# Format drive problem



## durkinjt (Nov 4, 2012)

Just went to add a program to my 1.8T external drive and am getting a message that the drive must be formatted. Did not change anything any help appreciated. Windows 8.1 8 Ram, i7 CPU.


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

What is the make and model number of the external drive?


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

First, try the External drive on another computer. Does the same thing happen?
Go to Start/Search and type *diskmgmt.msc *and press enter. 
In the_ Disk Management_ windows in the lower pane.Does it say that your file system is *Unallocated Space*? Or does the Disk# (ie) *Disk1, Disk2* etc say that it is Not Initialized?
You can try to recover your files by using the free TestDisk program. I have had the best luck with GetDataBack. You will need another drive of the same size or larger to restore your files to.


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