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Hard disc drive does not work windows 11

Andreas2469

New Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2024
Messages
2
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?
 
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 ?
 
"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.
 
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”.

Convert to GPT

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

OK

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

Apply

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.
 
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!!!!
 
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 :)
 
"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."

This is not true. The reason (and I found this in Microsoft's own Knowledge Base, back when the old one was still online) it was limited to 32GB in Win98 is because there is a bug in FAT32 that causes data wrapping once any data is written beyond the 32GB limit. There was a long technical explanation in the KB, but in effect the bug mimics a defective hard drive, as data starts disappearing from the 'front' of the drive. It does not lose the partition table, only the data.

However, someone at MSFT who evidently didn't know better changed the FDISK limit in Win98SE from 32GB to 64GB, and as that was also about when the first HDDs came out that were larger than 32GB, and the default was for a single partition, suddenly there were a ton of "failed" 40GB hard drives.

I personally experienced this, with a 60GB drive and WinME. That's why I went looking for a solution, and there it was. NEVER make a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB, or it WILL eventually fail. FDISK used to have the 32GB FAT32 limit precisely to prevent this from happening.

exFAT is a different filesystem, with much larger limits. Some very large external drives are exFAT, as are most flash drives.

Since Win98/98SE was still the dominant OS, and could not use NTFS, there would have been no logic in "promoting" NTFS. NTFS promoted itself by being the default for WinXP.
 
Your external hard drive showing as RAW instead of FAT indicates file system corruption, but your data might still be recoverable. Avoid writing anything to the drive, as it could overwrite your files. Use recovery tools like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, or Disk Drill to scan the drive and recover your files to a safe location.

Once your data is secure, you can attempt to repair the drive using CHKDSK. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the command chkdsk X: /f /r (replace X with the drive letter). If this doesn’t work, reformatting the drive in Disk Management can restore usability, but this will erase all data—so only do this after recovering your files.

If the drive has physical damage or recovery tools don’t help, consult a professional data recovery service. Regular backups can help avoid such situations in the future. Let me know if you need help with any of these steps!
 
NTFS goes way back to the days when Win 2000 was introduced. Until that point Windows had a bad reputation losing data on shutdown. NTFS addressed that problem. In addition NTFS (New Technique File System) had a more efficent FAT that is able to address larger drives in a faster, more secure manner rather than a split index, a work-around that exFAT relies upon.
NTFS is getting rather long in the tooth. Given the almost universal acceptance of the 64 bit O/S, Microsoft keeps promising a revamped file system that takes advantage of a more efficent FAT among other features making data even more secure. I am still holding my breath. It's been at least 15 years in the making.
 
NTFS was updated a few years back. However, this caused a different problem, and now that I notice the affected drive is just 300GB, I wonder if it was formatted under the old NTFS (Win7 and before, IIRC).

If an external drive is accessed directly (ie. is not in a commercial enclosure that uses drive translation, like a WD MyBook, but rather is in a "dumb" enclosure, ie. any aftermarket enclosure) .... and it was formatted with the old NTFS, and you attach that drive to a Win10 system... I believe what happens is that Win10 tries to update the filesystem to the current version of NTFS, which destroys it. I have seen this happen myself; I have an old external drive in a "dumb" enclosure, formatted NTFS under XP, that became inaccessible after that system temporarily ran Win10.

I have backups of that drive so I've been lazy and haven't tried recovering it, but my guess is, as others say, the data is still there, and is probably recoverable by a tool like Easeus. With mine the partition is still there, but the files are not visible, probably because the file table got nuked by Win10's misguided efforts. (Or it may be more like the floppy Volume Track issue, but far as I know, no one has investigated it.)

I'd guess Win8 and 11 would both do the same thing, but my experience is with Win10. Now if I have to use my "portable" Win10 on an older system, I first disconnect any older drives. (Yes, Win10 can behave as a portable OS.) Also, I format new drives under Win10. XP doesn't care and experience is this prevents the problem.

Be careful what you wish for. A new filesystem may come with newly inaccessible data for your older drives. Microsoft no longer worries about backward compatibility, like in the old days.
 
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WOW! So much misinformation in one tiny thread is scary! Even the copy / paste guy managed to find erroneous info to plagiarize. Please, allow me to correct this so others will not mistake these errors as fact. How do I know the truth? In the year 1980 I had just turned 13 years old when I got my first part time job at Computer Country, a 'chain' of 4 stores in the St. Louis metro area that closed due to the video game crash of '84 that reached beyond the 1st gen consoles, Amigas, and Commodore 64s and turned sure-fire products like the Apple III, Lisa, and IBM PC Jr into immediate duds. I was scooped up immediately by ComputerLand St. Louis, and opened P C Doctor with backing from one of my customers in 1989. Took a year off in 2000 after selling my shop to tour with my band, then opened Doc's Computer Services that same year and have been semi-retired since the pandemic. I saw the birth of everything, shook hands with the visionaries, and fought in every battle as I was on the front lines and in the trenches for all of it.

Enough about me, lets squash some revisionist history before I remember that 13 year old me, after working only a few months, balked at purchasing Apple stock at $22 per share.

Let's hit these one by one as they make their appearance in this thread.
Microsoft chose 32GB as the maximum partition size for a FAT32 file system.
Change of plans. As I began typing the actual reasons for the brick walls present in Microsofts Operating Systems (DOS, NTFS, WinFS, and others) this post was becoming a novel (not Novell, extra points for anyone that remembers them) so to save time I will use my Google-Fu to link you to the facts (32GB was NEVER a 'thing'). After searching through even more BS I was pleased to see that this old website was still alive and kicking and is a one-stop-shop for all things DOS and disk management in general.
https://www.ntfs.com/

For those of you that do not want to learn and understand the true error of their ways, here's where the majority of the misinformation in previous posts are explained correctly.
https://www.ntfs.com/partition-table-heads.htm
https://www.ntfs.com/guid-part-table.htm

Hope this helps. I would use the old line "Google is your friend" but, sadly, that is no longer the case as their search results are chock full of erroneous info, so perhaps some of you did use an old friend. Sign of the times, sad times.
 
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