How to Troubleshoot Chkdsk Problems

Repair the Chkdsk files on your hard drive.

The Check Disk (Chkdsk) utility in Windows scans your hard drive for errors and attempts to repair them. The Check Disk tool may fail to run if the damaged area on your hard drive contains the resources necessary to launch Chkdsk.exe. These problems are usually isolated to the area containing the Autochk.exe file. The Autochk.exe file is located in the System32 folder and is dynamically linked to the Chkdsk.exe file, which is also in the System32 folder. You can repair and restore the functionality of Chkdsk using the System File Checker tool. The System File Checker will scan and repair all damaged files in your System32 folder.

Things You'll Need

• Windows installation disc

Instructions

1. Turn on your computer. Repeatedly press the "F8" key on your keyboard until you see an "Advanced Boot Options" screen.

2. Select "Windows Safe Mode with Command Prompt" and press the "Enter" key. This will launch the operating system into a Command Prompt. This mode only requires a limited amount of files and resources allowing the System File Checker exclusive access.

3. Insert the Windows installation disc into the optical drive on your computer.

4. Type "SFC /Scannow" and press the "Enter" key. This starts the System File Checker. This automated utility will perform the scan and repair for you. Windows will notify you when the utility has finished.

5. Type "Chkdsk C: /F" and press the "Enter" key. Press the "Y" key when you are asked if you would like to schedule a disk check the next time the system restarts.

6. Remove the Windows disc from your computer. Type "Exit" and press the "Enter" key to restart your computer. The Check Disk utility will run prior to booting into Windows.

References

• Microsoft TechNet: Tools for Troubleshooting
• Microsoft MSDN: System File Checker
• Microsoft Windows: Advanced Startup Options (Including Safe Mode)