The error: The type of the file system is RAW on SD card
Sometimes, you may encounter the return message when you run CHKDSK on SD card in
Command Prompt: The type of the file system is RAW. CHKDSK
is not available for RAW drives. And then, the disk checking service will
not be started.

The prompting message “The type of the file system is RAW” also happens if you try to
format an SD card or convert SD card from FAT32 to NTFS in CMD. The RAW file system
error is a common topic that discussed by many Windows users. As a matter of fact,
the error occurs on USB flash drive, pen drive, and external hard drive as well, not
just SD cards. Then, you may wonder what RAW file system is and what the causes
are.
About RAW file system and how it comes
In general, Windows operating system supports file systems such as NTFS, FAT32,
exFAT, FAT16, etc. And RAW file system is not included. When a drive shows as RAW,
it usually means the drive is not formatted. It shows RAW in Disk Management and
will not show up correctly in File Explorer. Therefore, it cannot be recognized or
accessed by Windows.
If an SD card becomes RAW suddenly and unexpectedly, chances are that its file system
is corrupted or damaged. The file system type information could be missing or the
system tables are damaged if the SD card does not be removed properly. In addition,
computer virus infection and hacker attacking are also possible causes for SD card
RAW file system and shows 0 bytes.
What counts next is to figure out how to repair RAW SD card with possible ways.
How to fix SD card file system is RAW easily in Windows 7/8/10?
In the very first place, you may want to recover crucial data on the SD card. There
is a way that may help you recover lost
partition in Windows 10/8/7 without a charge. If that way does not help,
please turn to professionals. Next, let’s get to know how to make RAW SD card usable
again.
How to repair RAW SD card using CMD?
First of all, connect the SD card to your PC and maybe via an SD card reader. Make
sure it can be detected by Windows. Take SD card RAW to FAT32 for example.
● Format RAW SD card to FAT32 via Diskpart
1. Press Win + R to lift Run. Type diskpart and
press Enter.
2. Type commands below successively and press Enter after each typing.

3. You’ll see the RAW drive becomes FAT32 in Windows Disk Management. Editing the
partition label of SD card is also available there.
It is quite easy to format micro SD card from RAW to FAT32 with the help of Windows
built-in tools. Nevertheless, you may encounter diskpart
the parameter is incorrect error during the formatting. The formatting
process may last for a long time as well. What’s worse, Windows built-in tool does
not allow you to format drive that is larger than 32GB to FAT32, or you’ll receive
the error: The
volume size is too big.
To avoid those troubles that may arise, it is not a bad idea to turn to other
professional RAW SD card formatting tools. AOMEI Partition Assistant
Professional is such a utility that allows you to format SD card from RAW to
FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, Ext4, etc. regardless of the partition size. The process will be
completed in a short time.
● RAW to FAT32 on SD card via better tool
1. Install AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional on your PC. It would be better if
you take note of the installation path.
2. Open an elevated Command Prompt, and then type cd + the installation path to start
AOMEI Partition Assistant in CMD. For example, input cd C: \Program Files
(x86) \AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro Edition 6.6 and press Enter.
Tips: You can also find the installation path by right clicking the
shortcut of AOMEI Partition Assistant on the desktop and then select Properties.
3. Type partassist.exe /fmt: F /fs: fat32 and press Enter. That
means format F drive to FAT32. You can replace F with the correct drive letter.

4. Click Yes when prompts and then the formatting process will
execute immediately. Type exit to leave the window directly after
the process completes.

Descriptions:
*/fmt: format; followed by partition number or drive letter.
*/fs: file system; can be followed by fat16, fat32, exfat, ntfs.
AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional also provides graphical user-interface for
common users to solve SD card corrupted RAW. It is user friendly and easy-to-use.
Just double click the shortcut and you’ll see the neat main interface.

Fix CHKDSK RAW on SD card
Before changing RAW file system to another Windows recognized one, you can run disk
check on RAW SD card with aforementioned software as well. It will check bad sectors
on the disk for you.
1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant. Find the SD card that shows RAW (it would be
showing up as Unformatted here), right click it and select Surface
Test.
2. Tick on Quick Check and then Start.

Tips: for more methods of disk checking, please see check hard
drive for errors in Windows 10.
Conclusion
When you receive the message “The type of the file system is RAW” on SD card, it
could be the drive is not formatted or is damaged for some reason. Recover your
valuable data if possible. Next, find some ways to make the SD card usable. AOMEI
Partition Assistant is also a good tool to solve “CONVERT
is not available for RAW drives” in Windows 10/8/7.