"Checking file system on C."

[Gordon Biggar]

I am running Vista Home Premium (32-bit) on my laptop. All of a sudden, at
boot I started receiving the above message, followed by:

"One of your disks may need to be checked for consistency." Then, CHKDSK
proceeds to verify the files, and the boot completes. This routine now
occurs each time that I boot the machine. I don't seem to have a problem
that I can detect. How does one get this message to be bypassed, assuming
that there is no problem?

Gordon Biggar

 

[the wharf rat]

"One of your disks may need to be checked for consistency." Then, CHKDSK
proceeds to verify the files, and the boot completes. This routine now
occurs each time that I boot the machine. I don't seem to have a problem
that I can detect. How does one get this message to be bypassed, assuming
that there is no problem?

There is a problem.

Seeing this every time usually means that you're shutting down
improperly and Windows isn't having time to properly shut the file system
on exit so it's inconsistent. It can also indicate an incompatible BIOS
or driver setting, for instance, Windows requires that readahead be
disabled on certain early Nvidia chipsets or you see that exact symptom.
It can also mean a drive is failing.

The place to start is event viewer. Look at the system and error
logs and see if there's some indication of a problem. And of course make
sure you're allowing Windows to shut down properly before powering off.

 

[GTS]

One possibility is that there is a hard drive problem, most likely bad
sectors, that chkdsk in it's normal mode can't fix. Back up as a
precaution and run chkdsk /r . You might also use the drive manufacturers
drive diagnostic or Seagate Tools (which isn't limited to Seagate drives.)

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I am running Vista Home Premium (32-bit) on my laptop. All of a sudden, at
boot I started receiving the above message, followed by:

"One of your disks may need to be checked for consistency." Then, CHKDSK
proceeds to verify the files, and the boot completes. This routine now
occurs each time that I boot the machine. I don't seem to have a problem
that I can detect. How does one get this message to be bypassed, assuming
that there is no problem?

Gordon Biggar

If you computer is slow or jittery after having booted to the desktop, it
could mean that your hard drive is in danger of failing.

If after the drive checking, the computer works as you expect then, in all
probability, parts of the hard drive file structure are corrupted.
Personally, I think that it may be a good time to start over and re-install
the OS having formatted first..

 

[Gordon Biggar]

When I attempt to execute chkdsk /r, a black screen pops up momentarily and
then immediately disappears.

In looking at logs under Event Viewer, there shows repeated application
errors going way back pertaining to Perflib, and, occasionally, WMI. I also
show Warnings under User Profile Services, where my "registry file is still
in use by other applications...", but these also go way back.

If there is the possibility of a disk failure, does one want to format and
reload the operating system on the same hard drive? Or, does the failure
have nothing to do with the performance attributes of the drive itself?

The laptop is still under a Dell warranty, but maybe that's a slow route for
repair, never having used it.

GB

 

[Gordon Biggar]

Interestingly, when I went to the Backup and Restore Center to back up my C
and D (recovery) drives, Windows said that I had a disc error on the C
drive, which prevented the backup. I suppose that I could use Windows
Explorer to back up my C drive (except for the Windows folder?)

GB

 

[GTS]

To run the chkdsk /r open a command prompt first and type it there. Say Y
(yes) to let it run on restart and then reboot.

Alternatively, use the built in Dell diagnostics. Press F12 on startup to
get to the Dell boot menu and select diagnostics from there. If there is a
drive problem, Dell will want the error code reported by their diagnostics
when you contact them for service.

And - No. It does not make any sense at all to reformat your drive and
reinstall Windows without checking the drive integrity.
--

 

[GTS]

You could use Windows Explorer to back up selected data files (like your
Documents and Pictures folders). You can not use it for a full system
backup.
It certainly sounds like your drive is failing and backup in some fashion
is urgent!
--

 

[Gordon Biggar]

The system prevented me from running chkdsk or chkdsk /r -- "access denied;
do not have sufficient privileges; must run in an elevated mode." I presume
that this is equivalent to saying: administrator privileges required! This
was a breeze in Windows 2000. I am the only user, and I was under the
impression that I have administrator privileges. What do I need to change
to run these routines?

However, I went the F12 route and ran the Diagnostics/System Tree/Hard Drive
Errors analysis. There were ten tests that lasted several hours. All
received a "Pass" rating.

I'm not sure where this leaves me!

GGB

 

[Gordon Biggar]

Figured it out. Ran Start\Accessories\and right-clicked on Command Prompt
to run as an Administrator. Simple!

With chkdsk /r I received the following error message during "verifying
indexes:" "an unspecified error occurred."

GB

 

[Earle Horton]

This is probably not good, but what moved you to run chkdsk in the first
place?

Earle

 

[Gordon Biggar]

Sir Earle --

See the earlier postings by GTS. Might a "consistency check" and the chkdsk
utility be related from a functional viewpoint (i.e., in attempting to
assess whether there is a hard drive problem)??

Gordon

 

[GTS]

Sorry Gordon, I should have told you run it in an elevated command prompt.
That message isn't good. I suggest you run the Dell Diagnostic now. If it
reports an error code, write it down and pursue warranty service.
--

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

It is best to start a new thread when you have a new problem.

Try booting into safe mode - command prompt only, and running chkdsk
from there. Perhaps that will work.

Hi everyone,
I have a problem with the CHKDSK. When booting my laptop the
consistency check comes up and cancelles itself every single time. This
has been going on for over a week now.
Starting the check myself doesnt do anything. It just says "To cancel
press any button" then counts down to 1 and cancelles itself. How can I
stop the cancelling or actually have my file C checked. I have not
noticed any missing files or malfunctioning programms... What shoudl I
do? What seems to be the problem?