Fix: You need to format the disk in drive before you can use it (USB Storage Not Accessible)
If you receive the error "You need to format the disk in drive %driveletter name% before you can use it. Do you want to format it?" when you are trying to access a USB storage device (USB Hard drive, USB stick, etc.) then probably you have unplugged your USB device in improper way and without using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature.
By ejecting a USB storage device without using "Safely Remove", the partition table of your USB device becomes corrupted and unreadable by Windows, so always use this feature when ejecting USB storage devices from your computer.
To easily resolve the "You need to format the disk in drive X" problem and access your data on the USB disk again, follow the instructions below:
How to fix the "You need to format the disk in drive" (USB storage problem).
1. Note the drive letter in the error message window. e.g "You need to format the disk in drive G: before you can use it". In this example the drive letter is "G:".
2. Open an elevated command prompt:
- Windows 8:
- Right click on the lower left corner on your screen and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Windows 7, Vista or XP:
- Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories.
- Right-click at Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator
3. Type the following command by changing the %driveletter% with the drive letter of your USB device*: chkdsk %driveletter:% /r
* e.g. The drive letter in this example is the "G:". So the command should be: chkdsk g: /r
4. If you asked to recover files ask Yes.
That’s all folks! Did it work for you?
Please leave a comment in the comment section below or even better: like and share this blog post in the social networks to help spread the word about this problem.
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Gaurav
May 11, 2016 @ 5:18 pm
Thanks so much
U r life saver
I'll never forget to "safely remove hardware" from now on
Farhan
May 23, 2016 @ 2:55 pm
After typing chkdsk should i leave a space
lakonst2012
May 23, 2016 @ 2:57 pm
@Farhan: Yes there is a space.
ghie
May 25, 2016 @ 7:43 am
the type of the file sytem is raw chkdsk is not available for raw devices
lakonst2012
May 25, 2016 @ 5:06 pm
Read the Method 2 (Photorec) on this tutorial: How to fix a damaged Memory SD Card / Hard Disk / USB disk.
P
July 7, 2016 @ 3:45 pm
Thanks – Simplest Fix I have found ever.
julian
July 12, 2016 @ 3:52 pm
Man to me is saying that the file system is RAW
lakonst2012
July 12, 2016 @ 6:45 pm
Read the Method 2 (Photorec) on this tutorial: How to fix a damaged Memory SD Card / Hard Disk / USB disk.
Klyne
August 18, 2016 @ 7:14 pm
Thank you very much. It did work!
emma
August 20, 2016 @ 5:30 pm
It's stuck on verifying Usn journal
lakonst2012
August 22, 2016 @ 12:48 pm
@emma: I believe that your disk is damaged and you have to replace it.
Mohamed Elsawy
September 3, 2016 @ 2:29 am
thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
riki noob
September 11, 2016 @ 9:30 am
Help me. Im stuck when "windows is verifying files and folders…"
Its always said "0 percent completed….."
lakonst2012
September 11, 2016 @ 10:44 am
riki noob: try the Method 2 (Photorec) on this tutorial to reover your files: How to fix a damaged Memory SD Card / Hard Disk / USB disk, otherwise your disk damaged.
yogesh
September 18, 2016 @ 1:33 pm
C:\Windows\system32>chkdsk h: /r
The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.
lakonst2012
September 19, 2016 @ 10:01 am
yogesh: Try the instructions in this article: https://www.repairwin.com/how-to-fix-a-damaged-memory-sd-card-hard-disk-usb-disk/
poswo2005
October 10, 2016 @ 3:02 pm
It's giving me the following message:
'chkdsk is not recognised as an internal or externalcommand, operable program or batch file.
lakonst2012
October 10, 2016 @ 4:42 pm
poswo2005: Probably you have another problem with your computer. Search for it on Google…or Try to navigate to C:/Windows/System32 directory and then type the command…
Tushar Jain
October 31, 2016 @ 9:22 pm
awesome thank you very much it really recovered my data successfully…..
Tammy TT
December 17, 2016 @ 6:54 am
Is there anyway to remove that "you need to format this disk" message from Windows, forever?
Ugh.
Not every USB drive is a Windows device. *PLEASE* stop trying to get me to destroy my data with just an accidental "Yes" click.
irfan
January 4, 2017 @ 12:21 pm
my message like this PLEASE
"cannot open volume for direct access,"
Lakonst2013
January 5, 2017 @ 11:55 am
irfan: In elevated command prompt give the following command: chkdsk %driveletter:% /f /r (e.g. chkdsk d: /f /r)
Ajaj ahamad
March 15, 2017 @ 10:33 am
I typed the command but The reply is
The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drivers.
Please help me in my driver there is very important data please slove it as soon as possible
Lakonst2013
March 15, 2017 @ 10:43 am
Read the Method 2 (Photorec) on this tutorial: How to fix a damaged Memory SD Card / Hard Disk / USB disk.
Prabhakar Atkar
April 18, 2017 @ 2:05 pm
Error
C:\Windows\system32>chkdsk g: /r
The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.
Lakonst2013
April 18, 2017 @ 2:12 pm
Prabhakar Atkar: To resolve this problem, read the instructions from this guide: How to fix a damaged Memory SD Card / Hard Disk / USB disk.
car
July 22, 2017 @ 10:32 pm
Thank you! finally It works.
Marafa Jr.
October 15, 2017 @ 9:15 am
Thank you so much, you're the best
Ashok Kumar
April 27, 2018 @ 9:08 am
This error showing when run chkdsk H: /f command.
The type of the file system is NTFS.
The first NTFS boot sector is unreadable or corrupt.
Reading second NTFS boot sector instead.
Unable to determine volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted.
Lakonst2013
August 31, 2019 @ 1:06 pm
Ashok Kumar: The disk is damaged and you must replace it.
franck
June 5, 2020 @ 11:35 pm
I don't agree with Ashok, the drive or your data are not necessarily damaged. So far you know for sure the partition table is corrupted. I had this happened to me several times with SATA 4TB drives plugged on a USB docking station. Each times I fixed the problem by scanning the defective drive completely with RStudio and recovering all the data including folder and file names and structure by saving it all onto an another drive of the same size. It forces you to get another blank drive of the same size to do this but every single times I got all my data back. Hope this help…
Costa360
November 12, 2019 @ 6:01 am
Corruption was found while examining files and directories
Corruption was found while examining volume bitmap.
Those are the final messages i get after the scan
Lakonst2013
November 13, 2019 @ 10:03 am
Possibly the drive is failing. Try this: In elevated command prompt give the following command: chkdsk %driveletter:% /f /r (e.g. chkdsk d: /f /r)
Facebook
February 26, 2020 @ 9:27 am
Always click on 'safely remove hardware' before unplug the USD cable. it's a very basic step but we sometimes avoid it. USB storage problem appears often. We can fix it easily if there is no other major problem.