MFT stands for Master File Table. NTFS (New Technology File System) uses it in order to record references of all files and folders of the corresponding volume. It is the most significant metadata structure of NTFS volume. It is the point from where NTFS installed system starts from to access any file. Any corruption caused to MFT will lead to Data Recovery routine. When MFT gets corrupted, user may fail to access files and carry out usual operations like renaming, deleting or opening the file with an error similar to:

“Drive letter:\ $MFT is corrupt and unreadable. Please run the chkdsk utility.”

The error is specific to Windows XP and 2000. Users can also encounter the same error message as a Windows pop-up balloon at the lower-right corner of computer screen.

• To resolve the issue, we need to first take full data backup and check for its consistent status. If media fails to restore data or the backup operation faces some difficulty, Data Recovery Software will be required to recover.
• We can start Recovery Console by starting our system using the Windows operating system disk.
• We can press R to select the repair option on the Welcome to setup screen.
• We need to specify Administrator password, if there is no administrator password just press Enter.
• We can then use chkdsk /f Drive Letter: through command prompt and try repairing the damaged MFT.

Chkdsk /f acts upon the file system and attempts to repair the damage. But it can cause more damage if it fails. In such cases, we need to format the drive and restore data from backup. If backup has not been efficiently taken or can’t offer full restoration, Data Recovery applications can help.

Data Recovery Software are utilities to recover data, unless data is overwritten. These applications use scanning algorithms to analyze the media, locate the information and restore it. Due to their interactive interface, we can use these applications quite easily, regardless of prior technical skills. The procedure is safe due to the read-only nature of these software. The applications offer several advanced recovery features that help users from all walks of life to efficiently use these utilities.

Windows Data Recovery Software supports FAT16, FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file systems based Windows partitions and volumes. It offers various advanced features like RAW File Recovery, Advanced Scan, Create Image, Live Update etc. It is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000.