How to Fix Corrupted USB or Hard Drive in Windows

A corrupted USB drive or hard drive (HDD/SSD) is a frustrating problem for any Windows PC user. It means the drive’s file system or data structure has become damaged, making files inaccessible or the drive unreadable by the operating system. When a drive is corrupted, you might encounter various symptoms:

• Error messages: “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable,” “Drive is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted,” “RAW format,” or prompts to format the disk before use.
• Slow performance or freezing: The drive might become extremely slow to respond, or your computer freezes when trying to access it.
• Missing files or folders: Data might appear to be gone or hidden.
• Incorrect drive size: The drive might show 0 bytes free or an incorrect total capacity.
• Clicking or grinding noises (for HDDs): A severe hardware issue.
• Drive not detected: The drive doesn’t appear in File Explorer or Disk Management.

Causes of Drive Corruption: Drive corruption can stem from various factors:

• Improper Ejection: Disconnecting a USB drive without safely removing it first.
• Power Surges/Loss: Sudden power outages or fluctuations during a read/write operation.
• Bad Sectors: Physical damage to the drive’s platters (HDDs) or NAND cells (SSDs).
• Malware/Viruses: Malicious software can corrupt data or file systems.
• File System Errors: Logical errors in how Windows organizes data on the drive.
• Outdated/Corrupted Drivers: Issues with the storage controller drivers.
• Physical Damage: Drops, impacts, or exposure to extreme conditions.

Understanding these causes is the first step in troubleshooting and attempting to fix a corrupted drive to either recover data or make the drive usable again.

The resilience and recovery of data on storage devices have been ongoing challenges throughout the history of computing. Early magnetic storage was highly susceptible to data loss. The development of robust file systems like NTFS (for Windows) introduced features like journaling, which helps prevent corruption during power failures. Tools like CHKDSK (Check Disk), a command-line utility that dates back to MS-DOS, have been essential in diagnosing and repairing logical errors on storage media, reflecting a continuous effort to safeguard user data.

How to Fix Corrupted USB or Hard Drive in Windows

Attempting to fix a corrupted drive involves a series of diagnostic and repair steps. It’s crucial to prioritize data recovery if the data is valuable before attempting any irreversible steps like formatting.

Step 1: Preliminary Checks (Basic Troubleshooting)

Start with the simplest solutions to rule out common issues.

• Try a Different USB Port: If it’s a USB drive, plug it into a different USB port on your PC.
• Try a Different Cable/Adapter: If using an external HDD/SSD, try a different USB cable or enclosure.
• Try on Another PC: Connect the corrupted drive to another Windows computer. If it works there, the issue might be with your PC’s drivers or ports.
• Restart Your PC: A simple restart can sometimes resolve temporary glitches.
• Check in Device Manager:
  • Action: Press Windows key + X and select “Device Manager.”
  • Action: Expand “Disk drives” and “Universal Serial Bus controllers”.
  • Look for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark (indicating a driver issue) or “Unknown device.”
  • Action: If found, right-click and select “Update driver” or “Uninstall device” (then restart PC to reinstall generic drivers).
• Action: If these basic checks don’t work, proceed to the next steps.

Step 2: Attempt Data Recovery (If Data is Valuable!)

If the data on the drive is important, prioritize recovery before attempting repairs that could overwrite data (like formatting).

• Use Data Recovery Software:
  • Action: Stop using the corrupted drive immediately to prevent further data corruption.
  • Action: Download and install a reputable third-party data recovery software (e.g., Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Disk Drill, MiniTool Power Data Recovery). Install it on a different drive than the one you’re trying to recover from.
  • Action: Launch the software, select the corrupted drive, and perform a scan (start with a quick scan, then a deep scan if needed).
  • Action: Preview recoverable files and save them to a different, healthy drive (not the corrupted one).
• Professional Data Recovery Services: For extremely critical data or physically damaged drives, contact a professional data recovery lab. This is often expensive but offers the highest chance of recovery.
• Action: Only proceed with repair steps after you have either recovered your data or determined it’s not recoverable/not critical.

Step 3: Run CHKDSK (Check Disk) via Command Prompt

CHKDSK is a built-in Windows utility that scans the drive for file system errors and bad sectors, attempting to repair them.

• Action:
  1. Search for “Command Prompt” in the Windows Search bar.
  2. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
  3. Action: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: chkdsk X: /f /r
     • Replace X: with the actual drive letter of your corrupted USB or hard drive (e.g., chkdsk F: /f /r).
     • /f: Tells CHKDSK to fix errors on the disk.
     • /r: Tells CHKDSK to locate bad sectors and recover readable information (implies /f).
  4. Action: If you are checking your system drive (C: drive), you’ll be prompted to schedule the check for the next restart. Type Y and press Enter. For other drives, it will start immediately.
• Observation: CHKDSK will scan the drive. This process can take a long time, especially for large drives or drives with many errors. Do not interrupt it.
• Action: Once complete, check the report for fixed errors and then attempt to access the drive.

Step 4: Use Disk Management to Assign a Drive Letter or Initialize

Sometimes, a drive might be corrupted to the point where it loses its drive letter or appears as “Unallocated” or “RAW” in Disk Management.

• Action:
  1. Right-click the Start button (Windows icon) or press Windows key + X.
  2. Select “Disk Management.”
  3. Action: In Disk Management, locate your corrupted drive.
     • If it’s “Unallocated”: Right-click the unallocated space, select “New Simple Volume,” and follow the wizard to create a new partition and assign a drive letter (this will typically format it).
     • If it’s “RAW” or has no drive letter:
       • Right-click on the partition.
       • Select “Change Drive Letter and Paths…”
       • Click “Add…” and assign a new drive letter. Click “OK.”
       • If this makes it accessible, great. If not, proceed to format.
     • If it’s showing the correct file system (e.g., NTFS) but still inaccessible: Proceed to formatting.
• Action: Attempt to access the drive after making these changes.

Step 5: Format the Corrupted Drive (Data Loss!)

WARNING: Formatting will erase all data on the drive. Only proceed if you have recovered your data or if the data is not important and you simply want to make the drive usable again.

• Action:
  1. Open File Explorer (Windows key + E).
  2. Right-click on the corrupted drive (if it has a drive letter).
  3. Select “Format…”
  4. Action: In the format window, choose your desired File system (NTFS for most cases, exFAT for cross-platform, FAT32 for older devices).
  5. You can leave “Quick Format” checked for faster formatting. Uncheck it for a full format (more thorough, slower, but better at identifying bad sectors).
  6. Click “Start.”
  7. Action: Confirm the warning message that all data will be lost by clicking “OK.”
• Action: If File Explorer fails to format, try formatting via Disk Management (follow Step 3 of “How to Format Hard Drive or SSD in Windows” article previously generated).
• Observation: If formatting is successful, the drive is now usable but empty.

Step 6: Use DISKPART Commands (Advanced Troubleshooting)

If Disk Management or File Explorer cannot format the drive, you might need to use DISKPART, a powerful command-line utility for disk management. This is for advanced users and requires extreme caution as it can wipe the wrong drive if used improperly.

• Action:
  1. Search for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu.
  2. Right-click and select “Run as administrator.”
  3. Action: Type diskpart and press Enter.
  4. Type list disk and press Enter.
     • CRITICAL: Carefully identify your corrupted drive by its size. Note its Disk number (e.g., Disk 1, Disk 2). Do NOT select your main operating system drive.
  5. Type select disk X (replace X with the correct disk number) and press Enter.
  6. Type clean and press Enter. (This command will wipe all partitions and data from the selected disk).
  7. Action: After “DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk,” type create partition primary and press Enter.
  8. Type format fs=ntfs quick (or fs=fat32 quick or fs=exfat quick) and press Enter. Remove quick for a full format.
  9. Type assign letter=Y (replace Y with an available drive letter) and press Enter.
  10. Type exit and press Enter.
• Action: Check File Explorer for the newly formatted drive.

Step 7: Check Drive Health and Consider Replacement

If the drive continues to show corruption, errors, or fails to format even with DISKPART, it likely has physical damage or is failing.

• Action: Use a drive health monitoring tool like CrystalDiskInfo (free third-party software).
  • Download and install it (on a healthy drive).
  • Launch the software and select your problematic drive.
  • Action: Look at the “Health Status.” If it’s “Bad,” “Caution,” or shows numerous bad sectors, the drive is failing.
• Action: If the drive is failing, replace it immediately to prevent further data loss. Continued use of a failing drive risks irreversible data loss.

Important Note on Data Loss: The most important takeaway is that once a drive starts exhibiting signs of corruption, the risk of data loss increases exponentially. Always attempt data recovery first if the data is valuable. Formatting should only be done as a last resort to make the drive usable, and only after data is secured.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does “corrupted drive” mean in simple terms?

A corrupted drive means that the way data is organized on the storage device (its file system) has become damaged or scrambled. This makes it difficult or impossible for your computer to read or write files to it, leading to error messages and inaccessible data.

Q2: Can I recover files from a corrupted drive without formatting it?

Yes, and you should always try to! If the data is valuable, attempt to recover files using data recovery software (like Recuva, EaseUS, etc.) before formatting. Formatting will erase all data, making recovery much harder or impossible.

Q3: What is CHKDSK, and how does it help fix a corrupted drive?

CHKDSK (Check Disk) is a built-in Windows utility that scans your drive for file system errors (logical damage) and bad sectors (physical damage to storage areas). When run with /f (fix errors) and /r (recover readable information from bad sectors), it attempts to repair these issues, potentially making the drive accessible again.

Q4: Will formatting fix a physically damaged USB drive or hard drive?

No. Formatting only addresses logical (file system) corruption or prepares a drive for use. It cannot fix physical damage to the drive’s internal components (like a clicking HDD or a USB drive that is physically broken). If a drive has physical damage, it will likely continue to fail or remain unreadable even after formatting, and professional data recovery might be the only option for data.

Q5: My USB drive appears as “RAW” in Disk Management. What does that mean?

A drive appearing as “RAW” means that Windows doesn’t recognize its file system. It’s essentially unformatted or has a severely corrupted file system. This often happens due to improper ejection, power failure, or severe logical errors. You’ll typically need to format it to make it usable again (after attempting data recovery, if needed).

Q6: What’s the difference between a corrupted drive and a failing drive? A6:

• Corrupted Drive: Usually refers to logical damage to the file system or data organization. Often fixable with CHKDSK or by formatting. The hardware itself might still be fine.
• Failing Drive: Refers to physical degradation or damage to the drive’s internal components (e.g., bad sectors accumulating, clicking noises in HDDs, wear-out in SSDs). While a failing drive can also appear corrupted, the underlying issue is hardware-related. A failing drive needs to be replaced. Use tools like CrystalDiskInfo to check for signs of failure.