The first sixteen elements of the Master File Table (MFT) are reserved for special files. NTFS 3.0 uses only the first twelve elements. These are hidden files whose names are located at the root of the partition. The files are not visible, but nevertheless they exist. You can check this by trying to create a file with one of the reserved names in the root of the section. On a disk with NTFS, for example, it will not be possible to create the file C:\$Volume.

List of NTFS special files

• $MFT(item 0) Main file table. The data attribute contains MFT elements as well as unused raster attributes.
• $MFTMirr(element 1) Mirror (backup) of the first four MFT elements.
• $LogFile(item 2) A volume log file that records all changes to the volume's structure.
• $Volume(element 3) The $Volume data attribute represents the entire volume. Calling Win32 "\\.\C:" will open the volume file on the C: drive (assuming the C: drive is an NTFS volume). The $Volume file also contains the volume name, volume information, and object ID attributes.
• $AttrDef(element 4) The $AttrDef data attribute contains an array of attribute definitions. typedef struct ( WCHAR AttributeName; ULONG AttributeNumber; ULONG Unknown; ULONG Flags; ULONGLONG MinimumSize; ULONGLONG MaximumSize; ) ATTRIBUTE_DEFINITION, *PATTRIBUTE_DEFINITION;
• \ (item 5) The root directory of the volume.
• $Bitmap(item 6) The $Bitmap data attribute represents a raster of the volume's clusters.
• $Boot(item 7) The first sector of $Boot is also the first sector of the volume. Since it is used at the very beginning of the system boot process (if the volume is bootable), the space here is not normalized and the stored data is not aligned to natural boundaries. The format of the first sector can be described using the BOOT_BLOCK structure. #pragma pack(push, 1) typedef struct ( UCHAR Jump; UCHAR Format; USHORT BytesPerSector; UCHAR SectorsPerCluster; USHORT BootSectors; UCHAR Mbz1; USHORT Mbz2; USHORT Reserved1; UCHAR MediaType; USHORT Mbz3; USHORT SectorsPerTrack; USHORT NumberOfHeads; ULONG PartitionO ffset; ULONG Reserved2; ULONGLONG TotalSectors; ULONGLONG MftStartLcn; ULONGLONG Mft2StartLcn; ULONG ClustersPerFileRecord; ULONG ClustersPerIndexBlock; ULONGLONG VolumeSerialNumber; UCHAR Code; USHORT BootSignature; ) BOOT_BLOCK, *PBOOT_BLOCK; #pragma pack(pop)
• $BadClus(item 8) The data attribute of this file contains information about failed clusters.
• $Secure(element 9) The $Secure data attribute contains shared access identifiers. $Secure also contains two indexes.
• $UpCase(element 10) The $Upcase data attribute contains the uppercase equivalent of all 65536 Unicode characters.
• $Extend(item 11) $Extend is a directory that contains special files used by some NTFS 3.0 advanced features. The special files stored in this directory are: "$ObjId"(support for object identifiers), "$Quota"(quota support), "$Reparse"(reprocessing point data) and "$UsnJrnl"(file system log). Starting with Windows Vista, the directory is also located here "$RmMetadata"(NTFS transaction support).

How to open special files

Although special files are actually files, they cannot be opened in the usual way (for example, using the or functions). Even if you have administrator rights in the ACL (allowing reading special files), access to them is impossible, since for them ntfs.sys (NTFS file system driver) always returns the error status STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED. There are two variables in ntfs.sys that affect its behavior: NtfsProtectSystemFiles and NtfsProtectSystemAttributes. By default, the value of both of these variables is TRUE.

If the NtfsProtectSystemAttributes variable is set to FALSE (for example, using a debugger), then using names in the format "filename::$STANDARD_INFORMATION" you can access system attributes (in particular, standard information attributes). If you set the NtfsProtectSystemFiles variable to FALSE, you can open special files. But when trying to do this, you may encounter some difficulties due to the fact that many of the special files are already opened by system tools when the volume is initialized, and in addition, they are not suitable for processing the IRP_MJ_READ request that occurs when calling the NtReadFile function, and if such a request is received, the system will crash. Special files can be read by using the functions

Hard disk drives (HDDs), which for various reasons are not detected by the operating system, receive RAW status and access to them is no longer possible. When you try to open such a disk, Windows advises you to format it, but if you follow this recommendation, all recorded information will disappear. It is advisable to restore an acceptable format: NTFS or FAT32.

The sources of problems with the HDD can be different, and before doing anything to restore the format, it is worth identifying them. Here are the most common:

1. Connection failures. For example, the user incorrectly disconnected the disk or the power supply stopped and the file system became corrupted.
2. The cable that connects the drive to the board is broken.
3. Malicious software that violates the data structure.
4. Errors that occurred when reinstalling or updating the OS.
5. In the case of a flash drive, the reason for changing the format to RAW may also be a malfunction of the USB connectors.
6. Malfunctions of the PC motherboard.
7. Errors when working with Acronis Disk Director.

Format recovery

To restore NTFS format from RAW, try the following:

Restoring format using special programs

If, when you try to check the HDD using the method described above, a message appears: “CHKDSK is not valid for RAW disks,” you can use programs that allow you to restore the NTFS format from RAW. Let's look at the most popular of them.

DMDE

DMDE is a utility that looks for damaged partitions in the file system and helps restore the disk to NTFS status. After downloading and installing the program, you need to do the following:

1. Launch the application.
2. On the left, check the box next to the phrases “Physical devices” and “Show partitions”.
3. Select the damaged drive and click OK. After this, the utility will find the RAW section and indicate it with a crossed out icon. If this does not happen, perform a full scan (the corresponding button is located at the bottom of the window).
4. Now try to open the RAW volume and click “Recover” and then “Apply settings”.
5. After this, as a rule, the HDD format changes to NTFS.

DMDE program window

IMPORTANT. If you are trying to return the NTFS status to the system disk and do it from another PC, then after the operation is completed and the HDD is returned to its place, the old computer will still display it in RAW format, so it is advisable to first restore the Windows bootloader.

Recuva

A simple and easy-to-use program that can fix RAW disks and flash drives. The procedure is as follows:

1. Launch the application, select “Recover all files”, mark the damaged disk and click “Start”.
2. The utility will detect files with a broken structure and correct the format to NTFS.

Piriform Recuva program window

TestDisk

The third utility that restores the disk format. Just download and run it, and then:

1. Select New, press Enter.
2. Then click on the problematic HDD, then Enter again and select Analyze and Quick Search.
3. After executing the command, select Write to restore the information structure.

TestDisk window

If all these manipulations lead to nothing, most likely the disk has mechanical damage or its components do not interact correctly and it would be more advisable to show it to a specialist.

Have you ever encountered a situation where the disc format turned into RAW? How did you deal with a problem like this? Write about it in the comments.

The table below provides useful information about the .ntfs file extension. It answers questions such as:

• What is a file? ntfs?
• What software do I need to open the file. ntfs?
• Like a file. ntfs be opened, edited or printed?
• How to convert. ntfs files to a different format?

We hope you find this page a useful and valuable resource!

1 extensions and 0 aliases found in the database

✅ NTFS Partition Image

Description (in English):
NTFS file is a NTFS Partition Image. NTFS is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft Corporation for its Windows line of operating systems, beginning with Windows NT 3.1.

MIME type: application/octet-stream

Magic number: -

Magic number: -

Sample: -

NTFS aliases:

NTFS related links:

NTFS related extensions:

Other file types may also use the file extension .ntfs.

🚫 The .ntfs file extension is often given incorrectly!

According to Search our site, these typos were the most common last year:

tfs , gtfs , nts , nfs , ntf

Is it possible that the filename extension is incorrect?

We found the following similar file extensions in our database:

🔴 Can't open .ntfs file?

When you double-click a file to open it, Windows checks the file name extension. If Windows recognizes a filename extension, the file opens in a program that is associated with that filename extension. When Windows does not recognize the file name extension, the following message appears:

Windows can't open this file:

Example.ntfs

To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to open it...

If you don't know how to set up file associations .ntfs, check .

🔴 Is it possible to change the file extension?

Changing the file name and file extension is not a good idea. When you change a file extension, you change the way programs on your computer read the file. The problem is that changing the file extension does not change the file format.

if you have helpful information o file extension .ntfs, !

🔴 Rate our NTFS page

Please help us by rating our page NTFS in the 5-star rating system below. (1 star bad, 5 stars excellent)

RAW is the format that the hard drive receives if the system cannot determine its file system type. This situation can happen for various reasons, but the result is the same: the hard drive cannot be used. Although it will appear as connected, any actions will not be available.

The solution is to restore the previous file system, and this can be done in several ways.

Our hard drives have the NTFS or FAT file system. As a result of certain events, it may change to RAW, which means that the system cannot determine which file system the hard drive is running on. Essentially, it looks like there is no file system.

This may happen in the following cases:

• Damage to the file system structure;
• The user did not format the partition;
• The contents of the volume cannot be accessed.

Such problems appear due to system failures, improper shutdown of the computer, unstable power supply, or even due to viruses. In addition, owners of new disks that were not formatted before use may encounter this error.

If the volume with the operating system is damaged, then instead of starting it you will see the message "Operating System not found", or other similar notice. In other cases, when you try to perform any action on the disk, you may see the following message: "The volume file system is not recognized" or "To use the disk, first format it".

Recovering a file system from RAW

The recovery procedure itself is not very complicated, but many users are afraid of losing information that is recorded on the HDD. Therefore, we will look at several ways to change the RAW format - removing all existing information on the disk and preserving user files and data.

In some cases, the drive may receive the RAW format incorrectly. Before taking further action, try the following: restart your computer, and if this does not help, connect the HDD to a different connector on the motherboard. For this:

Method 2: Check the disk for errors

This method is where you should start changing the format if previous actions were not successful. It’s worth making a reservation right away - it does not help in all cases, but it is simple and universal. It can be launched while the operating system is running, or using a bootable USB flash drive.

If you have a new empty disk in RAW format or the newly created RAW partition does not contain files (or important files), then it is better to immediately proceed to method 2.

Running Disk Check in Windows

If the operating system is running, then follow these steps:

Checking the disk using a bootable USB flash drive

If the disk with the operating system has failed, you need to use a bootable USB flash drive to launch the scanning tool chkdsk.

Method 3: Recovering the file system on an empty disk

If you encounter this problem when connecting a new drive, then this is normal. A newly purchased disk usually does not have a file system and should be formatted before first use.

There is already an article on our website dedicated to the first connection hard drive to the computer.

Method 4: Recovering the file system while saving files

If there is any important data on the problem disk, then the formatting method will not work, and you will have to use third-party programs that will help restore the file system.

The DMDE program is free and effective in recovering HDDs for various problems, including RAW errors. It does not require installation and can be launched after unpacking the distribution.

Important: Immediately after the recovery, you may receive notifications of disk errors and a prompt to reboot. Follow this recommendation to troubleshoot any problems, and the disk should work properly the next time you start your computer.

If you decide to use this program to restore a disk with an installed operating system by connecting it to another PC, then a slight difficulty may arise. After a successful recovery, when you connect the disk back, the OS may not boot. If this happens, you need to perform a Windows 7/10 boot loader repair.

We have reviewed various options fixing the HDD file system from RAW format to NTFS or FAT. We hope this guide helped you fix your hard drive problem.

This is useful if you want to install Boot Camp on your Mac, since Windows uses the NTFS file system. However, for external media it is better to use the exFAT system. macOS can both read and write exFAT media, just like Windows.

Available options

You will have to choose one from the options below.

• Paid third party drivers: There are third party NTFS drivers for Mac that you can install and they will work quite well. They are paid, but they are easy to install and will work better than free ones.
• Free third party drivers: There are also free drivers that provide NTFS support, but they are more difficult to install, especially on Macs running 11 El Capitan and later. They are slower than paid ones and less secure.
• Experimental supportNTFS fromApple: The macOS operating system has experimental support for writing to NTFS media. However, it is disabled by default and can be enabled via Terminal. There is no guarantee that the function will work properly, and it may even cause problems with the NTFS file system. This can often result in data corruption. We strongly discourage using this support, and it is disabled by default for a reason.

Best paid driver:Paragon NTFS ForMac