Member Avatar for joelynx

My slave 200G HDD changed from NTFS into RAW after restart, and I seem to have lost everything that was on it! Is there any way it can be changed back to NTFS without losing any data?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Andrewharson

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A volume that suddenly shows as RAW usually means Windows can no longer read the NTFS metadata (damaged MFT, NTFS boot sector, or a corrupted partition table) or there is a hardware/connection fault. Do not accept Windows' "format now" prompt — formatting greatly reduces the chance of a clean recovery. 's symptom (NTFS → RAW after a restart) fits the common pattern of metadata corruption after a crash or power loss.

Immediate, non-destructive checks: confirm the drive’s state in Disk Management (is it RAW, unallocated, or “no media”?). Try a different SATA/USB port or enclosure to rule out an adapter problem and check SMART attributes with a disk-health tool to spot reallocated or bad sectors. If the disk doesn’t appear at all or SMART shows failures, treat this as a hardware issue and prioritize imaging. ’ suggestion to check Disk Management and ’s note about boot-sector corruption are both correct starting points.

Recommended workflow that minimizes risk to data: 1) stop writing to the drive; 2) create a sector-by-sector image to a separate physical disk (use a read-only imaging tool — for failing disks this is critical); 3) operate on the image, not the original. On the image, try non-destructive repairs of the NTFS boot record/partition entry; if that cannot restore access, perform file-level recovery from the image with reputable recovery software. Avoid running chkdsk on the original RAW volume until files are safely backed up — chkdsk can sometimes make damaged metadata harder to recover.

If imaging and software recovery fail or SMART indicates imminent mechanical failure, professional recovery services are recommended. After successful recovery of data, reformat the volume to NTFS and verify integrity; then reintroduce the recovered files. Regular backups and periodic SMART checks will prevent similar headaches in the future.

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Member Avatar for OlyComputers

Is it showing up as a drive in windows disk management? Any data recovery software should restore a lost partition with all data intact as long as the drive isn't damaged and you haven't over written the data.

You might try this one: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/Main_Page

Member Avatar for Andrewharson

A corrupt or missing boot sector will cause such kind of problem.

To fix the boot sector, you may refer to

If it still cannot be solved, you have to recover all the data out and then format the partition as the system indicates so that you can enter the partition again.

How to Recover Data from Raw Hard Drive?

After you have copies the data out, you may format the partition to NTFS.

Edited by Andrewharson because: n/a
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