This is one of the most common and panic-inducing problems out there.
Good news: in 85–95 % of cases, your data is still physically on the drive.
Bad news: if you do what Windows suggests (format it) or run chkdsk, you can lose everything forever.
What “RAW” actually means
• The operating system cannot find a valid partition table (MBR/GPT), OR
• It finds the table, but the file system (NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, APFS, ext4…) is corrupted or missing.
Most frequent causes (2024–2025):
• Sudden power outages or disconnections
• Viruses/ransomware that corrupt the partition table
• Failed Windows or SSD firmware updates that abort halfway
• Partial controller failure (very common on budget NVMe SSDs)
• Bad sectors exactly where the partition table or NTFS $MFT is located
What you must NEVER do (even if Windows asks you to)
• Do NOT click “Format disk”
• Do NOT run chkdsk X: /f /r
• Do NOT initialize the disk in Disk Management
• Do NOT use Windows “Repair drive”
• Do NOT run antivirus or any “automatic repair” tools
→ All of these write to the drive and can overwrite critical metadata.
Safe step-by-step guide (what you SHOULD do)
1. Stop and disconnect (if possible)
If it’s an external drive or you can remove it from the PC → unplug it right now.
Every second it stays connected increases the chance that an SSD will run garbage collection.
2. Quick, risk-free diagnosis
Connect the drive in read-only mode (or use a write-blocker adapter).
Open one of these programs (all have free versions for scanning):
• TestDisk (completely free) → the king for this situation
• DMDE (free version lets you preview files)
• R-Studio (demo shows everything and recovers up to 256 KB)
• UFS Explorer Standard Recovery
• GetDataBack Pro
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (trial)
3. What usually happens and how to fix it
Case A (most common – ~70 % of RAW drives)
TestDisk finds the lost partition table and can restore it in 10 seconds.
Solution:
1. Open TestDisk → Intel/PC partition → Analyse → Quick Search → it usually finds the lost NTFS/exFAT partition → press P (list files) → if you see your folders → press “Write” to rewrite the table → reboot → done!
Case B – Partition table completely destroyed or overwritten
TestDisk finds nothing or shows dozens of fake partitions.
Solution:
Use DMDE or R-Studio in “signature search” / raw recovery / full scan mode.
These tools look for file headers (JPEG, DOCX, PDF, etc.) and rebuild the structure even without a partition table.
Case C – SSD/NVMe that already ran a lot of garbage collection
Files come out fragmented or only parts are recovered.
At this point you need a professional lab (chip-off or FTL reconstruction) if the data is truly valuable.
4. Mandatory safety clone (do this BEFORE any repair attempt)
If the drive makes strange noises (HDD) or is extremely slow (SSD with bad sectors):
• Linux + ddrescue (free)
• Windows → HDDSuperClone or DeepSpar Disk Imager (pro versions)
Clone sector-by-sector to a healthy drive and then work 100 % on the copy.
Quick checklist (copy-paste friendly)
1. DO NOT format, DO NOT run chkdsk
2. Disconnect the drive if possible
3. Connect it to another PC (preferably a clean Linux or Windows install)
4. Run TestDisk → 70 % of cases solved in 5 minutes
5. If TestDisk fails → DMDE or R-Studio (full scan)
6. If the drive is physically failing → clone with ddrescue first
7. Only if nothing works and the data is critical → professional lab
Real recovery success rates in 2025 (lab and forum statistics)
• Corrupted but recoverable partition table → 92–98 %
• Damaged file system but intact metadata → 85–95 %
• RAW SSD with heavy use after the incident → 40–70 %
• RAW HDD with bad sectors in critical areas → 60–85 % (if cloned properly)
• SSD with dead controller → lab only (60–90 % with chip-off)
