Can't Run Chkdsk

Published on February 19, 2006 By PoSmedley In Personal Computing

Has anyone run across this little problem? It just started happening on my PC.
Err Msg: "Cannot Open the Volume for Direct Access" When You Start ...

I can no longer check for file system errors. I looked through Microsofts info, and the only dirext reference to it I could find concern win200, or virus or disk monitoring software, neither of which I have changed recently. I have run all my adware/virus scans and done all the usual stuff you would do, but I am simply locked out of this task. Any hardcore geeks out there no what's up?

Comments (Page 2)

PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

Try running it with the /f switch Po and see if that helps...

This is the cmd I CAN"T run. This is what I originally posted about. When I set it to run and restart the computer, instead of running at the boot, I get this message...
Checking File System on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot open the volume for direct access.

have the windows XP installation disk handy

I have XP embedded in this piece o' crap...no XP disc..just the recovery disk's..which may be where I am headed.

Double Zero

on Feb 19, 2006

This is the cmd I CAN"T run.

Have you tried it with the switch in DOS?

At the prompt type chkdsk /f

PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

Have you tried it with the switch in DOS?

I don't know what that is.
Red Faced

Jafo

on Feb 19, 2006

Start-run-cmd-chkdsk /f

You should be prompted to reboot.

Alternatively...do same from safemode....

Double Zero

on Feb 19, 2006

Ok..Not a prob, Assumimg you have a Floppy drive and a spare disk

Grab a floppy and stick it into your drive. Go to My Computer and right click the floppy drive and choose to format..

At the bottom of the box there is an option to create a MS DOS Start-up disk..
choose that option and format

When you have created it reboot...You should end up at the command prompt.. just type in the command chkdsk /f <~~~~ exactly like that, with the space between the command and the switch...

AtlanticCanadianScot

on Feb 19, 2006

there ya go Po....you should be fine dude...all of this is excellent & sound advice

Chris TH

on Feb 19, 2006

This is the cmd I CAN"T run.

It likely because with Windows loaded & running there's a whole shedload of DLL's, driver files etc etc that are locked by Windows so chkdsk can't access the disk freely.

There's a /X option for chkdsk which forces dismounting of the disk first, but I would try this only as a last resort and reboot immediately after chkdsk finishes since all those DLL's would no longer be 'connected' to windows.

Better is to do it from a boot disk like DZ suggests above...

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PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

Start-run-cmd-chkdsk /f

You should be prompted to reboot.

Alternatively...do same from safemode

I can't.

Ok..Not a prob, Assumimg you have a Floppy drive and a spare disk

I don't and I don't. CD-RW?DVD-R drive. A lot of computers don't come with Floppy drives anymore. Like mine.

Tried booting in Safe Mode and Safe Mode Command Prompt. It starts to boot and then freezes with this list of stuff on my PC tat turns red.

Where oh where can my Underdog be? Oh where oh where can he be?

PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

darn double post

Is it time to grab a bottle of Jack, arm myself and wait for the Blue Screen O' Death ? I promise, I may be the first one hurt, but I won't be the last!

yrag

on Feb 19, 2006

WTF.......all this over chkdsk....??

OK......first off...is Presario actually the name of your OS volume (partition) or is it the name of your HP recovery volume?

Second....list the spyware apps you have installed.

Third.....why are you even running chkdsk. Is there a problem with something?

PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

1. not sure if OS or recovery volume...where it says Volume above is exactly how I copied it from the cmd window.
2. Adaware, Spybot, Windows Defender, Zone Alarm Spyscan,System Mechanic Spyscan, Spy Doctor, Avast...Windows Defender just added..all others have been running fine for a year or more.
3. There have ben some file iregularity's...ex, When I try to open a file with Photoshop, no matter what it is I am getting the image of PNG I made over a month ago in the little preview window..the icons in my system tray come and go when I boot..never the same ones...sometimes the PC freezes and the screen and taskbar will refresh and I have to reactivate the quicklaunch toolbar or the system tray icons will vanish and only a few come back. I run Chkdsk /f occasionally as well as defrag just to keep on top of things and keep things running smoothly.

yrag

on Feb 19, 2006

Spy Doctor

...that's a winner. Un-install it and try the chkdsk again.

Having said that.....all the 'glitches' you mentioned aren't necessarily associated with corrupt files or sectors. If your defrag runs without error, then I would look elsewhere for the cause.

Double Zero

on Feb 19, 2006

Yrag will fix ya, if he cant..Well Ummm..Lost cause?..

G'luck!

yrag

on Feb 19, 2006

By the way Po...all the symptoms you listed are the end results of the Explorer shell crashing. When it happens again, look in Administrative Tools/ Events and see what triggered it.

PoSmedley

on Feb 19, 2006

My bad. It's 'Spyware Doctor' from PC Tools Software...or did you know that already?

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