Your external hard disk was working very good all the times but suddenly you can't open it anymore, when you are trying to open it, it give the error message "You need to format disk in drive before you can use it", and your hard disk is 0 byte, means there is no file inside the hard disk. Means all the data inside the hard disk are gone!!!
Reason :
1) The external hard disk lost power while you are copying a file onto it.
2) The external hard disk usb cable was unplugged while transferring data.
Solution :
Please follow the steps at below :
1) Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon at the bottom right corner near the clock/time area on your desktop to safely remove your external hard disk.
2) Off the power supply of your external hard disk.
3) Unplug the usb cable of your external hard disk from your computer.
4) On the power supply, replug in the usb cable.
5) You will see the error message, Please Cancel it. (DON'T click Okay/Format/Whatever, click the X if necessary).
6) Click the Start button
7) Go to Accessories
8) Click Command Prompt
9) Type chkdsk e: /f (if your external hard disk drive is Drive E)... Replace the e letter if your external hard disk is not drive e.
10) Wait for few minutes to let the program fix the errors on your external hard disk. For me, it took about 5 minutes to fix it. Below is the screen shot that show the fix of my external hard disk :
In case above solution doesn't work for u, and in case u still want to get back all data inside your spoil hard-disk, u can always look for any computer shop who provide data recovery service. Below is the data recovery price of Swisspac computer shop in Malaysia :
Posted by Zac1987 on
23 February, 2011
269 comments
what if the drive is in RAW format? because i tried and it says CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.
Posted on 6:00 PM, July 15, 2011
It is show mw chkdsk is not available for RAW drives. please help me what can I do...?
Posted on 3:22 AM, July 23, 2011
u can try this http://blog.easeus.com/easeus-products/Solve-CHKDSK-is-not-available-for-RAW-drives-problem-with-ease-391.html
Posted on 4:53 AM, July 23, 2011
thank you so much... you help me a lot
Posted on 2:09 AM, August 11, 2011
Nice post buddy. People often don't know these steps and just format their hard drives with little error. These easy steps can save their data loss. Much informative.
Posted on 7:10 PM, August 24, 2011
Hi Zac,I have trancend 640 GB portable hard disk,when i open my hard disk the massage shown:-H:/is not accessible.
The parameter is incorrect.
when i am try your method (chkdsk h: /f)
it shows massage:-The type of the file system is FAT32.
WHAT TO DO PLZ TELL ME.I have some importent data.
PRASHANT SHARMA
Posted on 5:07 PM, September 21, 2011
You can try solution for FAT32 at this 3 websites : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247575 or http://ezinearticles.com/?Chkdsk-Cant-Repair-FAT32-Volume&id=1973567 or http://jacobluis.articlealley.com/chkdsk-cant-repair-fat32-volume-786072.html
Posted on 5:31 PM, September 21, 2011
it says "file record segment 36(& so on)is unreadable" :( are my files corrupted then? please help me :(
my external hard disk was scanned to another computer before this happened. then when i used it, i cannot open it anymore and says that it is not formatted asking if i want to format it.
Posted on 2:25 PM, October 29, 2011
Thanks a lot. Really helped. I thought I lost all my data and need to reformat
Posted on 2:43 PM, November 08, 2011
#8, you can try do the chkdsk for 2 times see if it can solve the "file record segment 36 unreadable" problem.
Posted on 5:00 PM, November 08, 2011
please help me, after i put chkdsk i: /f, it come out, The type of the file system is NFTS but it unable to determine the volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted. how can i solve this?
Posted on 10:15 AM, November 09, 2011
#11, the answer is at #7
Posted on 1:42 PM, November 09, 2011
i try just as u said but it says "file record segment 24(and so on) is unreadable."i retry again and it still the same.is that my external cannot be saved anymore.please help me,i have many work files in it..=(
Posted on 5:42 PM, November 13, 2011
after the checking process, my hard disc still cannot be open? do u know why?
Posted on 6:28 AM, November 15, 2011
please help me... i have transcend external hard disk... it was good so far but now when i opened the disk all the folders of my disk are in shortcut forms.. when i try to open that it shows.."windows cannot find 'I;/ RECYCLER/e621ca.025.exe'. make sure you typed the name correctly, and try it again".. i tried the "chdsk" method it also get replies like "it is not recognised as an internal or external command operable program or batch file.." please help me to get back my files....
Posted on 3:26 AM, November 17, 2011
#15 I very sure ur harddisk got virus/trojan!!! Try solution on this 4 websites :
1) ardiles answer on http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1509425/+0#entry35313044
2) http://www.computing.net/answers/security/all-folder-became-shortcuts/31059.html
3) http://data-security-freeware.blogspot.com/2011/05/fix-file-folders-become-shortcuts.html
4) http://sshguy.hubpages.com/hub/windows-cannot-find
Posted on 8:46 AM, November 17, 2011
@Zac... thank u thanks a lot for ur help... now i got my files back... thanks again..
Posted on 11:50 PM, November 17, 2011
#17, welcome :)
Posted on 11:50 PM, November 17, 2011
Thank you! I tried plugging my external dard drive into 4 different computers and non of them could read it. For some reason my hacked Wii could read the files perfectly! Thank you your way worked!
Posted on 9:35 AM, November 23, 2011
i got this reply:
Cannot open volume for direct access.
Posted on 2:35 PM, November 26, 2011
#20, i guess your recent installed software is conflict to your windows driver. You can do system restore to 1 week ago which u didn't install the new software yet. More info at http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/82577-cannot-open-volume-direct-access-error-message-re-chkdsk-3.html
Posted on 6:50 PM, November 26, 2011
no recent software installed. its the same problem of unplugging the usb.
Posted on 10:53 PM, November 26, 2011
I really want to thank you lot lot lot .......on my office my network hard drive show 0 byte i search solution for online i got your link its very very very use full dear .........u save meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Posted on 5:19 PM, November 27, 2011
i still cant get my hard disk to function again... is there any other method which i could use to get it back working? thanks in advance zac...
RThanajayan....
Posted on 12:55 AM, December 05, 2011
please help me..... i still cannot open my external hard disk after apply all solution above.
i has external hard disk 2tb western digital, inside has many project to cover....
the situation now.... can detect hard drive letter but cannot open.....already apply chkdsk z: /f but the commmand prompt display "the file segment record xxxxxxx unreadable""
please help.... help.... help..... :(
regard;
shuhaida
Posted on 5:27 PM, December 08, 2011
@25, right click the drive and choose "Explore".
Posted on 5:35 PM, December 08, 2011
also cannot..... :(
Posted on 8:53 PM, December 08, 2011
ok, my problem a bit different here, i totally cannot explore or open my HDD, but it has the safely removing icon which means that the computer can actually recognized my HDD.
So, i refer to Zac solution on the "external hard disk suddenly cannot open" to solve my problem. However, my outcome is - segments are XX is unreadable. (Currently using window 7).
Here is my solution regarding my problem with the guidance of Zac...(Thanks to Zac)
* This solution is only work to the extent that the information contain inside the HDD can be totally discard.
1. plug in the USB cable with the computer that is working under window xp.
2. right click "computer" > "manage" > "disk management".
3. right click on the external driver,"format" (this process will deleted all your data, think carefully before you do)
The process will take some time with the status "formatting". After the process done, HDD is ready to use again.
Posted on 10:30 PM, December 10, 2011
i,ve use this method before with success,but now i've face this problem again.Why?? on the 3 stage of CHKDSK it unable to read data stream...bla..bla..help me??why..
Posted on 3:55 PM, December 12, 2011
sir!! its still in 7 percent in the stage one...wat should i do pls help!!
Posted on 8:19 PM, December 13, 2011
@29, refer to the solution on this page http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-system/unable-to-read-the-security-desciptors-data-stream/bdac8afd-01dc-4d72-b717-fae580d6d31a
@30, try to defragment the hard disk. Or try the solution here http://discussions.virtualdr.com/archive/index.php/t-224373.html
Posted on 3:47 AM, December 14, 2011
hi Zac, can you help me? i have external hard disk 150GB.. when i want to open my disk, it can be detected, but the folder doesn't show in my computer.. i try to do like ur suggestion but is shown "cannot open volume for direct access".. could u help me?
Posted on 10:31 PM, December 19, 2011
hello i tried doing the command prompt and it saidCHKDSK is not available for RAW drives..so i tried the easeus and retrieved my stuff but when i tried to open the pictures it says its unreadable or corrupted. even the mic words documents.what should i do next? recover it again?
Posted on 7:51 AM, December 24, 2011
Hi, after doing chkdsk / f i try to open my hard disk but got new prob. The hd being detect, and the safely remove icon was there but the are no hd icon in my computer. How to solve this?..and my chkdsk finish in 48 hours
Hoe you can help me with this one and mail me for the solution. Tq
Posted on 5:47 PM, January 04, 2012
thank you very much!
fortunately i did not reformat before coming upon this solution..
my harddisc is alive again!
Posted on 4:05 PM, January 05, 2012
Hi Zac, I have external hardisk 512GB. when i plugin the hardisk, it said 'you need to format disk before you can use it'. I tried the chdsk you mentioned above twice but it still cannot work. It said 'F;/ is not accesible the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable' The file system is NTFS.
Please help me T.T
all my important document are there.
Posted on 10:09 PM, January 31, 2012
i dont know how to thank u !! i m soooo soooo grateful to you.. my father was way too angry with me as i made his ext. HDD unusable while copying files on it and a sudden power off !! i tried various complex software and many others !! but the solution was so easy !! thanx mate !! thanx a lot again !! :D :D
Posted on 4:41 AM, February 18, 2012
why i cant close my command prompt??T^T
Posted on 4:08 PM, February 19, 2012
After i replug my HD..then i cant open the command prompt..why can it like this??
Posted on 4:33 PM, February 19, 2012
after typing chkdsk h: /f then ntg comes put anymore??i wait so almost 20++ mins ady...T^T
Posted on 4:43 PM, February 19, 2012
this is all i see
http://www.tim_fred_007.v2hd.com/stupidwindows.jpg
it has been sitting on this screen for 32 hours now.
Posted on 9:58 PM, February 20, 2012
my friend put her laptop into sleeping mode during transferring file to my external hard disk.....and my external hard disk went wrong...QAQ....i try your solution on my laptop but it jz keep showing "the file segment record xxxxxxx unreadable".....should i try this on my friend's laptop instead of mine?T T
all the file in my external hard disk is like a precious for me....i can't hold to lose them all...it's killing me....can u help me to recover my hard disk...PLEASE......
thanks...
BY
WYY
Posted on 12:02 PM, February 21, 2012
I tried what you have wrote here but it didn't solved my problems. When I typed in chkdsk f: /f, it said 'This type of file system is NTFS. Unable to determine volume version and state. CHSDSK aborted.'
Here's the screenshot.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5851/44816793.jpg
thanks
Posted on 11:47 AM, February 24, 2012
i had the same problem..but i have formatted my HDD already. I couldn't format using NTFS instead it got formatted in exFAT file system..i want to convert it to NTFS(default)which i could not. i have tried your instruction n it says "CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives". Please help...THAnks!!! :)
Posted on 1:06 AM, February 25, 2012
i had the same problem too..but i have already formatted my HDD and i could not format it using NTFS(default) system instead i formatted it using exFAT system...now i want to convert it to NTFS. I tried your instruction but it says file system is in RAW and not Available for RAW drives.. Please help.
Thanks!
Posted on 1:30 AM, February 25, 2012
hi every one can any one help me i have a external hard disk of WD DRIVE i can not open or format it by default it has taken another drivers after updating the drivers my hard disk was able to read but i cannot open or format it plz someone help me plz
Posted on 8:28 PM, March 04, 2012
Thought i had lost all my files! but it totally worked 100% Thanks a million Zac! :)
Posted on 2:10 AM, March 08, 2012
My problems similar but my external hard disk cant be found in my computer.
It shows that i've pluged in by usb on the bottom right and in devices and printers but i justs cant eject it and it tells me to reformat it
everytime i just pull it out. Tried typing the command but it just says cannont open volume for direct access
Posted on 1:29 AM, March 09, 2012
thank you very much..you saved my life..my 3 years....thanks alotttttt.....:)
Posted on 12:25 AM, March 11, 2012
A million thanks! I can breath easy now
Posted on 2:00 AM, March 11, 2012
Solved my problem! Thnx a lot! :D
Posted on 4:52 AM, March 11, 2012
zac can u help me wif this...none of above probs same wif me,,
i have hp portable hard disk (1tb)when i plugged into usb port the message showed 'usb storage mass device' is ready to use but the 'hp portable drive usb device' is failed..i have plugged it in about somehow hundres times but not work,,,,,the solution above also can not solve this..it not even appear in my computer...pleaseeee zac the 1tb is just 50 gb free memory left.it's filled many important things to me...
Posted on 12:08 AM, March 13, 2012
Thanx a lot...!!!!
Ur post recovered my 800GB of data..!!!
Posted on 2:05 AM, March 18, 2012
I have Transcend 500GB external HDD. After I changed the name of the drive I now can't access my files. Says drive not formated and shows RAW file system. Tried all the above and no success. Please help. Many thanks
Posted on 1:21 AM, March 21, 2012
Here I thought I was the only one experiencing this kind of problem with a Transcend external hard disk drive.
So, I've tried doing the instructions you've provided but ended up having the same problem as #6 which solution is found on #7, however...
I don't get it. The 3 links are all saying the same thing. Problem is, I don't know how to go about doing the instructions/steps.
I've even tried checking on YouTube if there were any tutorials. Do you have a more detailed link as how to accomplish what are said on #7?
Sam
Posted on 6:51 AM, March 21, 2012
Hi,
I have followed your instruction. My 500gb external hard drive went from raw format back to fat32
However i still cannot see my files. In disk management the external hard drive shows the drive has free capacity 268 gb. Which means it still has my files in it??
How to solve the problems so i can recover the files?
Mel
Posted on 9:58 AM, March 23, 2012
thank you so muchhhhh!!
Posted on 3:27 PM, March 28, 2012
thank you so much.... it solve my problems well ^^
Posted on 9:27 AM, March 29, 2012
Hi ,I have trancend 500 GB external hard disk,when i open my hard disk the massage shown:-H:/is not accessible. wht is this ?
Posted on 4:36 PM, March 29, 2012
hi Zac thanks for the posts, I have read and solved my issue. Cheers! igor
Posted on 3:39 PM, March 31, 2012
@igor, thanks for your paypal donation. Really appreciate. Thanks.
Posted on 3:43 PM, March 31, 2012
already apply chkdsk g: /f but the commmand prompt display....
The type of the file system is FAT32.
An error occurred while reading the file allocation table .
An error occurred while reading the file allocation table .
There are no readable file allocation tables .
please help me coz i've so many important files inside
Posted on 11:17 PM, April 05, 2012
@Anonymous, try teskdisk (its free). Backup all the files to another drive with TestDisk even if the FAT is unreadable
Posted on 11:29 AM, April 07, 2012
Thanks. I foolowed your steps and it did work fine.
Posted on 11:41 AM, April 13, 2012
I did chkdsk and in step 2 it exited whatcan be done please suggest all my imporatnt data is in hard disk
Posted on 2:32 AM, April 15, 2012
thank you so much!!! :)
Posted on 12:12 AM, April 23, 2012
tq so much.. u save my data.. i love u..
Posted on 6:51 PM, April 23, 2012
Thanks very much ..it really works & i have found all my missing file =)
Posted on 11:11 PM, May 01, 2012
when i type chkdsk f: /f it says 'chkdsk' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
How?? Can u help me?
Posted on 9:42 AM, May 03, 2012
Thank you so much. You have helped me get back my work documents. A total life saver =)
Posted on 6:52 PM, May 12, 2012
Hi Zac i have this ext hd for 12 months & have all my personal info & pics of our kids so cant lose it.
I tried comd prompt wice but it comes up with following error;
This type of file is NTFS
The first NTFS scetor is unreadable or corrupt
Reading scoend boot sector instead
Unable to determine version & state. CHKDSK aborted
Man if you can help me I'll be eternally grateful
Cheers, Andy
Posted on 10:07 AM, May 15, 2012
can anyone help me please...i run chkdsk...and it got stuck in CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal .... is this really unrepairable anymore....how can i get my files mate...thanks.
Posted on 10:58 AM, May 17, 2012
hi zac, i really need your help so much.
i got the reply like this:
"access denied as you do not have sufficient privileges. you have to invoke this utility running in elevated mode"
what should i do??
Posted on 1:41 AM, May 21, 2012
@73, please try to do my solution with Windows XP
Posted on 2:22 AM, May 21, 2012
Hi Zac...
I have ran CHKDSK and formatted my 500gb transcend external. the drive is extremely slow copying or transferring data. Please help...
Posted on 10:03 PM, May 28, 2012
Damm IT WORKS with chkdsk e: /f !
Thanks!
Posted on 11:24 PM, May 29, 2012
hi, i got a little bit problem..
i already use the method u show but my hard drive cannot open and it show "usn journal verification completed"
what can i do??
Posted on 3:38 AM, May 30, 2012
hi zac, how can i backup my data if my hardisk cannot be read/detected in the disk management and also my computer? this is the model of my hardisk.Hard Drive: SEAGATE: ST9840AG MARATHON 840MB 2.5"/SSL ATA2 FAST
pls help....i really have important data in it
Posted on 11:14 AM, June 04, 2012
@78, if hardisk cable or case spoil, so just change cable / case will do.
Posted on 11:46 AM, June 04, 2012
@79 ive change it,but still nothing.
Posted on 12:41 PM, June 04, 2012
i tried chkdsk in my 1tb hard disk....it showing many segment unreadable n at last 77% complete then error<696e647863686b2e 17ea>...plz help me.
Posted on 3:43 AM, June 08, 2012
Thank you your trick works, it took about 20 min to restore the system. And it took me all afternoon to find this post. I have recovered all my files, at last!!!!!! I am so happy!!!
Posted on 6:39 AM, June 08, 2012
helo when i type chkdsk g:/f i am facing a problem
saying cannot open volume for direct access please reply soon my exam are going to start soon i have some important data in my segate 1000 gb external harddisk?
Posted on 12:25 PM, June 08, 2012
i have a segate 1000 gb external hardisk when i type the command chkdsk g:/f its shows cannot open volume for direct access please help me i have very important data in it my exam are going to start soon i have loads of study material in it please reply soon @zac ang
Posted on 12:28 PM, June 08, 2012
Can't u just google search "cannot open volume for direct accees"? Answer is on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823439
Posted on 2:30 PM, June 08, 2012
I have the same problem as # 48. Please advise!
Posted on 7:35 AM, June 09, 2012
Thanks yaar...
It really works..
thanks a lot..
Posted on 12:15 AM, June 11, 2012
thanks boss,u saved me.....
Posted on 1:54 AM, June 11, 2012
Zac I applied your method but mine says windows cannot recover master file table CHKDSK aborted. what should I do now
Posted on 2:41 AM, June 13, 2012
@89, solution is on this page http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f16/corrupt-master-file-table-462577.html
Posted on 3:01 AM, June 13, 2012
hey zac, i have an external hard disk but when i plug it in via USB my computer reads it but it takes a lot of time until in hangs, prior to that i was formatting it but my computer hang and i unplugged it then after restarting my comp when i plugged it again that where the problem started..how can i fix it or recover the files..pls help me,,
Posted on 4:17 PM, June 14, 2012
Zac, you rock dude. You saved me. Your solution did the magic....thanks a lot.
Posted on 4:32 AM, June 15, 2012
thank u very much. It works to me
Posted on 9:28 AM, June 15, 2012
It really worked thanks a lot....:-)
Posted on 8:28 PM, June 15, 2012
hi Zac.. please help me.. My ext-HD still cannot recognized. I've tried to chkdsk and it says CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives. I've tried to download Easeus Data Recovery Wizard but my ext-HD wasnt on partitial list. When I try to check disk management -right click-Mark Partition as Active, it says : The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. Please help me..
Posted on 9:01 PM, June 17, 2012
YOU SAVE MY LIFE!!!!!!!!! THANKS!!!! *CHEERS FOR YOU*
Posted on 1:34 AM, June 18, 2012
Thanks!!!!
Posted on 12:31 AM, June 20, 2012
Hi Zac, this is Leonard. I have the same problem as #15 ("it is not recognised as an internal or external command operable program or batch file.."). The only difference is that the virus in my external hard drive does not put shortcuts in my External HDD. It is only autorun and "Savedevril" virus something. When I try to open my external hard disk (WD 1TB), it asks me if I want to reformat it. I tried to do the steps given but the message above appeared. I don't have any idea on how to fix it.
Questions:
1. Is there a way to delete the virus even if I cannot access my external hard disk?
2. How can I fix my external hard disk and restore the files without trying to backup it? Is this possible or are ways/steps that my external hard disk and its files will be back to NORMAL without reformatting it?
I really need your help. I really have important files in my external hard disk. Thank you.
Posted on 9:26 PM, June 23, 2012
Thanks in advance friend.
Posted on 9:27 PM, June 23, 2012
It works! Thanks so much! =D
Posted on 12:10 AM, June 25, 2012
Thanks so much.....
Posted on 2:01 AM, June 25, 2012
thanks you so much!! your tutorial works like darling... u saved us!
Posted on 2:04 AM, June 25, 2012
Thank you so much for this info, I thought I had lost everything, I didn't care about games and music but I was in bits thinking I had lost all photos of my kids from many years, biggest sigh of relief I have ever had xxx
Posted on 11:22 PM, June 27, 2012
Zac, it happen again and stuck at unreadable files... what can i do?? my assignment is all inside. i m a dead fish now. its like 0% complete TT helppp
Posted on 2:23 AM, June 28, 2012
It seem cant detect my external HD, but i can saw my external hd at my computer. sorry for troubling.
Posted on 2:48 AM, June 28, 2012
thanks.............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 8:52 PM, June 29, 2012
I never thought thought it will fix but it did.. Thank you bro.. God bless you.
Posted on 5:26 AM, June 30, 2012
DUDE I LOVE YOU!!!!! :) totally saved my entire drive! :)
Posted on 2:02 PM, June 30, 2012
Hi Zac! after reading each and every post I tried every possible solution you posted here but nothing is working for me... I have 500gb seagate external hard drive and data in drive is very very important to me... it was working fine since I bought it 3 years ago but suddenly I dont know what went wrong. when I try to open it, it gives me an error "The parameter is incorrect and files and folders are not accessible" I tried everything like teskdisk, hddregenarator but nothing worked, I dont wanna recover data into another drive I want my drive back in working condition with data, please Zac help me out please..... Thanks in advance......
Posted on 5:59 AM, July 04, 2012
My USV Hard disk name I drive. When I command chkdsk i: /f it show the mgs that.the path or the file name not valid. But now the drive name shown in pc . Only can not open it. Pls give me solution
Posted on 8:15 PM, July 05, 2012
Hi I have a WD 500 GB external hard disk. It was working all fine, I have applied bit locker earlier as well. Now I used like 300 GB of it, and applied bit locker again. Now whenevr I try unlocking it, it just keeps on saying "not responding".
Also, if I apply a wrong passwrod, it will respond immediately with "wrong password" . But just freezesb when I apply the correct password. Kindly help me, all the data stored is very important to me. I have a Windows 7 home premium, 6 GB RAM.
Posted on 12:06 PM, July 12, 2012
OMG (big applause, flowers, bears, ice cream .... ) really thanks for this. i cried so hard when i thought that all the data in my hard disc is gone.Thanks again for the tutorial
Posted on 12:58 PM, July 15, 2012
hi,zac...i have seagate 500mb, it was doin' fine for this 1 year, but suddenly,i don't know why, when i'm trying to open the video file .mp4/.avi/.flv,it can't be opened, but the file can't read(it means doesn't change to be a shortcut),the files' size are still the same. can u help me please how can i open it again? it's so important to me,please...some of 'em are m'3d presentation. please help me????!!!!!
Posted on 10:44 PM, July 15, 2012
Zac, applied your method, it says...
"The type of the file system is NTFS.
Unable to determine volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted."
I saw ur msg #7, but I believe its for FAT32 and not for NTFS. Moreover my external hdd does not have any OS installed or bootable, simple data storage. Kinldy help...
Posted on 3:19 PM, July 19, 2012
Thank you very much for posting this. I went from having 500 Mb of NTSF-format data on my drive to having none usable in "RAW" format. My IT professional said nothing could be done, but chkdsk /f solved it all. I had to run it twice. As for #72's concern about it getting stuck on the Usn Journal thing, mine did too--it stayed at 99% for about 10 minutes, and then finally moved along on its own.
Posted on 9:09 AM, July 20, 2012
Hi ZAC,
i have problem my external hard disk can't open and than need to format but i don't want to format..i already use CHKDSK f: /f but popup like this The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives..actually my external hard disk drive f..what should i do..fezy.. thanks a lot!
Posted on 12:00 PM, July 21, 2012
HI ALL,
i have external hard disk, my external can't open need to format, but i don't want to format andthan i already do CHKDSK (f): /f ...
(my external drive f) after i type CHKDSK f: /f press enter than pop-up like this..
(The type of the file system is RAW.)
(CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives)
what should i do??
Posted on 12:10 PM, July 21, 2012
i tried ur tutorial ,when i type chkdsk i: /f after enter it ,than pop-up is like ...cannot open volume for direct acces....plzzz give me a another solution.....
Posted on 8:23 PM, July 24, 2012
hi zac. ive got transcend 500gb hard drive. I used your chkdsk method but it shows 'the application as failed to start because ifsutil.dll was not found.'
what should i do ?
Posted on 3:49 PM, July 28, 2012
Hey all,
i have a problem with my 1tb buffalo hd, it suddenly showed me the format box when i pluged it in and i've tried the chkdsk and the following message shows:
the type of the file system is fat32
an error occured while reading the file allocation tabel
the type of the file system is fat32
an error occured while reading the file allocation tabel
there are no readeble file allocation tables
and the funny thing is when i pluge it to my ps3 i can access all the files.
regards,
thank you
Posted on 8:31 PM, July 28, 2012
Hi Zac. My external hard disk is detected but not opened.I am using laptop having window 7 o.s. I want to retrieves my data, these are very important to me
Pls tell me the solution
Posted on 10:40 PM, August 05, 2012
Zac. Thanks. You made my day. XD
Posted on 11:05 PM, August 05, 2012
thank you so much it worked !
Posted on 11:19 AM, August 06, 2012
how about if the commannd is like this
'convert loss chains to files (Y/N)?
what should i do?
Posted on 7:18 PM, August 08, 2012
Hey Zac,
i have a problem with my 1tb buffalo hd, why when i copy file 2Gb from external to my pc, it take too long (about 30min) ??
regards,
thank you
Posted on 9:19 PM, August 09, 2012
Hi,
I can't open my external hard drive. I used chkdsk, and it gives an error message => "The type of the file systems is NTFS. Unable to determine volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted."
Can you please help me on this.
Thank you.
Posted on 7:03 PM, August 10, 2012
Zac, my problem is Reason 2. The external hard disk usb cable was unplugged while transferring data.
when i run chkdsk it starts smoothly But Taking too much Time..
Only 1% complete in 3.5 hours.
whats the issue please guide.
Posted on 9:28 PM, August 10, 2012
Hi Zac, your solution really works!!! Thanks a lot!
Posted on 2:47 PM, August 11, 2012
Hi zac, after i solve this problem is this hard disk still save to use? or need to buy new one?
Posted on 2:53 PM, August 11, 2012
save to use
Posted on 3:19 PM, August 11, 2012
Hi Zac,
I'm having the same problem with 120. I'm using a Windows 7. I hope you could help us with this one.
Thanks! :)
Posted on 2:38 AM, August 12, 2012
Thank you so much. It works.
Posted on 11:47 PM, August 12, 2012
please help, I have Toshiba external hard drive, 750 GB, I have some movies and some files (oghh). It was working fine, until today. I did borrow it to other people, though... Anyway, when I plug in today, i can see blue light, however it does not run as ussual. When I try to go to My computer, it frozes for a while, and then it comes under disk G, but I cannot open it, and it does not have toshiba name as ussual. It tries to run authomatically, but then no files can read and does not open. what to do? I really got lost with all answers..... please help
Posted on 2:52 AM, August 13, 2012
OMG THNK YOU SO MUCH IM SO HAPPY..ive been trying to sttle this problem for almost a week, and my fren gave me this article n it works very well..
Posted on 1:24 AM, August 14, 2012
i love you!
thank you so much~~~~~~~
it is really works!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 5:39 PM, August 17, 2012
mine says "access denied, you do not have enough privileges. you have to invoke this utility running in elated mode." any idea how i can go about that?
Posted on 9:26 PM, August 17, 2012
Dear Zac,
1TB WD External HD
NTFS
I tried chkdsk.It shows all files.It shows only icon of the E:drive in explorer without any file.Can't open the drive.Please help.
Posted on 9:53 AM, August 18, 2012
Zac,
I am facing the same issue, I am using Transcend 1 Tb Hard Disk. The system is having hard time detecting the same. The disk letter does come up. But not able to access. It is as if all the time, the system is trying to maybe index the files. As of now it is 900gb occupied. I also tried to access the disk from some T.V that had usb where it first got stuck. It never got detected and had to be removed. It did work fine after that. But recently the system is not able to open the files. Only the progress bar on address bar fills green.
Dinesh
Posted on 12:03 AM, August 19, 2012
hi zac
since you are an expert i have this problem and i beg you to help me. since a week ago my HDD stopped loading at all. i can only see the HDD in "mycomputer" but can not open, can not get properties or anything. i did some system checking and hard drive manager testing and i found out that if i format it i can re use again. but i SERIOUSLY need all y information. if you help me i owe you big time man.
here is a screenshot from my pc and also after i run this command that you advised. and btw, it took my PC to run this whole test about 2 3 hours and my pc is a quite good one. i dunno. i think its some trojan or malware shit in it since i remember the last time i was using in "NO antivirus " environment and stuff
my HDD is a 1.5TB WD but i have it for like 2 yrs already
http://postimage.org/image/gripfbkbx/full/
-----------------------------------
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP MEEE
my email also: taherim@hotmail.com
thank you thank you thank you
Posted on 12:48 AM, August 19, 2012
@139, try system restore to 1 month ago or to the time that u didn't have this problem yet.
Posted on 12:50 AM, August 19, 2012
zac, i did that too buddy. ddnt do anything :(
anything else buddy ? :(
ali
Posted on 1:35 AM, August 19, 2012
CHKDSK is currently running on a computer by my side. I REALLY hope it works. Pictures of 5.5 years of a relationship on the Hard Drive.
If it doesn't work I appreciate the effort to help!!
Posted on 9:14 PM, August 21, 2012
THANKYOU SO MUCH. Got my valuable pics back!! I'd kiss u for this!!
Posted on 9:15 PM, August 21, 2012
Thanks Zac, you saved my life :)
Posted on 4:05 AM, August 22, 2012
Well... this fixed the error message and I can access the drive, but the chkdsk process deleted EVERYTHING, saying it was all corrupt.
The entire contents of my computer were on that stupid external drive, including pictures I'll never see again. I just lost everything. :(
Posted on 2:00 PM, August 22, 2012
Hi Zac, I got the same problem (Hard Drive Can't open need to format before use) and I tried your method but it said " chksdk is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.". I think the problem started from files copied corrupted. Please help me Zac, my EVERYTHING is in it, I cannot lost it please please.....
Posted on 2:24 PM, August 22, 2012
you saved my music!! Thank you!!
www.soundcloud.com/tysonwillert
Posted on 10:05 AM, August 23, 2012
Zac,
i did the chkdsk thing.. and it finished until the end. but the hardisk still wont read? can you help me please?
thanks
Posted on 9:36 AM, August 24, 2012
Thank You very much! I was heartbroken as windows showed the message and I did not know any solution apart from formatting.. But now you saved me a lot of trouble.
Posted on 10:21 PM, August 24, 2012
Thank you very much for your post..you save mylife..thanks again..
Posted on 11:45 PM, August 25, 2012
thank you thank you thank you!
I just can't stop saying thank you!
you really helped a lot :)
amazing! just amazing!
keep on doing what you're doing :) GREAT JOB!
Posted on 7:46 PM, August 27, 2012
Hi Jack
i have got diffrent sort of trouble....
my portable hard disc is Transcend 320gb.i was using windows 7 ultimate,and 1 day i used bitlocker and forgot the password.now now it asks me for recovery password.but i don't have recovery password,so i changed my windows as windows xp,still didn't work and now i changed my windows again as windows 7 ultimate..when i try to unlock the drive,it says ...if you don't remember your password or if you don't have your smart card.you can use recovery key to unlock the drive...your recovery key was created when bitlocker was first setup.the recovery key might have been saved or printed.or you might need to get it from your system administrator(depending on your company's security policy).
your recovery key can be identyfied by 5d281234
but nothing works....
what do i do now....????i must get everything back.....
Posted on 6:03 AM, August 30, 2012
Your guides works on my external disk Thank you I was able to recovered my files =)
Posted on 5:14 PM, September 01, 2012
tried your method..but it has been showing CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal since the last half an hour..can you help me out?
Posted on 1:25 PM, September 02, 2012
hey thanks alot for your guidance ........ it worked :):)
thank you sooooo much..
Posted on 12:50 PM, September 04, 2012
bro i got some problem with my external harddisk its name is prestigio racer n it has 500gb capacity i have an important data but now it's not accessable and say that format now i tried chkdisk solution but nothing happened plz guide me through..
Posted on 7:46 AM, September 08, 2012
hey ...i am sukumar bhuyan from assam (india).....bro..thanks a lot..u helped me a lot...i got the same problem with my hdd.......i thought i would loss all my data.....but u saved me.....once again thanks man....i really appreciate that...!!...CHEERS MATE..!!
Posted on 3:01 PM, September 08, 2012
i am getting stuck at verifying Usn Journal ... whats the best step to go about this Zach? please help ... desperate here ....
Posted on 1:39 AM, September 16, 2012
i am getting stuck at verifying Usn journal ... help please zach ... i desperate to get my files ...
Posted on 1:47 AM, September 16, 2012
Thank u for ur help, zac, means a lot...... Keep sharing ur tips on computer things :)
Posted on 11:45 AM, September 17, 2012
thnks a lot ...^^
Posted on 12:21 PM, September 19, 2012
Thanks a lot ............
Brian
Posted on 5:33 PM, September 25, 2012
Hi Zac. After applied your method, it says...
"The type of the file system is NTFS.
Unable to determine volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted."
Moreover my external hdd does not have any OS installed or bootable, simple data storage. Kinldy help... I dont want to lost all my data in that.. Please help...
Posted on 11:30 PM, September 25, 2012
Hi zac.
i have done according to ur instructions..but suddenly the process got aborted while correcting the errors in the volume bitmap. its displaying message like " insufficient data to fix the errors in the volume bitmap". kindly check out the issue and do reply me asap.. i need ur help badly.
u can mail me at honeymyshona@gmail.com
anyone plz help me
Posted on 7:45 PM, September 27, 2012
I was having the same "u need to format it to use it" problem...
Thank u very much Zac...I applied chkdsk and it fixed my problem...
Posted on 12:53 PM, September 29, 2012
Thank you very much.... Kiss you dear. you have rescued me.................
Posted on 8:38 PM, October 06, 2012
HI, i have the same problem but when i perform the chkdsk and it stuck at stage 2 :
CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
141306 index entries processed.
Index verification completed.
what should i do next?please advice
Posted on 11:17 AM, October 07, 2012
Zac i tried chkdsk n it gav me a msg saying that CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives, so i tried data recovery, testdisk, disk digger and none have worked. Can u help? my email ad is animatedjade@gmail.com i would appreciate any fresh ideas coz my brain is fried!
Posted on 12:06 AM, October 09, 2012
Hi Zac. I have Goflex Seagate 1TB hdd n when tried 2 xonnect it 2 ma lap it tells me 2 format the disk. but i dont wanna format it coz i have many datas in it. SO i tried to do chkdsk thru command promp. the process went for 1 full night n wen i woke up the cmd promt had this msg at the end "CHDSK cannot continue in read only mode". what can i do.. can u give me a solution to use ma hdd without loosing any data. Plz Help me
Posted on 4:59 AM, October 09, 2012
H Zac, I am able to see the external drive letter. However when i try to open it is I am getting format your disk error. I even tried with Chkdsk and Diskprobe, even then it is not working.
Z:\>chkdsk k: /f
The type of the file system is FAT32.
Volume Serial Number is 15EE-2156
The \ entry contains a nonvalid link.
Correcting error in directory \
Windows is verifying files and folders...
File and folder verification is complete.
Convert lost chains to files (Y/N)? y
32 KB in 1 recovered files.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.
156,250,144 KB total disk space.
32 KB in 1 folders.
32 KB in 1 files.
128 KB in bad sectors.
156,249,920 KB are available.
32,768 bytes in each allocation unit.
4,882,817 total allocation units on disk.
4,882,810 allocation units available on disk.
Posted on 7:11 PM, October 09, 2012
hi zack, i'm stuck at
CHKDSK is verifying Usn journal..
for 11 hours until now..
can you suggest me a solution for this?
thank you in advance
Posted on 10:21 AM, October 10, 2012
I'm very very appreciative of your kindness on sharing this tip, Sir. Thank you very much, it helped me resolved my worries for several days, in a blink.
Once again, I thank you for sharing this information. May God bless you!
Posted on 12:54 AM, October 12, 2012
I think you are a HDD God for being able to help so many ppl. Now i need your help. I just upgraded my laptop from vista to W7. My WD HDD worked for a few days then it stopped. It used to be in F drive but now i see it in E drive (pops up and down) . Unable to open and change file drive in disk mgnt. Keeps asking to format but unable too. Help?!
Posted on 5:49 PM, October 13, 2012
Dude you rock!! thanks a ton! :)
- Pratyush
Posted on 1:34 AM, October 16, 2012
I have tried chkdsk G: /f . It gives an error " Cannot open Volume for direct access." Please help.
Posted on 5:04 PM, October 20, 2012
U save my data!
Thanks a lot!! =)
Posted on 11:01 PM, October 23, 2012
I know it's been a while since you posted this tutorial, but I wanted to just let you know that it worked for me, and I was able to access my hard drive again. Thank you so much for this!
Posted on 1:44 PM, October 26, 2012
Hi zac, I am andre
I have seagate go flex then I can't open one of my drive in my hard disk. it says the drive is not accessible then I've tried ur suggestion to chkdsk,
the first time was done, and it still can't open,
the second one was done, but there are many files were unreadable...
so what should I do friend?
Posted on 2:12 PM, November 04, 2012
hi Zac. I've done the Command prompt process. but my hard disk still cannot be opened and stated there NTFS and access is denied. what should I do?
Posted on 5:28 PM, November 04, 2012
you tell me usn journal verification completed
help me i close command or not
Posted on 4:41 AM, November 06, 2012
Thank you very much Zac!
You really are a file saver!
It works on my HDD too which I lose hope for months thinking there's no chance to get fixed. But it did!
Cheers! Good Job! :)
-april
Posted on 1:51 AM, November 08, 2012
when i open my External hard disk than it pop up message said I need to format the drive. I know formatting will erase everything. I cannot do that. How can I get it all my file inside.it is so importance for me... pls give me some suggestion...thank you.
Posted on 8:33 PM, November 12, 2012
i got a problem when i open my External hard disk than it pop up message said I need to format the drive. I know formatting will erase everything. I cannot do that. How can I get it all my file inside.it is so importance for me... pls give me some suggestion...thank you.
Posted on 8:43 PM, November 12, 2012
Thank you for sharing!
Posted on 11:30 AM, November 15, 2012
hi zac,
I tried chkdsk f: /f and stucked at "correcting the errors in the volume bitmap". Then I tried chkdsk f: /r and stucked at stage 4 of 5.. please help me as I don't wanna format my hard disk.
Posted on 1:43 PM, November 15, 2012
Hi zac,
You are my savour.
Thanks alot.
I dont have to lose all my datas by formatting.
Posted on 11:47 PM, November 16, 2012
This comment has been removed by the author.
Posted on 1:06 AM, November 18, 2012
Hi Zac,
I tried this method and seems to have worked. However I open the hard drive and the file is empty. According to the properties the files are still there but I cant see them. can you please help to recover files?
Thanks.
Posted on 4:27 AM, November 18, 2012
Hi Zac,
I tried your method for chkdsk..but it says that
Insuffient disk space to recover lost data..
I only use the hd for about 100gb still have many space..maybe 300gb+.What should i do?Pls advise.Thank you in advance.
Posted on 3:55 PM, November 26, 2012
Zac help please! I did as you said twice, same thing happened. After 72 percent completion it said there was a correcting error in index $I30 for file 747 and file 2780. What can i do??
Posted on 1:22 AM, November 29, 2012
This worked for me perfectly. Had to thank you!!
Posted on 3:35 PM, November 29, 2012
my problem is same like above.. T___T
so bad..
everytime I ran my external hard disk it always showed "please format your hardisk before use it..
Posted on 10:01 PM, November 30, 2012
Can't thank you enough! Saved me the mess of formatting and recovering!
Posted on 5:46 AM, December 03, 2012
hi zac , i try your method , but the end it show "usn journal verification completed " so how ?
Posted on 8:51 PM, December 03, 2012
Hi zac,
my hard disk has problem opening. i've tried chkdsk e: /f . It gives an error " cannot open volume for direct access." Please help.
Posted on 2:55 AM, December 04, 2012
Hi Zac,
Hope you can help me figure out how to change my WD 1TB External HD about 1/2 way filled with data, music & photos from the "RAW" state it is displaying to "FAT32" which is where everything is stored, without losing any of it. I believe the connection on the back of the external hd came loose while I was trying to open the photo file or download more pictures. I would appreciate whatever help you could offer as I have read to many different ways to try and fix this but I am very paranoid about downloading software I don't understand. This contains the last 9 years of memories and although I do have a backup external drive, I have not backed it up in a while and I just hate myself for that.
Posted on 3:22 AM, December 09, 2012
hi zac1987,
thank you so much. this fixed my toshiba external hdd incorrect parameter error.
this was really helpful.
Posted on 8:19 PM, December 10, 2012
thanks dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 11:38 PM, December 11, 2012
Hi Guys,
I got stuck at stage 2 of 3 and I think stage 3 of 5 (if done for the nth time) because of an unknown error. I almost gave up but I tried going around the internet and read about using partition recovery. So I Downloaded MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition v7.6.1 and did the following:
1) go to Wizard Tab and select Partition Recovery Wizard
2)You select Partition Recovery Wizard
3)go on selecting the broken hard drive and choose the full scan. You can choose either the quick scan or full scan but I'd suggest you choose the full scan besides both will take a long time (a really long time like more than 5 hours for my Terabyte drive).
4) After the scan is done, try doing the chdsk again. Miraculously It didn't get stuck and was able to go to the end result of the command. I tried opening my hard drive and successfully went through.
I really almost gave up so I'm sharing this possible solution to help the other people. I'm not an expert really I just went on the net and tried reading up and finding alternative solutions so just keep on finding one people or ask for other experts. Hope this helps guys Happy Holidays
Posted on 8:00 AM, December 12, 2012
Hi All!
Need help in regard of Corrupted 1TB.
I have 1TB WD HDD. When I connect to the system, in my computer page i can see the drive but when i click on it it says this
h:\ disk is not accessible
The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.
Am unable to format the HDD or I can open.
Help me out is there any software or any method to get back the data or format the disk.
With Regards
Suneel.P
Posted on 7:43 PM, December 17, 2012