Cause of loss · a volume gone RAW
When you give Windows something it can't understand, it asks if you want to format it, because Format is the only thing it knows. The hard drive is the same on our workbench as on yours; the information stored on it no longer adds up. More data is lost to what people click on that box than to the corruption that placed the box onto their screen.
An engineer will take the details
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| The symptoms | What the fault is | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| The disk in drive X: is not formatted. Do you want to format it now? | Windows does not know how to interpret the file system of the volume. Therefore, Windows describes the volume as "RAW". | Don't push format. |
| CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives. | A CHKDSK operation will not begin. This is due to CHKDSK having nothing in which to operate, i.e. no file system. | Remove it from the computer. |
| File or directory corrupted and unreadable (0x80070570) | There are MFT entries that Windows can no longer read. | Stop clicking around and close it. |
| Disk structure is corrupted and unreadable (0x80070571) | Either the partition table or the Master File Table (MFT) is corrupted/damaged. | Copy it, then fix it. |
| The parameter is incorrect. X:\ is not accessible. | Bad sector damage underlying damaged structures. | Also assume that some form of hardware failure exists. |
| …does not contain a recognized file system | No remaining identifiers exist for the file system. | However, none of the file system content has changed location. |
| On a Mac: the disk you inserted was not readable | Identical error described by Apple/macOS. Don't press the Initialize button. | Eject it. Do not Initialize. |
Every piece of gear that shows up receives a case number on the very same day it arrives. An engineer examines it and determines what is really wrong with it and there is no charge for this. We give you straight language about which files we will be able to copy from the disk and which ones we won't be able to. Then we provide you with a single price quote, in writing, based upon these findings. We don't begin working on anything until you agree to the quoted price.
Before we begin repairing the problem, we create a complete sector-by-sector copy of the volume. All areas that cause reading issues are identified and left until the end. Damaged structures and failed hardware typically occur together; therefore, using a single image to address both makes sense.
The MFT (Master File Table), boot sector and partition table are restored within the image itself, rather than on your hard drive. Because of this, if something fails during restoration we can simply roll back the changes made and try again.
Regardless of what shape your MFT may be in, the file content remains in the cluster locations they were originally located in. Using only their signatures to identify them, each file is pulled from the image. In addition, any folder structure supported by the remaining MFT records will be re-constructed based upon those records.
You will not be charged while you think about this. First, you receive a list of everything that was recovered from the drive. Once you have seen the list and given us the go-ahead, the bill comes next. Files are returned to you on media purchased specifically for this job and we cover the return postage as well. Your job is kept open by us until you can view them on your personal computer.
All of these tools share one trait: CHKDSK, First Aid in Disk Utility, any free RAW repair tool recommended by a forum. They all write data to the same hard drive that you are trying to fix. If the hardware underneath is good, nothing is lost. If not, a job that may have come back whole will only return in pieces. Caution only costs you one day of waiting to get an image.
Someone pulled out the lead mid-write. By morning Windows would do nothing but offer to Format the disk. A full image of the 4 TB came off first and all repairs were done on the image from then on: the boot sector put right, then the wrecked MFT mirror. The original was never written to. Fifteen years' worth of client jobs returned, folder tree and all.
Don't let it. The function of "Format" is to create an empty file system over the top of the damaged one. In doing so, Format writes directly onto the records describing your folders (their names & dates), and these records are exactly what a rebuild is created from.
When RAW happens then Windows has no idea how to read the structures describing the volume. The break will usually be in your boot sector, Master File Table (MFT) or partition table. Your files are below those areas so they won't get affected.
The best part about running it is there isn't one. When the volume is RAW, CHKDSK will refuse to even run, and if the hardware is tired, with each repair pass it does, it will take a little bit more away from your hard drive. That type of work should always occur on a copy of your data and never on your original data.
Most likely, and you're definitely not alone. If you pull the cable while writing to the disk, the index update will stop midway and it'll be half-done, but it'll still point to files which were written fine.
Leave it off. There are only a few start attempts left in your failing drive and each attempt uses up a little more of what remains. Our complimentary diagnosis will determine what files are readable.