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How to Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting

In this article, we will be explaining how to repair corrupted Hard Disk without formatting. Click the link to read full guide.

Author:Daniel BarrettAug 29, 2022
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How to Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting– Usually, when something goes wrong with your Hard Drive, the go-to solution is to format it. This formatting causes the hard drive to erase everything on the hard drive. You lose every data and information stored on the hard drive.
This article explains how to repair a corrupted Hard Disk without formatting. In other words, steps to repair a corrupt hard disk without losing the data.
Note:An error prompt may come up on your screen asking if you want to format the corrupt drive when you run the hard drive. Do not confirm the prompt. Instead, click on cancel and exist immediately to avoid permanent loss of data.

Causes Of Hard Drive Corruption

When a drive is formatted with a file system such as NTFS, FAT16/32, exFAT, etc., it generates a table where file records are conserved. NTFS develops a Master File Table (MFT) while FAT file systems reserve these records in the File Allocation Table (FAT). After format, every file you cut/copy/paste enters a record in the table.
These file records include the physical address of the file on the hard drive along with other file details such as file format, creation date, modification date, size, etc.
So when a drive is connected to the system, the OS reads the file system’s table and expresses the contained files and folders along with the details retrieved from the table. When this table is wrecked, the OS can’t interpret the file system and thus, express the drive as RAW.

Recovering Data From Corrupted Hard Drive

If you have significant data on the corrupted hard drive, you should endeavor to recover your lost data with professional data recovery software at the very advent.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizardcan access and restore files from the corrupt hard disk and external hard drive quickly to ensure data security.
Now simply download this trustworthy data recovery software and follow the steps below to regain data from the corrupted hard drive.

1. Scan the Hard Drive Partition

Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
Select the drive on your hard disk where you lost or deleted files. Click “Scan” and let EaseUS data recovery software scan all lost data and files on the selected hard drive.

2. Check the Results

Recover-data-step2.png
Recover-data-step2.png
Also read: What Is VSync: Everything You Need To Know
When the scan completes, you can apply the “Filter” feature or click the “Search files or folders” button to find the lost files on the hard drive.

3. Restore the Lost Hard Drive Data

Recover-data-step3.png
Recover-data-step3.png
Select wanted files that you lost on the drive and click “Recover” to save them.

Ways to Repair an Already Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting it

Whether it is an internal hard disk or an external hard drive, you can find solutions to repair a corrupted hard disk. The most direct way to fix a corrupt hard disk is formatting the HDD, which will cause data loss. In this post, we will explain 5 practical ways to fix a corrupted hard drive without formatting.

1. Check and Repair Disk To Fix Corrupted Hard Drive With Antivirus Software

Viruses and malware can cause hard drive corruption. Get rid of them by connecting the hard drive to a Windows PCand using a reliable antivirus/malware tool to scan the drive or the system. Windows Defender or any other antivirus is a good choice for this
Below is the process of using the Norton antivirus:
  • Download and launch Norton Power Eraser. If a new version is available, Norton Power Eraser will check and download it automatically.
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
  • In the “Norton Power Eraser” window, click the “Scan for Risks” icon.
  • Be patient while the process finishes up.
  • After successfully removing the risk, click “Finish”.

2. Run SFC Scan

Other times, damaged or missing Windows system files may cause the drive to break down. The SFC scan helps to fix this by scanning the system file authenticity and replacing damaged or corrupted system files with a cached copy stored within the system.
Run the SFC scan by launching Command Prompt window and type in sfc/scannow
Image_editor_output_image1462174043-1621600871245.jpg
Image_editor_output_image1462174043-1621600871245.jpg
If the drive is external, type sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=c:\ /OFFWINDIR=c:\windowsReplace letter c: with your hard drive letter. It could be “e” or “g” or any other letter.
Now, wait for the scan to be completed and then restart your system. Finally, check if you can access the drive without trouble now.

3. Use a Data Recovery Tool

It’s quite possible that the above steps fail to repair the corrupt hard drive. Sometimes, the corruption is severe, and the methods mentioned above can only fix a few minor drive corruption issues.
Nonetheless, a data recovery software like theRemo Hard drive Recoverytool Standard can promptly restore files from harshly corrupt and formatted hard drives or deleted partitions. While Windows may not comprehend a corrupt hard drive as functional, this software natively supports recovery from a corrupt (RAW) hard drive.

4. Using CMD (Command Prompt)

This is another type of scan you can run called CHKDSK scan to repair the corrupted hard drive without formatting.
CHKDSK command prompt inspects the file system and file system metadata of a volume for plausible and physical errors. If used without parameters, CHKDSK displays only the volume’s status and does not fix any errors. If used with the /f, /r, /x, or /b parameters, it fixes errors on the volume.
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
  • The “/f” parameter tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it discovers.
  • The “/r” tells it to find the bad sectors on the drive and recover coherent information.
  • And the “/x” forces the drive to dismount before the process commences.
Follow the procedure below:
  • Next to the Windows Start menu, in the “Search Windows” box, type cmd.
  • On the search result, right-click on the “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”.
Run-as-cmd-administrator.png
Run-as-cmd-administrator.png
  • Type the command: chkdsk E: /f /r /x. Here you should replace E with your drive letter.
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Without Formatting
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Daniel Barrett

Daniel Barrett

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Daniel Barrett is a tech writer focusing on IoT, gadgets, software, and cryptocurrencies. With a keen interest in emerging technologies, Daniel offers expert analysis and commentary on industry trends. Follow him for authoritative insights into the latest tech innovations.
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