When your SD card, USB, or hard drive is not performing properly and showing errors, it could be showing signs of corruption. One reliable way to check and fix the corruption is to run the CHKDSK command. But if the CHKDSK is unable to check the drive and returns the error message “CHKDSK not available for raw drives”, what does it mean? To find out why you got this error message and to overcome this problem, continue reading the article.
What does "CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives" mean?
In simple terms, the error “CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives” usually occurs when the command CHKDSK cannot be used on the drive with the RAW format. As a matter of fact, many Windows commands don't work on RAW drives because Windows cannot access that drive. This is the reason why the error code usually occurs.
Here in the below write - up we guide you with hassle-free solutions on how to fix the CHKDSK error code with ease.
Why Does the “CHKDSK not available for raw drives” Error Occur?
In order to understand why this error occurred you need to know how the chkdsk command works. When you run the chkdsk command, it checks both the logical and physical errors in the file system and the data present in the volume.
But when your drive does not have a proper file system and has turned RAW, CHKDSK will not be able to locate the file system and its data in the volume. Therefore, you will get a return message stating “chdksk not available for raw drives”.
How Do I Fix CHKDSK Is Not Available For RAW Drives?
- Recover Data from the RAW drive using Remo Recover
- Fix the error code ‘CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives’ with the Error checker tool
- Format the External/Internal drive with a New File System
Solutions “CHKDSK not available for Raw Drives”?
The simple fix here is to format the storage drive with a file system such as FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, etc. By doing so the RAW drive will get a new file system, making it a usable drive. Hence, you need to format the disk in a drive that has turned raw.
However, formatting the drive will erase all the data such as photos, videos, and other data. Hence, you need to recover the data from an inaccessible SD card, USB, or hard drive before formatting.
Having said that, recovering a RAW SD card or any other storage drive is not as easy, as the drive is totally inaccessible.
The absence of a file system makes manually accessing a RAW drive impossible. Only a powerful data recovery tool can recover data from inaccessible storage. Remo Data Recovery tool is an automated solution that can efficiently recover the RAW drive. Enabled with a deep scan algorithm, the tool glides through every sector to recover data from the storage. Download and try the software for free now.
Recover Data From Raw Hard Drive Using Remo Recover
Follow the below steps to start the recovery process from your raw hard drive:
- Download and install the Remo Recover tool.
- Once you launch the tool then you’ll get to choose the drive from which you want to recover your data. If you can’t find the particular drive from which you want to backup data, you can click on the Can’t find the drive? option on the bottom left corner.
- After you find a drive that you want to recover, select the drive and Scan.
- Wait for the Quick Scan to be complete, once the scan is complete the tool will run the Deep Scan wherein it recovers data sector by sector of the drive.
- Now select the folder or files that you want to recover from the drive and click on Recover.
- You can choose the Preview option to verify the data that is recovered and save the particular data you want to recover.
- Choose the needed file, click on Recover and browse for a location to save the recovered data.
Once the data is recovered, you can go ahead and format the SD card to fix the “CHKDSK not available for raw drives” error.
Fix the RAW drive using the Error Checker Tool
- Right-click on the RAW partition
- Click on Properties from the pop-up
- From here click on the Check button to continue
- In some cases, the error code can be resolved after checking it
- If you encounter a message code saying “This disk check could not be performed because the disk is not formatted. Would you like to format the disk?” you will have to format the disk
Note - As recommended before, it is a priority to recover your data from the RAW drive and then follow the listed methods
Format the External/Internal drive with a New File System.
Follow the below-mentioned steps to format and get rid of chdksk not available for raw drives error
- Click on Start and type Disk Management, and choose the first result
- Now from the list of available drives, identify and click on the RAW SD card
- Right-click on the RAW volume and choose Format
- Choose the file system with which you wish to format the drive (in the case of SD card or USB drives it is recommended to choose exFAT or FAT32)
- Finally, hit the OK button the start formatting the RAW drive.
Once the SD card is formatted, all the errors in the card will be fixed. You can now SD card without any problems.
Conclusion
Formatting the storage not only resolves the “chdksk not available for raw drives” error alone. This solution also fixes most of the errors on the drive. In order to be prepared for such data loss situations, keep backing up the data in a timely manner. If you have any doubts or questions about this information, kindly ask in the comment section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a RAW drive?
A drive which has which does not have a file system is called to be a RAW drive. The RAW drive is usually inaccessible and the data residing on your will be lost or deleted. Hence we always recommend you to take a backup of your hard disk which has turned RAW or inaccessible
2. What happens to the data after formatting the RAW drive?
The data is usually lost or erased permanently from the drive after formatting the RAW drive. After assigning a new file system, the system will be good as new.
3. How do I format my RAW to NTFS without losing data?
The data loss scenario is inevitable if you are formatting the RAW drive to your desired file system. However, with the help of a reliable data recovery utility, you can easily get back the files.
