How to Recover Data from/Fix Raw External Hard Drive in Windows 7/8/10/11 [2023]

If you are wondering about how to recover files from raw external hard drive free, this post is for you. When an external hard drive becomes RAW format, it is impossible to open it with File Explorer or access files. You will also get an error message when you try to open it with Windows indicate that an external drive has become RAW. These error messages include.

The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable
You need to format the disk in the drive to use it
The parameter is incorrect
Do you want to format it?

Formatting a RAW drive is usually not the best solution because when you format, you will lose all files in the drive. This post looks at how to recover the data from the external raw hard drive and how to fix external hard drive raw file system without formatting or losing data.

Quick Navigation: Part 1. Possible Causes for External Hard Drive becoming Raw File System; Part 2. IMPORT. How to Recover Files from RAW External Hard Drive; Part 3. How to Fix Raw External Hard Drive with/without Formatting

Part 1. Possible Causes for External Hard Drive becoming Raw File System

Before looking at how to recover data from raw external hard disk, the first thing is to look at possible causes for the issue. Many reasons may lead to an external hard drive becoming a RAW drive. This section looks at a couple of them.

You did not use the safe ejection option before you disconnect the external hard drive. This is especially when Windows is yet to finish writing or reading actions on the drive.
The external drive has bad sectors. For instance, if the disk area that stores the file system information becomes bad sectors, the drive would be unrecognizable by the system.
Something is wrong with the power supplier, USB cable, or USB port
A sudden failure occurs while using the hard drive, such as connection issue, power outage, and improper system shutdown, among others.
Malware or virus infection, making the external hard drive inaccessible.

Part 2. IMPORT. How to Recover Files from RAW External Hard Drive

The standard solution that your system will recommend for fixing RAW drive is to format it. Of course, this option will fix the raw system error but the issue is that you will lose all files on it.

If you have important data on the drive, the best option is to recover the data with a professional tool. So, if you are wondering about how to fix an external hard drive raw file system without formatting and losing data, we recommend you use Deep Data Recovery software.

Deep Data Recovery is a reliable and 100% safe data recovery tool that can recover data from memory sticks and find files in RAW drives, HDD/SSD, USB drives, SD cards, and other storage devices.

It is easy and efficient to use, and it features two effective scanning modes to enable you to restore all lost, formatted and deleted data. Read the steps below to know how to recover files from raw partition, disk, external hard drive, SD card, and more freely with the Deep Data Recovery software.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Connect the raw external hard drive with your computer. After then, launch Deep Data Recovery tool.
Choose the raw external disk from where you want to scan to find the data you are looking for. Next, click on the "Scan" button to recover files from external hard drive on Mac or Windows.

Preview the scanned list to locate the data that you want to get back. When you are satisfied with the found data, click on the "Recover" button to save the lost files.

recover files from raw external hard drive free

Part 3. How to Fix Raw External Hard Drive with/without Formatting

Wondering about how to fix external hard drive that is raw without formatting? We have gone ahead to curate four effective methods that you can use. You should understand that you may lose data while using any of these solutions. Therefore, we recommend that you recover or backup important data before you perform the steps. Let us get into the details of the methods.

Method 1. Fix RAW External Hard Drive without Losing Data by Running Chkdsk

Chkdsk is a built-in tool in Windows and can be used for analyzing and repairing different errors on partitions. However, it is not guaranteed that it will always fix corrupted drives but you can try to use it to resolve the issue of how to fix RAW external hard drives without losing data. Follow the steps below to perform the solution.

Launch the Command Prompt by typing "CMD" in the search box to bring up the Command Prompt. Next, click on the "Run as Administrator" button.

Type in "chkdsk g:/f" and click the "Enter" key. Please note that the letter "G" represents the letter that is associated with the RAW partition on the external hard disk.

Allow the process to complete to fix the problem of convert RAW to NTFS without Losing data in Windows PC.

This solution should fix the issue of how do I fix a RAW external hard drive without formatting. If it does not, use the next solution.

Method 2. How to Fix Raw External Hard Drive to NTFS by Converting RAW to NTFS with DiskPart

Diskpart commands are designed to help users manage storage devices, including volumes, partitions, disks, and virtual hard drives. The DiskPart can be used to format, change, or convert the RAW drive into FAT32 or NTFS. To do this conversion, follow the steps below.

Launch the "Command Prompt" and type in "diskpart". Next, click the "Enter" key.
Type the below commands one after the other and click on the "Enter" key after each of them.

List disk – this itemizes the disks that are connected to your computer
Select disk * - (replace * with the associate disk number to your RAW drive)
Clean – (this will remove all files on the selected disk, such as the files and partitions)
Create partition primary – (this creates the new partition on your disk)
Format fs=ntfs quick

Step 3. Wait for the process to show 100% completed and read the message. You will see something like "DiskPart successfully formatted the volume", which means the raw hard drive has been converted to the NTFS file system successfully.

how to fix external hard drive that is raw

Method 3. Delete RAW Partition and Create a New Partition

Another solution to "how to fix external hard drive suddenly became raw" is to start all over after backing up your files. You have to delete the RAW drive and create another one in unallocated space. You should note that partition deletion will cause data loss and this is why you should back up before you use it. Follow the steps below.

Press on the "Windows + R" keys at the same time and type in "diskmgmt.msc", press "Enter". After then, you've launched the Disk Manager
Select the appropriate RAW partition and click on the "Delete Volume..." button.
Choose the "Free disk space" and right-click select the "New Simple Volume..." button.

how to fix raw external hard drive to ntfs

Next, follow the wizard to complete the fix external hard drive raw file system.

Method 4. How to Fix Raw External Hard Drive without Formatting Using CMD

Connect the RAW hard drive to your computer.
Click on the "Start" button and look for the "Command Prompt".
Right-click on the command and click on the "Run as Administrator" button.
Type in the "Diskpart" and click on "Enter".
Type in "convert G:/fs:ntfs" and click on "Enter" to fix how can I format my external hard drive without losing data. Note that the letter "G" stands for the drive letter that is associated with the RAW device.

This post has looked at different solutions to how to fix raw external hard drive without formatting and losing data. We recommend that you use the best external hard drive recovery software to ensure that no data is lost while formatting your RAW file. And one suggestion I give to you is to back up your important files regularly to prevent data loss.