A corrupted external hard drive may ask to be formatted, appear as RAW, lose its drive letter, or show folders that no longer open. Recover important files before trying to repair the file system. Formatting, initialization, repartitioning, and CHKDSK can change the structures that describe where those files are stored.
Separate connection problems from corruption
Use one known-good cable and USB port, and check any external power supply. Then observe the drive in Disk Management. A stable disk with the expected capacity but an unmountable volume is a logical recovery candidate. A drive that clicks, repeatedly disconnects, reports an implausible capacity, or freezes Windows may have a hardware problem.
Do not keep reconnecting an unstable mechanical disk. If the data is unique or valuable, stop before prolonged scanning and consult a professional service.
Preserve a readable source
When the HDD is readable but deteriorating, a byte copy can preserve the sectors currently available. XRecovery supports direct disk or partition byte copying and can scan a loaded image. Bad regions can time out and be skipped so work continues, but files crossing unreadable sectors may remain incomplete.
Prepare another healthy disk with enough capacity. Do not use the corrupted HDD as the destination.
Scan before repair
XRecovery 3.1.6 runs on Windows and can scan external devices that Windows recognizes. Select the physical disk or relevant partition by its reported capacity and start the scan. Quick scan runs first and deep scan starts automatically.
Review file-system and signature results. The former may retain folder structure; the latter may find content without original names or paths. Preview representative files where supported, recover a sample to another physical device, and validate it before exporting the full selection.
XRecovery reads the selected source without changing it. It blocks the source as the destination by default but permits an override after warning. Do not override the warning for a corruption case.
Repair only after recovery is verified
Once important files are safely stored and backed up, you can decide whether to test the external HDD, recreate its partitions, or replace it. A successful repair does not prove the hardware is healthy. Repeated corruption, SMART warnings, read errors, or disconnections are reasons to retire the disk.
Verify recovered documents, archives, photos, videos, databases, and project files in their native applications. A listed filename or preview is evidence, not final proof of integrity.