Solving the Problem of CHKDSK Not Working on RAW Drive/USB/SD Card

2 Ways to Fix "CHKDSK is not available for RAW Drive/USB/SD" Error

"How to fix 'CHKDSK is not available for raw drives, USB or SD card'?"

"The other day, my USB flash drive suddenly showed up as 'unformatted' on my computer. When I tried to fix the RAW file system error on the USB drive using the CHKDSK command in Windows 10, Windows prompted me with 'CHKDSK cannot be used on RAW drive'."

"I have lots of useful files saved on my USB drive, so I can't just format it directly. Therefore, I wonder if there's any way to convert RAW USB drive to NTFS without losing data when CHKDSK is not working?"

Normally, when your USB or any other storage device turns RAW, the direct solution is to format the device directly. For this purpose, CHKDSK command is an ideal choice. But now that it's not working and showing errors, what else can you do to resolve the issue? Follow the steps in this guide to recover your data from RAW drive and change file system from RAW to a suitable one like NTFS/FAT32…

The most recommended safe way to fix RAW drive would be: [Step 1] Recover data from RAW drive; [Step 2] Check and fix RAW drive with other error checking tools; [Step 3] Reformat RAW drive to get rid of CHKDSK is not available error.

1. Recover Data from RAW Drive/USB/SD Card

To recover data from RAW USB, SD card or other raw storage devices, you need the best Data Recovery Wizard tool to help you.

This software supports deep scanning and with just a few simple clicks on Windows 10/8/7, it can find all existing and lost data on RAW USB, SD card, or even hard drive. All you need to do is download and install this software for free and then follow the instructions below to recover data from RAW storage drive.

Step 1: Select and Scan the RAW Partition

If the RAW partition has a partition label, you can directly select it from the drive list and click "Scan" to recover lost files. If the RAW partition is without a label, it will be recognized as "Lost Partition". Just select "Lost Partition" and click "Scan" to perform a full scan on the RAW drive.

Step 2. Preview the data found in the scan results

When the scan is complete, all recoverable files on the RAW drive will be displayed. Look through the files and find the one you want to recover. You can sort the scanned data by file type, or use the “Search for file or folder” box to look for it.

Step 3: Recover data from RAW partition

Select all the files and click on “Recover” to retrieve all the data. Choose another internal or external hard drive to save the recovered data and hit “OK” to start the RAW drive recovery process.

Video Tutorial Guide

If the data recovery software is unable to recover RAW files, you can still use a RAW recovery service tool to retrieve your data.

Tool RAW Recovery Service

Contact our experts for a free assessment.

Consult with our Data Recovery Experts for a one-on-one manual RAW recovery service. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following services:

• Repair corrupted RAW drives without formatting
• Recover data from RAW drives, including BitLocker encrypted drives
• Restore RAW partitions, RAW USBs, RAW flash drives, RAW external hard drives, and more

2. Fix "CHKDSK cannot be used on RAW drive/USB/SD card" Error

After you recover data from RAW USB/SD card, you can find the solutions to fix “ CHKDSK is not available ” here.

Method 1: Run a Disk Error Check to Fix “CHKDSK is Not Available” Errors

Step 1: Open File Explorer, right-click on the RAW USB or SD card, and select “Properties.”

Step 2: Click the "Review" tab, then under Proofing, click "Check for Issues," and then click "Check Accessibility."

Step 3: Click on “Scan drive” to start the disk checking process and fix the CHKDSK is not available error.

Check and fix disk errors causing RAW error on USB/SD card

Just wait for the process to finish, and you should then be able to access your USB or SD card.

Method 2: Fix the CHKDSK is not available issue with CHKDSK alternative tools

Another effective way to fix the CHKDSK is not available error is to use an alternative tool for CHKDSK. Here, we recommend you try the Partition Master Tool, which will effectively help you get rid of the CHKDSK not working error from your storage device on Windows 10/8/7.

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It will, with a simple click, directly help you fix bad sectors on your USB, SD card and repair the corrupted file system.

Format & Reset RAW Drive/USB/SD File System to NTFS

After removing bad sectors from the RAW drive or USB and fixing the corrupted file system, you can format and reset the RAW USB/SD card file system to NTFS with the following guide.

Step 1: Connect your RAW formatted USB flash drive/SD card/external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2: Open Windows Explorer, right-click on the RAW disk and select “Format.”

Step 3: Select either NTFS or FAT32 for the file system, and then click OK to confirm.

Wait for the process to complete, and then you should be able to use your USB flash drive, SD card, or external hard drive to save data again.