process to complete. If the Windows File recovery stuck at 99% or 0% and cannot help recover files from RAW drive, it’s time to turn to some more professional data recovery solutions, which can handle more complex data loss scenarios, such as damaged drive, corrupted file system, emptied Recycle Bin, crash systems, power failure, virus attack, etc.

One of the top choices is MyRecover. Developed by AOMEI, it is a powerful and comprehensive data recovery tool for all Windows operating system (Windows 11/10/8/7 & Windows).

Step 1. Install and launch MyRecover. Select the target RAW drive and click on "Scan".

Note:✎...

if you cannot see the RAW drive on the interface of MyRecover, you can use "Partition Lost Recovery" to search for all missing partitions on your computer. When it appears, click "Scan" as well.

Step 2. It will perform a quick or deep scan automatically.

Step 3. After the scanning process, you can view all found recoverable files. Check the box in front of the files you want to recover and click on "Recover" button.

Step 4. Select a different drive than the original location to save the recovered files from RAW drive.

Wait for seconds or minutes (based on how many files you are recovering).

Section 2. Repair RAW Drive without Losing Data

Once you have recovered the important files from the RAW drive using one of the above data recovery tools, the next step is to repair it and make it usable again without worrying about data loss. Below are several effective methods:

Method 1. Run CHKDSK Command

A common way to repair a RAW drive is by using the CHKDSK command, which scans the drive for errors and attempts to fix them automatically.

1. Press "Win + S", type "cmd", and right-click "Command Prompt", then choose "Run as administrator".

2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press "Enter":

chkdsk g: /f /r (Replace g: with the letter of your RAW drive)

3. This will attempt to check and repair file system errors.

4. If successful, your RAW drive will be accessible again with its normal file system.

Method 2. Update Disk Driver

Sometimes, a RAW drive issue occurs because of an outdated or corrupted disk driver. Updating the driver may restore access:

1. Press "Win + X" and select "Device Manager".

2. Expand the section Disk drives to see all connected drives. Right-click your RAW drive and choose "Update driver".

3. In the pop-up window, select "Search automatically for drivers". Windows will search for the latest driver and install it if available.

Restart your computer and check if the RAW drive becomes accessible.

Method 3 (Last Resort). Format the RAW Drive

The above two methods aim to fix RAW drive without format. If they don’t work, or the drive still shows RAW because Windows cannot recognize its file system properly, formatting the drive may be the only way to repair it.

Note:✎...

Formatting will erase all data on the drive. Make sure you have recovered important files with Windows File Recovery or a professional tool like MyRecover before proceeding.

1. Press "Win + X" and select "Disk Management".

2. Locate your RAW drive from the list of available disks. Right-click on the RAW partition and select Format.

3. Choose a file system (usually NTFS for Windows, or exFAT if you want cross-platform compatibility).

4. Tick the option "Perform a quick format", then click "OK".

Wait until the process completes. Your RAW drive should now be accessible with a healthy file system.

If you fail to format the RAW drive using Disk Management, you can switch to DiskPart command tool instead. Simply enter the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:

• Diskpart
• List disk
• Select disk #
• Clean
• Create partition primary
• Format fs=fat32 quick
• Assign letter=k
• exit

Summary

A RAW drive can be alarming since it prevents you from accessing your files. Although formattting can help repair the drive more efficiently than other methods, it will erase all your data on the dirve. So, to fix RAW drive without losing data, you had better recover your important files first before attempting any repair. For quick and efficient recovery, MyRecover is the preferred choice thanks to its robust and reliable data recovery features like recovering files from unbootable computers, previewing files before recovery, etc.

Once your data is safe, you can try different methods to fix the RAW drive—running CHKDSK, updating disk drivers, or formatting the drive as a last resort.