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What Is a RAW Drive?
A raw drive or partition means that your computer OS cannot understand the file system of your internal/external hard drive, SSD, SD card, or USB. This could be either the storage device has no file system or Windows is unable to recognize the device file system format.
A RAW drive can occur for various reasons, such as file system corruption or improper handling of storage devices.
If you’ve encountered a situation where your computer or external storage device is showing a RAW drive instead of a familiar file system or an error such as “You Need to Format the Disk in Drive Before You Can Use It”.
In this article, we will explore the steps you can take to access data on a RAW drive safely and recover your valuable files. Wondering how to access the data stored on it?
How to Access RAW Drive? [4 Methods]
Try the following solutions to learn how to read RAW file systems:
Method 1: Use a Data Recovery Software
When dealing with a RAW drive and the fear of losing valuable data, reliable data recovery software can come to the rescue. One such excellent option is Remo Recover, known for its effectiveness in recovering files from RAW drives. By using this software, you can safely retrieve your data and avoid the risk of accidental file loss.
- Download and Install Remo Recover Software on your computer and connect the RAW drive to this healthy computer.
- Launch the software, select the storage drive from which you wish to recover data, and click the Scan option.
- During the scanning process, you can click on the Dynamic Recovery View option to preview the files while the recovery is in process.
- Once the scanning is completed, all your files from the drive will be in the Lost and Found or Lost Partition folders.
- Select all the files you want to recover from the drive and click the Recover button to save them in the desired location.
Once you save the raw drive data, now simply format the raw drive to the NTFS file system. Here’s how you do it:
- Open Disk Management, locate the raw drive, and right-click on it.
- Give your drive a name, choose NTFS as the file system, and click on OK.
Method 2: TestDisk to Repair RAW Drive
TestDisk is a free and open-source data recovery utility that can recover lost partitions or repair filesystems. Use this tool to repair the RAW drive without losing any data.
Be aware that this tool is not the ideal option for recovering data, but you can repair the RAW drive and partition using a few commands. Here’s how it goes:
- Download TestDisk on your computer.
- Launch the tool and select the RAW drive
- Choose the partition table and select the Analyze option to analyze the partition structure.
- Once the correct partition is found, select it and choose the Write option to write the partition structure to the disk.
- Once the writing is completed, close the TestDisk and reboot the system.
Now check if you are able to read the raw partition or drive.
Method 3: Check Disk Management
For Windows users, the Disk Management tool can be handy in identifying and resolving RAW drive issues. To access Disk Management, follow the below simple steps:
- Right-click on My Computer/This PC>Manage.
- Go to Disk Management under Storage.
- Identify the RAW drive (marked as RAW).
- Right-click on the RAW drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
- Assign a drive letter to the RAW drive.
Now the raw drive or partition will be visible on File Explorer, You can run the error checking tool to repair the raw drive.
- Open File Explorer, right-click on the raw drive, and choose properties.
- Go to the Tools tab and click on Check to repair the raw drive.
This will repair the RAW drive. Once the repair is completed, you can access the RAW file system.
Method 4: Use Command Prompt
You can use the Command Prompt to fix a RAW drive issue. By running a specific command “chkdsk [drive letter]: /f,” you can attempt to repair the file system errors on the RAW drive, which might restore access to your data.
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Type:
chkdsk [drive letter]: /f. - Press “Enter” to execute the command.
- Let it check and fix errors on the RAW drive.
- Try accessing the drive to see if the issue is resolved.
Tips to Prevent RAW Drives in the Future
Safe Ejection: Always use the “Eject” option before removing the external drives to prevent file system corruption causing RAW drives.
Regular Updates: Keep your OS and device drives updated as they contain bug fixes and improvements to avoid corruption issues.
Antivirus: Regularly scan your device using an updated antivirus tool to prevent viruses and malware from corrupting your devices and leading to RAW drives.
Monitor Drive health: Monitor the drive health using the tools provided by manufacturers to prevent device failure and data loss issues.
Backup: Take backups of the important folders and files on the external drive or cloud storage to safeguard your data at times.
Conclusion
Encountering a RAW drive can be a stressful experience, especially when you have essential data stored on it. However, by following the right steps, you can increase the likelihood of accessing and recovering your files safely.
We hope this article helped you understand how to access RAW drive, Remember to avoid formatting the RAW drive and use data recovery software like Remo Recover. By doing so, you’ll improve the chances of retrieving your valuable data and preventing potential data loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stop using the RAW drive immediately to prevent overwriting data. Avoid formatting the drive, as this destroys the original file system and complicates recovery. Instead, use data recovery software like Remo Recover. Or TestDisk to scan and recover files to a different, healthy drive before attempting any repairs (e.g., using CHKDSK or Disk Management).
Yes, you can recover data using user-friendly software like Remo Recover. It scans the RAW drive and allows you to preview and save files to a safe location. It’s the easiest method for non-experts, requiring minimal technical knowledge. Alternatively, free tools like TestDisk can work but are more complex and better suited for advanced users.
To prevent RAW drive issues, always safely eject external drives. Keep your operating system and drivers updated. Run regular antivirus scans to avoid malware, and monitor drive health for bad sectors. These steps reduce the risk of file system corruption, which is a common cause of RAW drives.
