Hey guys, kinda freaking out rn… my 128GB SanDisk USB shows RAW when i plug it into my laptop. it used to work fine yesterday, now windows just asks me to format it. i got a bunch of project files + pics in there i can’t lose. tried diff ports & another pc but still same “RAW” thing. anyone know how to fix this without wiping everything? is there a way to recover my data before formatting?? any help appreciated
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Don’t format the USB yet. What’s happened is your SanDisk’s file system (the part that tells Windows how to read your data) has gone corrupt, which is why Windows is calling it “RAW.
Try Stellar Photo Recovery software to recover your photos from it. The tool can help you with the drive that turned RAW. Once you’ve safely recovered your stuff, then you can format the USB (exFAT is a good option if you use both Windows and Mac) and start using it again.
Your computer can recognize various file systems, such as FAT, exFAT, FAT32, and NTFS. A drive may appear as ‘RAW’ when its file system is missing, unrecognized, or corrupted. This can happen due to factors like malware, improper ejection, bad sectors, or issues with partitioning. When the file system is absent or damaged, the operating system cannot read or write to the drive until it is repaired or reformatted.
Even though the drive cannot be accessed normally, the data itself is often still intact. It’s recommended to use data recovery software to recover files before attempting to reformat the drive. Reformatting the drive will restore its file system, but it will erase all existing data on the drive.
Related guide: How to Fix RAW External Hard Drive without Formatting & Recover Files?
As @Ellinor_William Suggested, If your USB shows as RAW, the file system is messed up but your data’s likely still there. Don’t format it yet. Use recovery software to pull your files to another drive, then reformat the USB once you’ve got everything safe.
