When you run the Windows checkdisk (chkdsk) utility, it may report the disk being in use and recommend that you schedule chkdsk to run the next time the computer restarts, like the following screenshot shows:
Windows can’t check the disk while it’s in use. Do you want to check for hard disk errors the next time you start your computer?
However, doing that ran me into a very curious issue on Michele’s laptop: I would restart the computer, and get a message telling me to press any key within a few seconds to abort the scan if I so desired. Sorry, but I don’t have the exact message in front of me at the moment. Curiously it would abort itself after a second or two, stating that I pressed a key (which I did not). I’m fairly certain this is caused by this issue here: kernel atkbd.c: Unknown key released messages on Linux.
In order to make the chkdsk run without aborting due to that phantom keystroke, you have to set the delay to zero. To do this, boot back up into Windows, open an administrative-level command prompt, and run the following:
chkntfs /t:0
That will set the delay to zero seconds, effectively making it unable to be interrupted. Schedule the disk check again and reboot. It should run without issue.
Questions, comment, or any issues with the above are welcome in the comments section. Thank you!
7 comments
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Debbie
September 26, 2011 at 6:42 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Mike I had this happen with the new SSD and had to do the command as above; whats strange is I have had this happen half a dozen times since the new PC build with the SSD drive having the OS on it. I have added a 1 T HDD for storage and have yet had time to transfer all the data from a int. 750G HDD and 500G ext HDD to it. Once I remove the two other drives I am wondering if this CHKDSK will stop popping up every other cold boot.
How ever glad you posted this for others.
Mike
September 26, 2011 at 7:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thank you for the kudos Debbie, and thank you for your comment.
As far as I am able to tell it is related to something at the hardware level, but it’s not the hard drive. (I’ve gone through at least 4 drives on this machine.) While troubleshooting the “unknown key released” issue from the other post I ran across a forum post that have a theory. They suspected that the phantom keypresses originate from some combination of the systemboard, AC adapter, and battery on portables. Their rationale was that these phantom keypresses are the OEM systemboard relaying power-related events (AC adapter unplugged, battery health, battery charging status, etc) to the OS for display to the user.
If that is the case, then Windows chkdsk hasn’t been updated to ignore these keycodes. From reading your comment above it sounds like you might be experiencing this on a desktop. If so, that blows this theory away.
Please feel free to share whatever else you might find out or experience about this. Thank you again!
Linda
September 26, 2011 at 1:04 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Oh! I finally have a fix, that was very irritating. No more reboots now!
Fabrizio
May 18, 2012 at 9:29 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thank You so much! after putting a new SSD drive in my Win7 notebook and setting it all up, it became impossible for me to have a chkdsk done: it aborted itself immediatly, just as a key was pressed, while it wasn’t!
Issuing the command you suggested, “chkntfs /t:0″, chkdsk started immediately and completed itself without problems! Again, Thank You!! :)
Mike Beach
June 15, 2012 at 10:39 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
You’re welcome!
Rob
August 30, 2012 at 11:33 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thank you so much for this. I’m fixing a clients computer and this was driving me nuts!
Pat
February 8, 2013 at 1:34 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
You just saved my windows partition. Thank you.