How to Repair a Drive using CMD

Here are the most effective commands to get your drive back in shape.

1. The Standard Fix: CHKDSK

The chkdsk (Check Disk) command is the go-to tool for scanning and repairing drive health.

1. Type cmd in your Windows search bar, right-click it, and select Run as Administrator.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk X: /f /r

(Replace X: with your actual drive letter, like C:, D:, or E:)

What these switches do:

• /f: Fixes errors on the disk.
• /r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.

Note: If you are trying to fix the C: drive (where Windows is installed), it will ask if you want to schedule the volume to be checked the next time the system restarts. Type Y and restart your computer.

2. Repairing System Files: SFC and DISM

If your drive is fine but Windows is acting glitchy, the issue might be corrupted system files.

• SFC (System File Checker):

Run sfc /scannow

This scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted ones with a cached copy.

• DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management):

If SFC fails, run this to repair the Windows image itself:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3. Cleaning and Re-initializing (Last Resort)

If the drive is "Read Only" or won't format properly, you can use Diskpart.

Warning: This will erase all data on the drive.

1. Type diskpart and press Enter.
2. Type list disk to see all connected drives. Note the number of your target drive.
3. Type select disk # (Replace # with your drive number, e.g., select disk 1).
4. Type clean (This wipes the partition table).
5. Type create partition primary.
6. Type format fs=ntfs quick (or fs=fat32 for USB sticks).
7. Type assign to give it a drive letter.

Quick Troubleshooting Table