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RAW WD External HD

Have you ever encountered a raw external hard disk? You will get that it is a raw disk when check its disk properties and fine the raw file system or system prompts you to format the external hard disk before you can use it. It could be said that all files and folders saved on it previously have been lost. Do you know how to access those files if you have encountered a raw external hard disk? Actually, the losses could be restored by data recovery tool from the external hard disk not formatted.

Example of facing WD external hard disk raw error

I need to solve the external hard disk raw problem but have no idea how to start. My WD external hard disk shows raw file system when I check its disk properties to get the reason that it can not be opened connected to the computer. And the file system shows raw, and both the free space and used space is 0 byte. External hard disk requires formatting when clicking on it. But I have stored files on it already and have not use that space fully. It is so strange that I can not understand. What should I do if I want to access those files on the raw external hard disk? Help me, please. -Lingams from Maine

How to get back files from the unformatted external hard disk with data recovery software

There is a way to access those files saved on the raw external hard disk without formatting it. We can get them back at first and save them on one of the computers to view, and then we can format the external hard disk to use it normally. Here are the steps as follows to help you recover the losses better:

Recover data from WD external disk

Preparation: Download and install data recovery software on your computer. Then, connect the RAW WD external hard disk to the computer and run the software. Finally, you can select a proper recovery module.

1Download the data recovery software and mount it on the computer.
2Plug the unformatted v external hard disk into the computer.
3Run the data retrieval tool on the computer. Select the recovery model and object disk to scan.
4Preview the recoverable files after the scan. Preview them and choose the needed to recover.

Way to use external hard disk correctly

The reasons for the raw external hard disk are various, such as infection of virus, the incorrect usage to the external hard disk, and improper actions during the formatting process, and so forth. Among those reasons, the improper usage accounts the most. So we should use the external hard disk correctly in case of losing its data. Here are some suggestions below to help us how to use the external hard disk properly:

1. Do not interrupt the formatting process. Some people may cancel the formatting action when the computer is formatting the external hard disk because they realize it is an accidental formatting. It is better not to behave so. We may both lose that information on it and turn the external hard disk to raw file system. We still had to format it at last. So we can retrieve the needed files after the unexpected formatting.

2. Do not format the raw external hard disk firstly. Data recovery tool could restore files and folders from the unformatted external hard disk, so it is better not to format it before all wanted files have been restored. There is a bigger opportunity to retrieve all needed files from the unformatted external hard disk than from the formatted one.

3. Do not download and store harmful files on the external hard disk. One of the reason that external hard disk become to raw is the virus attacks. The external hard disk would be infected easily and quickly if there are files contain harmful matters saved on it.

4. Other related correct usage to the external hard disk.

Storage devices that may meet raw problem

There are various kinds of storage devices we have used to different digital devices. For example, we use the external hard disk drive to the computer, and use the memory stick to the camera, and other mixtures. Though those storage devices are used to different digital devices, all of them may encounter the raw error, which need to be formatted before can be used. But as the same, all of them could run the unformat recovery. It means that data recovery tool could get files back from all the raw storage devices. Here are some of them below: External hard disk, pen drive, memory card(SD card, SM card, CF card, MMC card, memory stick, XD-picture card, others), and so on.

Sources and Citations

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