Windows 10: Converting RAW external HDD to NTFS?

My toshiba 1tb external hard drive currently says it is a raw file system and i cant seem to format it no matter what i do. I dont care for what is inside (only one word file) but i just want to be able to use it again. Is there anyway i can format the HDD and make it usable again?

5%x​

:)

 

External HDD's 'converted' to RAW on PC

They are your typical Western Digital Passport Ultra's, they connect with a USB cord, no dock. They aren't networked, i just use them as additional storage on my PC of large files.

 

External HDD's 'converted' to RAW on PC

I have multiple external HDD's, both WD and Seagate, that are recognizable by my PC, but list in device manager as RAW and empty. I can access all the information on the drives on my laptop just fine. I've tried to reformat the drive and it wont allow me
to access the drive, reading "the format did not complete successfully." I've tried everything from wiping my SSD that windows was installed on and reinstalling fresh, to updating my BIOS, to uninstalling the drivers...

I cant find anything that will allow them to work on my PC.

 

If you don't care about the content and assuming your HD is still good then:
Open Admin Command Prompt:

• diskpart
• list disk =====>take a note of disk # of your HD
• select disk #
• clean
• exit

Open Disk Management: initialize, create simple then format with NTFS.

 

The way convert a hard disk or partition to NTFS format:
Close any open programs running on the partition or logical drive to be converted.
Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
At the command prompt, type convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs, where drive_letter is the letter of the drive you want to convert, and then press Enter.
Type the name of the volume you want to convert, and then press Enter. You must use the existing name of the volume or the conversion will be canceled. You can view all available volumes in the Computer folder under Hard Disk Drives.
Open Computer by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Computer

Delete the partition in Disk Management(diskmgmt.msc), re-create it, then format it. Use third party software to do this. Try EaseUS Partition Master Free - Free Partition Magic alternative and Partition Manager Freeware for Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10.

 

The "convert" command will only convert a FAT 16 or FAT 32 partition to NTFS. RAW isn't a real file system, just the name Windows assigns when the actual file system cannot be determined. If this is due to a physical problem with the drive it will have to be replaced. Otherwise repartitioning should work.