Microsoft KB Archive/929662

= A hard disk or a removable media appears as a RAW volume after you try to complete a full format in Windows Vista =

Article ID: 929662

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Business
 * Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Enterprise
 * Windows Vista Home Basic
 * Windows Vista Home Premium
 * Windows Vista Starter
 * Windows Vista Ultimate

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SYMPTOMS
After you try to complete a full format of a hard disk or a removable media in Windows Vista, the full format is not completed. When you try to access the hard disk or the removable media, neither can be accessed. The hard disk or the removable media is a RAW volume.

Note A RAW volume is a volume that has never been formatted and does not contain a file system. Examples of file systems are FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. Typically, programs that do not require a file system write to a RAW volume. These programs perform direct I/O operations to the RAW volume.



CAUSE
This issue may occur if the full format process cannot complete correctly. For example, this issue may occur if the cluster size that is specified for the full format is too large to format the disk.



WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, click Restore device defaults when you format the hard disk or the removable media.



MORE INFORMATION
When a full format is completed in Windows Vista, any data that previously existed on the hard disk or the removable media is overwritten with zeros. If the full format cannot be completed after the disk has been overwritten with zeros, the disk appears to be a RAW volume.

Additional query words: WinVista

Keywords: kbtshoot kbprb kbexpertisebeginner KB929662

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