SSD Shows Up as RAW?
Do Not Format It
When Windows reports an SSD partition as RAW and asks you to format the disk before you can use it, do not format it and do not run CHKDSK. RAW means Windows can't read the file system. Format the disk and you erase the data on it.
File Explorer throws up "You need to format the disk in drive X: before you can use it" the moment it fails to parse the file system on a connected drive. Disk Management labels the same partition RAW. Our SSD data recovery service handles both the logical file-system case and the controller firmware case in our Austin, TX lab.
Why Does My SSD Show as RAW?
RAW is what Windows calls a partition it can see but cannot read. The partition table points Windows at a volume, Windows jumps to the start of that volume, and the boot sector or the file table it expects is damaged or unrecognizable.
It cannot tell whether it is looking at NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT, so it labels the file system RAW and offers to format the drive. The prompt is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
On NTFS the volume boot record or the $MFT that indexes every file can be corrupt while the file data behind it sits untouched.
Format and CHKDSK on a RAW SSD
Formatting a disk erases the data on it. Windows also sends TRIM when it formats a volume. TRIM unmaps the old blocks, and background garbage collection then erases them. CHKDSK won't run on a RAW volume.
On a volume Windows already calls RAW, CHKDSK prints "CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives" and stops. It doesn't do anything.
TRIM is the deallocate command that tells the controller which logical blocks aren't referenced anymore. The operating system issues TRIM, and the controller only executes it. The controller unmaps those blocks from the flash translation layer, and background garbage collection then erases the physical cells.
TRIM is on by default on Windows 7 and later; on macOS it is on by default only for Apple-supplied SSDs, and third-party drives need it turned on with trimforce. The practical result on Windows is that formatting a drive you are trying to recover hands the OS a reason to unmap the very blocks that hold your files.
Once the controller unmaps a block, it stops handing that block's data back, and no software reaches around the controller to get it. Stop writing, power the drive down, and get it evaluated.
Image the Drive First, Repair the Copy
Image the RAW drive read-only first, then run every file-system repair and file-carving pass on the copy.
We read every accessible logical sector of the SSD off to a destination drive in the lab and work from that image afterward. Boot-sector rebuilds, $MFT reconstruction, and file carving all run against the copy.
Which Failure Is Behind the RAW Label?
A RAW label covers two failures with different fixes. If the SSD reports its correct capacity and real model name, and the file system is what's damaged, that's a logical recovery. We do it from a read-only image. If it reports 0 bytes, a placeholder capacity, a wrong model string, or SATAFIRM S11, the controller is in a firmware panic and needs hardware-level work.
Open Disk Management and Device Manager, and read the capacity and model name before you touch anything else.
Correct capacity, real model name
The drive shows up at its full size with its real model string, but Windows labels the partition RAW and offers to format it.
If the boot sector or the file table is what's damaged, this is a logical, file-system recovery. We image the drive read-only, then rebuild the file system on the copy and extract the files. File-system recovery runs From $250.
0 bytes, placeholder size, or SATAFIRM S11
The drive reports 0 bytes, a tiny capacity like 2MB, a wrong model string, or the identifier SATAFIRM S11. Windows may still prompt you to format it, but this is a controller firmware panic, not a file-system problem.
This needs firmware-level work. On the controller families PC-3000 SSD supports, we upload a loader into the drive's RAM and rebuild the translator. See SSD shows 0GB or wrong capacity for the full walkthrough.
Only the Phison PS3111-S11 SATA controller has the SATAFIRM S11 identity hardcoded into it. A failing Silicon Motion drive sits in a busy hang or reports a raw silicon descriptor instead, and a Marvell drive locks the bus or reports 0GB.
If your drive shows that exact string, the SATAFIRM S11 firmware fix page covers the controller-specific recovery. Firmware recovery runs $600–$1,200 for SATA and $900–$1,200 for NVMe.
What to Do With a RAW SSD
If the SSD holds data you need, secure the hardware before you touch the software. These steps keep the drive in the state a lab can work with.
- Cancel the format prompt. Do not format, do not initialize, and do not let a partition tool write a new layout.
- Do not run CHKDSK. On a RAW volume it won't run anyway.
- Read the capacity and model name. If the drive reports 0 bytes, a placeholder capacity, or a wrong string, that points to a firmware panic.
- Do not point recovery software at the original. No repair tools, no format-then-scan, no firmware updates. Any recovery attempt belongs on a read-only image, never on the drive itself.
- Power down and get an evaluation. Leave the drive off and send it for a free evaluation. We tell you which failure it is and quote before any work begins.
How We Recover a RAW SSD
Recovery starts by reading what the drive reports and deciding which of the two failures it has, because the paths share almost nothing. A logical RAW recovery is software work over a healthy controller, done against a read-only image; a firmware recovery is hardware work on the controller itself. Both happen in-house at our Austin lab.
- 1
Identify the Failure
We read what the drive reports about itself. If it reports 0 bytes or a placeholder, the controller is in a firmware panic.
Free evaluation - 2
Image the Drive Read-Only
When the controller is healthy, we read every accessible logical sector to a destination drive in the lab.
No diagnostic fee - 3
Rebuild the File System on the Copy
Working from the image, we rebuild the boot sector, reconstruct the $MFT or the equivalent file table, and carve out files the metadata no longer references.
Repairs run on the copy - 4
Firmware Path: Revive the Controller
For a firmware panic on a controller family PC-3000 SSD supports, we upload a loader into the drive's RAM and rebuild the translator so we can image the drive.
In-house at the Austin lab
PC-3000 SSD is the tool that reaches a panicked controller on the controller families it supports. It talks to a live controller over the SATA or NVMe interface. It does not read desoldered NAND chips; that is a separate hardware path.
A healthy drive with a RAW file system doesn't need any of the firmware work. For an NVMe drive that never shows up in BIOS, see NVMe SSD not detected in BIOS and our NVMe recovery page.
What Recovery Costs for a RAW SSD
Cost follows the failure. A logical RAW or file-system recovery on a healthy drive runs From $250. A controller firmware panic runs $600–$1,200 for SATA and $900–$1,200 for NVMe.
| What the drive reports | Failure | Recovery tier |
|---|---|---|
| Correct capacity and real model name; partition shows RAW, prompt to format | Logical file-system loss | File-system recovery, From $250 |
| 0 bytes, placeholder capacity, wrong model, or SATAFIRM S11 (SATA) | Controller firmware panic | Firmware recovery, $600–$1,200 |
| NVMe drive reporting 0 bytes or a placeholder | Controller firmware panic (NVMe) | NVMe firmware recovery, $900–$1,200 |
Rush service adds +$100 rush fee to move to the front of the queue. Every quote is firm before work starts. It's no data, no charge, and there's no diagnostic fee. Full ranges live on our pricing page.
Dying SSD Data Recovery at Rossmann Repair
Common Questions
What does it mean when my SSD shows as RAW?
Windows says I need to format the disk. Should I?
Can I run CHKDSK to fix a RAW SSD?
A blog told me to format the drive and then run recovery software. Is that safe?
My SSD reports 0 bytes or SATAFIRM S11 and asks me to format. Is that the same problem?
How much does it cost to recover a RAW SSD?
Data Recovery Standards & Verification
Our Austin lab operates on a transparency-first model. We use industry-standard recovery tools, including PC-3000 and DeepSpar, combined with strict environmental controls to maintain drive integrity. This approach allows us to serve clients nationwide with consistent technical standards.
Localized Clean Zone
Open-drive work is performed in a 0.02 micron ULPA-filtered laminar clean bench.
Transparent History
Serving clients nationwide via mail-in service since 2008. Our lead engineer holds PC-3000 and HEX Akademia certifications for hard drive firmware repair and mechanical recovery.
Media Coverage
Our repair work has been covered by The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider, with CBC News reporting on our pricing transparency. Louis Rossmann has testified in Right to Repair hearings in multiple states and founded the Repair Preservation Group.
Aligned Incentives
Our "No Data, No Charge" policy means we assume the risk of the recovery attempt, not the client.
Technical Oversight
Louis Rossmann
Our engineers review all lab protocols to maintain technical accuracy and honest service. Since 2008, his focus has been on clear technical communication and accurate diagnostics rather than sales-driven explanations.
We believe in showing the bench rather than just describing it. Open-drive work runs on a 0.02 micron ULPA-filtered laminar clean bench, and we filmed it.
See the particle counter test at the benchSince 2008
Established
As Featured In
Related services
Related Guides
Full SSD recovery service overview
The Disk Management sibling case
The controller firmware panic sibling case
Phison PS3111-S11 controller firmware panic
The hardware we use for firmware-level recovery
Transparent cost breakdown
Do not format. Get a diagnosis first.
Free evaluation, firm quote, and no data no charge.