# Getting "Chkdsk is not available for RAW drives" message on slave drive with Data ??



## TheZeds (Jun 16, 2009)

Hi guys,

Hope you can help, this has been driving me nuts for some time now.

Not quite sure what triggered this issue but I have recently been unable to access (play media or music, delete, modify ) any files on my internal SATA slave drive ( B:\ ). Everything seems to work ok on the internal primary drive ( C:\ ). Recent files are held on C:\ , then transferred to B:\ for archiving, back-up or when C:\ is running low on space.

Sometimes when trying to access a file or directory on the B:\ drive I get an I/O error, but even when this error does not appear, I still cannot play or view the mp3, avi or jpeg.

I read somewhere that perhaps the permissions or User Controls have been messed up. I disabled User Account Control in Vista and tried to modify permissions, as they were not the same as the directories permissions on the C:\ drive. It worked for most files, but some are still inaccessible, I get the I/O error.

I tried to run a chkdsk on B:\ and get the error "*Chkdsk* is *not available* for *RAW* drives"

But the drives are both listed as NTFS in the Disk Management System.

Any thoughts on how to get the disk working again, or recover the existing data ? As it stands I cannot even copy files to C:\ to try and recover them.

Hope I have provided enough information.

Thanks
Chris


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

First of all, don't use chkdsk. Chkdsk is still the best tool for file system repair, and even most third-party disk scanners use chkdsk behind the curtain. So it is a great tool, at the right time.

The problem with chkdsk is that it assumes that the data it sees in the partition table is correct. It does its repairs based on that, so if it is wrong, it scrambles files to unrecoverable atoms.

It looks like you may have lost your partition table. Try restoring it.

Testdisk
Testdisk Boot Floppy Image
Testdisk on Live CD


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## TheZeds (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks Elvandil,

I am currently away from the home pc, but will try in a couple hours.

I assume I will download Testdisk to my C:\ drive and run from there. I expect there is a toggle to select the drive I want to Test.

Thanks for the quick reply, will advise the outcome once I have tried to restore as you suggested.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

The Windows version is the best to use since you can boot up. It will run in a small window resembling a command prompt window.

You will want to scan the drive for partitions, pick the one it finds that is the right size, and then write the changes to disk. It will not affect your files, so mistakes will not be fatal and make the files any more unrecoverable. You could still try recovery software later.

Testdisk requires some intelligent guessing and is not the easiest program in the world to use. But it works as well as anything you can buy and has saved a lot of people in this forum.


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## TheZeds (Jun 16, 2009)

ok... downloaded and unzipped.

- started TestDisk and Analyse Functions (with log)
- No partitions identified ( got Disk Read Error)
- only option was search ? So started search and several Read Errors later.. still analysing cylinders ( at 91/121600, 00%)
- will leave it running and report what it ends up with, looks like it will take a while !

Thanks


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Read errors? Is it possible that drive is failing? How old?


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## TheZeds (Jun 16, 2009)

its about a year or two old ??

shall i keep it running... or stop ?


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Might as well let it look. But if you get that partition back, you better save your data as soon as you can. You should test the drive, but data should be recovered first since a test can send a bad drive over the edge.

If Testdisk won't do it, try getting your files at least.

Free recovery applications:

DiskDigger & NTFSWalker
Pandora Recovery (Free for personal use)
Smart Data Recovery
Recover Files
Roadkil's Undelete
Recuva
Restoration
Free Undelete (NTFS only)
Softperfect File Recovery
ADRC Data Recovery Tools
Undelete Plus
Data Recovery
PCI File Recovery
DriveRescue
Ultimate Data Recovery
Disk Investigator

Commercial:

O&O Disk Recovery
Paragon Mount Everything (Mounts any file system, CD/DVD burning, File Manager, Partitioner)
GetDataBack (For FAT or NTFS)
Ontrack EasyRecovery Pro
File Scavenger
Recover My Files
RecoverPlus Pro
Zero Assumption Recovery
[email protected] File Recovery
Final Recovery
Recover4All Professional
Easeus Data Recovery Wizard
NTFS Recovery


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## TheZeds (Jun 16, 2009)

OK thanks,

Its still churning away, at a snails pace, looks like it may be a few days ?

- Do the recovery applications work if the partition is not detected ? Since I can still see the drive and files but cannot access them ?
- Is there a recommended Free application for my situation ?
- can I try to recover groups of files at a time (perhaps by folder ?) or do i need to go after individual files ?
- does all this have to be done while the drive is still in the pc ? Or can I take it out into a USB enclosure ?

Thanks again.


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