Check disk is not available for raw drives

[Showmaker01]

I’ve been using Windows’ free tool called CHKDSK to check my external drive (My Passport) every now and then. But recently, when I tried to run it, I got this error message: “CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.”

I have no idea what a RAW drive is or why this happened. Does that mean my data is lost?

[DataWizard0103]

The error “CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives” means the file system on your external drive is damaged or missing, so Windows can’t access it. That’s why CHKDSK doesn’t work. Your data isn’t necessarily gone—it’s probably still there, but the system can’t read it. Don’t format the drive, as that will erase everything. Instead, use any professional data recovery software
like Stellar Data Recovery, Recuva, TestDisk, or EaseUS to try and get your files back. After recovery, back up your data and format the drive to fix the file system.

[Ellinor_william]

@Showmaker01

I have no idea what a RAW drive is or why this happened.

When Windows says your drive is “RAW,” it means it can no longer read the file system (like NTFS or exFAT). It doesn’t mean your data is deleted, just that the operating system can’t make sense of how the files are stored anymore.
So, is Your Data Lost?
Not necessarily. Your files are likely still physically; they’re just inaccessible through normal means. Try any data recovery tool.

[Robbie9Andrews]

A RAW drive is a storage device—like an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card—that lacks a usable file system.The Windows CHKDSK tool requires a recognized, valid file system (such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, or ReFS) to function.
If the file system is missing, completely destroyed, or corrupted beyond recognition, the drive becomes “RAW.” When this happens, CHKDSK will fail and display the error: “The type of the file system is RAW. CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.”
To fix a RAW drive, the best approach is to:

1. Recover your files first using data recovery software like iBoysoft Data Recovery or TestDisk.
2. Reformat the drive to create a fresh, clean file system so you can use it again.
   (Caution: Always save your recovered files directly to your computer first. Do not save them back onto the problematic drive until the formatting process is completely finished!)

[LADessert]

A RAW drive means its file system got corrupted — your data is not automatically lost. CHKDSK cannot operate on RAW volumes, causing that warning. Do NOT format your My Passport, as formatting will overwrite your files. You can check guides to Repair ‘CHKDSK Is Not Available for RAW Drive’ Error.