Packard Bell hard drives are commonly used for personal and business storage, storing important documents, photos, and backups. However, when a hard drive appears as RAW, it often indicates file system corruption (exFAT, NTFS, FAT32), partition table damage, or logical errors, making stored data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical files and personal data from a Packard Bell hard drive, after exFAT corruption rendered the drive unreadable.
As Guildford Data Recovery, Surrey’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using partition table repair, file system reconstruction, and forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files.
Packard Bell Hard Drive Showing as RAW & Unreadable
A client in Guildford contacted us after their Packard Bell hard drive became inaccessible, with the following issues:
- The drive was detected but showed as RAW in Windows Disk Management.
- The system prompted “You need to format this drive before you can use it.”
- The drive was previously formatted as exFAT, but now showed no recognizable partitions.
- Attempts to access files resulted in errors or system crashes.
Since formatting the drive would erase all remaining data, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Packard Bell hard drive arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full partition and file system diagnostic. Our findings:
- File system corruption (exFAT errors) – Likely caused by improper ejection or power loss.
- Partition table damage (GPT/MBR issues) – Preventing the OS from recognizing the drive structure.
- No mechanical failure detected, meaning logical recovery was possible through partition repair and raw data extraction.
Since RAW file system issues do not immediately erase data, we prioritized rebuilding the partition table and repairing the file system.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Hard Drive to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve recoverable data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the Packard Bell hard drive.
- Used specialised recovery tools to extract readable sectors while avoiding further corruption.
2. Rebuilding the Partition Table & Repairing the File System
Since the partition table was missing or corrupted, we:
- Rebuilt the MBR/GPT structure to restore lost file directories.
- Repaired the exFAT file system to regain access to stored data.
3. Extracting & Verifying Recovered Files
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered all personal documents, PDFs, and spreadsheets.
- Restored family photos, videos, and archived emails.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our partition table repair and deep sector-level recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the client’s lost files, including:
✅ Business documents, spreadsheets, and reports
✅ Family photos, videos, and digital archives
✅ Organised file structures restored for easy access
The client was able to retrieve all essential files, preventing personal and professional data loss.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful hard drive recoveries, we are England’s leading data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ Partition table repair & MBR/GPT reconstruction
✔ RAW drive recovery & exFAT file system repair
✔ Document, photo, and video retrieval from unallocated drives
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your Packard Bell hard drive is showing as RAW, prompting for a format, or preventing access to important files, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.