How to Recover and Restore Files from a RAW Partition on Windows

Has your hard drive partition suddenly become RAW? Are you looking for a way to recover RAW partition? Learn here to help you recover RAW partition with Recoverit (IS) software.

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“How to perform RAW drive recovery? I switched on my Windows PC this morning and found that one of my drive’s partitions has become RAW. And now I can’t seem to open the content inside the partition at all! Is the data permanently lost?”

- a question from Quora

Once the PC gets old or overused, it is bound to act strange and develop anomalies, and one of the common concerns of Windows users these days is that their system’s drive/partition has suddenly become RAW. No fact should be stressed enough that you should create a backup for all of the critical data inside the drive. Furthermore, it would help if you always were careful in handling the machinery; otherwise, it’d be prone to damage due to any probable cause like the disk becoming RAW. It puts all the items inside the partition in danger of getting deleted forever, and you will require to recover the raw partition.

Fortunately, you regain all those files back from the RAW partition, and you can quickly learn how to perform such a procedure on your RAW drive on Windows PC after reading the guide below. You will also find out the origin of RAW format and the method of fixing the HDD back to NTFS without losing any data.

Part 1: What Is Raw Partition/Drive?

RAW is a type of file system inside the hard drive or its partition which virtually corrupts all the other file systems inside the HDD rendering it useless. This state of the disk indicates the absence of data, as the operating system will fail to locate any files or folders on the drive.

how-to-recover-raw-partition-1

It also prevents the OS from storing any data until the problem is fixed. The RAW file system can also occur in any portable storage device such as a USB.

Part 2: Possible Causes behind a RAW Partition or Drive:

RAW partition issue occurs pretty rarely, but it causes quite a bit of a stir in the mind of the user once it does. There could be many reasons which would play a factor turning your drive/partition into the RAW file system. Some of the causes which make the disk RAW are mentioned below:

how-to-recover-raw-partition-2
  • Virus/Malware infection is the number one factor that can corrupt the partition table of the disk that carries the information of the partition and making it into a RAW partition.

  • Improper handling of the shutdown process of Windows, internal defects of the hard disk, including general wear and tear, and pollution play a pivotal role in forming Bad Sectors inside the HDD. Furthermore, If there are bad sectors present in the hard drive, it will undoubtedly work peculiarly, turning it a RAW partition.

  • If your disk suffered any Structural Damage of any kind due to a physical mishap, then it may affect the drive, which could lead to the partition becoming RAW. You are required to check each case of the root directory carefully.
  • how-to-recover-raw-partition-3
  • When you change the old Operating System of your PC to the new one, it may confuse the default file format system of the drive. It may lead your computer to be unable to identify the format, which could result in it showing the drive as RAW.

  • If you establish an improper Partition Access Permission and misconfigure the process connected to local security policies, the drive or partition will be given RAW format, to block your access toward the disk.

Part 3: Can I Recover Data from RAW Partition/Drive?

We know that suddenly losing valuable data can be stressful for you, but there’s no use stressing over it, and it is a known fact that a worried doesn’t necessarily make the right call. It is also essential you stop using the affected PC, which could result in overwriting the stored data in the damaged RAW partition.

The answer is Yes! You can definitely recover data from RAW partition, depending on that you operate once. Moreover, there are several ways involving external programs and in-build utilities to retrieve lost content and fix the damaged drive, which is as follows:

  1. Using an independent RAW Partition Recovery Software, which is the most recommended and suitable solution for such kind of issue.

  2. The second and probably the most technical solution is to rebuild the system’s partition table from scratch using the command prompt utility. This method doesn’t guarantee old data restoration, which is why using recovery software is the best bet.

Part 4: How to Recover Data from a RAW Partition or Drive?

ISkysoft Data Recovery is the reliable software that can help you recover data from a raw partition or drive.

Recoverit (IS)

A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!

  • iSkysoft recognizes more than 1000 different file formats for every media file, including photos, videos, audios, documents, and zip files.
  • You can also view all the hidden files of the RAW partition after the recovery process. It also supports and retrieves data from external drives affected by the RAW file system.
  • You can preview the restored data and select to recover it accordingly.
  • You can also save it to any location other than the file’s previously RAW affected partition.
  • ISkysoft is known to handle every bit of drive crisis, and it can recover content from all types of damaged hard disks.
  • The app is also available on macOS X.
icon_security 3,165,867 people have downloaded it

You can learn to regain your files from a RAW Hard Drive by following the program’s quick three-step process.

Step 1 Select a Location of the Partition/Drive:

Run the software from the computer’s Start menu and select the partition which is infected with the RAW file system. Click on Start to initiate data restoration.

main-screen-hard-disk
Step 2 Data Scanning:

The application will start scanning for lost files and folders. Even though iSkysoft offers a scanning speed of 20MB/sec, depending on the size of the RAW partition, the program will take some minutes to finish its work.

scan-photo
Step 3 Save your Data

Once the scan of the drive is finished, you will be asked to preview the recovered items, the application will display the content under the “File Type” and “File Path” category. After checking the authenticity of the retrieved data, click on the “Recover” button. After that, you will have to extract the files to the location of your choice.

preview-photo

Part 5: How Do I Fix a RAW Hard Drive/Partition to NTFS without Losing Data?

It is a common concern among users on whether they would be getting their data back and how can they fix their RAW HDD without any further damage. There is yes! You can fix your hard drive and that too without losing any old content present in the HDD as long as you use Recoverit (IS)y program to perform RAW file recovery before converting the disk to NTFS. The application will recover 100% of the data inside securely by causing any further damage to the partition or the entire drive.

After performing the file recovery on the RAW drive, feel at ease in changing the file format of the disk to NTFS. Here is the step-by-step guide with the help of Disk Management utility:

  • Open Disk Management from the start menu.

  • Locate the RAW partition/HDD from the list and Right Click on it.

  • Click on Format.
  • how-to-recover-raw-partition-4
  • Change the file system of RAW partition to NTFS from the pop-up menu and click on OK.

  • Wait patiently while the Disk Management utility automatically converts the partition to NTFS format.
  • how-to-recover-raw-partition-5

While it is not recommended, but Recoverit (IS)y program can recover the lost content after the RAW disk is formatted, and its file system is changed to NTFS.

Conclusion:

Life can turn into a nightmare if one day, you turn on the computer and find your disk affected with the RAW file system, unable to access data inside the hard drive. The fact is you should prepare yourself for the worst, but it is also vital to prevent disaster beforehand. Most of the time, such incidents occur due to some human lapse in judgment or a virus attack; it is necessary to install a powerful anti-virus program to prevent things like that from happening. It is also vital to create a back-up of critical digital content regularly.

Now you know what a RAW partition is and what are causes behind the HDD of becoming it. If somehow, after all the preventative measures, your disk becomes RAW, you can quickly convert it back to NTFS and recover all the lost or corrupted data through Recoverit (IS) program for Windows.

Elva

staff Editor

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