CHKDSK will not execute

Question

XP SP2 system; Dell Dimension 8400 with factory hard disk   Even under XP Safe Mode, I have never (since the 8400 was new) been able to run a disk repair (either CHKDSK or Norton).    System always reports that access to Drive C not permitted.    Norton reports 'Access to Drive C denied' when trying to do its disk checks. XP CHKDSK always states 'another process' is using the disk and will not proceed.  Even in Safe Mode and even when I set CHKDSK to execute upon boot up.  Also, logged in as an adminstrator, I have not been able to detect a security setting that causes this.  Baffling.  Need help, since disk errors are suspected and may be slowing performance after several years of use with no error checking or correction.

bacillus · Answer

by any chance are you using an older version of zone alarm?

Evermore · Answer

agentliberte: this is the procedure that I use. It's a little long but it's a step by step procedure.

Procedure for using CHK DSK. This checks your hard drive for Corruption

Double click on my computer, find drive "C" Right click on drive C. A menu comes up, click on properties, click on the tools tab on the top. Notice the first item "Error Checking" It says "This option will check the volume for errors "Click on "Check Now". Check disk options comes up. Don't put any check marks in the 2 boxes yet. Click "Start". A test will run on the hard drive looking for problems. Let it run it can run up to 5 stages. After it completes the test a note comes up saying "Disk check complete" click ok.

Now go back and put a check mark in both funtions. Check "Automatically fix file system errors"
Also check "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" Now click on Start. A note will come up asking you if you want to restart your computer now or next time you reboot. Click yes. Close all windows and restart your computer.

Your computer will reboot to a blue screen and stop that says "Checking file system on :C". Now (CHK DSK) will start scanning your C drive for the 2 items you checked earlier. It will go through 5 stages automatically. Stage 4 ("verifying File data") and stage 5 ((verifying free space") will run slow so sit back and be patient. the speed depends on your processor speed. While stage 5 is running it may stop on a percentage for a short while than will jump to percentage completed. Just wait and let it run until 100% complete.

When CHK DSK is complete it will flash through results, but I have never been able to stop it and read what it says. It will stop for a few seconds and tell you scan is complete. Just wait your computer will automatically reboot to your desk top.I guess you have to trust it fixed what ever it found. You are done. You checked your "C" drive (Hard Drive) for "File system errors" and "Attempted to recover bad sectors", if there was any.

I have never had one that failed to scan complete. I don't know what would happen if it found something that it couldn't repair!! It may give you a message of what to do. If it didn't I would just turn off power and reboot.

To see log file on this scan: Go to; Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer and click on the Application Log. Scroll down to the time of the disc scan and look for an entry similar to: Information xxTime xxDate Winlogon xxx xxx N/A. Double click on it and scroll in the report. This is all that is available in XP for a chkdsk log. Click on line that has Winlogon in the line.

Evermore · Answer

Try this link for help.http://www.updatexp.com/windows-xp-chkdsk.html

RoHe · Answer

If you're trying to run chkdsk from Start>Run in XP, it won't run. It should offer you the option to run chkdsk at the next reboot and, if you accept the offer, run before XP loads the next time you reboot.

You can try booting from XP CD too. Launch Recovery Console at first screen. When you get to C: prompt, type in:

chkdsk c: /p /r
Press Enter
This will take a long time to run. When it's finished, remove the XP CD and reboot normally.

Note:
from Start>Run you'd type in: chkdsk c: /f
from Recovery Console C: prompt, "/f" doesn't work and you have to use: chkdsk c: /p /r

Ron

RoHe · Answer

Glad you got it to work, except chkdsk c: /r only works from the Recovery Console after booting from XP CD.

To run chkdsk on normal reboot of Windows, you have to use chkdsk c: /f.

I use ZoneAlarm and have never had it interfere with running chkdsk, so I have no idea where that (mis)info came from.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 12-30-2007 04:18 PM

agentliberte · Answer

Thanks.   On a subsequent cold reboot, CHKDSK C: /r did work.  For some reason it did not the first time I opted for it to run upon restart.

agentliberte · Answer

Not presently.  I uninstalled a version of Zone Alarm a good while back (> 1 year ago) to avoid compatibility issues with Norton System Works.  I do not recall noticing whether the denied access to C drive for checking disk for errors was correlated with Zone Alarm.  Is Zone Alarm known to leave behind a drive access lock of some kind in place when uninstalled?

Windows General

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