If your Hard drive’s file system is corrupt or inaccessible, the Operating system cannot read the data and that affected drive is termed as RAW drive. To fix the RAW drive and make it accessible, you need to format it.
Formatting the RAW drive will establish a new file system through which the Operating System will be able to access as well as map the storage drive. But, it is obvious that the data present within will be erased when you format the RAW drive.
This is when neither the data nor the drive is accessible. This informative write-up will enlighten you with a method that can help you regain access to your RAW drive without formatting or losing data.
Before trying to perform RAW drive recovery, it is important to know if it is your hard drive that has turned RAW or only the partition. Read the next section to know more.
Do I Have A RAW Hard Drive or Partition?
| RAW Hard Drive | RAW Partition |
|---|---|
| Computer becomes inaccessible and will not boot | One of your local disks is inaccessible |
| Cannot access any of the local disks of your computer | Can access other local disks of your computer |
| Errors messages containing the term “Drive” indicates it as a RAW storage drive | Error messages containing the term “Disk” indicates it as a RAW partition |
|
Some of the error message examples are:
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Some of the error message examples are:
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With the given table, you must have analysed whether your hard drive has turned RAW or only a partition. Based on your scenario, click on the appropriate choice and jump to the solution without wasting any more time.
How to Recover RAW Partition?
Partitions can turn RAW due to a lot of bad sectors, when the partition has been improperly resized or if it has been infected by a virus or malicious software.
Do you know what is a bad sector?
Every storage device is divided into storage units called sectors which hold your data. The stored data on these sectors is accessed for read and write processes. If a sector is corrupted or goes bad, the OS of your computer can no longer read or write any data on it and hence, leads to a RAW hard drive.
What to Do After My Partition Has Turned RAW?
Do not try to access or format the RAW partition as this may lead to permanent data loss. If you have already formatted the RAW partition, using a professional partition recovery software will be the only option to retrieve your data.
If you have not formatted your RAW partition or tried to store any new data, you have the best chances to fix your RAW partition with the help of a free method.
Note:
This free method will help you to recover the RAW partition only if the partition has tuned RAW due to bad sectors or improper resizing.
Recover RAW Partition for Free
Go to Disk Management and see if you can find your RAW partition as Unallocated. If yes, then your RAW partition will be easily restored without any data loss. Right-click on the Unallocated space and select Restore partitions.
However, you will be prompted to Format the drive before trying to access the restored RAW partition. Follow the steps mentioned below that can safely perform partition recovery.
Step 1: Search for Command Prompt from the Windows search and run the program as administrator.
Step 2: Type or copy-paste this command “chkdsk /f /r X:” and hit Enter
Note: Replace X with the letter assigned to your restored RAW partition.
Step 3: Wait for the Command Prompt to scan and repair the partition.
The process duration depends on the number of bad sectors present within the partition. Do not stop the process abruptly as this may lead to inaccessibility or permanent data loss. Reboot the computer once the process has been completed and your RAW partition will be restored.
RAW Hard Drive Recovery Software
If your RAW partition is still inaccessible, formatting it will be the last option. However, using CAT Data Recovery software before formatting your RAW partition is highly advised.
This data recovery software is known for its deep search algorithm that can recover data even from partitions that have turned RAW. You need not be worried if you have already formatted your RAW partition as this software is capable of recovering data from formatted, corrupt and RAW partitions.
If the Operating System of your computer is unable to recognize the file system of your drive, it is considered as a RAW drive. You might be prompted with errors like “The property shows 0 byte”, “Invalid media type reading drive. Abort, Retry, Fail?” and “Blue Screen of Death” errors. Encountering these types of errors indicates that you need to use a professional drive recovery software.
CAT Data Recovery is a robust software that is known for its easy to use interface and efficient RAW drive recovery process. This software can recover files, folders and all the partitions present on your RAW drive without compromising on the quality. Download the software now to scan and preview the files that can be restored from your RAW drive.
However, the data from your RAW drive can be efficiently recovered if you follow the guidelines that are mentioned-below.
What to Do After My Hard Drive is Turned RAW?
- If the hard drive that has tuned RAW is an external hard drive, do not try to store any new data and insert the hard drive only if you are trying to perform data recovery from the RAW drive
- If it is an internal hard drive, go to BIOS settings and try to fix the RAW drive using the Windows installation media kit. This will fix your RAW hard drive but you will lose all the files and data that was present within.
- It is advised to unmount the RAW drive and connect it as an external hard drive using SATA cable to a healthy computer. Download CAT Data Recovery software on that computer and follow the steps mentioned below.
How To Perform RAW Hard Drive Recovery?
Launch CAT Data Recovery software and make sure your RAW drive is connected to the computer. Follow the steps and the data from your RAW drive will be recovered.
Step 1: Click on Recover Partitions from the main screen, select your RAW volume from the Storage Devices and then hit on Scan.
Note: If only a partition has turned RAW, select your RAW partition rather than the main volume and then hit on Scan.
Step 3: Wait for the software to scan and display the files that can be recovered from your RAW drive.
Step 4: Once the data has been recovered from the partition or drive, save the data to a desired location. You can also save it on any external storage device as a backup.
Note: Do not save the recovered files on the same drive from where the data has been recovered. This may lead to an inaccessible partition.
CAT Data Recovery for Both Windows and Mac OS
This data recovery software is built with a robust yet simple interface that keeps the recovery process simple. Recovering data from volumes or partitions can be done efficiently as this software is available for both Mac and Windows computers.
- Data recovery from a RAW volume or partition for Mac versions like Catalina, Mojave, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Snow Leopard, etc. is supported.
- Data recovery from a RAW drive or partition for Windows 10, Windows 8/ 8.1, Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 & 2003, XP and Windows 2000 is supported.
