CHKDSK Errors

^{How to Troubleshoot and Repair CHKDSK Errors}

Common CHKDSK Errors

About the Microsoft CHKDSK Scanning Tool

CHKDSK is a disk scanning utility that has been included in all Windows operating systems since MS DOS, in one form or another. Hard disk scanning tools included in different versions of Microsoft operating systems are programmed to be compatible with specific hard disk file systems. The first CHKDSK tool in MS DOS scanned, repaired and restored FAT-16 file systems. The second scanning tool, called Scandisk, worked with the next generation FAT system 32. The most recent CHKDSK scanning utility is designed to work with the NTFS file system, first introduced on the Windows NT operating system.

Causes of CHKDSK Errors

CHKDSK is popular for scanning computer volumes and drives for physical errors and bad clusters on hard disk partitions. An accumulation of hard drive errors can affect system performance and render the computer unstable.

To run the CHKDSK tool in read-only mode to scan the hard drive for errors without attempting to restore data or repair errors, the command entry is chkdsk c:

There are different commands for different processes:

• /f – fixes disk errors
• /v – lists the name of every file as it is checked
• /r – finds and attempts to recover readable data from bad sectors
• /x – for use with NTFS systems only – forces disk to dismount
• /i – for use with NTFS only – runs less rigorous scan, reducing time
• /c – for use with NTFS only – skips some cycles, reducing time

Problems Using CHKDSK

However, while CHKDSK solves several problems and can recover and restore corrupt data, it can sometimes cause problems of its own. When CHKDSK is pre-set to run automatically on boot up or is programmed to run at scheduled times, it can run in a way that interferes with other processes.

If your operating system thinks it experiences a hard drive error, it might launch CHKDSK to attempt to repair it. Sometimes the system can misunderstand the error and result in more problems.

If your computer is improperly shutdown due to a power failure, system crash or human error, the pre-set CHKDSK might launch itself automatically to scan for a hard drive error responsible for the problem. If this happens, the system can get stuck in a loop of identifying and re-initiating the error.

The CHKDSK tool is very good at doing what it is supposed to do, which means that if the hard drive, cluster and sector errors are actually caused by the hard disk file system, then the CHKDSK utility is the right program to repair the damage and resolve the problem. However, if the errors are a result of something else, running the CHKDSK sequence can have more damaging results. The CHKDSK repair attempts could compound the situation, making errors where there weren’t any. For example, an attempt to repair data could cause it to become fragmented or corrupt beyond repair.

If you are unsure of the cause of a problem and want to stop an automatic launch of CHKDSK, press ESC as soon as it opens to cancel. The computer will boot up and you will have the possibility to make back up copies of your files before you try to fix the hard drive.

CHKDSK Articles

• What Does CHKDSK Do?
• How to run CHKDSK in Microsoft Windows XP
• How to run CHKDSK in Windows Vista
• CHKDSK Options
• Running CHKDSK from a Command Prompt
• What if CHKDSK isn't able to fix the disk?
• CHKDSK vs Scandisk
• Common CHKDSK Errors
• Troubleshooting Hard Disk Errors with CHKDSK
• Scheduling Regular CHKDSK Scans

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