How to Recover Data from RAW Partition – Know Here

If have encountered RAW file error on your system and want to know how to recover data from RAW partition then this blog is has complete information regarding this issue.

What is Meant by RAW Drive?

A RAW file system is also known as RAW drive. It occurs due to many reasons which we will discuss in the next section. Unlike the FAT and NTFS file system, the RAW file system is not the standard file system but it can be recognized by the Windows OS when RAW appears on the screen when you try to access it.

RAW file system or RAW drive is a device system error that occurred due to many technical issues. It restricts the user’s access to memory cards, the computer’s hard disk, and pen drive.

An easy way to fix any RAW file system is to format it. But there is no guarantee if it will fix the issue and also permanently delete the data.

One of the user queries is expressed here regarding RAW drive asking about how to recover data from RAW partitions.

Possible Symptoms of RAW File System

• The disk is not formatted. Do you want to format it now?
• Drive cannot be read and written.
• The disk is not recognized or detected by the system operating.
• This attribute indicated 0 bytes.
• The disk is not initialized also cannot be used.
• The drive is unable to be used.
• No disk is found in the drive. Please insert the disc and try again.
• The media type is invalid for reading the drive.

Common Cause of RAW File System

In general, the direct reason the drive shows the RAW file system is that it is not recognized by the Windows Operating System. And there can be several reasons for the RAW partitions.

1. The partition or the device is damaged due to long time usage.
2. While using the partition device accidentally shutdown, got connectivity issues or closed due to an abnormal system.
3. Bad sectors (physical or logical) for e.g. the disk space that stores file system information because bad sector and the drive are not recognized.
4. Viruses and malware infect hard drives and made them inaccessible.
5. Formatting of drive is failed due to logical issues.
6. No matter what caused the RAW drive, it is highly recommended to backup or restore files from the RAW drive before repairing.

Use the below-mentioned command prompt parameters or data recovery solution to repair and get data from the raw partition.

Solution 1. Repair RAW Drive using CMD Command Prompt

If the RAW drive contains the important data, simply jump to the second solution to recover data from RAW partition. Moreover command prompt is able to provide only the hidden files, not the corrupted and damaged files.
Still, if you want to take your chances then follow these steps, or for instant and guaranteed data recovery use Data recovery solution.

Step 1. Type cmd in the search bar and run CMD prompt as “Run as administrator.”

Step 2. Enter the partition letter and open the RAW partition command prompt.
Step 3. Type the list volumes and press Enter to list all the volumes.
Step 4. Type select volume and hit enter is specific RAW partition.
Step 5. Type format fs= NTFS quick and press enter: if you want to recover RAW disk to FAT32 or exFAT. Just simply input parameter format fs=fat 32, or format fs=exFAT.

After DiskPart has been successfully formatted the particular volume. Close the command prompt and check if the drive is repaired and turned to be standard file system or not.

Original Drive Does Not Offer CHKDSK Utility

“I was trying to recover data from 400GB hard disk. I am using Windows 7 and it says “The drive must be formatted before it can be used.” I tried the cmd – CHKDSK / F file, but it says “CHKDSK cannot be applied to the original drive”. Is there any alternative to recover files from raw partition.
Help will be much appreciated”

Solution 2. Partition Data Recovery Software to Get Data from Raw Partition

Command Prompt works well only for the hidden files and low level of corruption. Also running that complicated command could be difficult for non-technical background users just like the above user query where cmd prompt is not available for the RAW drive.

For the direct and instant approach for how to recover data from raw partition, SysTools Partition recovery is the easiest solution to recover deleted files from NTFS partition. It makes sure to minimize the data loss due to corruption that occurred to files and the driver turned to be a RAW drive.

Concluding Words

Drive turned out to be RAW is a common issue faced by users. There are several reasons behind it. How to recover data from RAW partition is the main concern for users when they are worried about their data.
SysTools data recovery software is the instant and straightforward solution to do so. Command prompt has challenges and limitations, plus it is not recommended for newbies and non-tech users as it might risk their data.