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Check and fix hard drive errors with chkdsk command on Windows

With an operating system as complex as Windows, things often go wrong without any apparent reason. You may experience random program crashes, data loss or inaccessible files, among many other problems.

Whenever there is a hard drive error or even strange behavior, users can rarely think of Check Disk as the “savior”. The Check Disk tool (CHKDSK) is a handy way to find hard drive errors and it's also easy to use.

This article will fully guide you on how to use the Check Disk tool that comes with all versions of Windows.

So Chkdsk has What can you do? and when to use it?

Check Disk, also known as chkdsk (that's the command used to run it) scans through the entire hard drive to find and fix problems. It's not a fun tool because running it can take a while, but it can really help prevent major problems and data loss in the long run. Chkdsk performs several functions, depending on how it is run:

  • The basic function of Chkdsk is to scan the entire file system, file system metadata on the hard drive, and fix logical file system errors it finds. Such errors can include corrupt entries in the Master File Table (MFT), security descriptors unrelated to the file, or even timestamps, file size information for individual files. .
  • Chkdsk can also scan every sector on a hard drive looking for bad sectors. Bad sectors come in two forms: “soft” bad sectors, which occur when data is overwritten, and 'hard' bad sectors, which occur due to physical damage to the hard drive. Chkdsk tries to fix these problems by repairing “soft” bad sectors, and marking “hard” bad sectors not to be reused.

Scan the drive

Users should run chkdsk periodically every few months along with using a SMART tool for drives that support it. Also consider running it any time Windows shuts down abnormally, such as after a power outage or system crash. Sometimes Windows will automatically run a scan during startup, but often the user will have to do it themselves. Even if you encounter problems such as applications not loading or errors that cannot be resolved in other ways, users may consider checking the drive.

For example, Outlook suddenly starts crashing right after loading. After much troubleshooting, a scan using chkdsk revealed that there were bad sectors where the Outlook data file was stored. Luckily, chkdsk was able to recover the sectors in this case, and everything was back to normal after that.

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If chkdsk detects problems, especially hard bad sectors that it cannot repair, the data may become unusable. Not always, but it can happen. For that reason, you should make sure you always have a backup routine in place and back up your computer before running chkdsk.

The chkdsk tool works pretty much the same in all versions of Windows. This article will use Windows 10, so the screen will be slightly different on Windows 7 and Windows 8 but the operation is the same. We will point out any differences. The article also talks about running chkdsk from Command Prompt, in case you can't even boot into Windows.

How to use CHKDSK from File Explorer

To use it from within File Explorer, open it This PC and right-click on the drive you want to scan. Then, navigate to How to Use CHKDSK from File Explorer.

When you click Check in section Error checking. checkingWindows will tell you if it found any errors on the selected drive. If it finds errors, you can scan the drive to fix those errors. If not, Windows will advise you on ways to combat that error.

Windows will tell you if it found any errors on the selected drive
Windows will tell you if it found any errors on the selected drive

However, if you want to scan the drive anyway, just click Scan drives in the dialog box. This will start the CHKDSK scan.

Click Scan drive in the dialog box
Click Scan drive in the dialog box

How to use lChkdsk with Command Prompt

If using Command Prompt, users will have more control during the drive check process. Additionally, if you are using Windows 8 or 10, this is the only way to perform automatic scanning or bad sector scanning at the same time. Open Command Prompt with admin rights by pressing Windows + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin)“. The chkdsk command supports a number of switch commands, but only two of them need to be considered, /f and /r.

If you just use the chkdsk command, it will scan the drive in read-only mode, reporting errors but not repairing them. For this reason, it usually runs without restarting the computer.

Just run the chkdsk command

If you want chkdsk to repair file system errors during scanning, add the /f switch command. Note that if the drive has files in use, the user will be prompted to schedule a scan for the next boot.

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chkdsk /fc:

Run the chkdsk command with the /f switch

If you want chkdsk to scan bad sectors, use the switch /r command. When using the /r switch command, it means chkdsk will scan for both logical errors and bad sectors. Additionally, users can use both the /r and /f switch commands at the same time.

chkdsk /rc:

Run the chkdsk command with the /r switch command

Running chkdsk /r will fully scan a drive partition, and if you have time to check sectors, you should run it at least periodically.

Of course, there are other parameters you can use with chkdsk like:

C: \> chkdsk /?

Checks the drive and displays a status report.

CHKDSK [volume[[path]filename]]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/I] [/C] [/L[:size]] [/B]
volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
mount point, or volume name.
filename FAT/FAT32 only: Specifies the files to check for fragmentation.
/F Fixes errors on the disk.
/V On FAT/FAT32: Displays the full path and name of every file
on the disk.
On NTFS: Displays cleanup messages if any.
/R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information
(implies /F).
/L:size NTFS only: Changes the log file size to the specified number
of kilobytes. If size is not specified, displays current
size.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
All opened handles to the volume would then be invalid
(implies /F).
/I NTFS only: Performs a less vigorous check of index entries.
/C NTFS only: Skips checking of cycles within the folder
structure.
/B NTFS only: Re-evaluates bad clusters on the volume
(implies /R)

/I or /C Reduces the amount of time needed to run Chkdsk by skipping some volume checks.

Hopefully, the Chkdsk tool will fix any hard drive problems users may encounter.

Use CHKDSK in older versions of Windows

Older versions of Windows can still run CHKDSK just like on Windows 10. You can run error checking from File Explorer or use the CHKDSK command for Command Prompt – all commands are the same.

Here's how to access Command Prompt in older versions of Windows:

  • Windows 8: On the keyboard, press the icon Windows + C to open the Charms Bar. Click Searchthen enter cmd.
  • Windows 7 and Windows Vista: Open the Start menu and enter cmd.
  • Windows XP: Click Start, then click Runthen enter cmd.
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For older versions of Windows, the CHKDSK diagnostic utility may be called ScanDisk. The ScanDisk utility also checks and repairs hard drive file system errors, but cannot check for errors on NTFS drives, which is the default file system in new versions of Windows.

If your PC is running at a very slow speed even after running CHKDSK, you may need to defragment your hard drive to reorganize your system data. And remember to check out Quantrimang.com's instructions for cloning your hard drive, wiping your old drive, or formatting your hard drive.

How to check or cancel Disk Check schedule

If you are not sure about running Disk Check, you can easily check in Command Prompt. Run Command Prompt with admin rights by pressing Start and type “command prompt“, right click on the result and select “Run as administrator“.

Run Command Prompt with admin rights

In Command Prompt, type the following command, substituting the drive letter if necessary.

chkntfs c:

If you have scheduled a manual check of the drive, there will be a message as shown below:

Notice to schedule a manual check of the drive

If Windows has scheduled automatic checks of the drive, the user will see a message stating that the drive area may be flagged for potential errors. This means that Windows will run a check the next time it starts. Without scheduled automatic scanning, you will only see a message indicating that the drive area is clean.

Notice clean drive partition

If Disk Check has been scheduled for the next Windows startup, users can cancel it by typing the following command:

chkntfs /xc:

Cancel the drive scanning command

The user will not receive any notification about this abort, but this command actually excludes the drive from the chkdsk command for the next boot. If you restart and see a scheduled scan, Windows will give you about ten seconds to cancel if you want.

Skip the drive check by pressing any key

CHKDSK is a handy tool, so learn how to use it

CHKDSK can save your files from disaster before it happens. Therefore, regularly check your hard drive for logical errors and bad sectors. And while scanning with CHKDSK is usually enough in most cases, keep in mind that sometimes you may need to run some additional scans like SFC.

Wishing you success!

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