Memory Card Has Raw Format
"My memory card has changed to RAW file system which was FAT32 before. I have used this memory card for a few years in my mobile phone. Yesterday, I plugged my mobile phone to my computer through a USB cable and saved some music to the memory card. When I was transferring the music, Windows system says please insert a disk into drive. Then, I unplugged the mobile phone and reconnected it to my computer again, this time the Windows recognized my memory card as a RAW drive and it prevents me from accessing any data on the card. I also tried to move the memory card out of my mobile phone and connect it to my PC via a card reader, but system still detected it as a RAW drive. Can anybody tell me what is wrong with my memory card and how to convert RAW to FAT32 with data back?"
Data Recovery from RAW Memory Card
When you are unable to access a memory card due to RAW drive error, you should stop using the memory card and then use a data recovery tool to restore files from the RAW card. You can download iCare Data Recovery Software, which is able to recover different kinds of data off RAW CF card, mini SD card, micro SD card, SD card and XD card and more. It supports all brands of memory card such as SanDisk, Lexar, Samsung, Toshiba, Kingston, Kingmax, PNY, etc.
Step1. Connect the memory card to your computer via a card reader. Then, download and install iCare Data Recovery Software. Launch the software and choose a recovery module.
Step2. Choose the RAW memory card as aim disk so that the software can scan it for lost files. Then, you just need to wait before the scanning is completed.
Step3. You can preview the found files after scanning. Then, you can select the files you need and save them to another storage media instead of the RAW memory card.
Memory Card Not Formatted Solution
System usually cannot recognize a RAW file system, so it will ask you to format the memory card when it turns to RAW. This is also the reason why you receive message like disk drive not formatted do you want to format it now. When memory card says needs to be formatted, most people are looking for a best solution for card error fixing without losing any data. They also think that as long as they can convert the RAW card back to FAT32, they will be able to get back lost files successfully. As a matter of fact, when a memory card turns to RAW file system, you can only rely on data recovery software in order to get back files lost from the card. After data recovery, you can format the memory card back to FAT32 file system.
Reasons for Memory Card RAW File System
Virus infection is one possible reason for memory card RAW drive error because virus can corrupt the file system of the memory card. If a memory card shows RAW file system due to virus infection, you can run anti-virus software to erase virus. In addition, improper operation on a memory card can also corrupt the file system of the card and lead it to become RAW file system. Therefore, you should use memory card carefully to avoid such kind of error. What is more, a memory card might turn to RAW file system due to bad sectors. If so, you can run Windows built-in Error-checking tool to fix the error. You can also try to full format the memory card, which can check and mark all bad sectors on the card so that the data will not be stored to the space.
