Resolve “You need to format the disk in drive before using it” Error?

User’s Query: As I plugged-in my Sandisk SD memory card today, Windows asked me that you need to format the disk in drive R before you can use it. Is there any way to correct this issue without losing my data?

Yes! Of course, here we are going to show you the best aspects to solve this error. The “You need to format the disk in the drive before you can use it” error often happens when you attempt to access your external storage unit. Here we are sharing with you the best manual approaches to solve this issue.

Normally, when you force your SD card, USB, external hard drive or any other removable device to unplug regularly without using the Safely Remove option, the device’s partition table will be corrupted and become RAW that is unreadable by Windows. And then you may receive the error message in disk format “You need to format the disk in drive G before you can use it. Want to format it?” when you try to access the storage device. It’s not the only factor, however, that can lead to disk format failure. There are other reasons such as:

Important Reasons Behind this Blunder

• A sudden power loss suffered by the storage device.
• The storage device is infected with a virus.
• A disk file system is not compatible with Windows.
• Poor sectors occur in the USB flash drive, SD card, memory card, and external hard drive.

How to Fix “You need to format the disk in drive error”

If you are facing this issue then try to opt for these DIYs. There is a big possibility that the error will get resolved.

Use Different PC

Consider connecting the drive to another Windows PC if connecting to that USB port does not help. See if you can navigate the ride. Go to the next advanced solutions if the same error occurs on the device.

Run Antivirus Software to Scan Your PC

The virus may cause a problem. Use it to scan your device to find the problem if you have downloaded antivirus software.

Use different USB Ports

Link your computer to another USB port and see if there is a problem. Use all your USB ports on your PC.

With CMD, Check Your Device’s Working

Several users reported that this method helped them to solve the problem of “you need to format the disk in the drive before you can use it.” This method would automatically check the disk error and correct it. 

• Type cmd and click the “Windows” button.
• Right-click and select “Run as administrator”
• Type chkdsk G:/f in the CMD window and click “Enter” (Replace “G” with your external storage device’s drive letter.)

Then Windows will start checking and restoring disk errors and files that have been destroyed. Wait for the end of the cycle.

If none of the above approaches helped you out and the problem still persists then there is a possibility for corruption. Try to restore the disk drive using a recovery utility and then format it.

Recover the Drive’s Data and Format It

Windows data recovery Utility can help you out to recover all information from internal/external drives and Zip disk. It can recover all kinds of data including images, videos, mp3, zip, etc. from external drives such as USB Flash Drive or Pen Drive, external hard drive, etc. Windows Data Recovery is designed with sophisticated recovery methods that help users cope with file corruption at different levels. This operates on three recovery modes that are respectively Standard Mode, Sophisticated Mode, and Deep Mode to address the mild, medium, and extreme levels of corruption.

How the Utility Works?

1. Run Windows Data Recovery and select the drive facing an issue.

 


2. Now, pick the corruption-based recovery mode and press the Next button.

 


3. The scanning process will be done within a fraction of the time, now press the OK button.

 


4. Now browse the root folders before saving the restored files, pick the directory and press Save. Navigate to the appropriate save location and press the OK button.

 


5. The saving process will be completed in a while, press OK.

 

You can’t miss Windows Data Recovery Wizard, the reliable hard drive recovery utility, to restore data from the inaccessible disk. It will move all files to another safe location on your problematic disk. After that, without worrying, you can format your external storage unit.

You Might Like: Recover Permanently Deleted Windows Data.

Final Words

Besides “You need to format the disk in drive before using it” there are other problems related to formatting that can happen with your external storage unit. In such cases, installing a Windows Data Recovery wizard on your computer is a good choice, which will restore your data once you have lost your files. I hope it helped you to cope with your drive issues.

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