Windows 10: Using chkdsk and DISM.exe to decide whether hard disk must be replaced, and/or if there are...

Ref: Using chkdsk and DISM.exe to decide whether hard disk must be replaced, and/or if there are other solutions



Hello there,



After having done a clean install deleting all partitions using a Windows10 installation media DVD, I think that my hard drive might need to be replaced.


I would be grateful for your diagnosis and answers to the questions below.



Trying “chkdsk C:” gives fast checking except for :

Stage 1: around 81061 of 202752 = pause for about 10 seconds

Stage 1: around 82793 of 202752 until 82895 of 202752 = very slow

Stage 2: around 82802 of 295454 until 8XXXX of 295454 = very slow



Then trying to do “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” in “Command prompt Admin” as originally suggested by the “Virtual Agent” gives:

Ist attempt => Image version: 10.0.18362.900, which counts up to 100% then “Error: 0x800f081f”

2nd attempt => Image version: 10.0.18362.900, which counts up to 100% then “Error: 0x800f081f”



Then trying “chkdsk /X C:” again gives fast checking except for :

Stage 1: around 80875 of 236800 = pause for about 10 seconds

Stage 1: around 82785 of 236800 until 82908 of 236800 = very slow

Stage 2: around 82787 of 329492 until 82909 of 329492 = very slow

Stage 2: around 257140 of 329492 until around 257142 of 329492 = very slow pause for about 5 seconds



In properties, my hard disk shows:

Used space: 32,268,132,352 bytes

Capacity: 749,478,080,512 bytes



Below is also the text from the Command Prompt Window which may be of use.



Q1. Does the above show that I my hard disk is probably corrupt at around the following sectors/segments?:

- a little bit around 80875

- 82785 to 82909

- a little bit around 257140



Q2. If indeed the disk is corrupt, can it be fixed usually given that I’ve already tried “chkdsk /X/F”? If yes, how?



Q3. If the disk is corrupt in those areas and cannot be fixed, then what problems can that cause?



Q4. Does Windows 10 keep a track of the bad sectors of the disk and thus does not use them for the saving of any data?



Q5. If the disk is corrupt in those areas and cannot be fixed, then might the following be an intelligent solution which avoids the hassle of changing the hard disk?

a Make a clean install using the Win10 installation DVD and deleting all the partitions, thus creating 2 new partitions splitting the 750Gb hard drive into 250Gb first partition and 500Gb remaining partition.

b use only the 500Gb to install the system files and any personal files though not sure how I specify this

c Ignore the 250Gb, consider it as corrupt, and thus not usable, except perhaps eventually for saving videos that anyway I’m gonna trash after watching.



Q6. Given the above apparent problem when using chkdsk, is it worth to now make system image DVDs given that this is now a clean install? Or is that not such a good idea since the corrupt areas of the disk may have caused problems with the clean system installation?



Q7. Would you recommend to install a new hard drive altogether?





TEXT FROM COMMAND PROMPT WINDOW AS FOLLOWS:

-------

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18362.900]

c 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.



C:\Windows\system32>chkdsk C:

The type of the file system is NTFS.



WARNING! /F parameter not specified.

Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.



Stage 1: Examining basic file system structure ...

202752 file records processed.

File verification completed.

5357 large file records processed.

0 bad file records processed.



Stage 2: Examining file name linkage ...

7093 reparse records processed.

295454 index entries processed.

Index verification completed.

0 unindexed files scanned.

0 unindexed files recovered to lost and found.

7093 reparse records processed.



Stage 3: Examining security descriptors ...

Security descriptor verification completed.

46352 data files processed.

CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...

2229456 USN bytes processed.

Usn Journal verification completed.



Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.

No further action is required.



731912191 KB total disk space.

59728556 KB in 150842 files.

108872 KB in 46353 indexes.

20 KB in bad sectors.

295503 KB in use by the system.

65536 KB occupied by the log file.

671779240 KB available on disk.



4096 bytes in each allocation unit.

182978047 total allocation units on disk.

167944810 allocation units available on disk.



C:\Windows\system32>DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth



Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool

Version: 10.0.18362.900



Image Version: 10.0.18362.900



[==========================100.0%==========================]

Error: 0x800f081f



The source files could not be found.

Use the "Source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.



The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log



C:\Windows\system32>DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth



Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool

Version: 10.0.18362.900



Image Version: 10.0.18362.900



[==========================100.0%==========================]

Error: 0x800f081f



The source files could not be found.

Use the "Source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.



The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log



C:\Windows\system32>

:)

 

Hard disk failing

Failing hard disks cannot be repaired. They must be replaced.

 

Hard disk failure

Hi Asad,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I suggest you to run Check Disk and check if that helps. Follow the steps below.

Run a Check Disk on the drive.

You can perform a check disk to spot any error in your hard disk. To do so, right- click on the start button>select
command prompt (admin)> type “chkdsk/f/r” and press enter.

This will display the exact errors occurring in your hard drive.

Chkdsk disclaimer.

Important: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost

Further you may Scan the drive and fix the errors by following the on screen instructions.

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you

Thanks

 

Chkdsk /f

Hi,

The error message "Windows cannot run disk checking on this volume because it is write protected." is usually occurring if there is a write protection tab on your hard drive or the partition file system is corrupted or damaged due to malware infection or
other unknown reasons.

For us to provide an accurate solution, we would need you to answer the following questions:

• Which build and edition of Windows 10 is installed on your computer?
• What changes have you made to the device before this issue occurred?

For initial troubleshooting, we suggest entering the command chkdsk E: /f /r /x in Command Prompt. Take note that you should replace
E with the drive letter for your PC's hard drive or USB drive. Once done, check if the same issue persists.

Important: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive, if any bad sectors are found when chkdsk tries to repair that sector, any data available on it might be lost.

We'll be waiting for your response.