how to scan and repair hard drive windows 10

by Jovany Bechtelar Sr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Open This PC in File Explorer > right-click the HDD/SSD you want to scan > choose "Properties".
Under the Tools tab > click the "Check" button under the Error-checking section.
Next, you can choose to Scan drive if wanted or Repair drive if errors were found.
When the scanning finishes, click on the Show Details link to see the CHKDSK log in Event Viewer.

Right-click on the drive you saw in the Windows “scan and repair” message and select Properties. Go to Tools and, under Error checking, select Check. If errors are revealed during the scanning process, a new window will pop up suggesting you repair the drive. Click Repair.

How to repair a corrupted hard drive in Windows 10?

Update the Disk Driver to Fix Corrupted Hard Drive Without Formatting

Right-click on This PC or My Computer and select Properties.
On the left panel, click Device Manager to open the Device Manager. ...
Right-click your drive and choose "Update driver".
Select "Search automatically for updated driver software..." Repairing a hard drive is a difficult task, even for the experts.

How to run chkdsk in Windows 10 [3 easy ways]?

Way 3: Run CHKDSK from Cortana

On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type chkdsk C: /f /r /x. (You can replace C with any drives you want a disk check on).
Right-click on the command and click Run as administrator .
Wait until the whole disk check process finishes and restart your computer.

What does CHKDSK do Windows 10?

The ‘/f’ parameter allows CHKDSK to fix the errors if it discovers any during the scan.
The ‘/r’ parameter lets CHKDSK to locate bad sectors and recovers readable information.
The ‘/x’ parameter open handles to the drive that are invalidated.

How to run SFC /scannow in Windows 10?

Run SFC scannow in Safe Mode

Right-click on the Start menu.
Hold the Shift key and click on “ Shut down or sign out -> Restart .”
Select the “ Troubleshoot ” option.
Select “ Advanced options .”
Click on “ Startup settings .”
Click on the “ Restart ” button.
Press “ 6 ” on your keyboard to boot into safe mode with Command Prompt.
Open the Command Prompt window.

More items...

How to check if a hard drive is chkdsk?

Why is my hard drive shrinking after using CHKDSK?

What is a logical file system error?

How to run chkdsk?

What is a boot drive?

Can CHKDSK lock a boot drive?

See more

About this website

How do I scan and repair my hard drive?

Click Start and then click My Computer.Right-click the hard disk drive to scan, and click Properties.In the Local Disk Properties window, click the Tools tab.Click Check Now.In the Check Disk Local Disk window, click to select the box next to Automatically fix file system errors.Click Start.

How do I fix a corrupted hard drive Windows 10?

How To Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive On Windows 10 (2022)Method #1: Connect to Motherboard USB Port.Method #2: Test Another Device.Method #3: Scan for Viruses.Method #4: Assign or Change the Drive Letter.Method #5: Update or Reinstall Drivers.Method #6: Repair Using CHKDSK.Method #7: Repair Using SFC & DISM.More items...•

What does Scanning and repairing drive C mean Windows 10?

If the "Scanning and repairing drive" process gets stuck, it suggests that there is trouble reading the drive, which might result from disk connection issues or disk errors like bad sectors and file system errors.

Can Windows 10 repair CHKDSK?

CHKDSK is a very powerful tool for scanning and fixing hard drives on Windows 10 computers. By following the steps outlined above, you can use this helpful function to optimize your PC's performance and fix issues with your drive.

Can corrupted hard drive be fixed?

You can fix a corrupted hard drive by running the CHKDSK command in Command Prompt. Caution: The CHKDSK command known for scanning and repairing drive, allow to use /f and /r attributes to fix the corruption in the hard disk.

How can I repair my hard drive without formatting?

How to Restore Data from External Hard Drive Without Formatting?Scan Your Computer for Viruses.Use CHKDSK to Fix File System Errors.Replace Corrupted Files with SFC.Recover Your Files with Data Recovery Software.

Will repairing a disk erase it Windows?

It shouldn't erase any data - just update the files under c:\windows (or wherever you installed windows to). Having said that it would be prudent to back up your data first - if necessary by plugging your hard-drive into another computer - just in case.

Why is my computer saying Scanning and repairing drive?

You will typically get the “Scanning and repairing drive” message when your computer hasn't been properly switched off: due to a forced shutdown, a power failure, etc. Why does it happen? When you are working on your PC, your hard disk and RAM are writing and reading data.

Does repairing a drive erase it?

No, but the damage may be so severe that it can't be repaired. You could already have data loss. It's also possible that a repair of a badly-damaged disk could result in data loss, such as if the failure is a hardware issue and the repair causes it to fail completely.

Does CHKDSK fix corrupt files?

Will CHKDSK recover data? It is not a data recovery tool and will not recover lost or damaged files. CHKDSK will simply ensure the information currently on the disk is in a consistent and safe state.

Should I use CHKDSK F or R?

Use the /r parameter to find physical disk errors in the file system and attempt to recover data from any affected disk sectors. If you specify the /f parameter, chkdsk displays an error message if there are open files on the disk.

Which is better CHKDSK R or F?

In disk terms, CHKDSK /R scans the entire disk surface, sector by sector, to make sure every sector can be read properly. As a result, a CHKDSK /R takes significantly longer than /F, since it's concerned with the entire surface of the disk, not just the parts involved in the Table of Contents.

How do I fix a corrupted and unreadable hard drive?

Part 1: Top 7 Ways to Fix "The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable" in Windows 11/10/8/7Change the Location of Inaccessible Files. ... Disable or Uninstall Anti-Virus Software. ... Scan Drive from Disk Properties. ... Perform the Startup Repair of the Disk. ... Perform a Disk Check through CMD on Windows 11/10/8/7.More items...•

How do I fix a corrupted internal hard drive?

How do I fix a corrupted hard drive without formatting?Run the antivirus software to kill virus and malware.Run CHKDSK scan to find and fix drive problems.Run SFC scan to fix damaged/missing system files.Use data recovery tool like MiniTool Power Data Recovery.Update the corrupted, damaged, or outdated driver.

How do I know if my hard drive is corrupted?

Common symptoms of hard drive corruption include:The drive is completely inaccessible.Sluggish performance.Missing files.'Blue screen of death' (BSoD) – [this can happen if the drive in question contains operating system files]

How do I fix a corrupted hard drive that won't boot?

Fixing “Disk boot failure” on WindowsRestart the computer.Open the BIOS. ... Go to the Boot tab.Change the order to position the hard disk as the 1st option. ... Save these settings.Restart the computer.

How to Run CHKDSK (Check Disk) in Windows 11 - All Things How

Windows has a plethora of command-line utilities at the user’s convenience. The chkdsk (pronounced as check disk) command, is one such great exhibit. This command enables you to scan and verify the logical integrity of your system’s tertiary storage.

How to check if a hard drive is chkdsk?

Open a Windows File Explorer window and navigate to the drive you wish to check. Right-click on the icon for your hard drive and select Properties. Select the Tools tab and click on “Check” to launch CHKDSK with standard parameters.

Why is my hard drive shrinking after using CHKDSK?

One warning note: if you use CHKDSK on an older hard drive, you may find that your hard drive space was significantly reduced after running the command. This result is due to a failing hard drive, as one of the crucial functions that CHKDSK performs is to identify and block bad sectors on the drive.

What is a logical file system error?

Logical file system errors are things like corrupted entries in the drive’s master file table (MFT), a table that tells the drive how files are connected in the murky labyrinths of the drive’s hardware.

How to run chkdsk?

CHKDSK In Previous Editions of Windows 1 In the case of older versions of Windows, users can get to the Command Prompt by going to Start > Run and typing “ cmd ”. 2 Once the Command Prompt result is displayed, right-click on it and select Run as administrator to grant the program the necessary privileges to execute CHKDSK successfully.

What is a boot drive?

A boot drive is the partition of your hard drive that the computer starts up from. Boot partitions are special in many ways, and one of those ways is that they require special handling for CHKDSK to be able to deal with them.

Can CHKDSK lock a boot drive?

CHKDSK needs to be able to lock any boot drive it scans, meaning that it cannot examine the system’s boot drive if the computer is in use. If your target drive is an external or non-boot internal disk, the CHKDSK process will begin as soon as we enter the command above.

How to check if disk is working?

If you get disk error message, you can check drive status first in Control Panel >Security and Maintenance > unfold Maintenance > Drive status. If nothing goes wrong, you’ll see: All drives are working properly, which is typically the case. If you still get the error, what to do?

What to do if you find an error on your computer?

If errors are found, you’ll receive the message: Restart your computer to repair the file system . You can restart right away or schedule the error fixing on next restart.

What is the check disk utility?

For instance, the Check Disk (CHKDSK.exe) utility in Command Prompt and File Explorer helps you to check hard drive integrity, file system errors, bad sectors, lost clusters, and so on. Let’s take a closer look.

Why does chkdsk report spurious errors?

If you run chkdsk without the /f parameter on an active partition, it might report spurious errors because it cannot lock the drive.

How to check for bad sectors in Windows 10?

Run AOMEI Partition Assistant on your Windows 10/11. Right click the drive you want to check and go Advanced > Check Partition. In the pop-out window, you have three options available, check error only, check and fix error, and find bad sectors. Choose the one that suits you.

How to check disk in PowerShell?

Apart from command line checking, Windows also embeds check disk utility with graphical interface, Windows File Explorer. Open This PC, right click the drive you want to check and select Properties > Tools > Check.

Does chkdsk fix errors?

chkdsk. chkdsk displays only the status of volume and does not fix any errors.

Why is scanning and fixing Windows system files important?

The more corrupt the system files are, the more unstable and problematic the Windows operating system will become. Windows may crash or behave differently than you expect. That is why scanning and fixing Windows system files is important.

How to check for files in Windows 10?

To use the System File Checker in Windows 10, Windows 7, or Windows Vista, follow these steps: 1 Close any open programs on the desktop. 2 Select Start . 3 Enter Command Prompt in the Search box. 4 Select Run as administer . 5 Enter an administrator password, if requested to do so, or select Allow . 6 At the Command Prompt, enter SFC /SCANNOW. 7 Press Enter to begin the scan of all protected system files. 8 Do not close the Command Prompt window until the scan is 100% complete.

What is a system file checker?

The System File Checker program scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted or incorrect versions with the correct Microsoft versions. This procedure can be beneficial, especially if your computer displays error messages or runs erratically.

How long does it take for a file checker to work?

It may take from 30 minutes to a couple of hours for the System File Checker to scan and fix the Windows system files. It works fastest if you don't use the computer during this process. If you continue to use the PC, performance will be slow.

Does Windows Resource Protection find integrity violations?

Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations. The computer isn't missing any files or doesn't have any corrupted system files. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.

How to repair a corrupted hard drive?

You can fix a corrupted hard drive via CHKDSK command. Type cmd in the Windows search box. Right-click the best match and then choose Run as administrator. Type CHKDSK *: /f /r (* represents the drive letter of the specific drive that you want to repair in the Command Prompt window and hit Enter.

What to do if your computer cannot read your external hard drive?

If your computer cannot read your external hard drive, you can connect it to another PC to see if the drive can be read and work normally. If it works, you can make external hard drive repair by reinstalling the device drivers on your computer. Here are detailed steps for you to reinstall your hard drive's drivers.

How to recover data from a partition?

Launch Data Recovery. Then select the partition where the data is lost and then click Scan. After scanning completed, check needed files and click Save button to save the recovered data to a safe place. Remember to save the recovered files on another drive. Otherwise, the lost/deleted data could be overwritten.

What recovery software to use for internal hard drive?

To make internal hard drive data recovery, my recommendation is to use reputable and reliable hard drive recovery software MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate.

How to uninstall hard drive?

Right-click the hard disk with hard drive failure and then click Uninstall device to uninstall the drive. Step 4. Restart the computer and connect the hard drive. The drivers will start installing automatically in most cases. After restarting, you can check if your external hard drive can be read.

What happens if a drive doesn't have letters?

Logical Drive: All existing partitions on your computers will be listed here. If a partition does not have drive letters, it will be arranged at the end of the list.

How much does it cost to recover data from a hard drive?

To recover data from a damaged hard drive will only cost you less than $100 with a piece of professional data recovery software, but the prerequisite is that the hard drive is not damaged physically. However, if there are physical faults like bad electronic components on your hard drive, the data recovery cost is relatively high, which varies from $300 to $2000 or even higher.

What is the system file checker tool?

Built inside of every version of Windows 10 is the System File Checker tool, a Swiss army knife of sorts that can help you navigate your way out of some of the trickiest jams you’ll face while using the operating system.

How to check if Windows Resource Protection found integrity violations?

First we’re going to right click the Start button and select Command Prompt (Admin). Leave the window open while it scans, which could take some time depending on your configuration and hardware. Once it’s done, you’ll see “Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.”.

How to make chkdsk scan for problems?

Type chkdsk and hit Enter. This command will make the CHKDSK utility scan for problems without making changes.

What is Windows 10 installation disk?

Your Windows 10 installation disk is a partition of your hard drive isolated from the rest of your data. If you can't access your main hard drive, the installation disk will let you install a fresh version of Windows if necessary. It should be accessible as long as you can turn your computer on.

How to keep your hard drive in top shape?

Keep yours in top shape by running the defragger or letting your chosen malware and virus removal tool do a sweep to make sure there’s nothing hindering your computer’s performance.

What is a bad sector in a hard drive?

Ruined parts of a hard drive are called bad sectors, and CHKDSK can detect them with a disk scan. CHKDSK will then attempt to fix the bad sectors so they’re usable again, potentially recovering the data in the process.

Where is chkdsk in Windows 10?

Type chkdsk in the search box in your taskbar.

What is a red disk?

A disk with red segments representing bad sectors (above) and an organized disk (below).

Can you use chkdsk to fix disk problems?

You can choose different CHKDSK parameters to pinpoint specific problems. The chkdsk command will search the disk drive for issues, but it won't fix any of them. If your results tell you that “No further action is required,” you won’t need to use these commands this time.

How to scan a drive for a problem?

Step 1. Input cmd in the Windows 10 Cortana search box. Right-click the best match then select Run as administrator. Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt, type CHKDSK *: /f (* represents the drive letter of the specific drive that you want to scan and fix) and then press Enter .

How to check for hard drive errors?

The best way to check and fix hard drive errors or bad sectors to keep it healthy is to use Windows built-in CHKDSK utility - a useful hard disk scanning and repair utility which helps to examine hard drives for errors and repair them.

How to run chkdsk?

To run chkdsk, please type cmd in the Windows 10 Cortana search box. Right-click the best match Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. In the command prompt window, type chkdsk e: /f (e represents the drive letter of the specific drive you want to scan and fix). Then CHKDSK will scan your drive and fix detected errors automatically.

How to run CHKDSK on Windows 10?

Step 1. Insert Windows 10 installation disc or USB flash drive with Windows. Step 2.

How to check if a drive is corrupted?

Step 1. Right-click Windows Start Menu and select Disk Management to open it . Step 2. When you get the main interface of Disk Management, you can select the drive that you want to check and fix, then right-click it and choose Property. Step 3. On the Tools tab, click Check.

Can you use CHKDSK to repair a hard drive?

If you are not familiar with commands or find that using commands is error-pro ne as it requires you to input every command correctly, in this way, you can use a free CHKDSK repair alternative to repair hard drive Windows 10. It is recommended to use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition, which makes CHKDSK Windows 10 as a breeze.

Does CHKDSK work on Windows 10?

Although running it may take some time, it does prevent hard disk from being damaged and loss of data in the long term. It is recommended to run it whenever Windows has shut down abnormally or hard disk performs abnormally. Step 1.

How to repair a hard drive on a laptop?

Go to Tools tab. Under Error checking, click Check. If prompted, click Yes or enter the administrator password. Click Scan drive > Repair drive. Wait for the process to finish. The scanning process may take a while depending on the size of your external hard disk and the specifications of your PC.

How to get chkdsk to work on external hard drive?

Click the Start button. Type Command Prompt. Right-click Command Prompt and then select Run as administrator. On the Command Prompt screen, type the command below: chkdsk <drive letter>: /f. <driver letter> would be the letter assigned to your external hard disk. For example: chkdsk E: /f.

How to open file explorer?

Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows keys button + E.

How to check if a hard drive is chkdsk?

Why is my hard drive shrinking after using CHKDSK?

What is a logical file system error?

How to run chkdsk?

What is a boot drive?

Can CHKDSK lock a boot drive?

How Chkdsk Works

CHKDSK starts by scanning the file system on the disk drive and analyzing the integrity of the files, file system, and file metadata on the drive. When CHKDSK finds logical file system errors, it fixes them in place, saving the data that is on the disk so that nothing is lost. Logical file system errors are things like corrupted ent…

See more on alphr.com

Running Chkdsk on Windows 10

Although there are several different ways that you can invoke CHKDSK on a Windows 10 machine, by far the most common and ordinary place to run the utility is the Windows PowerShell, the intended replacement for Windows Command Prompt. However, because CHKDSK talks directly to drive hardware, it requires a special level of operating system permission known as administr…

See more on alphr.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Does chkdsk work on an external drive?
Yes, you can use the chkdsk command on an external drive. All you need to do is indicate that drive in the command when executing. Here’s an example: 1. Open up Windows Power Shell or Command Promptas an Administrator, as shown above. 2. Then, type in “chkdsk d: /f“, and hit En…
How do you view the output logs of the chkdsk scan?
1. Type Windows key + R at the same time to open the Run program, type in “eventvwr“, and hit Enter. 2. Now, click on Windows Logs. 3. Next, click on Application. 4. Now scroll through the logs and look for Wininit in the Source tab, you want the one that has chkdsk information in the Gener…

See more on alphr.com

Final Thoughts

CHKDSK is a very powerful tool for scanning and fixing hard drives on Windows 10 computers. By following the steps outlined above, you can use this helpful function to optimize your PC’s performance and fix issues with your drive. How do you scan and fix errors on drives in Windows 10? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

See more on alphr.com