Hard disc drive does not work windows 11

[Andreas2469]

Hello everyone!
I am facing the following problem.
My external hard drive is 300 GB in size. The system sees it in RAW format, although it used to be in FAT format.

Unfortunately, I don't have a copy......

I still have important files on the drive.

Maybe there is someone who can help me?

 

[ThumperTM]

Hello everyone!
I am facing the following problem.
My external hard drive is 300 GB in size. The system sees it in RAW format, although it used to be in FAT format.

Unfortunately, I don't have a copy......

I still have important files on the drive.

Maybe there is someone who can help me?

Did you try to use any file recovery software ?

 

[DVDR_Dog]

"Why is FAT32 limited to 32GB?
Microsoft chose 32GB as the maximum partition size for a FAT32 file system. The main reason for this was to promote its new file system (NTFS), considered more efficient when working with large partitions. Despite that, the 32GB limit on FAT32 has influenced the file system differently."
What was the operating system that allowed you to partition 300GB FAT partition on your HD? I am almost positive you may be able to convert that 300GB drive to NTFS with a program like EaseUS partition master without the loss of data.

 

[AFFASocial]

I agree with DVDR_Dog 100% now days we want Windows installed on either NTFS GPT

Take a look

MBR vs GPT max size​

As mentioned above, there is another partition table-MBR. So you might want to know what’s the max disk size the MBR supports. MBR is the abbreviation of Master Boot Record and it was the default partition table before hard drives were smaller than 2TB and its maximum disk size is 2TB.

Is GPT always better than MBR for the hard drive?​

After knowing the max size of GPT and MBR partition size, it is easy to get that GPT has obvious advantages. However, does that mean the GPT is always a better choice than MBR at any time or situation? The answer is “NO”. Although GPT can handle up to 18EB hard drive while MBR can only support 2TB hard drive at most, MBR is still necessary in some cases:

◆If you need to install some older operating systems such as Windows XP, Vista, you have to initialize the boot hard drive to MBR since only MBR is compatible with those old OSes.

◆If you prepare to install 32-bit operating system, the disk should be of MBR partition style because only 64-bit OSes can work on GPT system disk.

On the whole, the MBR has overwhelming advantages over GPT in the OS compatibility. In most situations, the GPT is a better choice:

◆If you have a hard drive that you will use but not boot from and it is larger than 2 TB, select GPT; otherwise,only 2 TB of the large hard drive will be accessible.

◆If you have to create lots of primary partitions on the hard drive, go for GPT since MBR can only contain 4 primary partitions at most.

◆If you wish to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11, it is necessary to convert MBR to GPT since the UEFI is required for Windows 11.

MBR and GPT conversion without data loss​

Given that there are many difference in MBR and GPT max size, OS compatibility, partition numbers, some users might want to make a conversion based on their specific requirements. Here, we would like to recommend a safe converter: AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It can help switch from MBR to GPT, or GPT to MBR without deleting partitions or data. If you use Disk Management or DiskPart.exe tools, you have to back up your data ahead of time to avoid data loss when you convert it.

Moreover, the recommended software can convert even a system hard drive to MBR or GPT when Windows is running, which cannot be done through Windows Disk Management. The DiskPart.exe can convert system hard drives, but you need to boot PC from installation disc and finish the conversion in WinPE mode, quite complex and time-consuming.

Now, the following part will guide you through the detailed steps of converting MBR and GPT.

Download DemoWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download
Step 1. Download, install and run the software. Right-click the disk and choose “Convert to GPT”.



Step 2. Click “OK” to confirm the operation.



Step 3. Click “Apply” and “Proceed” to commit the pending operation.



This is how to convert disk to GPT. To convert to MBR, just choose “Convert to MBR Disk”. If you want to perform the operation without loading operating system, you can create a bootable media via the software first of all.

 

[Andreas2469]

So I connected the disc to other computers running Windows and Linux. I even took the disc out of the packaging and connected it directly via the SATA interface, but it didn't work.

I managed to find a solution online.

I came across this article and followed it step by step.

Data Recovery Software For RAW File System

It cost me $97.95, but that's nothing compared to sending the disc to a specialist. I risked losing my files forever. But I can't afford to pay a lot of money.

Next, I would like to explain how I proceeded.

Firstly, I managed to create a copy of the damaged drive using the "HDD Raw Copy Tool".

I downloaded "Hetman Partition Recovery", the programme found my RAW drive in FAT format and started a full scan. It found most of my files and recovered them successfully. Of course, not all files could be recovered, but I was lucky: I was able to recover the most important files.

And yes, make copies of important files (discs) for the future.

Thanks also to everyone who tried to help me!!!!

 

[ThumperTM]

So I connected the disc to other computers running Windows and Linux. I even took the disc out of the packaging and connected it directly via the SATA interface, but it didn't work.

I managed to find a solution online.

I came across this article and followed it step by step.

Data Recovery Software For RAW File System

It cost me $97.95, but that's nothing compared to sending the disc to a specialist. I risked losing my files forever. But I can't afford to pay a lot of money.

Next, I would like to explain how I proceeded.

Firstly, I managed to create a copy of the damaged drive using the "HDD Raw Copy Tool".

I downloaded "Hetman Partition Recovery", the programme found my RAW drive in FAT format and started a full scan. It found most of my files and recovered them successfully. Of course, not all files could be recovered, but I was lucky: I was able to recover the most important files.

And yes, make copies of important files (discs) for the future.

Thanks also to everyone who tried to help me!!!!

Glad to see that you sorted it