How can you re-install a file system to a hard drive without formatting it?

How can you re-install a file system to a hard drive without formatting it?
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answer:I would need the PC in front of me but you could try an FSCHECK (chkdsk in windows). If you are unable to run chkdsk I have had success with Acronis utilities for recovering partitions (assuming the p-table is corrupt and not the FS). You can google for file system repair tools. If you have access to a linux bootable USB or CD you could try to force mount it in Linux. Linux lets you do things Windows can’t If your file system is completely corrupted beyond repair you have no choice to reformat or comb through the Disk manually (I’m sure there is commercial grade software for this). That is just a random list of things to try.
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