How to I Stop Windows XP From Cheking My FAT32 Hard Drive During Startup

Franklin Thomas Franklin Thomas has been a technical writer since 2001. He also works as a computerprogramming consultant who specializes in conveying abstract information-technology concepts to non-technical workers. Thomas is a former site manager and reporter for the Warcry Network. He received his Bachelor of Science in computer science from the University of Connecticut. By Franklin Thomas, eHow Contributor updated October 01, 2010

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Windows XP defaults to checking all hard drives that the system believes have not been properly shut down. This is done to remove errors and recover any files that might have been damaged on the disk. For a large or complex drive, this process might take a long time to complete. Disable the consistency checker on reboot from the system registry. Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions
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1. 1 Click "Start," then "Run."

Type "regedit" and press "Open."

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3 Click the "+" and expand: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE," "SYSTEM," "CurrentControlSet," "Control," "Session Manager."

4 Click "Session Manager" and double-click "BootExecute" on the righthand pane.

5 Type the "/K" switch to disable checking of all drives for which you would like to disable chkdisk. The Windows default partition is "C;" disable scanning of it by changing the value of "BootExecute" to "autocheck autochk /k:C *".

6 Click "OK" and close the Registry Editor. The computer will no longer scan the specified drives when the system starts up.

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Tips & Warnings

You can add additional drives to the chkdsk exclusion list by typing their name after the first in the same style. For example, "autocheck autochk /k:C /k:D /k:E /k:F *".

Read more: How to I Stop Windows XP From Cheking My FAT32 Hard Drive During Startup | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7268982_stop-hard-drive-duringstartup.html#ixzz1QqeK3pPo

When you try to shut down, restart, or start your computer, the Chkdsk.exe or the Autochk.exe program may start automatically and start to scan your hard disks. This issue occurs without any user interaction. Back to the top

CAUSE This issue occurs if any one of the following conditions are true: You have sche...
This issue occurs if any one of the following conditions are true: You have scheduled the Chkdsk.exe program or the Autochk.exe program to run in Scheduled Tasks. A Windows registry setting has been set to run the Autochk.exe program at startup. Your hard disk is damaged and must be repaired.

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RESOLUTION To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods. Method 1: Remove the C...
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods. Back to the top

Method 1: Remove the Chkdsk.exe or the Autochk.exe program from Scheduled Tasks
Follow these steps to remove the Chkdsk.exe or the Autochk.exe program from the list of scheduled tasks in the Scheduled Tasks feature. 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks. 2. Click either Chkdsk or Autochk in the list of scheduled tasks. 3. Under Folder Tasks, click Delete this item. Back to the top

Method 2: Check the Session Manager registry entry

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor: 1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. 2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\BootExecute 3. On the Edit menu, click Modify. 4. Type autocheck autochk *, and then press ENTER. Back to the top

Method 3: Confirm that your hard disk or your file system is not damaged
To confirm that your hard disk or your file system is not damaged, start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, load Microsoft Recovery Console, and then use the chkdsk command-line command. Note To start your computer from the Microsoft Windows XP CD-ROM, your CD-ROM or your DVD-ROM drive must be configured to do so. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or the DVD-ROM drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer. Important Microsoft recommends that only advanced users or administrators use the Recovery Console. You must know the Administrator password to use the Recovery Console. For additional information about how to use the Chkdsk command-line command to check and to repair a damaged hard disk, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 314058 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/ ) Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console 307654 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654/ ) HOW TO: Install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

Note If the Chkdsk.exe program reports that it cannot access your hard disk, you may be experiencing a hardware failure. Examine all the cable connections and jumper settings on your hard disk. Contact a computer repair professional or the manufacturer of your computer for more assistance. If the Chkdsk.exe program reports that it cannot fix all the hard-disk problems, your file system or your Master Boot Record (MBR) may be damaged, or it may no longer be accessible. Try appropriate Recovery Console commands such as fixmbr and fixboot, contact a data recovery service, or repartition and reformat your hard disk.

Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console for advanced users

View products that this article applies to. System TipThis article applies to a different operating system than the one you are using. Article content that may not be relevant to you is disabled. This article was previously published under Q314058

To continue receiving security updates for Windows, make sure you're running Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). For more information, refer to this Microsoft web page: Support is ending for some versions of Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/endsupport-windows-xp-sp2-windows-vista-without-service-packs)
For a Microsoft Windows 2000 version of this article, see 229716 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229716/ ) .

Important note
This is an advanced-level reference article that describes what the Recovery Console is and how to use it. It does not contain information about how to troubleshoot specific problems. To use the Recovery Console, you will need a Windows installation disc. You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to run the computer in Recovery Console. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from completing this procedure. If you encounter this problem, you should contact the network administrator.

On This Page

INTRODUCTION MORE INFORMATION o Option 1: If you have already installed the Recovery Console o Option 2: Starting the Windows Recovery Console from the Windows XP CD-ROM o Option 3: Adding the Windows Recovery Console as a startup option o Restrictions and limitations of the Recovery Console

Using the Command Console within Windows Recovery Console o Available commands within Windows Recovery Console REFERENCES
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Expand all | Collapse all

INTRODUCTION This article describes the functionality and limitations of the Windows Recovery...
This article describes the functionality and limitations of the Windows Recovery Console. If a Windows XP-based computer does not start correctly or if it does not start at all, you may be able to use the Windows Recovery Console to help you recover the system software. This article discusses the following topics: How to start the Windows Recovery Console from your Windows XP installation disc How to use the Command Console Restrictions and limitations of the Windows Recovery Console The commands that are available in the Windows Recovery Console

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MORE INFORMATION When you use the Windows Recovery Console, you can obtain limited access to the...
When you use the Windows Recovery Console, you can obtain limited access to the NTFS file system, FAT, and FAT32 volumes without starting the Windows graphical user interface (GUI). In the Windows Recovery Console, you can perform the following actions: Use, copy, rename, or replace operating system files and folders Enable or disable service or device startup the next time that you start your computer

Repair the file system boot sector or the master boot record (MBR) Create and format partitions on drives

Note Only an administrator can obtain access to the Windows Recovery Console. This prevents unauthorized users from using any NTFS volume. Back to the top

Option 1: If you have already installed the Recovery Console

If you have already installed the Recovery Console, you can select it during your usual Windows Startup. To run the Recovery Console: 1. During Startup, select Recovery Console from the startup options menu. 2. If you have a dual-boot or multiboot system, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console. 3. When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. 4. At the command prompt, type Recovery Console commands, and then you can refer to the commands that are listed in the "Available commands within Windows Recovery Console" section. 5. At any time, you can type Help for a list of available commands. 6. At any time, you can type Help commandname for help on a specific command.For example, you can type help attrib to display the help on the attributes command. 7. At any time, you can exit Windows Recovery Console by typing Exit at the command line. Back to the top

Option 2: Starting the Windows Recovery Console from the Windows XP CD-ROM
If you have not preinstalled the Windows Recovery Console, you can start the computer and use the Recovery Console directly from your original Windows XP installation disc. If your computer is already in Windows and you want to add the Windows Recovery Console as a startup option, go to the next section "Adding the Windows Recovery Console as a startup option." 1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your CD drive and restart your computer. If you are prompted, select any options required to start (boot) from the CD.

2. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts. Select the repair or recover option by pressing R. 3. If you have a dual-boot or multiboot system, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console. 4. When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. 5. At the command prompt, type Recovery Console commands, and then you can refer to the commands that are listed in the "Available commands within Windows Recovery Console" section. 6. At any time, you can type Help for a list of available commands. 7. At any time, you can type Help commandname for help on a specific command. For example, you can type help attrib to display the help on the attributes command. 8. At any time, you can exit Windows Recovery Console by typing Exit at the command line. Back to the top

Option 3: Adding the Windows Recovery Console as a startup option

If your computer starts Windows, you can add the Windows XP Recovery Console as a startup option from the Windows environment. To install the Recovery Console as a startup option, follow these steps: 1. With Windows running, insert the Windows CD into your CD drive. 2. Click Start and clickRun. 3. Type the following commands (where X: is the CD Drive letter), and then press ENTER on your keyboard. X:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons Note There is a space before /cmdcons. 4. Click OK and follow the instructions to finish Setup. Note This adds the Windows Recovery Console to the Windows Startup folder.

5. Restart your computer and select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems. Important If you are using software mirroring, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 229077 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229077/ ) Mirroring prevents pre-installing the Recovery Console 222478 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/222478/ ) Creating a template to run Recovery Console using a remote install server Back to the top

Restrictions and limitations of the Recovery Console

When you use the Windows Recovery Console, you can use only the following items: The root folder The %SystemRoot% folder and the subfolders of the Windows installation that you are currently logged on to The Cmdcons folder The removable media drives such as the CD drive or the DVD drive

Note If you try to access other folders, you may receive an "Access Denied" error message. This does not necessarily mean that data that is contained in those folders is lost or corrupted. It only means that the folder is unavailable while you are running the Windows Recovery Console. Also, when you are using the Windows Recovery Console, you cannot copy a file from the local hard disk to a floppy disk. However, you can copy a file from a floppy disk or from a CD-ROM to a hard disk, and you can copy a file from one hard disk to another hard disk. Back to the top

Using the Command Console within Windows Recovery Console

The Recovery Console gives you limited access to the NTFS file system, FAT, and FAT32 volumes. Recovery Console prevents the familiar Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI) from loading in order to repair and recover Windows functionality. After you start the Windows Recovery Console, you receive the following message: Microsoft Windows(R) Recovery Console The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality. Type EXIT to exit the Recovery Console and restart the computer. 1: C:\WINDOWS

Which Windows Installation would you like to log on to ? (To cancel, press ENTER) Enter the number for the appropriate Windows installation. In this example, you would press 1. Then, Windows prompts you to enter the Administrator account password. Note If you use an incorrect password three times, the Windows Recovery Console closes. Also, if the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database is missing or damaged, you cannot use the Windows Recovery Console because you cannot be authenticated correctly. After you enter your password and the Windows Recovery Console starts, type Exit to restart the computer. When you use Windows XP Professional, you can set group policies to enable automatic administrative logon. For more information about how to set Recovery Console to enable automatic administrative logon, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 312149 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312149/ ) How to enable an administrator to log on automatically in Recovery Console Back to the top

Available commands within Windows Recovery Console

The following commands are available within the Windows Recovery Console. The commands are not case-sensitive. Warning Some of these commands can make your system inoperable. Read the whole explanation of any command before you enter it onto the command line. Seek the advice of a support professional if you have any questions or concerns about a particular command.

HELP
Use the help command to list all the following supported commands:
attrib batch bootcfg cd chdir chkdsk cls copy del delete dir disable diskpart enable exit expand fixboot fixmbr format help listsvc logon map md more mkdir more net rd ren rename rmdir set systemroot type

ATTRIB
Use the attrib command together with one or more of the following parameters to change the attributes of a file or a folder: -R +R -S +S

-H +H -C +C Notes + Sets an attribute - Resets an attribute R Read-only file attribute S System file attribute H Hidden file attribute C Compressed file attribute You must set or clear at least one attribute. To view attributes, use the dir command.

BATCH
batch inputfile [outputfile] Use this command to run commands that are specified in a text file. In the command syntax, inputfile specifies the text file that contains the list of commands to be run, and outputfile specifies the file that contains the output of the specified commands. If you do not specify an output file, the output appears on the screen.

BOOTCFG
Use this command for boot configuration and recovery. This command has the following options: bootcfg /add bootcfg /rebuild bootcfg /scan bootcfg /list bootcfg /disableredirect bootcfg /redirect [portbaudrate] | [useBiosSettings] Examples: bootcfg /redirect com1 115200 bootcfg /redirect useBiosSettings You can use the following options: /add Adds a Windows installation to the boot menu list. /rebuild Iterates through all Windows installations so that you can specify which installations to add. /scan Scans all disks for Windows installations and displays the results so that you can specify which installations to add. /default Sets the default boot entry. /list Lists the entries already in the boot menu list. /disableredirect Disables redirection in the boot loader. /redirect Enables redirection in the boot loader, with the specified configuration.

CD and CHDIR
Use the cd and chdir commands to change to a different folder. For example, you can use the following commands: Type cd .. to change to the parent folder. Type cd drive: to display the current folder in the specified drive. Type cd without parameters to display the current drive and folder. The chdir command treats spaces as delimiters. Because of this, you must put quotation marks ("") around a folder name that contains a space.The following is an example: cd "\windows\profiles\username\programs\start menu" The chdir command works only in the system folders of the current installation of Windows, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources.

CHKDSK
chkdsk drive /p /r The chkdsk command checks the specified drive and repairs or recovers the drive if the drive requires it. The command also marks any bad sectors and it recovers readable information. You can use the following options: /p Does an exhaustive check of the drive and corrects any errors. /r Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. Note If you specify the /r option, the /p option is implied. When you specify the chkdsk command without arguments, the command checks the current drive with no options in effect. When you run the chkdsk command, you must use the Autochk.exe file. CHKDSK automatically locates this file in the startup folder. If the Command Console was preinstalled, the startup folder is typically the Cmdcons folder. If CHKDSK cannot find Autochk.exe in the startup folder, CHKDSK tries to locate the Windows installation disc. If it cannot find the installation media, CHKDSK prompts you for the location of the Autochk.exe file.

CLS
Use this command to clear the screen.

COPY
copy source destination Use this command to copy a file. In the command syntax, source specifies the file to copy and destination specifies the folder or file name for the new file. You cannot use wildcard characters indicated by an asterisk (*), and you cannot copy a folder. If you copy a compressed file from the Windows installation disc, the file is automatically decompressed while it is copied. The source of the file can be removable media, any folder in the system folders of the

current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. If destination is unspecified, the default destination is the current folder. If the file already exists, you are prompted whether you want the copied file to overwrite the existing file. The destination cannot be removable media.

DEL and DELETE

del drive: path filename delete drive: path filename Use this command to delete a file. In the command syntax, drive: path filename specifies the file that you want to delete. The delete command works only in the system folders of the current Windows installation, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources. The delete command does not accept wildcard characters.

DIR
dir drive: path filename Use this command to display a list of files and subfolders in a folder. In the command syntax, drive: path filename specifies the drive, folder, and files to list. The dir command lists all files, including hidden files and system files. Files can have the following attributes: D Directory H Hidden file S System file E Encrypted R Read-only file A Files ready for archiving C Compressed P Reparse point The dir command works only in the system folders of the current Windows installation, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources.

DISABLE
disable servicename Use this command to disable a Windows system service or a driver. In the command syntax, servicename specifies the name of the service or driver that you want to disable. Use the listsvc command to display all services or drivers that are eligible to be disabled. The disable command prints the old start type of the service before resetting the start type to SERVICE_DISABLED. Record the old start type if you must enable the service again. The disable command displays the following start_type values:

SERVICE_DISABLED SERVICE_BOOT_START SERVICE_SYSTEM_START SERVICE_AUTO_START SERVICE_DEMAND_START

DISKPART
diskpart /add/deletedevice_name drive_name partition_name size Use this command to manage the partitions on your hard disk volumes. You can use the following options: /add Creates a new partition. /delete Deletes an existing partition. device_name The name of the device that is used to create a new partition. drive_name A drive-letter-based name, for example D:. partition_name The partition-based name for deleting an existing partition. size The size of the new partition in megabytes. You can determine the device name from the output of the MAP command, for example, \Device\HardDisk0. You can use the partition name instead of the drive name argument, for example, \Device\HardDisk0\Partition1. If you use no arguments, a user interface for managing your partitions appears. Warning If you use this command on a disk that has a dynamic disk configuration, you may damage the partition table. Do not modify the structure of dynamic disks unless you are using the Disk Management tool.

ENABLE
enable servicename start_type You can use the enable command to enable a Windows system service or a driver. Use the listsvc command to display all eligible services or drivers to enable. The enable command prints the old start type of the service before it is reset to the new value. It is a good idea to note the old value, in case you have to restore the start type of the service. Valid options for start_type are as follows: SERVICE_BOOT_START SERVICE_SYSTEM_START SERVICE_AUTO_START SERVICE_DEMAND_START If you do not specify a new start type, the enable command prints the old start type for you.

EXIT
Use the exit command to exit the Recovery Console and restart your computer.

EXPAND
expand source [/F:filespec] [destination] [/y] expand source [/F:filespec] /D Use this command to expand a file. In the command syntax, source specifies the name of the file to be expanded and destination specifies the folder for the new file. If you do not specify a destination, the command uses the current folder by default. You cannot include wildcard characters. You can use the following options: /y Do not prompt before overwriting an existing file. /f:filespec Identifies the files to be expanded. /d Do not expand; display only a directory of the files in the source. If the source contains more than one file, you must use the /f:filespec parameter to find the specific files to be expanded. You can include wildcard characters. The destination can be any folder in the system folders of the current Windows installation, in the root of the drive, in the local installation sources, or in the Cmdcons folder. The destination cannot be removable media, and the destination file cannot be read-only. Use the attrib command to remove the read-only attribute. Unless you use the /y option, the expand command prompts you if the destination file already exists.

FIXBOOT
fixboot drive name: Use this command to write the new Windows boot sector code on the system partition. In the command syntax, drive name is the drive letter where the boot sector will be written. This command fixes damage in the Windows boot sector. This command overrides the default setting, which writes to the system boot partition. The fixboot command is supported only on x86-based computers.

FIXMBR
fixmbr device name Use this command to repair the MBR of the boot partition. In the command syntax, device name is an optional device name that specifies the device that requires a new MBR. Use this command if a virus has damaged the MBR and Windows cannot start. Warning This command can damage your partition tables if a virus is present or if a hardware problem exists. If you use this command, you may create inaccessible partitions. We recommend that you run antivirus software before you use this command. You can obtain the device name from the output of the map command. If you do not specify a device name, the MBR of the boot device is repaired, for example: fixmbr \device\harddisk2

If the fixmbr command detects an invalid or non-standard partition table signature, fixmbr command prompts you for permission before it rewrites the MBR. The fixmbr command is supported only on x86-based computers.

FORMAT
format drive: /Q /FS:file-system Use this command to format the specified drive to the specified file system. In the command syntax, /Q performs a quick format of the drive, drive is the drive letter of the partition to format, and /FS:file-system specifies the type of file system to use such as FAT, FAT32, or NTFS. If you do not specify a file system, the existing file system format is used if it is available.

LISTSVC
The listsvc command lists all available services, drivers, and their start types for the current Windows installation. This command is useful together with the disable and enable commands. The list is extracted from the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\System hive. If the System hive is damaged or missing, the results are unpredictable.

LOGON
logon The logon command lists all detected installations of Windows and then requests the local administrator password for the copy of Windows that you want to log on to. If your first three tries to log on fail, the console closes, and your computer restarts.

MAP
map arc Use this command to list drive letters, file system types, partition sizes, and mappings to physical devices. In the command syntax, the arc parameter tells the map command to use ARC paths instead of Windows Device paths.

MD and MKDIR
The md and mkdir commands create new folders. Wildcard characters are not supported. The mkdir command works only in the system folders of the current installation of Windows, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources.

MORE
more filename Use this command to display a text file to the screen.

NET
Although the Help file states otherwise, the net command is not usable from the Recovery Console. The protocols stack is not loaded for the Recovery Console. Therefore, there is no networking function available.

RD and RMDIR
Use rd and rmdir commands to delete a folder. These commands work only in the system folders of the current Windows installation, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources.

REN and RENAME

Use the ren and rename commands to rename a file. Note You cannot specify a new drive or path for the renamed file. These commands work only in the system folders of the current Windows installation, in removable media, in the root folder of any hard disk partition, or in the local installation sources.

SET
You can use the set to display or modify four environment options. AllowWildCards = FALSE AllowAllPaths = FALSE AllowRemovableMedia = FALSE NoCopyPrompt = FALSE For more information about how to use the set command, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 235364 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/235364/ ) Description of the SET command in Recovery Console

SYSTEMROOT
The systemroot command sets the current working folder to the %SystemRoot% folder of the Windows installation that you are currently logged on to.

TYPE
type filename Use the type command to display a text file. riginally Posted by Knoj jaze wrote in news:(E-Mail Removed): > EVERY time I boot my PC, CHKDSK needs to run for drive E. I let it. > whether I reboot immediately or later, CHKDSK runs again. I've tried > Norton Disk Doctor also, to no avail. > Naturally, I can't defrag drive E due to the impending CHKDSK. I tried > to clone (image) the partitions onto another drive so I could reformat > drive 1, but I can't start the copy due to the need to run CHKDSK. >

> Drive 0 = 18.2GB U160 HDD (C) - FAT32 > Drive 1 = ATA/100 20GB partition 1 (D). 91GB partition 2 (E) - NTFS > > Windows XP Pro, 2.6GHz, 1GB, MX440 64MB, ASUS P4 MoBo, UltraPlex Wide > UW CD-ROM, external USB 2.0 CD/RW, wireless keyboard/mouse, scanner, > printer, yada, yada, yada. > NAV 2003 Pro, Ad-Aware Pro 6.0.181, PestPatrol Corporate v4.2.0.53, > Diskeeper v8.0.459 Pro, Zone Alarm v4.0.146.029 > > Any legitimate suggestions? How about an MS KB article addressing this > issue? > > -Jaze I was having this problem until today. I used this simple fix. It might help you. 1. click on your start menu and open the run dialog. 2. type "cmd" and return (note: dont enter quotes) 3. Next type "fsutil dirty query e:" 4. If the return message indicates that the volume is dirty go to step 5 5. Next type "chkdsk e: /f /x" 6. After that finshes repeat step 3. 7. If it is no longer dirty then reboot and you should notice no more ckdisk. If this process doesn't work check out Kelly's site, listed by a previous response earlier today. WOW!!! Thanks a lot folks. I had exactly the same problem annoying me for a while. All my tries had only been waste of time, even the chkdsk /f /x was having no effect at all. Then, further down I found 49ersnews' post mentioning about disabling virtual memory. One of my " dirty drives" (from a multi-partitioned drive) was exactly the one allocated exclusively as paging file. I disabled the virtual memory and .... VOILA' ... BINGO !!!! I was able to run chkdsk from DOS prompt within XP and fix both stubborn "dirty drives". It's now all back to normal life... WONDERFUL.

Once again. thanks a lot. THUMBS UP for you all from a very happy person.

CHKDSK running at every BOOT for specific drive.

Every time when you boot your PC, CHKDSK runs for particular drives(c:,d:,e:,f: ...). If you let it run completely and then immediately or later restart PC, CHKDSK runs again. The cause is your drive is dirty.. The fix for the above solution is simple. Just follow step below : 1) Click on START --> RUN.

2) In Run dialog box type cmd and Press Enter.

3) In cmd prompt type fsutil dirty query d: (where d: is dirty drive).

4) It will return message where Volume d: IS Dirty or NOT Dirty.

5) If the Volume is Dirty then type chkdsk d: /f /x.

6) After that finishes repeat STEP 3. 7) If it will show NOT Dirty then reboot your system and you wont see CHKDSK again.

What does "chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process" mean?
Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.

Search Ask Leo!

Ask Leo! Windows Windows Programs Chkdsk checks your disk for errors at a low level. That means chkdsk needs exclusive access to the disk. We'll look at why that is and what to do. by Leo A. Notenboom, 2010 I think I've got a problem with my hard disk, and tried to run chkdsk but I keep getting this "chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process" error. What's that mean and what do I do to fix it? Chkdsk is an important and little understood command line utility that comes with every version of Microsoft Windows. Its purpose, as its mangled name implies, is to "check" your "disk". In order to do its work, chkdsk needs total and exclusive access to the disk it's about to check. If it doesn't have that "chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process" results. ("Volume" in this case really means "the disk that's being checked".) I'll look at why, what to do, and what it looks like as it happens.

Chkdsk Cannot Run

Here's the scenario we're talking about:

To have gotten this far, we'll have had to:

Start a Windows Command Prompt - in Windows Vista or Windows 7 doing so with administrative privileges (right click on the Start, All programs, Accessories, Command Prompt shortcut and click on "Run as Administrator") Run the command CHKDSK, including the "/F" (fix) or "/R" (repair) options.

Exclusivity
"... you can't run chkdsk with a fix or repair option on the drive from which Windows was loaded. At least, not while Windows is running." In order for chkdsk to be able to fix or repair a disk it needs to be the only program accessing the hard disk - the only program. If any other program has a file open on that disk, then it's considered to be "in use", and chkdsk can't get the exclusive access it needs. "But I have no programs running!?" I hear you say. Yes, you do. Windows is running. In fact, Windows has several files open including the files containing the registry, the system paging file, as well as the executable files that make up Windows itself. Put another way, you can't run chkdsk with a fix or repair option on the drive from which Windows was loaded. At least, not while Windows is running.

Other Disks
While getting this error on the Windows drive is the most common, it's certainly not the only case. Let's say you have a drive "D:". If you have Windows Explorer open on drive D:, or perhaps have a word processing document open that lives on that disk the same situation applies.

The solution is easier though: close those programs. Make sure nothing is accessing the contents of that drive and try again. You should be good to go. Unless, of course, you happened to move your paging file to D:, in which case you're back in the "can't do it while Windows is running" situation as the paging file is always open while Windows is running.

Chkdsk on C:
The "magic answer", so to speak, is actually part of the very error message we see: Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Answer the question with a "Y" for yes, followed by Enter, and chkdsk will run the next time you reboot Windows, before Windows itself begins to run. That's the only time that chkdsk can have the exclusive access to the system disk that it needs. This volume will be checked the next time the system restarts. When you reboot, the reboot will proceed normally until the screen changes to include this message:

As the message indicates you have 10 seconds to press any key on the keyboard to skip the disk check. After 10 seconds chkdsk proceeds. As chkdsk runs you'll see information updating on the screen:

Finally chkdsk completes, pausing for a moment with a summary report left on your screen as seen in this composite log:

Your specifics of course will be different, but the general idea is the same. As you can see here, chkdsk actually fixed a couple of problems that it found. The computer should then reboot and load Windows normally.

Bottom Line

"Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process" simply means that in order to fix your hard disk chkdsk needs to be the only program accessing it. For some drives, that's as simple as closing programs which are using the drive in question. For the system drive from which Windows was loaded, it means a special step needs to be taken such that chkdsk runs when you reboot.

How do I keep CHKDSK from running on every start up?

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Ask Leo! Windows Windows Programs CHKDSK There are times when the disk checking utility needs to run before you boot into Windows. Sometimes it seems to get stuck and does so every time. by Leo A. Notenboom, 2007 I have a two year old laptop running Windows XP. I had run "Defrag" and also clicked on the check drive for errors option, which was then scheduled at next restart. Now this scan program runs every time I start up. How can I shut this off? Good news: we can turn it off. Bad news: it means editing the registry. The "I'm not so sure" news: you shouldn't have to. It should have turned itself off, and I'm concerned that this might be trying to tell you something. Checking your disk for errors requires that the checking utility have exclusive access to the hard disk. That means that even Windows can't be accessing the drive for any reason. If the disk drive you're checking is the drive on which Windows lives, the error check is then "scheduled" to happen automatically the next time you boot, before Windows loads. It looks much like this while it's running:

"It's possible that there's an issue preventing the scanner from un-scheduling itself." It should happen once. When the utility completes successfully, it should remove that request to run again on boot up, and then reboot. In other words, the next time you boot, which would be upon completion of the scan, it shouldn't check again. Before I tell you how to turn it off, I want you to watch it one more time, this time paying particular attention to any error messages that it may produce before it completes. (A digital camera snapshot of the screen, as I've done above, is a great way to preserve the error massages before they disappear as the boot continues.) It's possible that there's an issue preventing the scanner from un-scheduling itself. In order to disable the scan we'll be making changes in the Windows registry. Step one should be: back it up. This Microsoft Support article Description of the Microsoft Windows registry includes pointers to the recommended ways of doing so. The short version, for those who are ready to dive into the registry: we're going to change the value of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\BootExecute to autocheck autochk *. Step by step that means:

Start the registry editor by clicking Start, then Run, typing in regedit and pressing OK. The result will be similar to this:

Click on the boxed plus sign [+] in front of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. That will expand and look something like this:

Don't worry if your instance of Regedit already had some of these expanded; it remembers the last setting. Just follow along as if it hadn't been, expanding the nodes that we need if they're not already expanded.

Expand (by clicking the boxed plus sign in front of) SYSTEM Expand CurrentControlSet Expand Control Now click on Session Manager, which is listed underneath Control and you should see something like this:

In the right-hand pane, double click on BootExecute. This contains the instruction that we want to remove. You should get an edit dialog much like this:

The command "autocheck autochk /p \??\C:" is what we want to change.

Change replace the "/p \??\C:" with an asterisk (*). The resulting command, "autocheck autochk *" in the dialog looks like this:

Press OK to dismiss the edit dialog. Close Registry Editor

Now, on your next boot the disk checker should not run. I say "should" because there are still things that may cause it to run anyway: You didn't shut down your machine cleanly. Perhaps your machine crashed or suddenly rebooted. Or perhaps you were in a hurry and turned off the power before Windows said it was safe to do so. In both cases Windows may not have finished updating information on the hard disk on shutdown, so it must check the disk on start up to make sure that everything is ok. The disk may be failing. It's sometimes the case that a disk drive, as it starts to fail, will do so in a way that causes Windows to notice and run the disk checking utility on start up. It's not common, but it can happen.

Windows Chkdsk Utility

The Chkdsk (acronym for check disk) utility tool is an integral part of Windows that you can use to check and repair hard disk errors that might occur. Its one of the first steps you can take to check your hard drive if it is giving some problems. One of the things to bear in mind is that chkdsk is not the perfect tool to fix hard drive cluster problems, and in rare instances can even make the problem worse. If you used floppy drives before (the little 1.44 MB ones), youll know what I mean. Although normally it should run, most PC users who are running XP will notice that their chkdsk utility occasionally will not run after an improper shutdown, which can happen for whatever reason, like a power failure for example. The chkdsk utility is only meant to run when the auto-check system detects a problem at start up. If the auto-check does not detect any issues, chkdsk will not be automatically prompted. How to run Chkdsk utility But if you want to run chkdsk even though the auto-check did not detect any problems you can do so anytime from the DOS command prompt.

Just go to Start > Run, and in the box, type in CMD. The DOS screen will appear. Normally it will be defaulted to Documents and Settings\Administrator. To change directory, just type in cd\ and youll be taken to the top level of C drive. To check a different drive, like D drive for example, just type in D: To run chkdsk, just type in chkdsk and it will run

You can refer to my screenshot below, showing all the steps:

Now, here are a few things to remember about chkdsk. If you want to run just a simple scan without letting the system auto repair any errors, using the command chkdsk is enough. But if you want to allow chkdsk WITH fix, use the command prompt chkdsk/f. This can take a much longer time (an hour or more) than the simple chkdsk command alone, because it will attempt to fix any errors it encounters. A full list of chkdsk command parameters can be found on this Microsoft page. The chkdsk/f command requires you to lock your drive first by typing in the command prompts (examples below):

lock D: unlock D:

I would not recommend you to do this manually as it can be a bit dangerous. You should let Windows do it for you. More information on locking/unlocking drives can be found here. If you want to do it manually, its a good idea to back up your files first and run it in Safe Mode to avoid any mishaps. If you run chkdsk/f and the drive is not locked, you may get this message (see below) that goes like this: Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Chkdsk may run if the volume is dismounted first. All opened handles would then be invalid. Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N) If you press Y, chkdsk will close all processes in that drive and lock it. If chkdsk is unable to lock the drive/volume, or if you hit N, you can specify that you want to check

the volume by running Autochk the next time you restart your PC. In that case, chkdsk will autorun the next time you start up your PC. Please refer to my screenshot below. In my case, I chose N (for obvious reasons).

You can also use the command prompt chkdsk/f/r to get it to recover missing files whenever it encounters any disk errors. This option will take an even longer time to complete, depending on the size of your hard drive and number of files. The most convenient method of using chkdsk with the F parameter on is running it from the windows XP disk itself and employing the recovery section of the disk. To run chkdsk from the Windows XP disk is easy:

Insert the XP disk into your CD drive. By default the XP disk will auto run. You will see the following screen. Click on Install Windows XP and youll be taken to the setup screen.

On the setup screen use the second option which indicates you should repair the Windows installation using the recovery command we talked about earlier, by pressing the R key On the following page you will need to select the drive that has Windows XP installed on it. Most probably you have Windows installed on the C drive. If you only have one partition or one drive you will see the DOS screen; otherwise you might have more than one drive option to choose from. If you have selected the C drive as your partition that contains the windows installation you should see a command prompt that is defaulted to C:\Windows> At this command prompt type chkdsk then hit enter to check your disk. This will check only the drive that you selected. If you have more than one drive this will check only the drive that has Windows.

If your hard drive is physically damaged, you might be able to still use it temporarily but in most cases, they are more likely to fail and cause complete loss of drive data. It is important to know that the checkdisk utility that comes with Windows XP is specially designed for use with Windows XP. If you use a different check disk utility (other than the default one) they can cause further damage, or fail to report back on errors correctly. Then again, chkdsk is not a perfect disk repair tool like I said earlier, but its the best we have for Windows

[Windows] How to disable scan disk at Start up

It happened almost all the time when windows are improperly shut down after a troubleshoot that scandisk will run on the next reboot to check the contents of the hard disk. (see below image)

chkdsk is a command that check the disk surface whenever there is physical errors. To disable to chkdsk, you must run the Registry Editor (regedt32.exe) In the Run tab type:
regedit

Under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, expand to: o \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager o then change the BootExecute entry to:

autocheck autochk *

o o

Finally exit the registry and restart your computer to save setting made to windows. Note that this is applicable for windows 2000 and windows XP.