How to stop chkdsk on an external drive?


  1. Posts : 868
    Windows 10 x64
       #1

    How to stop chkdsk on an external drive?


    Up front: I was wrong to start a chkdsk on an large external drive. Reason was/is, I could not delete an empty folder and some site recommended run chkdsk.

    Assuming it would be over and done with, within -say- an hour or so I started it. Much to my regret.
    It is says it'll take more than a day now.

    Any suggestions as to how to safely stop it.
    Some say that probably only a few files might be ruined. It is no problem because I have copies of all files on different other drives, restoring wouldn't be too much problem.

    But if the entire drive is completely ruined...

    Is there a way to safely stop it, with a minimum on damaged files then?

    Thanks.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails How to stop chkdsk on an external drive?-capture-18052019-165107.png  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 31,465
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #2

    tfwul said:
    Up front: I was wrong to start a chkdsk on an large external drive...
    The mistake was to use the /R option which checks every cluster for bad blocks. Just /F should have been sufficient for your purposes....

    Is there a way to safely stop it, with a minimum on damaged files then?
    Stages 1 to 3 are the ones where you risk damage because they may be re-writing the ntfs file structure when you stop chkdsk.

    You are on Stage 4 which is just reading from the disk, it will only write to the disk if it finds a bad block. It should be safe to stop it as the chances you actually have a bad block, and that chkdsk is repairing it when you stop it are so small they can be ignored.

    As you appear to be running this in a Command Prompt, just close the Window to stop it. To reassure yourself afterwards, run CHKDSK /F (without the /R so that it completes quickly).
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 868
    Windows 10 x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Super!

    Thank
    you so much!!

    It all went fine, closing and running the extra chkdsk /f.
    All stuff seems to be there.
    Pheww..

    I also really, really appreciate your replying on this so quickly...

    Again, thanks!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 31,465
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #4

    Glad to have helped.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 41,412
    windows 10 professional version 1607 build 14393.969 64 bit
       #5

    This is a Microsoft link for chkdsk switches:
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ommands/chkdsk

    See the remark section for switches that speed up the process.

    Also see the /c and /i switches.

    The b switch should take the longest time period.

    The drive size, problems with the drive file system, and drive free space can all impact the ETA.

    Once you have run /r you can run quicker switches such as chkdsk /scan.
    This switch does not lock the drive and is run on line.
    If it finds a problem it will request spotfix which locks the drive.

    Bree, if available, please post a link on interrupting chkdsk switches.
    Also looking for chkdsk run on window versus non-Windows drives.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 31,465
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #6

    zbook said:
    Bree, if available, please post a link on interrupting chkdsk switches...

    There's little or no documentation out there, that I can find. Your first link is as good as any with its...

    Interrupting chkdsk is not recommended. However, canceling or interrupting chkdsk should not leave the volume any more corrupt than it was before chkdsk was run. Rerunning chkdsk checks and repairs any remaining corruption on the volume.

    I did find it put slightly differently here...

    While it’s not recommended to interrupt CHKDSK while it’s running, an admin is not locked into having to let CHKDSK finish once it starts. The process can be terminated if absolutely required. However, we cannot guarantee that the end result will be positive. If the process is interrupted during the “magic moment” when CHKDSK is making changes, the results may be worse than the initial reason for the volume being flagged as corrupt.
    https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/...over-clusters/

    In the OP's question the reason for running chkdsk was that there may have been logical errors for the /F option to fix. There wasn't anything suggesting the disk may be failing. File structure errors would have been fixed in stages 1 to 3. The OP was on stage 4 where chkdsk was just reading disk blocks to see if they were OK, so the chances of this being a 'magic moment' were so small they could be safely ignored.
      My Computers


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:38.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums