Dear Shawn,
I have already read the tutorial that you provided me, since it ranks the
highest in any internet search of this topic. I have found that it is the
most authoritative article addressing this issue. Wikipedia also corroborates
the root cause of this problem of chkdsk.exe not running at startup, as being
due to a problem with the autochk.exe file.
Surprisingly, and unfortunately, the Microsoft and HP websites don't address
this issue. It is sad that only third-party sources address this issue.
Microsoft should take ownership of this issue and be at the forefront of it.
The only way Microsoft addresses it, though, is indirectly through consumers
(such as yourself) using its Vista Community forums.
Anyway, I have not yet implemented step one or step two in this tutorial
because I am not comfortable altering items in the registry editor, nor am I
comfortable trying to take ownership of the autochk.exe file. The steps
provided to take ownership of the file admit that you might have
difficulties, which could open up another whole fiasco.
When I open the file under the folder, C:\Windows\system32\autochk.exe,
right-click on the file, click on Properties, then click on the Details tab,
the following fields are left blank: File description, File version, Product
name, Product version, Copyright, and Language. Therefore, if I do succeed in
taking ownership of the file, won't I still not know which version of the
file I have? If not, then I will not be able to complete step two of the
tutorial, where it asks you to download a new copy of the version of the file
that you already have.
Furthermore, this tutorial is based on the assumption that your autochk.exe
file is corrupted. However, I don't think that is my issue. Rather, as the
error message indicates, I believe that I have the wrong version of the file
for my operating system, which is the Windows Vista Ultimate, 64-bit version.
Perhaps the file is designed for Windows Vista 32-bit versions instead.? Or
perhaps it is designed for Windows XP and doesn't work with any Windows Vista
operating systems at all?
Today I started a support case for HP, the manufacturer of my computer,
which is an HP Pavilion dv6700t CTO Notebook PC. I purchased and received
this computer in February of this year (2008). I am awaiting their response
and will update this discussion thread if and when they provide a proper
solution.
An appropriate solution to this specific problem needs to be documented, one
that addresses the issue of having the incorrect version of the autochk.exe
file, rather than a corrupted autochk.exe file, which the tutorial addresses.
Both issues need to be confirmed and verified by the websites of Microsoft
and computer manufacturers themselves, so that we know such procedures are
valid and that we can trust them. If the tutorial came directly from
Microsoft, then I would not have any hesitation to follow all of the steps
outlined. However, since the best solution currently available is provided by
a third-party website, I am reluctant to follow its instructions.
Perhaps a future Windows Vista update, or the next service pack, will solve
this issue. Obviously, Service Pack 1 for Vista did not correct the problem.
Who knows how long it will be until the next service pack will come out, or
if it will even fix the problem?
My incorrect version of autochk will not allow me to run chkdsk, a huge
liability that puts my computer at risk, preventing me from running this
utility to fix file corruption, which will inevitably happen. It is only a
matter of time. With Check Disk (chkdsk), however, these file corruptions can
be prevented and repaired.
Because of this vulnerability, my only recourse, currently, is to constantly
back up my computer so that I can restore it every time a file corruption
occurs. However, one should not be relegated to performing a full computer
back up so often, because when you do such restorations, you lose the changes
made to files and settings since the last backup. This is an undue
inconvenience.
Therefore, I will press HP, the manufacturer of my computer, to fix this
problem immediately, or else I will ask that they let me return this product
for a full refund. Alternatively, I think they could be sued for this
problem, because they are distributing a defective product. If you purchase a
computer and the Check Disk utility doesn't work, you have a defective
product and you should be able to get your money back. Furthermore, they
should be required to do a recall on such defective merchandise.
In the meantime, any help that someone can contribute to this matter would
be greatly appreciated. Together, I hope we can resolve this issue once and
for all.
