"You need to format the disk in drive J: before you can use it"

Anonymous
2009-11-27T14:36:21+00:00

The error message says "You need to format the disk in drive J: before you can use it" I have a removable USB storage drive that i always plugged in to my computer everytime I download movies save disk space on my computer.  Now it want me to format this storage disk.  Also,where it used to label this disk as "Removable Disk", it is not labeled as Local Disk J:. I don't want to format this disk because it will erase all my files and folders on this removable USB storage disk.  Please help me.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2011-01-12T20:05:12+00:00

I had same problem.

And I have an solution for you... The problem is that when you plug in your HD first time, Windows 7 install your HD and associate it to only this USB port (let it be USB port "4") than if you wanna to use it (HD) again, you need to plug it, in the same USB port (USB port "4") where it was installed first time. It is Stupid!!!! But that's how it worked with my HD.

Just try all USB ports that you have on your PC.

Good luck.

Hope it was helpful. :D

PS: the same problem is with all divices you plug in to your pc.

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-11-02T23:17:30+00:00

    Hello,

    Due to the age of this issue, it would be best to create a new thread for this.

    Doing so will avoid any confusion between your issue and that of the original poster.

    Best regards,

    Matthew_Ha

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-01T16:34:18+00:00

    Nothing appears when I hover over it - it just says Healthy (Pimary Partition) nothing more.  File system is NTFS.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-11-01T15:44:52+00:00

    I too have the problem with two different dirves.  The first one I noticed the problem on was a new drive I'd had pnly a week or two. I stored files on it with a Windows 7 system and then could not access with another XP system.  Fortunately I was able to go back to the first systm, save the files to another device and then format the new problamatic one.

    On another older dive I've had for about two years, I had used exclusively on an XP machine and stored about 900 GB.  Never had a problem.  The a couple of days ago, I tried to access the data with a new Widows 7 system and was told I had to reformat.  I tried it on another XP system and another Windows 7 system and both had the same problem (Windows 7 sys to format, XP simply will not access). I tried checking the disk on the original XP system (took over 12 hours) but nothing wrond was found.  Fortunately I can still access with original XP system and am copying files to that disk I reformated (which all systems can see now); but this is taking excruciatingly long - 15 hours for the first 700GB.

    Both drives were ones that require plugging in (the older one is 1 TB, the new one is 2 TB); I've not had this problem with flash dirves (128 MB to 8 GB) or portable drives (120 GB to 1.5 TB).

    I would really like to find a better solution.  For now, though, I am alwys going to format any new drives I get before using them.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-10-28T18:18:48+00:00

    I have the same problem too ... first, I tried to do format as proposed by the system itself, but it did not format and stayed the same problem. when I connected the Flash disk to another computer, worked fine ... the same happens with other usb drives and when I tried it again on other computers I found that some files had been destroyed! specific mp3 files were merged together!

    I found a temporary solution to save your files!

    turn off your computer, connect the device usb and open your computer! the device, you probably (if you do not format) will work just fine! IF simply unplugging will have to redo the same thing from the beginning!

    must be a virus or something similar ... anyone find something about let's say because I think reinstalling the windows from start! :(

    write if my temporary solution worked...

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