Sometimes, you may encounter the error “The type of the file system is RAW” while running CHKDSK on the storage device. So here we will explain it occurs and how to fix the RAW file system effectively.
By
Lucas
/ Last Updated April 27, 2023
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 RAW file system error is a common topic 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.
In general, Windows operating system supports file systems such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, FAT16, etc. And the 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 OS.
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 attacks 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 in possible ways.
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 and the latest Windows 11 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.
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.
▌Option A. 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.
▶list volume
▶select volume n (where n is the volume number of the RAW SD card)
▶format fs=fat32 quick (or format fs=exfat quick)
▶exit
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 the drive that is larger than 32GB to FAT32, or you’ll receive the error: The volume size is too big.
▌Option B. RAW to FAT32 on SD card via better tool
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. You can download the demo version first of all.
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.
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.
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.
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 11/10/8/7.
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