With the introduction of the latest Windows operating system, Windows 8, users are provided with different ways to get the hands on things along with a new interactive interface. Keeping rest of the things aside, the post discusses the modernized ‘Disk Error Checking’ for Windows 8 and the causes that accelerate the problems with system hard drive.

It is known to everyone that the hard drive is one of the core components of a computer system. When problems hit hard drive, it begins creating various issues in forms of errors. Below are the causes that lead to hard drive corruption, let’s look.

Whether you use Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7, you can fix hard drive errors by running the Check Disk utility tool. The process will be over in just a few hours. So you need to leave your computer running and to run the Disk Utility feature when you don’t have a task to do. My computer is just on 'Repairing disk errors. This might take over an hour to complete.' It's been at it for a while, not an hour though, and I just wanted to know if there's any way I can safely restart the computer just so I can transfer some files to a external hard drive? I want to restart it w.

Windows Improper Shutdown

An improper exit from Windows is responsible for inviting problems in bulk; doing so may also corrupt files. Such incident takes place when user resets the PC or switches it off without shutting down. For example:

  • User tries to shut down the computer, but the process fails.

  • PC is reset due to vulnerable power connection.

  • Shutdown is not possible due to system crash

    • Defects in Hard Drive

    Another reason includes defects in hard drive, such as:

  • Hard drive bad sectors

  • Catastrophic failure

  • Head Crash

    • Malware

    One of the most common reasons of hard drive corruption are malware. Viruses and other malicious programs attack the drive and overwrite the arbitrary raw disk areas. Malware attack takes place in the system when operating system loses control or the technology used to write virus code has bypassed the OS control.

    Human Errors

    Last but not the least, human errors may also lead to severe problems. Such errors include:

    Above are some of the common reasons contributing to hard drive corruption. As a result, user fails to access files and the contained data, and thus comes across huge data loss. Well, for any of the above reasons or the like, disk recovery just becomes a mandate. This is where the aforementioned feature ‘Disk Error Checking’ is valuable.

    In Windows 7 and earlier versions, the feature checks the hard disk for errors that occur due to bad sectors, metadata corruption, file system corruption, abrupt system shutdown, etc., and performs repair. It contributes to improving the overall computer performance. However, Windows 8 makes some changes in Disk Error Checking as compared to the previous Windows versions.

    Being a Windows 8 user, you must be aware that the chkdsk utility (known for identifying and repairing corruption) has been redesigned. With the introduction of ‘ReFS’ file system in Windows 8, the offline chkdsk is no more required for repair. So, the repair done by the utility is now automated. In other words, the utility does not need to be initiated manually; instead, Windows 8 uses ‘Action Center’ to show the disk and file system status. The disk is scanned in the background, allowing user to continue using the system. If errors are found, it informs user about the same through a notification and prompts the user to restart the computer.

    In the previous systems, the Disk Error Checking has to be scheduled for system drive and other drives used by files or folders. Whereas, Windows 8 does not require to schedule the checking at startup. All has to be done is allow Windows 8 to fix the error when errors are found. Moreover, user is allowed if he wants to run a schedule manually.

    To begin the scan on your Windows 8 computer, carry out the following instructions carefully:

    After completion, the system will display the message according to the status of drive.

    On the other hand, if errors are found, the system will throw the following message:

    Restart your computer to repair file system. You can restart right away or schedule the error fixing on next restart.
    For details, user may click on ‘Show Details’. In response, it will show a complete description. As the message says, user may restart the computer immediately to start repair or it could be done later when the computer starts next time.
    On restart, Windows 8 initiates scanning and repairing of sectors on the hard drive. This is how Windows 8 facilitates checking and repairing hard drive.

    Summary :

    Step-by-step guide for disk repair and data recovery in Windows 10/8/7. Hard disk errors may cause data loss in your hard drive. Learn how to repair disk in Windows 10/8/7 with CHKDSK, sfc /scannow, best hard disk repair software, etc. Get MiniTool Power Data Recovery to restore lost data from hard disk with ease.
    Repairing Disk Errors Windows 8

    Quick Navigation :

    Hard disk errors often come along with data loss. Any suggested best disk repair and data recovery solutions in Windows 10/8/7?
    To deal with this issue, you can firstly check if it is the logical error that prevents you from accessing the hard drive. If so, you can check and repair the hard disk errors, and recover your lost data from hard disk with best free hard disk drive data recovery software.
    This tutorial focuses on how to repair disk in Windows 10/8/7 by using CHKDSK, sfc /scannow, best hard disk repair software, etc. It also introduces how to easily restore hard drive lost data in Windows 10/8/7 by providing a step-by-step guide.
    Tip: If the hard drive is not working due to physical damage, then you may send it to a professional disk repair store or replace it with a new one.

    Hard Drive Data Gets Lost? – Take These 2 Moves

    What to do if you suffer data loss because of hard drive corruption?
    The first move you can take is to use Windows own disk repair tools or some other top disk repair software to fix hard disk errors.
    The second move is to utilize the most reliable hard disk drive data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery - to easily recover the lost data from corrupted hard drive.
    If you like, you can exchange the order of these two moves, namely, recover lost data first. Need to mention that MiniTool Power Data Recovery supports restoring data from deleted, formatted, corrupted hard drives, SSD, external hard drives, USB and almost all storage devices.

    4 Free Ways to Repair Hard Disk Errors in Windows 10/8/7

    At the beginning, as for disk repair Windows 10/8/7, we introduce the 4 free methods below.

    Fix 1. Repair Disk in Windows 10/8/7 with CHSDSK Command

    Generally, CHKDSK repair is the most common free way to repair disk in Windows 10/8/7.
    The /f parameter of CHKDSK can fix any errors it finds, and /r parameter can find bad sectors on the hard disk and try its best to recover readable information from it.
    After CHKDSK repair process is finished, you can type Exit to close the Command Prompt window. Then check if the hard drive can be accessed and work well now.

    Fix 2. Hard Drive Repair in Windows 10/8/7 with MiniTool Partition Wizard

    Another top free way to repair hard drive errors in Window 10/8/7 is using MiniTool Partition Wizard. You can use this best free hard disk repair software to easily check and fix file system errors on hard drive, fix and rebuild mbr, test disk surface to check bad sectors.
    You can get this professional disk partition manager for Windows 10/8/7 and run it on your PC. Then you can right-click a partition on the target corrupted hard disk and click Check File System -> Check & fix detected errors -> Start.

    Fix 3. Repair Disk in Windows 10/8/7 with sfc /scannow

    You can also follow the operation in Fix 1 to open and run Command Prompt as an administrator. Then type the following command sfc /scannow in Command Prompt window and press Enter. There is a space between sfc and /scannow, please do not miss it.
    The System File Checker will begin to scan and fix corrupted system files on your Windows 10/8/7 hard drive. The whole process may take some time, please wait patiently.

    Fix 4. Repair Disk in Windows 10/8/7 with Windows Startup Repair

    Windows Startup Repair can also help you fix some hard disk errors in Windows 10/8/7. To run Windows Startup Repair, you need to have a Windows recovery/repair disk. If you don’t have one, learn how to create Windows recovery USB/repair disk first.
    Then you can check if you can successfully start your PC and access the hard drive data.
    If some data is lost and can’t be found, you can continue to check how to restore hard drive lost data for free with MiniTool hard disk repair software for Windows 10/8/7.

    3 Steps to Recover Hard Disk Lost Data with Best Hard Drive Recovery Software

    MiniTool Power Data Recovery is an extremely easy-to-use free hard drive recovery program which is compatible with Windows 10/8/7. You can use this tool to easily restore lost data and files from corrupted or formatted hard disk for free.
    Key features:
    Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on Windows 10/8/7 PC, and follow the 3 steps below to retrieve lost hard drive data with ease.

    Step 1 – Choose a Partition or Drive to Scan

    Launch this best free hard disk data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery – in Windows 10/8/7. Click This PC and select the partition or hard drive which has some data loss.

    Step 2 – Scan the Corrupted Hard Drive

    Then you can click Scan button to start scanning the lost files in the hard disk. It will list all existing files and lost files.

    How To Fix Repairing Disk Errors Windows 8.1

    Step 3 – Recover Hard Disk Lost Data for Free

    You can open and browse the folders in the left column to find and tick your needed files. After you find all your lost files in the hard drive, you can click Save button and set a new path to recover and store the lost files.
    Note: It’s recommended to store the recovered files to another new drive, to avoid the lost data being overwritten.
    If your Windows 10 PC can’t boot, you can check: How to Recover Data When PC Won't Boot

    How to Fix an External Hard Drive without Losing Data

    External hard drive repair and data recovery can also be easily achieved with MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Check the guide below.
    Step 1. Connect the corrupted external hard drive to your Windows 10/8/7 PC. Run MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
    Step 2. Click Hard Disk Drive option and select the target corrupted external hard drive, then click Scan.
    Step 3. After this hard drive recovery software completes the scan, it will list all partitions in the hard drive which may contain lost files. You can browse and check all your desired files and click Save to store the lost data to a new directory.
    After you get all your data back from the external hard drive, you can reformat the external hard drive for free in NTFS/FAT32 for reuse, and store data again.

    How to Repair Bad Sectors in Hard Drive in Windows 10/8/7

    Repairing Disk Errors Windows 8

    If there are bad sectors on hard disk, the hard drive will run slower than before. If there are many bad sectors on the hard drive, it may stop work. You have some ways to repair bad sectors in hard disk.

    How to Avoid Hard Drive Data Loss

    To protect your hard drive from data loss, you’d better frequently backup your important data. You can copy them to a USB, external hard drive, etc.
    What’s more, keep your computer away from malware or virus infection.
    If you suffer some data loss in hard disk, please use professional data recovery software and follow the guide in this tutorial to timely restore lost data. Remember not to store new data into the hard drive in case the old data is overwritten by new data. If the hard drive data is overwritten, then your lost data can’t be recovered.

    To Sum Up

    If your hard disk has some errors and can’t work normally, you can check the hard disk repair and data recovery solutions in this post to help you solve this issue.
    Still have questions about disk repair and data recovery in Windows 10/8/7? Please contact [email protected].

    Disk Repair FAQ

    Bad sectors on hard drive are those clusters of data on the hard disk that can’t be read. Bad sector has two categories: hard bad sector and soft bad sector. If a hard disk is physically damaged, then it may cause some physical bad sectors and they can’t be repaired. If the bad sector is caused by logical errors, you can use Windows CHKDSK or third-party disk repair tools like MiniTool Partition Wizard to check and repair bad sectors. You can check the detailed guide above in this tutorial.
    For logical hard disk errors like file system corruption, logical bad sectors, etc. you can use Windows built-in free tools like CHKDSK, SFC, or third-party hard disk repair and recovery software to repair hard drive errors for free.
    How do I fix a corrupted hard drive without formatting?
    1. You can firstly run an antivirus scan to remove possible malware or virus.
    2. Next you can run a disk checking by using Windows CHKDSK tool.
    3. Third, you can use Windows SFC utility or MiniTool Partition Wizard to detect and repair corrupted system files.
    4. At last, you can use a top data recovery tool to retrieve data on the corrupted hard drive. You can check the detailed guides in this tutorial.
    Is it possible to recover data from corrupted hard disk?

    Windows 8.1 Repairing Disk Errors Loop

    Yes. You can easily recover data from a corrupted hard disk or formatted hard drive with MiniTool Power Data Recovery. You can check how to use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to restore data above. Need to mention that if your hard disk is physically damaged and can’t use data recovery tool to retrieve data on it, you should send it to professional disk repair store.