How do I run chkdsk to repair my laptop's hard drive?

My laptop's hard drive is failing, so I deleted the hard drive and tried to re-install Windows 8.1. It gave me the error code 0x8007045D, so I asked a question and got help to try and fix it with the command prompt. I want to do a chkdsk to see if I can repair the hard drive. How do I do this?

3 Answers

Here's how to do it from the installation media:

1. Press Shift+F10 at the Install Windows prompt
2. Run DISKPART
3. Run LIST VOL to list volumes available to check.
4. If the letter of the drive you want to check isn't there, go to B
5. Run EXIT once to exit diskpart.
6. Run CHKDSK D: /X substituting D with your drive letter.

B

1. While in Diskpart, run LIST DISK to find your disk number
2. Run SEL DISK 0 to select disk 0. Replace 0 with the number of your disk.
3. Run CRE PAR PRI to create a primary partition
4. Run FOR FS=NTFS LABEL="Local Disk" QUICK to format the partition quickly as NTFS.
5. Run ASSIGN to assign the partition a volume mount point, or drive letter.
6. Run LIST VOL to list volumes available to check.
7. Run EXIT once to exit diskpart.
8. Run CHKDSK D: /X substituting D with your drive letter.

BEWARE that CHKDSK will attempt repairs by writing over the damaged block, and mark it as useless.

Chkdsk can not solve your falling hard drive. I suggest that you back up all your files while you can then, look for a replacement.

CHKDSK is intended to detect and fix errors on a disk / partition. You can open a command prompt and type CHKDSK /? to get a description of the syntax. The re-install of Windows would have done the same thing as a CHKDSK i.e. cleaned up unreadable sectors of the disk. In your case, I am guessing you only have one partition - i.e. the system partition C that you just re-installed Windows 8.1 on. If this is correct, you may be able to run CHKDSK C: /F - there is no need to run diskpart.

HOWEVER: If your drive is failing, CHKDSK will NOT be able to help you: it MIGHT postpone the inevitable demise of your drive. Since you have just re-installed Windows, I am guessing there are few if any user files on your system which makes this the ideal time to purchase a new drive and re-install Windows on that new, clean drive. If you continue with the current, faulty drive, it is only a matter of time until it fails completely and takes any and all user data files with it.