Windows 10: Can I access a Linux formatted drive through USB in Windows?

I have a Linux formatted drive from a WD My Cloud that crashed, and I am trying to retrieve the data from it. I have connected the SATA drive to a USB port on my Windows 10 laptop using a SATA connector to USB connector, but Windows will not assign a drive letter. Actually, I can see the device from Windows, but it will not assign a drive letter, so I cannot access it. I need to be about to mount the drive in Windows somehow so I can access it with Windows software that will allow me to read the Linux formatted drive.

:)

 

Installing Windows 7 via USB flash drive!

USB drive doesnt show up, even after a format through windows (XP)

Any suggestions?

 

Error: "Scan the drive now and fix it", Linux named folder with special characters are not accessable in Windows 10 using external hard drive

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



May I know the file partition format type of your external drive?



As Linux and Windows they work on different file system, when the files are migrated from Linux base system to Windows OS, most of the files that are not supported could be hidden, I suggest you to follow the steps below to further
narrow down the root cause of the issue.



Method 1: Check the hard drive in different computer.



I suggest you to check the hard drive in a different computer and check if you still face the issue.



If the same issue persists on different computer then the issue might be with the hard drive itself, I suggest you to contact the local tech and get the drive checked.



Method 2: Run Check disk.



Run the check disk command to repair the hard drive and fix the bad sectors.

1. Search for Command Prompt on the start menu.
   
2. Right click and Run as Administrator.
   
3. Type in chkdsk C: /f /r /x where
   C: represents the drive letter for the hard drive change the drive letter according to your system and hit enter.
   

Disclaimer: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive, if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive then chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might
be lost.



Method 3: Automatically diagnose and fix Windows USB problems.



I suggest you refer to this article
Automatically diagnose and fix Windows USB problems
download and run the troubleshooter to fix the issue with USB detection.



Method 4: uninstall USB drivers.

1. If you still face the issue and the hard drives throws the error again, you can refer the article
   
   USB devices may stop functioning correctly when multiple devices connected to the same USB hub go into selective suspend and check if this helps you.
   
2. Reboot the computer once after the steps are completed.
   

Method 5: Backup your data on Linux OS.



As the drive is compatible with Linux system, I suggest you to backup your data on any Linux computer first.



Method 6: Check for hidden files.



Some Linux files that are not readable by Windows are sometimes hidden in Windows, you can follow the below steps to unhide them and access the data.

1. If you are able to read the hard drive, I suggest you to navigate to the drive partition and
   
   unhide all the hidden folder and check.
   
2. If you are still not able to see the data, uncheck
   Hide protected operating system files.
   
3. After you have found your files, I suggest you to undo the changes.
   

If you still face the issue, reply to this post with more information.

Hope it helps.

Amit Sunar

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

Installing windows off of a USB stick

Step By Step from vista:
From admin cmd prompt

1. diskpart
1a. list disk
2. select disk 1 (replace 1 with your usb drive)
3. clean
4. create partition primary
5. select partition 1 (replace 1 with your usb drive)
6. active
7. format fs=fat32
8. assign
9. exit

Copy Windows Vista's DVD ROM content to the Flash Drive

xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\ (d being your vista cd and e being your usb stick)

And that's it, boot off your usb disk