How to Fix Format Disk Errors Without Formatting Your Hard Drive on Windows
You may see an error message pop up when you try to connect an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card, to your PC. When you encounter this error, it sometimes recommends you format the drive. Formatting the drive results in data loss, and you very likely don’t want this to happen.
Moreover, you may not be able to use the drive again after formatting. So, what do you do? Let’s discuss the probable reasons behind this error and solutions to fix it without losing data or formatting your hard drive.
Why Does This Error Pop Up?
you’re able to encounter a format disk error on your PC for various reasons. It could occur because you forcibly unplugged your external hard drive from your computer.
This action results in the corruption of the device, which leads to an unreadable drive. As a result, you receive an error message asking you to format the storage device whenever you try to access it.
You may also receive the format disk error if you have a corrupt file system. This scenario is characterized by error messages like “The volume does not contain the file system”, or “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.”
Another reason for the format disk error is a virus or malware attack on the hard drive, which corrupts the file system. Also, some of the files on the external storage may contain a file system that is incompatible with your PC.
How to Fix the Format Disk Error on Windows… Without Formatting
Your PC suggests formatting the drive to make the storage drive functional again since it cannot read it. However, this poses a difficult choice for the user because following the prompt could delete all the precious data in the hard drive.
Luckily, these methods can fix this error without formatting your hard drive:
1. Plug Your Hard Drive Into Another Computer
Sometimes, plugging your drive into a different PC might help diagnose the format disk error quickly.
Try this and check to see if it works or if the same error occurs. If no errors happen, the issue lies with your PC and not the external drive. Most times, this stems from an incompatibility issue between the drive and your computer.
2. Use an Effective Antivirus
Virus ormalware attackscan cause severe damage to the file system. This could lead to a format disk error.
To avoid this, run an antivirus scan on your PC witheffective antivirus softwareregularly with the purpose of remove any potential viruses or malware. This will also stop the virus from damaging your PC even more.
3. Try a Different USB Port
Another way to solve this issue is by connecting your drive to a different USB port on your PC. After doing this, you can open File Explorer to check if the connected drive is accessible by your PC. If it is an external hard drive, you can attempt to connect the drive directly via a SATA connector.
4. Update/Reinstall the Device Driver
Oftentimes, the format disk error is caused by a faulty or outdated device driver. Therefore, you should try to update or reinstall your device drivers to resolve this error.
To update or reinstall your device driver, pressWin + X, and select theDevice Manager.Next, click on theDisk drivesdrop-down and right-click on your driver. Select theUpdate Driveroption.
When the prompt asks you how you wish to update, selectSearch Automatically For Updated Driver Software. You’re all set.
5. Use the Error Checking Tool
Another way for you to resolve the format disk error is by making use of the Error Checking tool on your PC. To do this, simply follow the steps below.
OpenFile Exploreron your PC by clicking the Start Menu and typingFile Explorerin the search bar. Once File Explorer is opened, right-click on the affected drive and chooseProperties.
From there, you could scroll through and find theTooltab. When you open the Tool tab, click the button labeledCheck,and finally, click onScan drive.
You Don’t Have to Format Your Hard Drive on Windows
If a format disk error message pops up on your screen, do not immediately format your drive. The first thing you should do is try to diagnose and fix the issue before actually formatting. Fortunately, the steps outlined in this article have been proven to fix this disk error.
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