How to fix corrupted filesystem (shows as RAW) in USB device?

I would like to ask if you know how to fix a corrupted USB? I've tried the diskpart command but it didn't work. The media is write protected.

Do you have any idea that is much better? I need to fix it because I have important files in my flash drive. I really need to retrieve it.

I saw that the file system is seen as RAW and is unaccessible. I tried error checking, but it requires you to format it. I tried data recovery software but all files come out corrupted. My USB is Imation 4GB. Any suggestions?

Solution 1:

You can try TestDisk (free, cross-platform, and open source) - it works on almost all drives on a system, regardless of whether or not the drive is internal or external. You can use TestDisk to rewrite any partition tables found on the drive - it can even find corrupted or missing partitions and then repair the partition table.

Alternatively, you can also use TestDisk to simply recover the files without repairing the partition table (if you just want to format and start from scratch). TestDisk can also overwrite/recover the MBR or boot sector if that's corrupted as well. I've had success using it to copy files off of corrupted partitons/drives.

Solution 2:

I encountered the same issue just a few minutes ago. My USB flash drive was working fine at home then suddenly it was not recognized by any computers in the office. When attempting to access it, I always get the prompt to reformat.

To resolve the issue, I click "Yes" on the do you want to format prompt then closed the next window (I did not click on the START button to start the format process). Received an error stating that Windows cannot format the drive. Unplugged the drive from the USB port then plugged it again.

Solution 3:

diskpart is, in my experience, unreliable sometimes. It would show some filesystems as RAW when actually they are just not recognized, either because diskpart cannot do it, or because it didn't work, for some reason.

I suggets trying GParted. You can get it as a live-CD (or live-USB) and see if it detects your USB filesystem better.

Solution 4:

On Windows, I just tried ZAR (Zero Assumption Recovery) with its free "Image Recovery" function.

All my files have been recovered, even those deleted.

It help very much but some files can't be recovered That's what I discovered when i use demo version