Both external and internal hard drives are safe ways to store data. External drives including USB flash drives have been very common especially in organizations dealing with big data. Of course, individuals also use these devices when transferring data between storage devices while others use them as backup systems for data. Systemic hard drives are however the heartbeat of all data management.
While using your machine, whether Mac or Windows, data security remains at the center stage of everything you do. This is because data is the core of every bit of work and as a result you will not be able to make sense of your work without the right data.
If you are encountering the “needs to be formatted” message on your computer, you should be worried about your data. In this guide, we will show you some of the proven methods for dealing with a USB that needs formatting. Read on to establish more including flash drive data recovery.
Reasons Behind the ‘Needs to be Formatted’ Message
The ‘needs to be formatted’ error message on your machine could be caused by several reasons. Below are some of the reasons.
- Malware is stopping your access to the drive
- For external drives, the USB port or the drive may be malfunctioning
- Malware may be preventing access to the drive
- A third-party software conflicting with system software or services
- Core system files are missing or corrupt
How to Fix the ‘Needs to be Formatted’ Message and Recover Your Data
Like we mentioned already, there are several reasons behind this error message. You will need to inspect your drive and machine to ensure your data is not at risk. However, if you ever lose your files due to this problem, you should be able to fix it with proven techniques to recover deleted files from a USB. The methods below should help you fix the ‘needs to be formatted’ error and help you restore lost data.
Method 1: Run an SFC and DISM Scan
Drive needs to be formatted error could be a result of missing files or even corruption. Start with SFC scan so that you can check and replace corrupt system files, if any. You can then follow it with a DISM scan to see if the problem goes away. Be sure to have an active internet connection so that the DISM scan can run successfully.
Method 2: Reset Windows
If the error message seems not to be going away, you may need to complete a Windows reset. This will remove all the system files from your OS and installed software.
You should however try System Restore before Windows reset if you suspect some of your files might be lost. If that fails, you can also try factory reset and check if this corrects the error.
Method 3: Try Generic Fixes
Before trying some of the drastic measures, generic fixes could be your time saver. Some errors could be more related to drive formatting issues that can be easily fixed by the Windows system.
Method 4: Change Drive Letter using Disk Management
If you are using an external USB drive that keeps returning a ‘needs to be formatted’ error message, then changing the drive letter could just be the missing fix. Follow the steps below to make the drive accessible again.
Step 1: Hit “Win + R” on your keyboard to launch the dialog box then type “diskmgmt.msc” then press Enter.
Step 2: While in the disk management window, locate the drive and right-click on it.
Step 3: Choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths” from the menu.
Step 4: Hit the “Change” button then the “arrow” button to expand the drop-down. Choose a drive letter then tap “Ok.” Reconfirm this selection and hit “yes” to change the drive letter. You should see a system notification concerning the drive letter change.
Step 5: Press “Win + E” to open File Explorer. Check if the error is fixed.
Method 5: Clean Boot the Computer
Third-party applications and services have a chance of interfering with system software and challenge their normal operation. Clean booting your system disables all the third-party services including programs from running during startup. If this fixes the problem, repeat the clean boot process, this time while enabling third-party services one at a time. Repeat until you isolate the culprit program then remove it from your system or disable it.
Method 6: Scan the Drive with CHKDSK
If the methods above are not solving your problem, there are chances the drive contains bad sectors and files. These problems could prompt the OS to keep asking for formatting. The windows inbuilt CHKDSK utility helps you scan the drive for errors as well as implement a fix. The utility will therefore run a scan on the disc sectors and repair it. To do this, you can either run the command prompt or Run CheckDisk through the Properties window available in File Explorer. The method also perfectly supports data recovery from hard drives.
Method 7: Perform a Complete Shutdown
Newer versions of Windows OS now have Fast Start-up enabled. The feature is meant to hibernate the system and kernel-level processes to enable the operating system to boot faster after a shutdown.
However, if the core system services experience a problem and stop working properly, the error message warning you about the required formatting begins to appear constantly. Performing a complete shutdown of your machine will therefore help you fix the problem by restarting all the core services.
Method 8: Fix with Software
‘Needs to be formatted’ error can be very devastating. If you tried all the methods above and still will not get this issue fixed, you may need to involve a third-party software. Disk Drill developed by CleverFiles is one such versatile software you can use to fix the problem and recover your data.
Download the software from the official website, install in your system and launch to scan and fix the drive.
Conclusion
Fixing the ‘needs to be formatted’ error message can be very easy. The success however depends on what is causing the problem. Review all the possible causes and proposed fixes before you can choose the best solution. We recommend using the software if you feel the problem could be too gross.
