How to repair windows10 system disk when MS tools fail

Hi, setting aside the possibility of hardware failure other than the disk, have you checked the disk itself?

a. Download and run Hard Disk Sentinel (SSDs too) - best instant apprasial I know of right on its GUI.
Post a screenshot of the report for each disk in your PC similar to this:


b. If ok, then from an admin command prompt run
chkdsk c: /scan
and report just the summary result (the last part).

windows repair from windows installation usb

c. Which repair exactly?

d. Unfortunately you did not respond to this (which is there so we don't have to keep asking):


e. There are no specs for your PC. Compare 'My Computers' below my post.
Tutorials are available to help you... in the tutorial section. Please complete these as far as possible.

g. Do you use disk imaging routinely, as is endlessly recommended here? E.g. Macrium Reflect (free).
If so, you can avoid a clean install by restoring an image of your O/S partitions you previously created, if it's not possible to fix your O/S.

If not, and you have to clean install, lesson learnt, alas.

As stated, on another computer. Download Hard Disk Sentinel and test the HDD on the Error Checking tab. Or you can download Disk Genius in my signature and create a Windows PE Rescue USB Flash drive in the app. Then boot the troubled computer to the USB Flash drive, in the app, go to the toolbar to Disk/View or Repair Bad Sectors/Verify Now. In either app, this will take a long time. if any of the Boxes are RED then the drive needs to be replaced. If the drive is healthy, Disk Genius has a few recovery or backup programs. As stated, did you try a Repair Install/In place Upgrade?
If all else fails, then a Clean Install of Windows 10 would be the fastest and easiest way to go.

I don't faff about with Windows tools and just recover from the latest Reflect backup.

plaurits said:

Thanks Steve
I am already using macrium for my own PCs as suggested in this forum.
However problem here is that customer has not been taking backup of this PC before it crashed yesterday.
Hence I need to see if I can recover it.
Br Peter

You could try booting to the Reflect USB repair drive and select the option to fix boot problems. Also change the CMOS battery which may have run down and load the BIOS defaults since a corrupted BIOS can cause boot problems.

Steve C said:

I don't faff about with Windows tools and just recover from the latest Reflect backup.

One downside to that is that personal data on the partition(s) restored also revert to that at the date the image was created.

In these respects System Restore and in-place upgrade repair install are superior- when appropriate and available of course.