how to fix raw external hard drive without formatting

convert raw to ntfs

How to Convert RAW to NTFS Without Losing Data

1. Locate and scan the RAW hard drive.
2. Find and preview found data in the RAW drive.
3. Restore and save RAW drive data.
4. Open "This PC" (Windows 10), right-click the RAW disk/partition, and choose "Format".
5. Select the NTFS file system and set up other necessary options.
6. Click "Start" > "OK".

Why Do You Need to Convert RAW to NTFS

When a hard drive/partition, external hard drive, USB/SD or memory card becomes RAW, you can't access and read the data on the RAW drive. You got this error because of the following reasons:

If the file system suffers structural damage, the partition may become RAW.
The disk or partition becomes RAW if there are bad sectors on a hard drive.
The access permission to the partition is configured improperly.
The partition table of the drive may be corrupted

Mostly, in this case, you have to format the RAW file system to NTFS and make the disk/drive reusable again. However, we all know that disk formatting will erase everything on the storage device. If you want to avoid data loss, you can first try to convert RAW to NTFS system with CMD. If this fails, continue using EaseUS hard drive recovery software to restore files from RAW drive and then format it to NTFS without losing data.

How to Convert RAW to NTFS Without Losing Data (Save Data First)

In order to avoid unnecessary data loss caused by converting RAW to NTFS, before the formatting, we highly recommend you try data recovery from the RAW drive at first via Professional EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard within 3 simple steps. This versatile data recovery program enables you to recover lost files from internal and external storage devices after formatting, deletion, partition loss or damage, software crash, virus infection, unexpected shutdown, or other unknown reasons.

Here's a video tutorial on converting the RAW file system to NTFS and how to recover data from a RAW system. Watch the guide and follow the detailed steps.

EaseUS RAW Recovery Software

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To recover data from a RAW drive:

Note: To restore all your lost files, install EaseUS data recovery software on another disk instead of the RAW disk where you lost files.

Step 1. Locate and Scan the RAW Hard Drive

Locate the RAW drive with its original drive letter and then click "Scan". If the RAW drive has lost its label, it will be detected as "Lost Partition", select it and click "Scan".

The program will automatically scan all lost files and data on the RAW drive.

select the raw drive

Step 2. Find and Preview the Found Data on the RAW Drive

When the scan process finishes, find lost RAW drive data in "Other Lost Files" or "Files Lost Original Name". The "Filter" and "Search" features can also help locate specific types of files with ease.

You can double-click a file to preview it.

scan the raw drive

Step 3. Restore and Save Data Out of the RAW Drive

Choose the files found from RAW Drive and click "Recover"to save the items to a new location. Click "OK" to start the recovery.

select files and click recover

Here's a video tutorial about converting the RAW file system to NTFS and how to recover data from a RAW system. Watch the guide and follow the detailed steps.

The reasons for this issue vary in Windows 10/8/7. The solutions to convert RAW to NTFS are also different. Read on and change RAW drives to NTFS in different cases.

Method 1. Convert RAW to NTFS via CMD (Without Formatting)

If you don't want to format your RAW drive, you can convert RAW to NTFS with CMD. To save files from RAW before formatting, restore data from the RAW drive first. You can convert RAW to NTFS without formatting using CMD with the step by step guides below.

Step 1. Click on Start, then type: cmd and hit Enter.

Step 2. Right-click on cmd and then click on "Run As Administrator".

Step 3. Type "Diskpart" and then hit Enter.

Step 4. Type H: /FS :NTFS and hit Enter. (H shall be the drive letter of your RAW storage device.)

Now, your RAW will fix RAW partition without formatting via CMD. But usually, the CMD will fail and you will get the message "CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives." If so, don't get discouraged, keep reading to change RAW to NTFS without losing data.

Method 2. How to Convert RAW to NTFS with Disk Management

After getting lost data back, you can change RAW to NTFS by formatting now. To carry out the conversion of a RAW partition into NTFS, follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1. Go to This PC or Disk Management, and right-click on the RAW partition or drive, select "Format".

Step 2. Set Volume Label, File System (NTFS), and Allocation unit size. The default format option is Quick Format. Then, click "OK" to start the operation.

Step 3. After reformatting, you can access and use the RAW file system partition or drive as normal.

raw to ntfs with disk management

Method 3. Convert RAW to NTFS with EaseUS Partition Master

Another way to change RAW to NTFS is by using EaseUS Partition Master. This partition manager software can help you easily format RAW to NTFS. What's more, you can cancel the process before you click Execute. This software also has many highlights that can help you greatly.

Migrate OS to SSD or HDD
Partition a hard drive in Windows 10/8/7
Increase C drive space with simple clicks
Wipe a disk or delete a partition

How to Convert RAW to NTFS with EaseUS Partition Master:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master.

Right-click on the RAW partition or RAW external hard drive/USB/SD card that you need to format and choose "Format".

Format RAW Drive Partition - Step 1

Step 2. Format RAW Partition and reset the file system.

Assign a new partition label, set the file system to NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3, and cluster size to the selected partition, then click "OK".

Format RAW Drive Partition - Step 2

Step 3. In the Warning window, click "OK" to continue.

Format RAW Drive Partition - Step 3

Step 4. Execute the operations.

Click the "Execute Operation" button in the top-left corner to view all the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting your RAW partition/USB/SD/external hard drive.

Format RAW Drive Partition - Step 4

Additional Tips - What Does RAW Mean

RAW data typically refers to tables of data where each row contains observation and each column represents a variable that describes some property of each observation. Data in this format is sometimes referred to as tidy data, flat data, primary data, atomic data, and unit record data. Sometimes RAW data refers to data that has not yet been processed.

In other words, RAW refers to a file system that is not formatted by the NT file system, such as NTFS and FAT. Many storage devices can run into the RAW issue, such as hard disk, external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, and more. You may receive this error with these messages:

"You need to format the disk in drive F before you can use it."
"The disk in drive F is not formatted. Do you want to format it?"
"The type of the file system is RAW. CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
"There was an error accessing drive F: The disk is not formatted."

Conclusion

This article has provided you with multiple solutions to get RAW data back and convert RAW partitions to NTFS. Try them according to your needs. If you still have problems, never hesitate to contact us.

Do You Need Specialized Data Recovery Services?

You may need further help for tough data loss situations like format errors, RAW disk, partition loss, repartition failures and system boot error. Consult with EaseUS Data Recovery Experts to retrieve lost data in time.

How to Convert RAW to NTFS Without Formatting FAQs

Here are some hot topics and questions that most people ask. You can get extra tips through these questions and answers. Read on to get additional help.

How do I change RAW to NTFS?

You can convert RAW to NTFS by these methods:

Convert RAW to NTFS via CMD
Convert RAW to NTFS by Disk Management
Convert RAW to NTFS with Software

How convert RAW to NTFS without formatting?

Click on Start, then type: cmd and hit Enter.
Right-click on cmd and then click on "Run As Administrator".
Type "Diskpart" and then hit Enter.
Type H: /FS :NTFS and hit Enter. (H shall be the drive letter of your RAW storage device.)

How do I recover files from a raw partition?

It is of vital importance to retrieve data from a RAW drive before you take actions. All you need is a reliable data recovery software. Then, follow the steps below to recover RAW data.

Step 1. On EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, locate the RAW drive and then click "Scan". The program will automatically scan all lost files and data on the RAW drive.

Step 2. When the scanning process finishes, find lost RAW drive data in "Deleted Files", "Lost Files" or "Existing Files". Filter and Search features also can locate the found files with ease. Check and double-click each file to preview them.

Step 3. Choose the found files from RAW Drive and click "Recover" to save the items to a new location.