Tutorials

CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives

This error message appears when the CHKDSK tool is run on a drive that is not working properly for some reason. The error message suggests that the current status of the problem drive is RAW, which means that the operating system does not recognize the file format used.

This error message can also appear if the drive has been corrupted or its encryption has been broken. Either way, the drive is normally inaccessible and this error message appears when running CHKDSK. Check out the methods we have prepared below to help you solve this problem later!!

What causes CHKDSK to be unavailable for RAW drive error?

The list is short but can provide additional information useful in solving the problem.:

Using the wrong file system. This means you may need to reformat it and, Unfortunately, lose your files.
The various causes are usually applications and services that you may have running on your computer.. A clean boot of your PC can provide you with an answer.

Solution 1: clean the trunk

If you have problems with a hard drive other than the one in your system, or if the scale of the error is not severe enough to prevent your computer from starting, you can always use clean boot method.

Clean boot ensures that all third-party applications and services do not start and is checked if the problem persists. Otherwise, the apps turn on one by one to see which one is causing the problems.

Use the key combination $ 0027 Windows + R $ 0027 on your keyboard. In the dialog “Run”, scribe “MSCONFIG” and click “To accept”.
Click on the tab $ 0027 Boot $ 0027 and uncheck the option $ 0027 Safe Boot $ 0027 (if it is checked).

Disable secure boot in MSCONFIG

In the General tab of the same window, click to select the Selective startup option and then click to clear the Load startup items check box to make sure it is not checked.
In the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click $ 0027 Disable all $ 0027.

Hide all Microsoft services and disable the rest

On the Home tab, click on $ 0027 Open Task Manager $ 0027. In the Task Manager window, on the Home tab, right-click on each startup item that is enabled and select $ 0027 To disable $ 0027.

Disable startup items in Task Manager

After that, you will have to perform some of the most boring processes and that is to enable the startup items one by one and restart the computer. Thereafter, you should check if the error reappears. You will need to repeat the same process even for the Services you have disabled in Step 4.
Once you locate the problematic startup item or service, you can take steps to solve the problem. If it is a program, you can reinstall or repair it. If it is a service, you can disable it, etc.

Solution 2: try formatting the drive in another file system

If the cause of the error is a mere file format error that could have occurred due to a variety of different things, you can also easily format the drive in a different file system, such as NTFS for hard drives and exFAT for drives. USB, to solve the problem. Although this method will save your hard drive, it will also erase all the data it contains, So make sure you know what you're getting into!

The solution presented below assumes you have a working Windows recovery drive, which is necessary if you cannot access your hard drive or PC properly. If you don't have it, see how to easily create it for Windows 10:

Download the Media Creation Tool software from the Microsoft website. Open the file you just downloaded and accept the terms and conditions.
Select the Create installation media option (usb flash drive, DVD or ISO file) for another PC on the initial screen.

Choose to create installation media for another PC

Language, the architecture and other settings of the boot drive will be chosen based on your computer configuration, but should Mark off Use the recommended options for this PC to select the correct settings for the PC with the password attached (if you are creating this on a different pc, and it probably will).
Click Next and click the USB or DVD drive option when prompted to choose between USB or DVD, depending on the device you want to store this image on.

Choose USB or ISO depending on what drive you have ready

Click Next and choose the USB or DVD drive from the list that will display the storage media connected to the computer.
Click Next and the Media Creation Tool will proceed to download the files required to install and create the installation media.

Now you can start working on the solution!

If your computer system does not work, you will need to use the installation media used to install Windows for this process. Insert the installation drive you have or just created and start your computer.
You will see a window “Choose your keyboard layout”, so choose the one you want to use. The Choose an option screen will appear to navigate to Troubleshooting >> Advanced Options >> Symbol of the system.

Choose command prompt from advanced options

Otherwise, look for command prompt, right click and choose Run as administrator. In the command prompt window, just type »diskpart» on a new line and click the Enter key to run this command.
This will change the command prompt window to allow you to run multiple Diskparts. The first one you will run is the one that will allow you to see the complete list of all available drives. Write it down and make sure to hit Enter afterwards:

DISKPART> list disk

Select the disk using DISKPART

Make sure you choose your disc carefully, according to the number assigned in the volume list. Let's say your number is 1. Now run the following command to select the required drive:

DISKPART> select disk 1

A message should appear saying something like “The disc 1 is the selected disk”.

Note: If you are not sure which drive number belongs to your USB device, the easiest way to do it is to check its size in the right panel. What's more, is the same number that appears in “Where do you want to install Windows?” where the error originally occurs.

To clean this volume, all you need to do is type the command shown below, then click the Enter key and be patient for the process to complete. The process should now be successful for a change. This set of commands will also create a primary partition and make it active so you can format it without problems.

Clean up
Create Primary Partition
Active

Using the series of commands above

Finally, this last command will format Unit on the file system of your choice. When considering the file system, the general rule of thumb is to choose FAT32 for drives with up to 4 GB of storage and NTFS for larger volumes. Let's say you choose NTFS!! Type the following command and then hit Enter: