The error “You need to format the disk in drive before you can use it” always occurs when you try to access your external storage device. When it happens, it’s highly likely that you cannot access the files on the device. Here we will show you how to fix the “You need to format the disk in drive” error and how to recover data from the problematic disk with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard – the reliable data recovery software.
Overview of Format Disk Error
When you unplug an SD card, USB drive, external hard drive or any other removable storage without using the Safely Remove option, you run the risk of the disk partition becoming corrupted. Should this happen, then the device will be unreadable by Windows, prompting the appearance of the ‘You need to format…’ warning message.
While this is the most common reason for causing a drive to become RAW and rendered unusable, there are some other instances that can create the problem. These include the following:
The storage device suffers from a sudden power outage
The storage device is infected by a virus
The file system of the disk is not Windows-compatible
There are bad sectors in the USB flash drive, SD card, memory card, or external hard drive
Fixes for the “You Need to Format the Disk in Drive” Error
When you see the warning “You need to format the disk in drive”, it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with your external storage device. So, don’t hurry to format the disk as the prompt says, as that’s the last solution you want to try. Instead, here are a few methods you can use to fix the error.
Tip 1. Try Simple Solutions First
Before trying anything technical, it’s a good idea to rule out any basic issues. With this mind, here are a few things to check.
Try a different computer: Connect your external storage device to another computer, either a Windows PC or Mac. If the device works properly on macOS but not Windows, it’s highly likely that the file system of the device is not Windows-compatible.
Run antivirus software: It’s possible that the “You need to format the disk in drive before you can use it” error is caused by a virus attack. Try running your antivirus software to see if that clears the problem.
If the methods above aren’t successful, don’t panic. There are several more options below you can try that will hopefully get your data back safely.
Tip 2. Check and Repair Your Device with CHKDSK Command
Many users have reported that this method has helped them solve the ‘format’ problem. It involves entering code, so if you’re not confident with this kind of thing, you’ll probably want to skip onto the next tip instead. Otherwise, here’s what you need to do.
Step 1. Press the “Windows” key and type cmd.
Step 2. Right-click “Comand Prompt” and choose “Run as administrator”.
Step 3. In the CMD window, type chkdsk G: /f and hit “Enter”. (Replace “G” with the drive letter of your external storage device.)
Step 4. Then Windows will start checking and repairing disk errors and damaged files. Wait for the process to finish.
When it has finished, you can try again to read your USB, SD card, or external hard drive after restart your computer.
If you see the error message ‘the type of the file system is RAW, CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives’, you’ll need to perform a raw drive recovery to retrieve your data. We cover this method in the next tip.
Tip 3. Recover Files and Format the Disk
If all the above solutions fail to fix the problem, the next course of action is to recover files from your external hard drive, SD card, memory card, USB drive or other storage media first, then reformat the drive.
This allows you to retrieve your data and get the storage device working again, without risking any data loss in the process. To recover your files safely, we recommend the reliable hard drive recovery software – EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
These are the steps to take to recover your files:
Step 1. Scan the hard drive partition
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.
Step 2. Check the results
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.
Step 3. Restore lost hard drive data
Select wanted files that you lost on the drive and click “Recover” to save them.
Step 4. After recovering files from your disk, now you can format your hard drive to fix the error “You need to format the disk in drive before you can use it”.
Do You Need Specialized Data Recovery Services?
You may need further help for tough data loss situations like reformatting drive, RAW disk, partition loss, repartition failures and system boot error. Consult with EaseUS Data Recovery Experts for cost-efficient one-on-one manual recovery service. They could offer the following services after FREE diagnosis:
1. Unformat the drive
2. Repair the RAID, RAW disk or operating system
3. Recover lost partition (the one that cannot be recovered by software)
Conclusion
In addition to the error we deal with in this article, there are other formatting-related problems that may happen to your external storage device, such as “the format did not complete successfully or “disk is not formatted”.
In these situations, rather than trying to deal with it yourself, it’s always a good idea to use the best data recovery software you can find. Remember, the quicker you perform data recovery, the higher the chances you will retrieve your data intact. So, download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard today and ensure that your files stay safe.
