[SOLVED] Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted!

calleinad · 01-29-2008, 03:10 PM

Hello everyone. Recently I unplugged my Maxtor 500G external HD from my laptop accidentally without "safely removing." However, when I replugged the drive into the laptop, it said "Drive G:\ not formatted. Format now?" Anyway, I wasn't about to do that, since I have 250GB of stuff on it. Also, EasyRecovery isn't a great option, since I have no other drive to put the stuff onto.

I came across your site, which seems to have fixed countless HD problems :), so I read a number of threads on using testdisk to fix broken drive/partition tables.

I followed all of the steps in the stickied thread.

However, when I try to "Write," I get this screen

I'm not sure if the HD was NTFS or FAT32 at the start. I think perhaps it may be FAT32, since it doesn't recognize a valid NTFS Boot sector.

At this point, I tried "Rebuild BS" to see if that would yield any more options. But alas I arrive at this:

When I try to select Repair MFT, I get:

At this point I'm getting quite desperate, any help is appreciated!

calleinad · 01-29-2008, 03:27 PM

Update: Now for some reason, the drive shows up in Windows Explorer as "D:\" and as a Local Disk. Before, it was only listed as G:\! When I try to open it, it says "The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable" This sounds bad.

**Deleted090308** · 01-30-2008, 05:40 AM

Hi, welcome to TSF.

At the second screen you posted you should've selected "Backup BS".
Try that.
When TestDisk has loaded the backup boot sector - close the program and restart.

calleinad · 01-31-2008, 02:22 AM

Hello eneles!

I tried going back to that screen, but every time after I tried the "Write" command, it just took me to the prompt that said I had to reboot. However, the drive was still not functional.

Unfortunately, I decided that it just wasn't worth the hassle, and I reformatted the drive. I hope this doesn't happen again :(.

Thanks for the help!

**Deleted090308** · 01-31-2008, 06:37 AM

OK. I think we could have fixed it.

01-29-2008, 03:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
calleinad Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 OS: Windows XP Professional	[SOLVED] Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted! Hello everyone. Recently I unplugged my Maxtor 500G external HD from my laptop accidentally without "safely removing." However, when I replugged the drive into the laptop, it said "Drive G:\ not formatted. Format now?" Anyway, I wasn't about to do that, since I have 250GB of stuff on it. Also, EasyRecovery isn't a great option, since I have no other drive to put the stuff onto. I came across your site, which seems to have fixed countless HD problems :), so I read a number of threads on using testdisk to fix broken drive/partition tables. I followed all of the steps in the stickied thread. However, when I try to "Write," I get this screen I'm not sure if the HD was NTFS or FAT32 at the start. I think perhaps it may be FAT32, since it doesn't recognize a valid NTFS Boot sector. At this point, I tried "Rebuild BS" to see if that would yield any more options. But alas I arrive at this: When I try to select Repair MFT, I get: At this point I'm getting quite desperate, any help is appreciated! Last edited by calleinad; 01-29-2008 at 03:37 PM.

01-29-2008, 03:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
calleinad Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 OS: Windows XP Professional	Re: Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted! Update: Now for some reason, the drive shows up in Windows Explorer as "D:\" and as a Local Disk. Before, it was only listed as G:\! When I try to open it, it says "The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable" This sounds bad.

01-30-2008, 05:40 AM	#3 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted! Hi, welcome to TSF. At the second screen you posted you should've selected "Backup BS". Try that. When TestDisk has loaded the backup boot sector - close the program and restart.

01-31-2008, 02:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
calleinad Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 OS: Windows XP Professional	Re: Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted! Hello eneles! I tried going back to that screen, but every time after I tried the "Write" command, it just took me to the prompt that said I had to reboot. However, the drive was still not functional. Unfortunately, I decided that it just wasn't worth the hassle, and I reformatted the drive. I hope this doesn't happen again :(. Thanks for the help!

01-31-2008, 06:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Maxtor External HD G:\ Not Formatted! OK. I think we could have fixed it.