Chkdsk runs each time that I start my computer

[Guest]

Each time that I start my computer, chkdsk runs the disk check of a partition
(NTFS, non-system) on my hard drive. If I cancel the check, the system (WinXP
Pro SP2) starts and runs fine. I've run several tests of my hard drive
(Norton Disk Doctor, SpinRite, Ontrack Data Advisor), but all of them say
that the HDD has no problems.
I've read the article "Chkdsk Runs Each Time That You Start Your Computer"
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316506) from Microsoft Knowledge Base,
but:
1) chkdsk don't prevent the system to start and work well on my computer
2) I don't use any scanners
3) I haven't upgraded Windows from any version.
So, can anybody tell me what can I do and how can I disable the chkdsk on
Windows start (if it's possible)?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Check Disk runs on every boot.

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs /d

Hit the Enter key.

Chkntfs displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.

The /d switch restores the machine to the default behavior; all drives are
checked at boot time and chkdsk is run on those that are dirty.

Autochk.exe is a version of Chkdsk that runs only before Windows XP
starts. Autochk runs in the following situations:

Autochk runs if you try to run Chkdsk on the boot volume.
Autochk runs if Chkdsk cannot gain exclusive use of the volume.
Autochk runs if the volume is flagged as dirty.

This can happen if the drive's dirty bit is set.
When a drive's dirty bit is set, autochk automatically
checks the volume for errors the next time the computer is restarted.

This will report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

fsutil dirty query C:

Hit the Enter key.

Volume C: is not dirty
Volume C: is dirty

[[If a volume's dirty bit is set, this indicates that the file system may be
in an inconsistent state. The dirty bit can be set because the volume is
online and has outstanding changes, because changes were made to the volume
and the computer shutdown before the changes were committed to disk, or
because corruption was detected on the volume. If the dirty bit is set when
the computer restarts, chkdsk runs to verify the consistency of the volume.

Every time Windows XP starts, Autochk.exe is called by the Kernel to scan
all volumes to check if the volume dirty bit is set. If the dirty bit is
set, autochk performs an immediate chkdsk /f on that volume. Chkdsk /f
verifies file system integrity and attempts to fix any problems with the
volume.]]
-----

This will also report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs c:

Hit the Enter key.

C: is not dirty.
-----

If this is not the problem.....

Go here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Read the instructions at the top of the page.
Scroll down to:
82. Disable or Enable Check Disk Upon Boot
Click on Disable.
-----

Additional information...
Chkdsk.exe or Autochk.exe starts when you try to shut down or restart your
computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831426

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

I have had this happen (intermittently, but frequently) as a result of
a memory module going bad (it had developed a few "stuck bits").

Each time that I start my computer, chkdsk runs the disk check of a partition
(NTFS, non-system) on my hard drive. If I cancel the check, the system (WinXP
Pro SP2) starts and runs fine. I've run several tests of my hard drive
(Norton Disk Doctor, SpinRite, Ontrack Data Advisor), but all of them say
that the HDD has no problems.
I've read the article "Chkdsk Runs Each Time That You Start Your Computer"
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316506) from Microsoft Knowledge Base,
but:
1) chkdsk don't prevent the system to start and work well on my computer
2) I don't use any scanners
3) I haven't upgraded Windows from any version.
So, can anybody tell me what can I do and how can I disable the chkdsk on
Windows start (if it's possible)?
Thanks in advance.

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[Guest]

Thank you very much, Wesley, for your valuable answer. The volume's dirty bit
is set, really. I'll try to run chkdsk from Recovery Console as soon as I
find my WinXP installation disk But can I do anything else to make dirty
bit go away?
P. S.: Why can't I rate posts? Don't see any button like "Rate this post".

Check Disk runs on every boot.

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs /d

Hit the Enter key.

Chkntfs displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.

The /d switch restores the machine to the default behavior; all drives are
checked at boot time and chkdsk is run on those that are dirty.

Autochk.exe is a version of Chkdsk that runs only before Windows XP
starts. Autochk runs in the following situations:

Autochk runs if you try to run Chkdsk on the boot volume.
Autochk runs if Chkdsk cannot gain exclusive use of the volume.
Autochk runs if the volume is flagged as dirty.

This can happen if the drive's dirty bit is set.
When a drive's dirty bit is set, autochk automatically
checks the volume for errors the next time the computer is restarted.

This will report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

fsutil dirty query C:

Hit the Enter key.

Volume C: is not dirty
Volume C: is dirty

[[If a volume's dirty bit is set, this indicates that the file system may be
in an inconsistent state. The dirty bit can be set because the volume is
online and has outstanding changes, because changes were made to the volume
and the computer shutdown before the changes were committed to disk, or
because corruption was detected on the volume. If the dirty bit is set when
the computer restarts, chkdsk runs to verify the consistency of the volume.

Every time Windows XP starts, Autochk.exe is called by the Kernel to scan
all volumes to check if the volume dirty bit is set. If the dirty bit is
set, autochk performs an immediate chkdsk /f on that volume. Chkdsk /f
verifies file system integrity and attempts to fix any problems with the
volume.]]
-----

This will also report whether the dirty bit is set.

Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
Type or paste the following line:

chkntfs c:

Hit the Enter key.

C: is not dirty.
-----

If this is not the problem.....

Go here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Read the instructions at the top of the page.
Scroll down to:
82. Disable or Enable Check Disk Upon Boot
Click on Disable.
-----

Additional information...
Chkdsk.exe or Autochk.exe starts when you try to shut down or restart your
computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831426

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Each time that I start my computer, chkdsk runs the disk check of a
partition (NTFS, non-system) on my hard drive. If I cancel the check, the
system (WinXP Pro SP2) starts and runs fine. I've run several tests of my
hard drive (Norton Disk Doctor, SpinRite, Ontrack Data Advisor), but all
of them say that the HDD has no problems.
I've read the article "Chkdsk Runs Each Time That You Start Your Computer"
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316506) from Microsoft Knowledge Base,
but:
1) chkdsk don't prevent the system to start and work well on my computer
2) I don't use any scanners
3) I haven't upgraded Windows from any version.
So, can anybody tell me what can I do and how can I disable the chkdsk on
Windows start (if it's possible)?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Peter. I hope my RAM is OK, but I'll test it if required. How did you
find out that it was RAM in particular that caused the problem?

"Peter R. Fletcher" пишет:

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Peter. I hope my RAM is OK, but I'll test it if required. How did you
find out that it was RAM in particular that caused the problem?

"Peter R. Fletcher" пишет:

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

Other bad things also started happening occasionally, so I ran a RAM
test, which picked up the stuck bits. Replacing the RAM cured ALL the
problems.

Thanks, Peter. I hope my RAM is OK, but I'll test it if required. How did you
find out that it was RAM in particular that caused the problem?

"Peter R. Fletcher" ?????:

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[Guest]

At last I found my WXP installation disk. So I ran chkdsk command from
Recovery Console. It found and corrected errors on the problem partition.
Then I ran fixboot command. It showed that the boot sector on the partition
(that contained set dirty bit) was damaged. Then it wrote the new boot sector
and it solved the problem - chkdsk doesn't run on every boot.
By the way, it is possible to simply disable autochk.exe by using chkntfs /x
command. This excludes a drive from the default boot-time check.
Wesley Vogel, you helped a lot. Thank you very much once again.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Glad to hear that you got it fixed.

You can also delete every thing in the Value Data for BootExecute here..
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\Session Manager

The actual purpose of chkntfs /x is to postpone chkdsk from running when the
dirty bit is set until a more convenient time. I assume that this was
origianlly for servers or other machines that running chkdsk would be
inconvenient.

<quote>
The chkntfs utility works by modifying the BootExcecute value in the system
registry. The BootExecute value is located in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\Session Manager

The default value is:
BootExecute:REG_MULTI_SZ:autocheck autochk *

Chkntfs /x adds a /k parameter prior to the asterisk. The /k parameter
excludes volumes from being checked for the presence of a dirty bit.
<quote>
CHKNTFS.EXE: What You Can Use It For
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/160963

Method 2 here addresses how to the same thing manually.

Chkdsk.exe or Autochk.exe starts when you try to shut down or restart your
computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831426

<quote>
For heavily used computers that cannot be offline for the length of time
required to complete the repair process, you can use the Chkntfs.exe
command-line tool to exclude dirty volumes from being checked by Autochk.
You can also use Chkntfs to cancel previously scheduled sessions of Autochk
and to check the status of a volume.

Caution
If a volume is flagged as dirty, do not postpone running Chkdsk
indefinitely. File system damage can become worse over time, so you must
consider dirty volumes at risk until you run Chkdsk. Use Chkntfs only if you
need to control when Chkdsk is run.

Using the /x Parameter to Exclude Volumes
Use the /x parameter to prevent Autochk from running at startup on dirty
volumes. Although it is not recommended that you use this parameter to
postpone running Autochk indefinitely, you can use this parameter to prevent
Autochk from running. For example, when you know the volume is dirty, you
can use the /x parameter to postpone running Autochk until a period of low
computer activity, such as overnight or during the weekend.
<quote>
Using Chkntfs to Prevent Autochk from Running
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prkd_tro_rgwn.asp

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

What a useful information you share here, Wes! Many thanks.

"Wesley Vogel" пишет:

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

Did you make sure that you restored all your BIOS settings,
particularly any relevant to your hard disk and/or RAID controller
configuration, to what they were previously _after_ you replaced the
battery? The symptoms you describe could well reflect a
"deconfiguaration" of your RAID array - if CHKDSK is trying to check
half a RAID array, thinking that it is a regularly partitioned hard
disk, I would expect it to get very confused indeed - I just hope that
it has not already started to "fix" a non-existent (or, at least,
misperceived) problem.

I am having a similar issue. I replaced the battery on my motherboard,
then I ran check disk as suggested by tech support. The machine booted
fine after i replaced the battery, but the support tech wanted to check
out the hard drive to see if it was my issue (super slow, freezing
issues in photoshop... not responding software).

On reboot the check disk started to run. I went to bed (12:30am), this
morning the 5 of 5 test was still running 9% complete. I called back
Alienware tech support to see if I could stop this mid process since I
have (HAD) a full day today. On restart, the green screen with check
disk came up again. I hit (any key) to cancel. But it just sits there
saying "check disk cancelled". But goes nowhere, there are no other
options to continue to let windows load. I rebooted in safemode, BLUE
SCREEN OF DEATH.

I can't seem to get past the check disk. I tried to be paitient and let
it run to see if I could move on once it was finished. Apparently there
is no finish. I have a hardware raid of two 160 gig disks.

I don't know what to do. Is there some way to cancel this before
windows loads (no access to run menu)?????

I bought new ram and took out all of my old to see if I also had a ram
issue and I get the blue screen with a useless number that says it
could be hardware or software when trying to boot in safe mode. If I
boot reg. I go straight into the never ending check disk.

Please help.

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[sced13ri]

I am having a similar issue. I replaced the battery on my motherboard,
then I ran check disk as suggested by tech support. The machine booted
fine after i replaced the battery, but the support tech wanted to check
out the hard drive to see if it was my issue (super slow, freezing
issues in photoshop... not responding software).

On reboot the check disk started to run. I went to bed (12:30am), this
morning the 5 of 5 test was still running 9% complete. I called back
Alienware tech support to see if I could stop this mid process since I
have (HAD) a full day today. On restart, the green screen with check
disk came up again. I hit (any key) to cancel. But it just sits there
saying "check disk cancelled". But goes nowhere, there are no other
options to continue to let windows load. I rebooted in safemode, BLUE
SCREEN OF DEATH.

I can't seem to get past the check disk. I tried to be paitient and let
it run to see if I could move on once it was finished. Apparently there
is no finish. I have a hardware raid of two 160 gig disks.

I don't know what to do. Is there some way to cancel this before
windows loads (no access to run menu)?????

I bought new ram and took out all of my old to see if I also had a ram
issue and I get the blue screen with a useless number that says it
could be hardware or software when trying to boot in safe mode. If I
boot reg. I go straight into the never ending check disk.

Please help.

Sorry to say I had the same problem with check disk in a continuous
loop. Even with the help suggested by the good people in this group
ultimately, I had to restore my boot drive from an image made about a
month earlier. Being unable to boot I was fortunate to be able to do
that using the older Drive Image 7 and the program CD. After that, based
on info obtained here I did a WindowsXP repair. So far things seem to be
back to normal. However, I doubt that I will ever use check disk on my
boot drive again since it needs to be initiated at boot up. I only post
my experience as a possible last resort solution to your problem.

sced13ri

 

[Guest]

this thread has been helpful. i suspected that chkdsk was running at startup.

From this thread i found the dirty bit is set. my problem is that i don't
get the blue screen that shows me the progress of the chkdsk. this has been
going on for awhile without knowing chkdsk was running i often shut off the
power to the computer thinking that i had a reboot problem. i used norton
goback to get back to windows xp (home edition BTW). so how do i get my blue
screen back working so i can see how bad my hard drive is. BTW the chkntfs
told me i had a FAT32 filing system.

Also this started happening around the time when my windows xp progress
screen stopped, you know the progress screen when windows xp starts up, the
one with the black background, windows xp logo, and small colored boxes show
that windows is working and before you get to the desktop. how do i get that
back?

any help is appreciated.

 

[Don Phillipson]

CHKDSK has started running sometimes when I boot up. Says the volume is
dirty. This didn't happen until after I installed SP3 a month or so ago.
Could there be any link to the SP3 install? Or, is it a coincidence that
I've got a drive, battery,... going bad now? I'm thinking about
restoring to before SP3 to see if I keep getting the "dirty volume"
message that kicks off CHKDSK, or if it goes away. I've had a few other
"funny" errors since installing SP3..
Any ideas out there? Thanks.

Why not go back to the System Restore checkpoint you
saved before upgrading with SP3? If you then get the
same drive and battery errors you will be sure SP3 is
not the cause.

 

[Gerry]

Bruce

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/160963/en-us

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Jason]

I don't see the difference between /D and /C
one says chkdsk is run where dirty is set and the other to be run if the
dirty bit is set.