The next lesson will help you to stop chkdsk from always running when Windows 10/8/7 is booted. Checking the disk will be very useful though as it periodically checks for system errors and crashes. But, when you turn on your computer, you get by default 8 extra seconds for the disk check to pass. Check Disk Utility or Chkdsk.exe in Windows 10/8/7 is used to check for disk and file system errors.
In such cases, you can cancel the scheduled DskChk at boot. To cancel a disk check, you need to first determine if any disk has all scheduled checks. Once you determine, you can simply press any key to skip the disk check for the next reboot session.
If you encounter various problems ranging from a blue screen and the inability to open or save files or folders, you should run the chkdsk.exe program. In case of an abrupt stop of the OS or if it finds problems with the file system, then the disk check will start working automatically. There may also be times when you may find that this disk check utility starts automatically every time Windows starts. You can schedule it to run once yourself, or your Windows may decide to schedule it to run itself. But instead of only working once, it keeps working every time the computer is turned on when Windows boots.
Automatic disk check runs on every startup
If the disk check or chkdsk, a tool built into Windows, runs on every boot, here are a few things you can try.
1. First of all, let it run completely once.
2. Now, you need to open the registry editor and go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Session Manager
In the right pane, you will see the bootexecute parameter. Here you need to change its value from autocheck autochk * /. on autocheck autochk *
3. Open a command prompt in Windows and type the following command and press Enter:
fsutil dirty query g:
This command will ask for the disk, and more than likely it will tell you that it is dirty.
Next, enter the CHKNTFS / X G: command to not check a specific drive (G) on the next reboot. Next, manually restart the computer, it should not run the chkdsk program, and will take you directly to the Windows desktop.
Once Windows is fully loaded, enter another command Chkdsk / f / r g: into the command line. This command should go through five stages of scanning and determine which bit is dirty. Finally, type fsutil dirty query g: and press Enter. Windows will confirm that this disk is clean.
You can run chkdsk / r or chkdsk / f commands from the command line to check your hard disk for errors. However, if you entered chkdsk / r and chkdsk / f, they can take a very long time to complete on a Windows 10.8.7 computer.
Hope this solution helps you!
Computer using the standard check disk (chkdsk) program included in Microsoft operating systems.
I do not know how it is at work or at home, but for our IT department, work is added immediately after a sudden blackout on one of the floors of our organization. I remember once an electrician changed the outlet and, not at all embarrassing, turned off all the automatics in the stairwell, and this is about fifty computers in one wing of the floor, two 50-port switches and a wireless Wi-Fi access point in the wiring closet :)
And closer to winter, such things, alas, happen more and more often (people begin to abuse heaters of all kinds and power). Operating systems do not like such manipulations with power supply very much, and far from all users' computers are equipped.
The following usually happens. After the next such massive blackout, there are always one or two computers on which after the resumption of power supply. At an arbitrary boot stage, the operating system goes into a cyclic "reboot" (reboots) and our intervention is urgently required :)
In such cases, as a rule, you need to scan your computer's hard disk with the check disk program, which checks the integrity of the OS file system and tries to eliminate the errors and inconsistencies found.
Let's first see how you can check your hard drive using the Windows GUI?
To do this, right-click on the icon of the desired disk and select the "properties" item in the drop-down menu. In the window that appears, go to the "Service" tab.
And there we press the button "Perform check".
We have two checkboxes under the heading "Disk check options":
- automatically fix system errors
- check and repair bad sectors
We can select any of them (or both) and press the "Start" button.
This graphical interface launches the standard "check disk" utility to check the hard disk using the "chkdsk" command. Moreover, if there is only the first checkbox installed, the program checks the hard disk in three stages, and if the second is present, it adds two more levels of verification to these.
After completing all (three or five) stages of the verification, the program will inform us about the successful completion of the procedure and (for Windows 7) will offer to familiarize ourselves with its results. By clicking the arrow next to "Show details", we can see a list of all the checks that the utility has made.
Graphics, windows, buttons ... it's all great, but let's dive a little deeper with you and see how you can check your hard drive using the command line " cmd»?
Note: we discussed working with the command interpreter cmd in one of the.
There is a task - to check the hard disk of the computer, which has stopped loading (as a rule, after a sudden power outage) and restore the operating system to work.
What do I do in such cases? I remove the drive from the "victim" and connect it as an additional one to my computer. I press the "Start" button (for Windows XP - execute) and in the appeared field I enter cmd.
Note: a similar procedure can be carried out on the same (damaged) computer, booting from some kind of recovery disk like a "Live CD", but for me personally, it is more convenient. I, to the heap, carry out general prophylaxis of the "patient" and test the drive for availability. They also like to appear after such "surprises".
Now I propose to type the following in the command line: chkdsk /?
Construction " /? "Will allow us to view all available arguments (keys) that we can apply along with the main command chkdsk.
As you can see, the explanation for each "key" is given in Russian, so it will not be difficult to figure it out. Additional arguments are entered through the sign " / "(Right slash). But now let's try to check the hard drive with the chkdsk command.
Take a close look at the screenshot below:
The construction “ chkdsk d: / f / r»What does it mean? Check (chkdsk) drive d (d :) by applying to the command sequentially keys " f" and " r"(You can see what they do in the previous screenshot). Below you can see the completed stages of this check and the number of the remaining ones (stage 1 of 5, stage 2 of 5, etc.), as well as the percentage of completion of the current one.
Interestingly, executing the chkdsk command with the attribute / f starts the check in three stages, completely similar to the one that occurs after selecting the first checkbox in the graphical interface:
Adding a "key" / r identical to putting the second checkbox in the screenshot above (check and repair bad sectors). In fact, the same utility is launched to check the hard drive. It's just that it is more convenient for someone to use graphical windows and a mouse, while others use the command line.
The check window at boot and before the start of the operating system is slightly different, but the essence remains the same:
Above it is indicated which logical disk is currently being checked, which type of file system contains, and below are the steps we are already familiar with. For Windows 7, this information is shown against a black background.
So, back to our console. A complete report on the program's operation may look like this:
The point marked in red is paramount here: the number of kilobytes in the bad sectors. If there is "0" here, then everything is fine :)
Let's take a quick look at what exactly does each of the hard drive test steps do?
The first pass checks the files. During this phase, CHKDSK checks the record information for each file in the main table MFT.
Note: MFT - Master File Table (main file table), which contains information about all files and their attributes located on a volume with the NTFS file system. Approximately 12% of the disk space is reserved for it.
The first stage is checking each file for internal consistency (ex: the same data sector is marked as belonging simultaneously to two different files)
During the second stage, the indexes are checked. What it is? These are the directories of the file system, it checks whether the record segment for each directory and file is contained in the main file table, and also the date of the file modification time and their size. The CHKDSK command checks to see if there are any lost (empty) files or have an incorrect record of their location in the MFT.
Further (at the third stage) of the hard disk check, security descriptors are analyzed. They contain information about the owner of files (directories), about access rights to them at the file system level. Audit information for user datasets is verified.
If the fourth stage of checking the hard disk is involved, then it includes the search for bad sectors (bad blocks). If one is found, then the program automatically adds information about it to the MFT table and no longer writes to it and the sector is excluded from the file table.
The fifth step is to check the free disk space. There is nothing special to comment on :)
This way we can check our hard drive for the correctness of all the metadata it contains.
The term "metadata" in this case means "information about data." Metadata ensures the integrity of the file system, and also - contains information about all its files and directories. It contains information about the clusters that make up each file, which clusters are free and which are occupied, contain bad sectors, etc.
And now - the harsh reality! :) Unfortunately, it so happens that the metadata structure is so corrupted that using the command chkdsk not only does not help, but can further complicate the situation of restoring the operability of the operating system.
On the other hand, there were times when my inner instinct prompted me to check the hard drive using this tool and I got the result I needed. So try it and decide for yourself whether to use this recovery tool or not?
The screenshot below is a photo of one of the longest validation cycles in my practice. The utility worked for more than two hours, while the following picture was constantly displayed on the monitor:
But by the blinking of the LED indicator of the hard drive on the front, it was clear that there was an active exchange of data with the drive, so I stubbornly waited and still waited for the complete completion of this process. After rebooting, Windows was restored!
The CHKDSK command actually does a lot of checks and can fix a wide variety of errors found in the file system and in individual files. For example, you can have such "scary" inscriptions during a disk scan:
Another example from practice:
And now the team makes corrections to the file system of the hard disk itself.
In all cases, the final scan result is positive. Do not neglect this "repair" option provided by the developer himself! Sometimes disks with a damaged file system (when the disk cannot even be accessed and its file system is displayed as RAW in its properties) "miraculously" come back to life only after using this command.
The integrity of files on a hard disk is an important component of a stable computer system. The appearance of various errors in files and file structure, violation of the logical structure of the disk, the appearance of bad sectors on the disk leads to incorrect operation of the PC, system malfunctions, glitches and freezes. To prevent such problems in the operating system, from archaic MS DOS to modern versions of Windows 10, a special tool is provided to check and restore the integrity of the file system, to deal with logical and physical errors on the disk. We are talking about the system utility CHKDSK, and in this article I will tell you what this utility is, what it is intended for, and how the CHKDSK / F / R command can help to fix file system damage on your PC.
Use CHKDSK / F / R to repair file system corruptionWhat is CHKDSK?
CHKDSK (short for English "check disk" - check disk) Is a system tool designed to check the hard disk for logical errors, bad sectors, and fix problems it finds.
Functionality CHKDSK allows you to restore the logical structure of the disk, including the correction of incorrect entry points MFT (master file table). In the case of finding bad sectors that appear in two main forms - "soft" (appear when data was written incorrectly) and "hard" (bad sectors arose due to physical damage to the disk), CHKDKS usually restores "soft" bad sectors, and marks "hard" so that they cannot be further used by the system.
The operation of this utility can take quite a long time, and for its operation CHKDSK requires the obligatory presence of exclusive rights to write the disc. Therefore, if you, while in Windows OS, want to check the system disk (usually C) using this tool, then the system will prompt you to restart the computer, and, at the next start, CHKDSK will receive extended rights, and then check your disk for errors ...
Functionality of the CHKDSK command
There are two main forms of activating this utility, allowing you to run chkdsk:
Set the required checkboxes and click on "OK" - If the disk is not a system disk, then the check will be carried out immediately, if the disk is a system one, then the computer will schedule the check of this disk in its schedule, and upon the next reboot your disk will be checked by the CHKDSK functionality;
- Command Line Activation... Run Command Prompt as administrator, enter:
CHKDSK (volume name) / (flag)
For example, a commonly used form of CHKDKS activation is the command:
CHKDSK C: / F / R
where C: is the volume name, / F and / R are the flags used.
The command I gave runs CHKDSK, instructing the latter to check the C drive for bad sectors, and restore the data on them ( flag / F obliges CHKDSK to fix disk errors, flag / R obliges CHDSK to look for bad sectors on the disk and try to recover data on them).
Other flags (commands) of CHKDSK are as follows:
- / V- while checking the FAT / FAT32 file system, it shows the path to files on the disk and their names;
- / X- preliminary disconnection of the volume (mandatory activation of the / F flag is required);
- / I- disables scrutiny of indexes. Used only in the NTFS file system, it can speed up the disk check;
- / C- disables checking of cycles inside folders. Used only in NTFS, also allows you to speed up the scan;
- / L: (size in kilobytes)- resize the log file to the specified value (only NTFS);
- / B- repeated check of damaged disk clusters (only NTFS, requires the mandatory / R key)
If you just enter the command "CHKDSK" (without quotes) on the command line, then the utility "CHKDSK / F / R for repairing file system damage" will scan your disk for errors in the "read only" mode, not correcting them.
Conclusion
Using the CHKDSK / F / R command in the command line on behalf of the administrator allows you to correct logical errors on the disk, as well as search for bad sectors on the disk and try to restore them later. Use CHKDSK at the slightest suspicion of damage to the file system, its functionality, like the functionality of the SCANNOW system utility, is a useful tool in the hands of an experienced PC user.
Chkdsk (Chkdsk.exe) is a command line utility on Windows systems that checks disk volumes for file system problems and errors. This tool can also try to fix any errors it finds. For example, chkdsk can fix problems with bad sectors, lost clusters, and orphaned files and directories. By the way, I recently wrote about the features of working with chkdsk in a Microsoft cluster. However, the automatic check of the file system by the chkdsk utility, when the PC restarts incorrectly, annoys some users. And in principle, such a check can be disabled (although it is not recommended - after all, you lose control over the integrity of your file system).
To disable automatic disk check on Windows startup, go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Session Manager
In the right pane, double click on the key BootExecute... The default value for this key is autocheck autochk *
* means that each disk is checked for consistency (integrity, consistency). Just add the "/ K: C" option before *. The / K switch disables automatic checking of the C: drive when Windows starts up. So, the final value of the BootExecute registry key should look like this:
autocheck autochk / k: C *
If you want to disable scanning on other drives as well (for example, on drives C: and D :), use the following key:
autocheck autochk / k: C / k: D *
If you want to return everything back, just replace the parameter value with:
autocheck autochk *
In the event that you did not find the specified key in the registry, you can disable disk check at boot using the utility chkntfs(switch / x). To do this, open a command prompt with administrator rights and type the command:
chkntfs / x d: e:
Then restart your PC. The specified command will exclude the D: and E: drives from the automatic disk check at boot procedure. If you need to exclude other drives, just change the command to include the appropriate drive name.
The chkntfs / d command returns the original settings (all disks on the system are checked at boot, and Chkdsk starts only for disks with errors).
In any case, if you disable the check of disks at boot, you must periodically check them manually. You can check the status of the disk in this way:
Message F: is not dirty indicates that there are no errors on the disk and it does not need to be checked.
Windows operating systems are equipped with internal tools for emergency diagnostics and subsequent troubleshooting. If the user does not have the opportunity to use additional software, and standard OS tools do not help, you can use the chkdsk command. The command and the utility it runs show excellent efficiency on Windows crashes.
Launching via "Disk Properties"
If the OS is stable enough, the utility can be run in windowed mode. On different versions of Windows, there are practically no differences in starting from the "Disk Properties":
The system will prompt you to restart your PC. During boot, the system disk check will start. If the user has checked the appropriate boxes, Windows will fix the damaged files and sectors.
Run from the command line
The command line is turned on either by the Win + R keyboard shortcut, or in the start menu, where there is a search bar (you need to enter the query "cmd"). You need to run the command line only on behalf of the Administrator. 
In the black window that opens, enter the command "chkdsk C: / F", press the enter key.
- С: - the name of the disk to be checked, can be changed;
- / F - the type of operation that the utility will perform.
If launched from the command line, the scan starts immediately, without restarting the PC.
How to start if Windows won't boot
Some critical errors, unsuccessful updates and operations lead to the fact that the operating system cannot fully turn on. Neither Safe Mode nor running the latest workable version helps. In this case, you should:
- Connect a bootable disk or a USB flash drive with Windows to your computer;
- Enter the BIOS and set the launch not from the hard drive, but from the connected media;
- Start the device;
- In the OS installation menu that opens, find the "System Restore" button, press;
- Click "Next" when the program prompts you to use the OS recovery tools;
- Click "Command line" in the window that opens.
When the command line opens to the user, you need to use the algorithm from the previous section - enter the chkdsk command and wait for system diagnostics / troubleshooting.
CHKDSK parameters
The / F value is not the only possible command parameter:
- / F - diagnostics and repair of failures on the specified disk;
- / V - displays a message about cleaning or the full path for each file on the disk;
- / R - search and restore bad sectors of the hard disk;
- / X - forced disconnection of the disk;
- / I - decreasing the criticality of the file evaluation during diagnostics;
- / B - reevaluation of clusters regarded as damaged;
- / spotfix - spot fixing of errors;
- / sdcleanup - collection and removal of unnecessary files;
- / offlinescanandfix - offline check, fix errors in the specified drive;
- / markclean - marks the disk as clean if no errors were found during the check.
It is not necessary to run the utility multiple times if the user needs to perform different functions. The command might look like this: "chkdsk C: / F / R". Utility parameters are added and removed as needed.
How to remove CHKDSK startup from OS startup
If the utility has completed its functions, but it continues to run every time the PC boots, it can be disabled in the Windows registry:
- Open the Registry Editor, type "regedit" in the Start menu search;
- Follow the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Session Manager";
- In the right part of the window, find the "bootexecute" parameter, double-click on it;
- Enter the value autocheck autochk / k: C *, save.
