Have you finally switched to windows 11 and you’re having one or two problems with your disk? It could be the frequent crashes that happen all day long or your data is suddenly disappearing. Or, maybe you are unable to log in to your computer and you don’t have a clue what could be wrong. You don’t have to worry too much. Here is an article we have prepared for you to detect and repair disk errors on Windows 11.
Your hard drive having errors is not such a new thing to most people. Once in a while, your computer will misbehave and you will have to find the error and fix it. Disk errors could either be mechanical logical or firmware failure. If the error is mechanical then you will have to ask for help from a professional. However, logical errors can be fixed using the steps indicated below.
Before diving into ways to detect disk errors and fix them , you can try cleaning up your disk and clearing any cache that might be hoarded on your PC.
How to detect and repair disk errors on windows 11.
We have outlined various steps to help you detect and repair errors on your disk. From the CHKDSK command to defragmenting the harddrive when dealing with mechanical errors. So let’s get right into it!
1. Using the CHKDSK command
This is a command-line on Windows 11 that helps to fix all errors on the disk. It runs through the command prompt and is quite effective to get you out of this sticky situation. It is used to scan the non-physical parts of your hard drive to ensure that all the files you have are error-free.
The command looks for both logical and physical errors and fixes minor issues. For the big and physical issues, the command will mark the errors to prevent them from being used .
The command can be used if:
- You are experiencing errors to do with the operating system such as the Blue screen error 0x00000024
- Boot-related errors.
The command can be run using both the command prompt and Windows PowerShell on Windows 11.
To run the command;
1. Search for the command prompt.
You could also type in cmd on the search bar to find the command prompt.
2. Run the command prompt as an administrator.
This command requires you to run the windows terminal with the privileges accorded to administrators.
3. Type in the command “chkdsk”
After typing in the chkdsk command press enter. This will highlight all the problems that your disk may have if there are any.
It is important to note that the command runs on read-mode only.
Running an online scan
If you want to run an online scan;
Type in chkdsk c: /scan /forceofflinefix and click on enter.
Fixing and scanning a particular volume
You can use the command line chkdsk c: /r /scan /perf to check on a selected disk as you are using it.
2. Checking for system errors.
To check for any system errors, you will be required to open the file explorer. To do this;
1. Press the Windows + E buttons simultaneously.
This will help you open up the file explorer.
2. Go to the C hard drive and right-click on it.
3. Click on properties.
4. Go to the ‘Tools’ option.
Going to the tools options will enable you to check on file system errors.
5. Click on the Check button under the error checking option.
6. Click on Scan drive option in the pop-up menu that appears next.
3. Checking for mechanical errors and fixing them through defragmentation
Mechanical errors are errors relating to a physical component on the hard drive.They are considered the most dangerous type of errors since data recovery is usually hard. One has to take out the hard drive, replace all the components that might have had an issue, and then rebuild the drive.
To check and fix mechanical errors that may occur on the disk;
1. Go to the search bar
2. Type in defragment.
3. Choose the C Drive.
4. Click on the Optimize button.
5. Restart your Pc
Once the process is done, restart your Pc.
This will have fixed all the disk errors that you have.
4. Checking and fixing disk errors using Windows Powershell.
Have tried all the options mentioned above and nothing seems to work? then it’s time to employ the use of Windows PowerShell.Powershell is a command that runs on both Windows, Linux, and mac os operating systems. It is an automation solution that not only accepts commands but also returns .Net objects.
To check for errors on windows 11 through Powershell ;
1. Go to the search bar and type in PowerShell.
2. Click on Run as administrator.
This will enable you to run the windows PowerShell with administrative privileges.
3.Type in the command ‘Repair-Volume C –OfflineScanAndFix‘
4. Click on enter.
5. Now type in the command ‘Repair-Volume C –Scan‘.
After the processes have ended, restart your PC and check if the errors you had have been fixed.
6. Using the recovery Page to troubleshoot.
If you’re facing the repairing disk error all through, then maybe it’s time for you to try troubleshooting Windows 11 from the recovery screen.
To do this ;
1. Shut down and turn on your Pc three times.
This will prompt the operating system to unveil the recovery screen. You can also press the F2 or F12 keys to access the recovery screen.
2. On the recovery page, pick the advanced option.
3. Go to the troubleshoot option and click on the command prompt.
4. On the command prompt run these commands;
- First command :bootrec /fixmbr
- Second command :bootrec /fixboot
- Third command:bootrec /rebuildbcd
After running the commands,
5. Restart your PC.
Restarting your Windows 11 will help you identify if the errors have been corrected.
7. Through a disk clean-up.
Sometimes your disk is just okay. Maybe there are just too many cache files or your hard drive is running out of space. A disk clean-up on windows 11 searches through your files and uncovers unnecessary files that you do not need. It could be a backlog of internet files or some program files you no longer need.
To clean up your disk;
1. Go to the search bar and type in disk clean up.
2. Select the hard drive you want to clean.
3. Pick the files you wish to delete and press ok.
You could also go to system files and pick on files that you no longer require.
After following the steps above, you would have successfully freed up some space on your disk preventing the system from lagging.
Try the steps indicated above to repair disk errors on Windows 11 and tell us which one worked for you. You could also see our article on opening the disk manager if you are having problems with that.
If nothing works then maybe it’s time to download Windows 11 again and reinstall it on your computer.
Related articles: How To Change Desktop and Icon Spacing in Windows 11:Step by Step Guide.
