How to Fix the "The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable" Error

I'm trying to access a 2-year old WD MY BOOK ESSENTIAL, but I get an error message saying "The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable." What could be the issue? It's quite frustrating since all my important data is stored on this drive. Can anyone enlighten me on how to recover data when the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable?

If you're seeing the "The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable" error when trying to access a storage device on your computer, don't worry. Navigate through the provided solutions to regain access to your device without losing any data.

Drive is not accessible: The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable

What is the “Disk Structure is Damaged and Unreadable” Error? How to Fix a Flash Drive That Is Not Reading The “Disk Structure is Damaged and Unreadable” error is one of the most common hard drive failure issues that you can encounter on storage devices such as external hard drives, memory cards, USB flash drives, and so on.

After this error, users are unable to access the device or open saved files. Additionally, Windows displays a warning message: “Location is not available. Drive:\ is not accessible.”

Why is a hard drive, USB, or SD card suddenly inaccessible? Usually, the error is caused by one of the reasons listed below:

• Improper ejection or disconnection of the device
• Connection issues
• Unstable power supply
• File system errors, such as RAW format
• Hardware problems
• Virus infection

Solutions to disk management errors can differ due to various reasons. Fortunately, the fix is straightforward, and you can resolve this error with the solutions listed in the sections below.

5 Ways to Fix the “The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable” Error

If you're unsure how your USB, SD card, or external or internal hard drive became unreadable, try the fixes listed here one by one to see if they restore your troubled drive.

• #1. Disconnect and Reconnect the Damaged/Unreadable Device
• #2. Check and Repair Disk Errors with CHKDSK
• #3. Reinstall the Disk Drive Driver
• #4. Format the Drive
• #5. Recover Data

Please note that some of the hard drive repair methods may result in data loss, especially method 4 – formatting the device. If you lose data in the process, use the reliable tool Data Recovery Wizard, shown in method 5, for assistance.

Method 1: Unplug and Reinsert the Device [Easiest]

Applies to: Devices with structure problems caused by eject, connect, or power issues.

The first thing you can try is to reconnect the device to your PC when it prompts with the “Disk Management is corrupted and unreadable” error.

Step 1: Eject the USB drive, SD card, or external hard drive from your computer.

Step 2. Try plugging the device back in and see if it can be accessed.

If it's not recognized, try another USB port or a new USB cable, and then reconnect it to your computer.

If the previous step fails, try connecting the device to another computer.

If the USB drive, external hard drive, or SD card shows up and is accessible after trying all these steps, congratulations! You can stop here and use your device and data again.

If those simple fixes don't work, it could be due to filesystem errors or rare hardware problems. Don't worry. You still have a good chance of recovering your data and getting your device working again by following these steps.

Method 2: Check the Drive Letter and Use CHKDSK to Fix Disk Errors

Applies to: fixing corrupted hard drive, USB, SD card, or external hard drive with issues like invalid file system, RAW error, bad sectors, and more.

If the file system of your storage device is invalid, encounters RAW errors, or has bad sectors, you won't be able to access the device and its files.

You can run CHKDSK in CMD or perform a drive error check and fix external hard drive. The process is identical for both.

Use CHDKSK to fix a corrupted file system

Step 1: Click on “Start” and type cmd in the search box.

Step 2: Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Type CHKDSK F: /f /r /x, and then press Enter.

(Replace F: with the drive letter of your damaged or unreadable device.)

An Alternative to Chkdsk - Checking Disks via Error Checking

Step 1: Open “This PC,” right-click on your drive, and select “Properties.”

Step 2. Go to the “Tools” tab and click “Check” > “Scan Hard Disk.”

This error-checking tool will automatically scan and fix damaged files on the target device.

Method 3: Reinstall the disk driver

Applies to: Fix unreadable devices that are undetected or inaccessible due to outdated disk drivers in Device Manager.

Sometimes, when a disk is uninitialized or outdated, your Windows PC might fail to detect it and not show it in File Explorer. Thus, the best solution is to update the disk management for your USB, SD card, or external storage device.

Here are the steps to update your device drivers:

Step 1: Connect the failed hard drive to your computer.

Step 2. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Manage".

Step 3. Click on “Device Manager,” and then expand “Disk Drives.”

Step 4. Right-click on the problematic USB drive and select “Update Driver.”

Step 5: Click on "Search for driver software online."

Wait for the driver updates to finish, then restart your computer. After that, try reconnecting the problematic HDD to your PC and check if you can access its folders in Device Manager.

Method 4: Format to Repair a Damaged or Unreadable Drive [Most Effective]

This applies to: Repairing devices or drives that are damaged or unreadable due to an invalid file system, RAW errors, or unsupported file systems.

There are several ways to format a disk so that a problematic device can read it again. Here, we'll show you the simplest:

Step 1: Open "This PC".

Step 2: Right-click on the disk management which prompts "The file system is corrupted and cannot be read", and select "Format".

Step 3: Assign a file system to the drive, then click "Start".

• For USB and SD cards - FAT32, exFAT
• For external/internal hard drives - NTFS

If you want to format the disk to ext2/3/4 or other file system, the best formatting tool – Partition Master can help you.

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Solve "External Hard Drive Unformatted"/"Can't Format" Error

Common external hard drive formatting errors include: the external hard drive needs formatting but fails to format.  Read More>>

Method 5: Recover Data After Fixing Corrupted/Unreadable Devices [Important]

Applies to: Recover lost files after fixing disk structure damage, and easily recover data from inaccessible devices.

You can fix the “The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable” error on your USB, SD card, or external/internal hard drive by running CHKDSK, updating the disk driver, or formatting. However, all these 4 methods fail to safeguard all the data stored on the faulty device. In other words, data loss may occur.

A professional hard drive data recovery software can help you recover data from inaccessible disks, including RAW disks.

Step 1: Select the disk where you lost data and click "Scan".

Step 2. After the scan is complete, use the "Filter" or "Search" option to look for the lost file.

Step 3. Select all the files you want to restore and click on “Recover.” Then, browse and choose a different secure location to save them.

How to protect your device from "corrupted or unreadable" errors

After trying all these solutions, the “The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable” error should be resolved. Valuable files will be safely restored with the aid of a data recovery tool.

Aside from fixing the error, it's more important to protect your devices from such issues. Here, we have listed some tips for you to follow to keep your hard drive, USB, external hard drive, etc., safe from errors like USB not showing up in Windows 10/8/7:

1. Properly plug in and unplug the device
2. Update device drivers in a timely manner
3. Use a compatible Windows version or device operating system
4. Regularly check disk health

There are several ways to check the health of your hard drive, including using tools provided by the manufacturer, CHKDSK, and WMIC. Here, we'll show you how to use WMIC to check the status of your drives:

Step 1: Click on "Start" and type in cmd.

Step 2: Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Enter the following commands in order:

If the hard drive is in poor condition, it is advised to back up all data beforehand and send it for repair immediately.

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Bottom line

This page explains how to fix the "The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable" error, and the reasons behind it.

While the reasons for the error could be many, most users have found that a filesystem error is the main culprit, which can be perfectly fixed by formatting the device. To protect the precious files on your hard drive, it's necessary to run the Data Recovery Wizard utility first, and then format.

Moreover, the remedies it offers could address similar problems elsewhere.

• Repair a damaged hard drive
• Repair a damaged internal hard drive
• Repair a damaged external hard drive
• Repair a damaged SD card, USB, and more

I hope this guide is helpful to you.