On Windows 10, the hard drive will eventually start experiencing errors and other problems, whether it is a traditional mechanical hard drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD). And the issues will always vary. For instance, Windows 10 may stop recognizing the drive. You may notice strange behaviors like a particular app locking up. You may encounter problems upgrading to a new version of Windows and other issues.
Whatever the problem might be, even if you are not sure it is a hard drive-related issue, you can use the built-in “Check Disk” tool to resolve many common problems.
Check Disk (chkdsk) is a tool that has been around for years, and its basic purpose is to scan the integrity of the file system on a partition and repair any logical errors. The tool can also scan and fix bad sectors if data did not write correctly or there is a physical problem with the drive.
In this guide, you will learn the steps to check and repair hard drive errors using the Windows 10 Check Disk (chkdsk) tool.
Fix hard drive errors on Windows 10 with Control Panel
If you’re experiencing hard drive problems, you can use the Check Disk tool on Windows 10 to fix most errors with these steps:
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Open File Explorer on Windows 10.
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Click on This PC from the left pane.
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Under the “Devices and drives” section, right-click the hard drive you want to check and repair and select the Properties option.
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Click on the Tools tab.
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Under the “Error checking” section, click the Check button.
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Click the Scan drive option.
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If the utility did not find any errors, click the Close button, but if some of the errors could not be repaired, you will be prompted to schedule another scan during the next restart.
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Once you complete the steps, the device’s hard drive should continue to work without problems.
How to repair hard drive errors using Command Prompt
Alternatively, it is also possible to check and fix for hard drive errors using the Check Disk (chkdsk) tool using Command Prompt with these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
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Type the following command to run the chckdsk tool and press Enter:
chkdsk /f c:
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(Optional) Type the following command if you want to fix bad sectors on the hard drive and press Enter:
chkdsk /r c:
You should always start with the /f
switch to fix errors, but if you are still having problems, then you should use the check disk tool with the /r
option, which also runs the command with the /f
option turned on.
After the scan, if errors are found, but there are open files, you will be prompted to schedule a scan during the next restart (something recommended).
Once you complete the steps, the hard drive should now be free of errors and bad sectors, and it should start working properly again. If you want to learn more about the available options using “chkdsk,” then use the chkdsk /?
command.
This guide is focused on devices running Windows 10, but Check Disk has been available for a long time, and the steps outlined here should also work on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
If the hard drive is having physical problems, it might be time for a replacement. Here are the three best affordable options you should consider:
While the Samsung 970 EVO is the fastest option, you need to make sure that your device includes an M.2 slot in the motherboard. If you are not sure, you should get the Samsung 860 EVO since it will fit most laptops and desktops. The Seagate option offers the most storage, but it’ll only fit on a desktop computer.
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