Corrupted HDD

Question

Dear All,

I have an external USB HDD drive with 14TB capacity.
The disk is full about 99% with files.

Suddenly the disk is not recognized by Windows 11.
I cannot access the disk.
If I double click on the disk, Windows prompt me to format the disk.

I don't want to recover or to backup the files that is on the disk, I just want to see the contents of the disk.

Is there any way to do that?

Thank you very much!!!

Answer 1

This forum has some problems sometimes, it is a cache problem, wait a while, then try accessing the forum again.

Here is my reply again.

Thank you for the screenshots and that information.

Go to the Western Digital website to download the WD Drive Utilities utility and try using that to get that drive working again.

https://support-eu.wd.com/app/products/downloads/softwaredownloads

If that is not successful, did you try connecting the drive up to another PC to test if it is working there.

.

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Answer 2

Dear DaveM121

I cannot read your answer!!
I receive the following error message:

Answer 3

Dear DaveM121

Thank you very much for your instant reply.

The disk didn't fall at all or something similar.
It was working fine. When I turn on my PC today morning I couldn't access the disk.

I provide you the screenshots you ask.

Thank you very much!

Answer 4

1

Connect that external USB drive to another PC, is the drive working in that PC?

If not, did that drive fall before the drive was no longer accessible.

2

Connect that drive to your PC.

Right click your Start Button and open Disk Management.

Expand the bottom pane in Disk Management so all drives are visible in that pane.

Please provide a screenshot of the Disk Management window.

2

Right click your Start Button and open Device Manager.

Expand the Disk Drives section.

Please provide a screenshot of that full Device Manager window.

Answer 5

Yes. Before accepting Windows’ offer to format the drive, use Disk Management and, if needed, Windows File Recovery to try to make the contents visible or recoverable.

1. Check the disk state in Disk Management
   1. Open Disk Management:
      • Right‑click the Start button and select Disk Management, or
      • Press Windows + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and select OK.
   2. In the lower pane, locate the 14 TB external disk.
   3. Check what is shown for its partitions:
      • If the partition shows as RAW instead of NTFS/exFAT/FAT32, Windows cannot read the file system.
      • If it shows as Unallocated, the partition table is damaged or missing.
   Do not use Format or New Simple Volume if the goal is to see existing contents; those actions erase data.
2. Try basic connection troubleshooting If the disk does not appear correctly or at all in Disk Management:
   1. Unplug the external disk, plug it back in, then in Disk Management select Action > Rescan Disks.
   2. Shut down the PC and the external disk (if it has a power switch), then power both back on and check again.
   3. Plug the disk into a different USB port directly on the PC (avoid USB hubs).
   4. Try a different USB cable.
   If after these steps the disk still appears as RAW or unallocated, Windows will not be able to “just show” the contents with normal tools.
3. Use Windows File Recovery if files must be accessed Even though the goal is only to view contents, a corrupted file system usually requires file recovery. Windows File Recovery can scan the disk and recover files to another drive:
   1. Install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.
   2. Determine the file system type (NTFS vs exFAT/FAT) if it still shows in File Explorer or Disk Management.
   3. Use Extensive mode in these cases:
      • NTFS after formatting, corruption, or if files were deleted a while ago.
      • Any FAT or exFAT drive.
   4. Recover files to a different disk (not the 14 TB drive) and then inspect them there.

If Disk Management shows the partition as RAW or unallocated and the above connection checks do not restore normal access, there is no supported way in Windows to simply browse the existing contents without using recovery tools or third‑party file‑system repair utilities.

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References:

• Disk Management in Windows
• Troubleshoot Disk Management
• Windows File Recovery