How To Run CHKDSK on Windows 10

This tutorial will teach you how to run CHKDSK on Windows 10. Windows 10 users face a common problem of being prompted about disk errors. Microsoft has an inbuilt utility in their Windows OS to check the hard disk for any prevalent errors and repair those issues to combat situations like these.

CHKDSK is the name of the Windows utility, and it stands for check disk. Every desktop/laptop is segregated into parts or drives: C and D Drive. You can run the CHKDSK utility in separate partitions.

So, when an error is popping up about a corrupted hard drive on your system, it is advised to run the CHKDSK utility to assess the damage and repair it.

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What is CHKDSK and Its Various Parameters

Since CHKDSK is a Windows utility, so one needs to use the Windows Command Prompt to run the utility and check its functions. The utility has been designed to take extra controls via parameters – each parameter determines the extent to which the CHKDSK utility can perform.

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Let’s now see what parameters are currently available and what they mean:

A. /f parameter

This parameter rectifies all logical errors that may have occurred on the hard drive to data corruption. The common cause for data corruption is the sudden disruption in OS functioning, like a power failure or shutdown. By running the CHKDSK utility with the/f parameter on a specific hard drive, we can lock the hard drive, scan for errors, and fixes them.

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B. /r parameter

This parameter scans for bad sectors on the selected hard drive when combined with the CHKDSK utility. Once found, the utility fixes the bad sectors.

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C. /x parameter

The execution of /x in the CHKDSK utility is similar to what the/f parameter does, i.e., to resolve logical errors. In addition, /x parameter also invokes unmounting of the disk volume (if necessary) due to invalidating open handles on the specific hard drive.

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D. /b parameter

This parameter is very exclusive to NTFS type of file systems only. The functioning of the utility with the /b parameter is in the sequence below:

• Clears all bad clusters on the selected drive in the first round of scan
• Rescans the drive for all allocated and free clusters to check if any errors are present
• Checks for bad sectors (like /r parameter execution) and fixes them

The/b parameter is mainly preferred to be executed in the CHKDSK utility when a new hard drive mounted from an imaged volume starts to display errors.

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How To Run CHKDSK on Windows 10

Here’s a guide to running the utility on your desktops or laptops – follow each step diligently to get the resolution for solving the disk errors.

Step 1: Click on the Windows Search bar on your desktop or laptop.

Step 2: Type’ cmd.’ You will see the ‘Command Prompt’ App on the suggestion menu.

Step 3: Right-click on the suggestion and click on ‘Run as administrator.

Step 4: Select’ Yes’ on the User Account Control dialog.’

Step 5: Type the CHKDSK command in the following format – remember to use the parameter that suits your current condition. E.g., If you are to fix the logical errors, use the /f parameter.

Format of the command: chkdsk d: /f

The format d: denotes the drive you want to be scanned and fixed for logical errors. You must note that all applications running on that drive must be closed before invoking the CHKDSK Utility. Otherwise, you may see an error message that says, ‘Chkdsk cannot run because another process uses the volume.

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Step 6: You may also combine parameters in a single command depending on the type of errors you want to fix on the hard drive.

Multiple parameter format: chkdsk d: /f /r

With the knowledge of the functioning of the utility with the parameter controls and the sequence of the steps outlined above, it is no longer a challenge to fix your problematic drive errors.

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Wrapping Up

In this tutorial, you learned how to run CHKDSK in Windows 10. You can use this command-line utility to check the integrity of your disks and fix errors if any. We explained how the command works and what are its various parameters. Let us know if there is any confusion or need any help by writing to us at [email protected].