The improper operation on your disk or external drive might result in its file system becoming RAW. Under this circumstance, the files stored in your storage device can’t be accessed. One of the most effective ways to make your RAW storage device usable is to convert RAW to NTFS.
Your Windows laptop attempts to fix your RAW drive by formatting it when an error message pops up and mentions that you need to format the disk in drive E: before you can use it. This fixing option will achieve the purpose of fixing your drive for you at the cost of losing your data. However, you can successfully convert RAW to NTFS file system without worrying about losing data using two possible methods. One is using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows, and the other is using the diskpart command line. This article will describe both methods in detail.
Why Does A Drive Become RAW?
A RAW file system renders your storage device almost useless. You can neither read data on the drive nor write data to it when the file system on the drive becomes corrupt. Here are some possible factors making your drive RAW. If the drive suffers from partition table corruption or file system corruption, it may become inaccessible. It can also become RAW when there are bad sectors of the partition. In addition, the improper ejection or unexpected shutdown may make your drive a RAW drive. Moreover, the virus infection is another reason why the drive becomes RAW.
When your drive becomes RAW due to one of the possible reasons above, the option available is to convert your RAW drive to NTFS file system to make it usable once more. A quick and straightforward way of doing this is to format your storage device, but this option will erase all the data present on your drive. To avoid paying the hefty price of losing your data, converting your drive from RAW file system to NTFS file system with iBoysoft data recovery software or the diskpart command line is an easy and achievable option.
Two Possible Solutions to Implement RAW to NTFS Conversion without Losing Data
The stepwise recommendations below are techniques you can use to convert RAW to NTFS without risking losing data. After using either of the two options, it is possible for you to solve the RAW drive problem.
Option 1: Use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows to Perform RAW to NTFS Conversion
In your drive, the partition information can be stored on the partition table and volume boot sector. In the scenario where there is corruption in these sectors or the partition table, Windows will recognize your drive as a RAW drive.
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows is the perfect fix for your RAW drive issue. It is capable of repairing your RAW drive to NTFS format without losing your data in the process. To proceed with this option, refer to the following steps:
Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft data recovery software on your Windows laptop. You can free download the installation file from its official website.
Step 2: Launch the software after the installation is complete. Insert the drive you hope to perform RAW drive repair onto your computer.
Step 3: Select the ‘RAW Drive Recovery’ option from the software interface. Should in case the drive has BitLocker encryption active on it, select the ‘BitLocker Recovery’ option instead.
Step 4: Select your RAW drive in the drive list on the software interface.
Step 5: Click Next to start scanning the data from the RAW drive.
Step 6: Preview and check the files presented in the scanning result.
Step 7: Select ‘Fix Drive’ to complete the RAW to NTFS repair.
Please keep in mind that iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows can repair RAW to NTFS only if your original drive is an NTFS drive, but it becomes a RAW drive owing to bad sectors, corrupted partition table, unsafe ejection, or other possible factors.
Option 2: Use Diskpart to Convert RAW to NTFS File System
Windows laptops come with a command-line advantage to resolve the RAW error on faulty storage disks. Diskpart is a go-to program to help you convert RAW to NTFS. Importantly, this conversion option helps you fix the problem without losing data on your external disk. To proceed with this option, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Navigate to your ‘Start’ menu and search for ‘diskpart’.
Step 2: Right-click on the diskpart.exe result and select the ‘Run as Administrator’ option.
Step 3: In the diskpart interface, enter ‘list disk’ and press the Enter key.
Step 4: Enter ‘select disk X’ and click Enter. Note: X is the disk letter of your RAW device.
Step 5: Enter ‘list volume’ and press the Enter key.
Step 6: Type ‘select volume X’ and click the Enter button on the keyboard. Note: X is the disk letter of your RAW device.
Step 7: Input the command ‘format fs=ntfs label=volume label quick’ and click Enter. After that, your RAW drive will be converted to NTFS.