Repair Hard disk Raw Partition Error

You plug as usual your external hard drive to your computer to retrieve its contents or to add files when Windows offers to format it. Your hard drive has serious problems you'll have to try to solve in order to, most importantly, recover your files, and repair your hard drive to it again as usual.

* Immediately click the Cancel button.
* Right-click the Computer icon on the Start menu or desktop and click Manage.
* In the window of Computer Management, scroll down to Storage and click Disk Management.
* The list of drives connected to your computer appears. Among them, your hard disk is now reluctant. This means that it works and is recognized by the system.
* However, its file system is shown as RAW, is to say raw data unreadable by Windows.


Download and run TestDisk:

TestDisk is a free software that will allow you to help recover lost partitions and repair the partition table corrupt your hard drive. You can download TestDisk from here.

* Once the download is complete, click the Open button.
* Click Extract all files.
* In the wizard that opens, click the Extract button.
* Open the folder testdisk-****.
* Then open the folder win.
* Double click on the file so testdisk_win.exe.

Analyse your hard drive:

TestDisk can check the structure of the partition table of your hard drive to locate all partitions, even those who have disappeared.

* With the arrow keys, select Create and press the Enter key.
* Your hard drives are then detected and listed. With arrows, select the disk that you are unable to access and press Enter.
* Testdisk automatically detects the type of the partition table of your hard drive. Press Enter.
* Select the scan option and press the Enter key to verify the structure of the partition table.
* Press Enter.
* If the partitions have been created on Windows Vista, Windows 7 or if in doubt, press the Y button.
* The partitions found on the disk are displayed.
* Select Write to write the new partition table.
* Select the partition which has disappeared from Windows and press the p key. The list of folders and files on the disc is displayed.


Recover files:

With TestDisk, you can easily access the contents of a RAW partition even if it is not available under Windows. It is thus possible to recover all your files and put them in a safe place on another hard drive.

* To save a folder and all its contents to another hard disk, select it and press the c button.
* Select a folder on another drive and press the Y button. Note that the file .. you will get into the folder tree.
* Press the Y button.
* The selected folder and all its content is copied and placed in secure location on another disk drive. Copy the message thus indicates that the copy is complete.
* Repeat for other folders and files to backup and then press the Esc key or Q.
* If all the partitions appear to be much missing from the list, select Write to rewrite the partition table.
* Press the Y button to confirm.

Recreate the boot sector:

The problem may be your server's boot partition is corrupted. TestDisk will allow you to repair it.

* Select Advanced and press Enter.
* Select the partition RAW, move the slider to boot and press Enter.
* Select Rebuild BS and press the Enter key.
* Confirm the restoration of the backup boot sector by pressing the Y button.
* At the end of the transaction, your boot sector is repaired. Select Quit and press Enter.
* Then restart your computer to verify that your score is no longer blocked in RAW.


Recreate the partition:

If, despite the previous manipulations, your hard disk is locked in RAW, the last solution is to delete the partition and recreate recalcitrant. Well, so be sure to get all the files you need by following the instructions of his step Recover files. Once you've backed up your files in a safe place, you can use the freeware GParted partitioning to recreate the partition.

At first, create a bootable CD GParted, following the explanations of our file, partitioning a hard drive with Windows XP (it works of course with all versions of Windows). You will need to download GParted Live , Burn the ISO of GParted Live on a CD and Booting the Live CD of GParted .

* In GParted, click the right mouse button on the recalcitrant partition and click Delete.
* The partition is removed. Then click the right mouse button on the unallocated space that appears at the site and click New.
* Scroll File System and select NTFS.
* Reduce if necessary the size of the partition (for leaving the unallocated space to create a second) and click the Add button.
* Then click the Apply button.
* All data on the partition will be deleted. You must be sure that I saved your important files with testdisk. Confirm the operation by clicking Apply.
* Finally, click on Close. The partition of your hard drive is no longer in RAW, is a virgin and is usable again.
* Then press Enter and restart your computer.

Recreate the boot sector:

The problem may be your server's boot partition is corrupted. TestDisk will allow you to repair it.

* Select Advanced and press Enter.
* Select the partition RAW, move the slider to boot and press Enter.
* Select Rebuild BS and press the Enter key.
* Confirm the restoration of the backup boot sector by pressing the Y button.
* At the end of the transaction, your boot sector is repaired. Select Quit and press Enter.
* Then restart your computer to verify that your score is no longer blocked in RAW.


Recreate the partition:

If, despite the previous manipulations, your hard disk is locked in RAW, the last solution is to delete the partition and recreate recalcitrant. Well, so be sure to get all the files you need by following the instructions of his step Recover files. Once you've backed up your files in a safe place, you can use the freeware GParted partitioning to recreate the partition.

At first, create a bootable CD GParted, following the explanations of our file, partitioning a hard drive with Windows XP (it works of course with all versions of Windows). You will need to download GParted Live , Burn the ISO of GParted Live on a CD and Booting the Live CD of GParted .

* In GParted, click the right mouse button on the recalcitrant partition and click Delete.
* The partition is removed. Then click the right mouse button on the unallocated space that appears at the site and click New.
* Scroll File System and select NTFS.
* Reduce if necessary the size of the partition (for leaving the unallocated space to create a second) and click the Add button.
* Then click the Apply button.
* All data on the partition will be deleted. You must be sure that I saved your important files with testdisk. Confirm the operation by clicking Apply.
* Finally, click on Close. The partition of your hard drive is no longer in RAW, is a virgin and is usable again.