Submit a contribution
Original post : chkdsk - Guide for Windows 10, 11, XP, Vista, 7, 8.
Name
Email
Description
CHKDSK is a Windows utility that can check the integrity of your hard disk and can fix various file system errors. CHKDSK (or chkdsk.exe) is short for "check disk". [toc] It's recommended to use this utility when your computer shows various boot errors. The check disk utility can be run if you need a fix for the following errors: <ul> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/0x00000024/">0x00000024</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/blue-screen-of-death/">Various blue screen of death errors</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/ntdetect-failed/">NTDETECT failed</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/ntldr-fatal-error-boot/">Fatal error reading boot.ini</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/ntoskrnl-exe-missing-corrupt/">NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/0x0000007b/">0x0000007B</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/0xc0000001/#Fix_48120c0000001_in_Windows_Vista">0xc0000001 on a Windows Vista computer</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/0xc000014c/#Fix_48120c000014C_in_Windows_8">0xc000014C on a Windows 8 computer</a></li> <li>and others</li> </ul> The check disk utility can repair problems such as: <ul> <li>bad sectors</li> <li>lost clusters</li> <li>cross-linked files</li> <li>directory errors</li> </ul> <h2>Screenshots</h2> The check disk tool can be run via Command Prompt or, if you can boot into Windows from <strong>My Computer > Properties > Tools</strong> depending on the Windows version you installed on your PC. The command line tool can be ran on a Windows XP computer from within the Windows XP Recovery Console: <img class="size-full wp-image-2437" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/chkdsk-windows-xp-recovery-console.jpg" alt="chkdsk in Windows XP Recovery Console" /> The utility from within Windows XP, from My Computer and not Command Prompt: <img class="size-full wp-image-2438" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/chkdsk-windows-xp-interface.png" alt="chkdsk in Windows XP at My Computer" /> This is how you start a scan with the disk utility if you can boot into Windows Vista: <img class="size-full wp-image-2439" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/chkdsk-utility-windows-vista.jpg" alt="chkdsk in Windows Vista at My Computer" /> <h2>How to run CHKDSK in Windows</h2> This utility is available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 or 8.1. If you can boot into Windows, you can run the check disk utility on each hard drive or partition you have available in My Computer. If you can't boot the operating system, you can run the tool from Command Prompt either by booting your computer into the Recovery Mode or by using the original installation disc to run Command Prompt. <h3>CHKDSK in Windows XP</h3> If you can boot into Windows XP, you can run the utility either from the Command Prompt or from My Computer. <h4>From Command Prompt</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows XP to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows XP - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run the utility from the Command Prompt, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot your computer</li> <li>Go to <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Run</strong></li> <li>Type <code>cmd</code> in the box: <img class="size-full wp-image-2440" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-xp-run-cmd.jpg" alt="Windows XP - cmd command at Run" /></li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>You can now type <code>chkdsk</code> to open the utility in a read-only mode <img class="size-full wp-image-2441" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-xp-cmd-open.gif" alt="Windows XP Command Prompt" /></li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>To repair errors, follow these instructions: <ul> <li>To repair errors without scanning for any bad sectors, type <code>chkdsk volume: /f</code> and press <kbd>Enter</kbd>, where <code>volume</code> is the letter of the drive you'd like to run a scan for, e.g. <code>C:</code> or <code>D:</code> Example of a command you need to type if your volume is <code>C:</code> <pre>chkdsk C: /f</pre> </li> <li>To repair errors and scan for bad sectors, type <code>chkdsk volume: /r</code> and press <kbd>Enter</kbd>, where volume is the letter of the drive you'd like to repair, e.g. <code>C:</code> or <code>D:</code> Example of command you need to type if the volume you want to scan is <code>D:</code> <pre>chkdsk D: /r</pre> </li> </ul> </li> </ol> <h4>From My Computer</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows XP to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows XP - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run CHKDSK from within Windows XP, but without Command Prompt, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot your computer</li> <li>Go to on <strong>My Computer</strong> (double-click on the icon)</li> <li>Right-click on the hard disk you'd like to run the utility on</li> <li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Tools</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Error-checking</em> tab, select <strong>Check Now </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2442" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-xp-error-checking-check-now.jpg" alt="Windows XP Error Checking in My Computer" /></li> <li>To run the utility in the read-only mode, simply click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>To repair errors, follow these instructions: <ul> <li>To repair errors without scanning for bad sectors, select the <strong>Automatically fix file system errors</strong> box and click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>To repair errors and scan for bad sectors, select the <strong>Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors</strong> box and click <strong>Start</strong></li> </ul> </li> <li>Once finished, the utility will notify you if the scan reported errors (<em>Errors were found and fixed.</em>) or not (<em>No errors were found.</em>)</li> </ol> <h4>From the installation disc</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you don't have the installation disc to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows XP - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can't boot into Windows XP to run the utility use your original Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to open Recovery Console. To do so, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Insert the installation CD in the disk tray</li> <li>Restart your computer to boot from the CD</li> <li>At the "<em>Press any key</em>" message, press any key to make sure you boot from the CD</li> <li>At the Windows Options menu, press <kbd>R</kbd> to open <strong>Recovery Console </strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/windows-xp-r-recovery-console.jpg" /></li> <li>Enter the Administrator password</li> <li>When Command Prompt appears on your screen, type the command you need: <pre>chkdsk C: /r</pre> where <code>C:</code> is the letter of the drive where Windows is installed and the <code>/r</code> parameter will try to repair errors and scan for bad sectors.</li> </ol> <h3>CHKDSK in Windows Vista</h3> To run this utility on Windows Vista computer, you can choose any of the following methods: <ul> <li>From Command Prompt, if you can boot into Windows Vista</li> <li>From My Computer</li> <li>From the Recovery Console of your original installation</li> </ul> disk <h4>From Command Prompt</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows Vista to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows Vista - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can boot into your operating system, run Command Prompt: <ol> <li>Open Windows Vista</li> <li>Go to <strong>Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt</strong> or in the search box type <code>Command Prompt</code> and double-click the Command Prompt item available in the search results list. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2443" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-vista-command-prompt-run-as-administrator.png" alt="Windows Vista - Run Command Prompt as Administrator" /></li> <li>When Command Prompt launches, type the command: <pre>chkdsk C: /r</pre> </li> <li>If Windows Vista is installed on another drive that's not labeled as <code>C:</code>, replace <code>C:</code> with the letter of your hard disk: <pre>chkdsk D: /r</pre> </li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> If Command Prompt shows errors, try to run the command again until it shows no errors. <h4>From My Computer</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows Vista to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows Vista - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> You can also run the utility by going to Computer (My Computer): <ol> <li>Click the <strong>Start</strong> button</li> <li>Go to <strong>Computer</strong></li> <li>Right-click on the drive you want check</li> <li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Tools</em> tab, under the <em>Error-checking</em> section, click <strong>Check Now </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2444" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-vista-error-checking-check-now.jpg" alt="Windows Vista - Error checking in My Computer" /></li> <li>If prompted, enter the Administrator password</li> <li>You can now run the disk check tool: <ul> <li>To automatically repair errors, select <strong>Automatically fix file system errors </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2445" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/chkdsk-fix-file-system-errors.gif" alt="chkdsk - Check disk options" /></li> <li>To perform a thorough check, select <strong>Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors</strong></li> <li>You can also check both <strong>Automatically fix file system errors</strong> and <strong>Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors</strong></li> </ul> </li> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> </ol> Don't use the computer until the disk check is done. It may take several minutes depending on the hard disk size. <h4>From the installation disc</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you don't have the installation disc to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows Vista - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can't boot into Windows Vista, use the original installation disc to open Command Prompt (the Recovery Console) and run the commands you need: <ol> <li>Insert the install disc and restart your computer</li> <li>Press any key when the message appear to boot from the disk</li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer </strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-vista-repair-your-computer.png" alt="Install Windows Vista screen" /></li> <li>Select Command Prompt <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-vista-system-recovery-options.jpg" /></li> <li>Enter the Administrator password, if prompted</li> <li>When Command Prompt appears, type the command: <pre>chkdsk c: /r</pre> where <code>C:</code> is your hard disk drive's letter (can be different from <code>C:</code> used here).</li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> <h3>CHKDSK in Windows 7</h3> The steps to run this utility in Windows 7 are similar to those of Windows Vista. <h4>From Command Prompt</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 7 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 7 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can boot into Windows 7, run the utility from Command Prompt directly: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Type <code>cmd</code> at the Search program and files search box</li> <li>Right-click on cmd.exe</li> <li>Click <strong>Run as Administrator </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2446" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-7-cmd-run-as-administrator.jpg" alt="Windows 7 - Run Command Prompt as Administrator" /></li> <li>Type in your Administrator password</li> <li>When cmd.exe opens, type the command: <pre>chkdsk</pre> </li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>You can run the tool with more parameters, like this: <pre>chkdsk c: /r</pre> This will check the drive for errors and will automatically try to fix any found errors.</li> <li>If you receive the "<em>Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.</em>" message, type <code>Y</code> to restart the computer and let the utility to run a scan at the next boot of your PC</li> <li>After you typed <code>Y</code>, close the Command Prompt</li> <li>Restart the computer by going to <strong>Start > Shutdown > Restart</strong></li> <li>At the next boot, the check disk utility will automatically run a scan</li> </ol> <h4>From My Computer</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 7 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 7 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> The check disk utility can also be ran from My Computer to check for errors on your hard disk. To do so, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Right-click on the <strong>Start</strong> icon</li> <li>Click <strong>Open Windows Explorer</strong></li> <li>On the left side of the window, click <strong>Computer</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Hard Disk Drives</em> section, right-click on the volume you want to check for errors</li> <li>Click Properties</li> <li>Go to the <strong>Tools</strong> Tab</li> <li>At the <em>Error-checking</em> section click <strong>Check now </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2447" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-7-error-checking-check-now.png" alt="Windows 7 - Error checking in My Computer" /></li> <li>You can now run the check disk utility: select <strong>Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors</strong> to let the utility attempt to repair any hard drive errors found</li> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> </ol> If the volume you want to check is in use, e.g. <code>C:/</code> where Windows Vista is installed, you may receive the following error message: <pre>Windows can't check the disk while it's in use Do you want to check for hard disk errors the next time you start your computer? Schedule disk check | Cancel</pre> If so, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Schedule disk check</strong></li> <li>Exit any open programs</li> <li>Restart your computer</li> <li>Your computer will now restart and automatically boot and the utility will perform a scan automatically</li> </ol> If you receive the "<em>Do you want to dismount this volume first?</em>" message, follow the steps below. This message appears if the volume you want to checked is locked, even if it's not in use (e.g. the C:/ drive): <pre>Windows can't check the disk while it's in use Do you want to dismount this volume first? Note: All opened handles to this volume will become invalid. Force a dismount | Cancel</pre> If so, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Force a dismount</strong></li> <li>A scan will automatically start now</li> </ol> <h4>From the installation disc</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you don't have the installation disc to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 7 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> Follow these steps: <ol> <li>Insert the original Windows disc</li> <li>Restart your PC and boot from the disc</li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer </strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/10/Install-Now-Windows-7.jpg" /></li> <li>Choose the operating system from the list</li> <li>Click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Choose <strong>Command Prompt</strong> <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/windows-7-system-recovery-options-screen.jpg" /></li> <li>When it opens, type the command: <pre>chkdsk C: /f /r</pre> </li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> <h3>CHKDSK in Windows 8 or 8.1</h3> Windows 8 or 8.1 users can run this utility by choosing any of the following methods: <ul> <li><a href="#From_Command_Prompt-4">From Command Prompt</a></li> <li><a href="#From_My_Computer-4">From My Computer</a></li> <li><a href="#From_the_installation_disc-4">From installation disc</a></li> </ul> <h4>From Command Prompt</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 8/8.1 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 8/8.1 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run it from Command Prompt, here are the instructions: <ol> <li>Log into Windows 8/8.1</li> <li>Press the [winkey] and <kbd>C</kbd> key to open the Charm bar</li> <li>Select <strong>Search</strong></li> <li>Type-in <code>cmd</code></li> <li>Right-click on <strong>Command Prompt</strong> from the search results list <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2449" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-8-search-results-cmd.jpg" alt="Windows 8 - cmd in search list" /></li> <li>Click <strong>Run as administrator </strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2450" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-8-run-as-administrator.png" alt="Windows 8 - Run as Administrator option" /></li> <li>Log in as an Administrator</li> <li>When Command Prompt launches, type the command: <pre>chkdsk C: /f /r /x</pre> The parameters for this command are: <code>/f</code> option will attempt to fix any found errors <code>/r</code> option will locate for bad sectors and recovery any readable information <code>/x</code> option will force the volume you're about to check to be dismounted before the utility begins a scan If the <code>C:</code> drive is in use, type <code>Y</code> to run a scan at your PC's next restart. If so, exit Command Prompt and restart the computer.</li> </ol> <h4>From My Computer</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 8/8.1 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 8/8.1 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run the check disk utility from Computer (My Computer), follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot into Windows 8/8.1</li> <li>Double-click on <strong>Computer</strong> (My Computer) to open it</li> <li>Select the drive you want to run a check on, e.g. <code>C:\</code></li> <li>Right-click on the drive</li> <li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li> <li>Go to the <strong>Tools</strong> tab</li> <li>Select <strong>Check</strong>, at the <em>Error checking</em> section</li> <li>If you receive the following message, click <strong>Scan drive</strong> to begin the scan: <pre>You don't need to scan this drive We haven't found any errors on this drive. You can still scan the drive for errors if you want. Scan Drive</pre> </li> <li>You can keep using the drive during the scan. If errors are found, you can decide if you want to fix them. Depending on the results of this scan, the utility will report the results: If no errors were found, you'll see this message: <pre>Your drive was successfully scanned Windows successfully scanned the drive. No errors were found.</pre> If errors were found, you'll see this message instead: <pre>Restart your computer to repair file system. You can restart right away or schedule the error fixing on next restart.</pre> </li> </ol> <h4>From the installation disc</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you don't have the installation disc to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 8/8.1 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can't boot into Windows 8/8.1 to run Command Prompt, you can use the original Windows 8/8.1 installation disc to run Command Prompt from there. To do so, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Insert the installation disc</li> <li>Restart your computer</li> <li>Press any key to boot from the disc, at the "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD..." message</li> <li>Choose your keyboard layout</li> <li>Select your language, time and a keyboard method</li> <li>Click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li> </ol> <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png" /> <ul> <li>At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png" /></li> <li>At the <em>Troubleshoot</em> screen, click <strong>Advanced options</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Advanced options</em> screen, click <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li> <li>When Command Prompt launches, type the command: <pre>chkdsk C: /f /x /r</pre> </li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ul> <h3>CHKDSK in Windows 10</h3> Windows 10 users can run this utility by choosing any of the following methods: <ul> <li><a href="#From_Command_Prompt-5">From Command Prompt</a></li> <li><a href="#From_My_Computer-5">From My Computer</a></li> <li><a href="#From_the_installation_disc-5">From installation disc</a></li> </ul> <h4>From Command Prompt</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 10 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 10 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run it from Command Prompt, here are the instructions: <ol> <li>Log into Windows 10</li> <li>Press the [winkey] key to open the Start Menu</li> <li>Select <strong>Search</strong></li> <li>Type-in <code>cmd</code></li> <li>Right-click on <strong>Command Prompt</strong> from the search results list <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5200" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/cmd.png" alt="cmd" width="320" height="480" /></li> <li>Click <strong>Run as administrator</strong></li> <li>Log in as an Administrator</li> <li>When Command Prompt launches, type the command: <pre>chkdsk C: /f /r /x</pre> The parameters for this command are: <code>/f</code> option will attempt to fix any found errors <code>/r</code> option will locate for bad sectors and recovery any readable information <code>/x</code> option will force the volume you're about to check to be dismounted before the utility begins a scan If the <code>C:</code> drive is in use, type <code>Y</code> to run a scan at your PC's next restart. If so, exit Command Prompt and restart the computer.</li> </ol> <h4>From My Computer</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you can't boot into Windows 10 to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 10 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> To run the check disk utility from Computer (My Computer), follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot into Windows 10</li> <li>Double-click on <strong>Computer</strong> (My Computer) to open it</li> <li>Select the drive you want to run a check on, e.g. <code>C:\</code></li> <li>Right-click on the drive</li> <li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li> <li>Go to the <strong>Tools</strong> tab</li> <li>Select <strong>Check</strong>, at the <em>Error checking</em> section</li> <li>If you receive the following message, click <strong>Scan drive</strong> to begin the scan: <pre>You don't need to scan this drive We haven't found any errors on this drive. You can still scan the drive for errors if you want. Scan Drive</pre> </li> <li>You can keep using the drive during the scan. If errors are found, you can decide if you want to fix them. Depending on the results of this scan, the utility will report the results: If no errors were found, you'll see this message: <pre>Your drive was successfully scanned Windows successfully scanned the drive. No errors were found.</pre> If errors were found, you'll see this message instead: <pre>Restart your computer to repair file system. You can restart right away or schedule the error fixing on next restart.</pre> </li> </ol> <h4>From the installation disc</h4> <p class="info"><strong>If you don't have the installation disc to run chkdsk</strong>, <a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">download Easy Recovery Essentials</a> - our recovery disk for Windows 10 - and run Automated Repair or Command Prompt directly. You can burn EasyRE on CDs, DVDs or USBs.</p> If you can't boot into Windows 10 to run Command Prompt, you can use the original Windows 10 installation disc to run Command Prompt from there. To do so, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Insert the installation disc</li> <li>Restart your computer</li> <li>Press any key to boot from the disc, at the "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD..." message</li> <li>Choose your keyboard layout</li> <li>Select your language, time and a keyboard method</li> <li>Click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4977" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/08/Win10_setup.png" alt="win10_setup" width="603" height="419" /></li> <li>At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5201" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/Win10_restore.png" alt="win10_restore" width="1024" height="768" /></li> </ol> <h2>Commands and parameters</h2> The check disk utility has several parameters that you can use: <code>/c</code> - applicable to a NTFS volume only <code>/f</code> - this option fixes errors on a volume <code>/i</code> - applicable to a NTFS volume only. This option performs a check of index entries <code>/r</code> - this option also implies the <code>/f</code> and <code>/p</code> option. This option locates the bad sectors of your hard drive and recovers any readable information Depending if you run the utility from Command Prompt or Recovery Console, the following parameters are different: <code>/p</code> - this fixes any errors on a volume. In your standard Command Prompt <code>/p</code> is only read-only The mandatory requirement of this utility is the volume you're about to check must not be locked. If a volume you're about to scan is locked, you'll receive this message: <pre>Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)</pre> If so, type <kbd>Y</kbd> and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> to perform a scan at the next boot of your system. <h2>Download chkdsk</h2> chkdsk can't be downloaded as it's a command available with Windows. You can use the original installation disc to run the utility tool. You can download Easy Recovery Essentials and open Command Prompt to run specific chkdsk commands: <p class="info"><strong>You can burn Easy Recovery Essentials to CDs, DVDs or USBs and run Command Prompt.</strong></p> <ol> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/EasyRE/">Download Easy Recovery Essentials</a></li> <li>Burn the ISO Image. Follow our <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/creating-a-bootable-cd-or-dvd/">instructions on how to burn a bootable ISO image</a>. If you'd like to have a recovery USB instead, follow our <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/tips-and-tricks/easyre-recovery-usb/">instructions on how to make a recovery USB</a>.</li> <li>Boot into the recovery media</li> <li>Select <strong>Launch Command Line</strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/EasyRE-Home.png" /></li> </ol> <h2>Troubleshooting</h2> <h3>Cannot continue in read-only mode</h3> If you receive the "<em>Errors found. CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode.</em>" error message after running a check disk command, make sure you run the command with the <code>/r</code> parameter: <pre>chkdsk /f</pre> If the disk check utility must be ran on another volume, update the command with the letter of the drive you want to run a scan for: <pre>chkdsk D: /f</pre> <h3>Cannot run because the volume is in the use by another process</h3> If you receive this error message when running the tool: <pre>Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in the use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts.</pre> You need to type <kbd>Y</kbd> to make sure the utility runs at the next boot. If so, type <kbd>Y</kbd>, restart the computer and let the tool to perform the scan. <h3>Cannot lock current drive</h3> If the check disk utility shows the "<em>Cannot lock current drive.</em>" error message, make sure the command you're performing has the <strong>/r</strong> option: <pre>chkdsk /r</pre> If this doesn't work, try disabling System Restore for the entire session you're trying to run a scan and other protection software, such as: antivirus, firewall, spyware etc. Another alternative command is: <pre>chkdsk C: /f /r /x</pre> <h3>stop chkdsk on every boot</h3> If the utility runs a scan at every boot without stopping, you can try a few solutions. Before you follow the instructions below, make sure you let the scan to be 100% completed and then restart your computer. If the check disk runs again, even if the previous scan was 100% complete, continue with the steps below. <strong>Fix #1:</strong> Check if there is a scheduled scan. To do so, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Open <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li> <li>Type <code>chkntfs c:</code>, where <code>c:</code> is the letter of the drive you ran a check</li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>If the message is the following, then a check scan is scheduled on the c: drive: <pre>The type of file system is NTFS. Chkdsk has been scheduled manually to run on next reboot on volume C:.</pre> </li> <li>If there isn't any scheduled scan, the message will be: <pre>The type of the file system is NTFS. C: is not dirty.</pre> </li> <li>To cancel a scheduled scan, type: <pre>chkntfs /x c:</pre> </li> </ol> <strong>Fix #2:</strong> Another option to fix this issue is to open the Registry Editor: <ol> <li>Boot into Windows</li> <li>Open the <strong>Registry Editor</strong></li> <li>Go to this key: <pre>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager</pre> </li> <li>At the <strong>BootExecute</strong> key, check the value.If the value is <code>autocheck autochk * /.</code>, you need to change it to <code>autocheck autochk *</code></li> </ol> <h3>chkdsk won't finish</h3> If the utility won't finish a scan, make sure you run the command with the <strong>/r</strong> parameter, like this: <pre>chkdsk /r</pre> <h3>chkdsk won't run at startup</h3> If the check disk won't run a scan at startup after being scheduled to do so, follow any of the following fixes. <strong>Fix #1:</strong> Check the BootExecute key in the Registry Editor: <ol> <li>Open Registry Editor</li> <li>Find this key: <pre>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager key</pre> </li> <li>Check the value for the <strong>BootExecute</strong> key.If the value is <code>autocheck autochk * /.</code>, you need to change it to <code>autocheck autochk *</code></li> </ol> <strong>Fix #2:</strong> Run sfc You can also run the <code>sfc /scannow</code> command and then run <code>chkdsk /r</code> again: <ol> <li>Open <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li> <li>Type the command: <pre>sfc /scannow</pre> </li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>After the sfc process is complete, run the check disk utility.</li> </ol> <h2>More Information</h2> [partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,10,11,server2003,server2008,server2012,server2016,server2019,server2022"]