How to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check on External Hard Drive

Updated by

Tracy King 

Updated on Apr 28, 2025

How to recover data from a hard drive If CRC error happens (Quick Access)

If the Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check problem occurs because the external hard drive has become RAW, you can run EaseUS disk data recovery which works well in RAW drive recovery to retrieve your data first and then format the disk to repair it for reuse.

1. 1. Download and Install EaseUS data recovery software.
2. 2. Select the hard drive or external hard drive and click "Scan"...Read More>>

How to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check Error in Windows 10/8/7

Sometimes, when you plug in your external hard drive, SD card, or some other USB devices to PC and try to open it to view or copy your data on the device, you may get the message "Location is not accessible. Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check". And also you might also be asked to format the disk because the external hard drive has become RAW. Compared with an external hard drive with other brands, this issue seems to be much more severe on Seagate external hard drive and Western Digital external hard drive.

1. 1. Check Hard Drive Errors
2. 2. Run CHKDSK
3. 3. Run SFC Scan
4. 4. Recover Lost Data

Tip 1. Check Hard Drive for Errors to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check Problem

While being prevented from accessing your external hard drive and data, you just want to figure out how to fix the "Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check" problem to retrieve your files. As we know, at most times, the issue is caused by a number of small errors or file corruptions on a hard disk. 

So, to fix it, you just need to repair the hard drive using EaseUS partition software. Coming with a disk check feature, the program can help you check hard drive for errors and repair HDD for reuse. What's more, it has many other highlights:

Steps to check and fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check error:

Step 1. Right-click the target partition that may have a problem.

Step 2. Choose "Check" > "Check File System".

Step 3. In the Check File System window, check the "Try to fix errors if found" option by clicking the "Start" button. 

Step 4. Please wait patiently. After the process, you can click the "Finish" button to exit the window. 

Tip 2. Run CHKDSK to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check

If you are familiar with CHKDSK, you can run this command to repair the hard drive. This command checks the integrity of your hard drive and fixes logical file system errors, bad sectors & file system metadata. It helps solve the Cyclic Redundancy Check error. Follow the steps below to run CHKDSK.

Step 1. Press the Windows key and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Enter the following command. "E" means the drive letter of the partition you want to repair.

chkdsk E: /f /r /x

If you can't boot into Windows 10 to run CHKDSK, fix the UEFI boot issue in Windows 10 with 5+ solutions.

Tip 3. Run SFC to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check External Hard Drive

If some Windows functions aren't working or Windows crashes, use the System File Checker to scan Windows and restore your files. It will scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder. Follow the steps below to run SFC.

Step 1. Type Command Prompt in the search bar, right-click it, and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Type the following cmd and hit "Enter".

sfc /scannow

If the drive is an external device, follow this command below and replace letter c: with your hard drive letter.

Step 3. Type the following cmd and hit "Enter".

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows

Tip 4. Using a Data Recovery Tool to Restore Files

If the three solutions above all fail to help, you can rescue your files and data at least. All you need is a useful data recovery tool that enables you to get back files from your SD card, external hard drive, and other devices.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the very tool that you are looking for. It guarantees safe and secure data recovery from all types of storage media formatted in exFAT, FAT (FAT16, FAT32), and NTFS. It has many highlights:

• Convert RAW to NTFS without losing data
• Recover deleted files from almost all devices
• Restore photos, videos, documents, and many other files with ease
• Supports repairing MP4/MOV/JPG/JPEG/GIF files

You can follow the below steps to recover data from a storage device with CRC error.

Step 1. Select and scan the RAW partition

If the RAW partition contains a partition label, you can directly select it from drives list and click "Search for Lost Data" to look for the lost files. If the RAW partition lost its label, it will be recognized as "Lost Partition", just select the "Lost Partition" and initiate an overall scan on the RAW drive.

Step 2. Preview found data from the scan result

After the scan is completed, all available files in the RAW hard drive will be displayed. View these files and find the files you want to recover. You can sort the scanned data by file format or search directly in the "Search files or folders" box. 

Step 3. Recover data from RAW partition

Select all files and click "Recover" to get all the data back. Select another internal/external hard drive or Cloud drive to save the recovered data and click "OK" to start RAW drive recovery.

Conclusion

When the "Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check" error or "Cannot Initialize Disk: Cyclic Redundancy Check" occurs, you will find out that the external hard drive is showing as RAW or disk need to be initialized. Any of the solutions above can do you a favor in solving this error. If you have other hard drive problems or external hard drive errors, you can ask us for more help.

Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check FAQs

If you want to get additional information, you can read these questions and answers below:

How do I fix a RAW external hard drive without losing data?

1. 1. Run data recovery software to restore data
2. 2. Connect your RAW external hard drive to your computer.
3. 3. Click the "search" icon in the taskbar and input cmd. Then right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".
4. 4. Enter chkdsk /f G: (G is the drive letter of your RAW drive) to fix your RAW external hard drive.

Can Cyclic Redundancy Check errors be fixed?

Registry corruption may lead to a data error - cyclic redundancy check on your computer. Thus, running the System File Checker tool to repair the missing or corrupted system files on your computer is helpful to fix the cyclic redundancy error resulted from system file corruption.

How do I fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check RAW drive?

To remove the Cyclic Redundancy Check error on an external hard drive:

1. 1. Check Hard Drive Errors
2. 2. Run CHKDSK
3. 3. Run SFC Scan
4. 4. Recover Lost Data