Although it’s not exactly a well-known fact, CHKDSK is a very important feature on a PC. It allows you to configure your RAW file system and other drives on your computer. However, due to certain circumstances, there are cases where you can’t access the CHKDSK. This is where the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error comes in. This error is very popular for people who often configure their RAW drives.
Put simply, it’s one of their worst nightmares. Not only will it hinder their ability to freely do what they want with their drives, but it would also signify that there’s a problem within the computer.
If you’re one of the people who’ve encountered the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error, then you’re surely at the edge of your seat right now. But don’t worry, because this article will talk about everything you need to know about the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error.
Before anything else, let’s first learn about what the CHKDSK is.
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What Is CHKDSK?4 Solutions for "CHKDSK is Not Available for RAW Drives”Conclusion
What Is CHKDSK?
The CHKDSK, which is pronounced as check disk, is a command that allows you to see the status of a volume. This can be a disk or a drive. It will also allow you to resolve any issues that exist within that volume.
An Overview of CHKDSK
For experts, the CHKDSK command is a very crucial window on their computers.
This is because the CHKDSK allows them to configure different file systems, which is by far one of the most difficult tasks to do on a Windows PC. In short, the file systems can’t be managed without using the CHKDSK. However, there are cases where even CHKDSK can’t handle a file system.
CHKDSK and RAW File System
CHKDSK is a command that can manage any file system, except for a RAW drive. So why exactly are RAW drives not accessible?
RAW drives are actually normal drives in the past. The only difference is that it encountered a major problem that made it what it is now. Such problems include:
- Severe damage,
- The missing component, and
- Drive not formatted,
If any of these situations were fulfilled, there’s a high chance for a normal drive to become a RAW drive. If this happens, there would be no way to access such drive even with the use of CHKDSK. Although this is tied to the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error, it’s not the same. So this leads us to the question, what is the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error?
4 Solutions for "CHKDSK is Not Available for RAW Drives”
When a storage medium or a drive becomes RAW, it won’t show you the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error just yet. The error would only show itself if you try to run CHKDSK to manage the RAW drive. By doing so, you will see a notification that says “CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives” or “You need to format the disk in drive”.
Sometimes, a normal file system turned to a RAW drive may also show you other messages. For example, it might tell you that the disk is not formatted, or it is corrupted and unreadable. Regardless, there are only 4 official solutions for this problem, and that’s what we’ll be discussing in the next sections.
A: Check for Disk Errors
Professionals tend to rely on the Error-checking feature available on Windows as a quick fix for problems that are related to their disks. Not only is it easy to execute, but there is also no negative effect in case the process isn’t successful. In short, it’s a fail-safe operation that can be used in Windows.
Regardless, here are the steps that you will need to follow in order to check your disk for errors and hopefully resolve the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error automatically:
- Open your Windows Explorer. In some versions, it would appear as File Explorer.
- Look for the disk that you want to check.
- Right-click on the disk.
- Select Properties. This will take you to a pop-up window with many options.
- Go to the Tools tab of the window. There should be three sections within this tab, namely Error-checking, Defragmentation, and Backup.
- Under the Error-checking section, click on the Check now… You will be given a pop-up window with configurations.
- Make sure the Automatically fix file system errors are checked. It’s up to you if you want to check the other options.
- After you’re finished configuring the settings, click on the Start.
With that, the disk-checking process will start. If there are any errors detected, the computer will automatically fix the error, since you checked this option. Now all you have to do is to check if you can access the drive again. If you can’t, then you can assume that the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives is still not fixed.
There are also cases whereupon clicking on the Check now… button, you will be shown a message that says, ”Would you like to format the disk?” If this is the case, then we suggest you format the disk first and do the Error-checking process after. This will give you a better chance of converting your RAW drive to a normal drive. However, if you don’t want to go through the disk formatting warning message, then we recommend that you use the Command Prompt to bypass that message.
B: Use CMD to Fix “CHKDSK is Not Available for RAW Drives” Error
The CMD, or Command Prompt, is commonly used so that you will no longer have to format your disk in order to fix the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error. So how exactly does it do this? Basically, using the CMD will only convert your RAW file system to an NTFS drive.
The difference between the two is that RAW drives cannot be recognized, unlike NTFS drives which can be read and accessed. To use the Command Prompt to fix the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error, you will have to follow these steps:
- Press the Win key + R on your keyboard. This will take you to the Run window.
- Type in “cmd” which is the shortcut for Command Prompt, then press Enter. The Command Prompt window should open soon.
- On the Command Prompt window, type in “Diskpart” then press enter.
- Type : /FS :NTFS, removing the <> symbols. The “FS” stands for file system while “NTFS” stands for the file system the drive will be converted to.
- Once you press enter, your Windows PC will start the conversion of the file system.
By doing this, you will be converting the RAW drive into an NTFS drive and fix the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error. However, it won’t be that easy. In some cases, there will be a message that says, “CONVERT is not available”. To fix this, you will have to use a Command Prompt that is run by the administrator.
To do this, you will have to go to the Start Menu by clicking on the icon at the bottom-left corner of the window. Then, type in “cmd”. Once you see the program, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
With that, you’ll have a higher chance of success when using the Command Prompt to fix the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error. But of course, it won’t have a 100 percent chance of success. In case it isn’t successful, there is still the final solution, which can very well be your last resort.
C: Reformat RAW Drive Manually
Formatting your drive means deleting any information contained within it. That’s why if you’re a professional, your files inside the drive can affect your way of living. It can have files from your studies or your job. Either way, formatting a drive takes a toll on every user.
However, since it’s already a RAW drive, there’s really no other choice. It would be better to recover your drive than to throw it out. So without further ado, here are the steps you need to follow if you want to reformat your RAW drive and resolve the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives issue.
- Go to the Windows Explorer or File Explorer.
- Find the drive that you want to reformat.
- Right-click on that RAW drive.
- From the menu, select the Format… You will be shown a pop-up window with the settings for the format process.
- Configure your format options the way you like. This might include setting the label of the volume, choosing the file system type, and more.
- Once you’re finished with the configurations, proceed on clicking the Start
- Wait for the formatting to complete.
With this, the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error would surely be resolved. However, you will lose all the files that you had on your RAW drive. However, it will bring you back the drive that once served its purpose. Fortunately, there is a way to recover the data that you lost.
D: Recover Data from Formatted RAW Drive (Recommended)
The FoneDog Data Recovery tool is a software that allows you to recover files from your hard drive, files from partitions, files from flash drives, files that were accidentally deleted, and more.
It supports most versions of Windows as well as Mac, so you won’t have to worry about the compatibility of your device. You also have the option to choose which type of files you want to recover, be it images, videos, audio files, documents, and more.
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Additionally, the tool supports different formats for each file type such as pictures in JPG or PNG formats, videos in MP4 or VLC formats, and more. With this, you don’t have to worry about formatting your RAW drive to fix the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, drives are crucial for the distribution of information on your computer. However, we still can’t deny the fact that issues such as the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error can’t be avoided.
There will always be errors such as this, but what’s important is that you have the solution for such issues. At the end of the day, you know learned what to do once you encounter the CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives error while you’re accessing your drive as usual.
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