Chkdsk will Not Run at Startup in Vista

How to Fix Chkdsk will Not Run at Startup in Vista​

   Information

If after you set Check Disk or chkdsk to run at startup it will not run, then this will show you how to fix this problem so chkdsk will run at startup. This problem is usually caused when the autochk.exe file gets corrupted, or the registry BootExecute data value is incorrect.

This is not for if chkdsk cannot finish or stops running.

   Note

• Check Disk uses the file autochk.exe to run chkdsk.
• If you still cannot run chkdsk at startup after this, then you might consider performing a System Restore, Repair Installation, or Clean Installation to fix the problem. See related links below.
• If you had changed your default boot screen, then you will need to temporarily uncheck the No GUI boot to be able to see what is happening when chkdsk is running at boot up. See: How to Enable or Replace the Hidden Aurora Boot Screen in Vista

STEP ONE

Safe Mode Workaround

   Note

This is to see if something may be loading before the check disk program preventing chkdsk from running.

1. Schedule check disk to run using chkdsk /f (STEP FIVE below) in the command promt.​

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2. Run msconfig (step 1 in METHOD TWO at link), and click on the Boot​

tab and click on Safe boot with the minimal button selected. (See screenshot below)​

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3. Restart the computer to hopefully have chkdsk run.​

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4. Set msconfig (step 2 in METHOD TWO at link) to boot normally again.​

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5. If chkdsk still will not run at startup, then proceed with the steps below. If it did, then you're done.​

STEP TWO

Reset chkdsk BootExecute

   Note

• This will reset chkdsk back to it's default setting of not to run at startup.
• This step will also fix the problem of chkdsk always running at startup.
• If BootExecute already has a Data value of autocheck autochk *, then you do not need to do this. (See the Manual Way below to check) Continue to STEP THREE below instead.

Through a Download:​

1. Click on the download button below to download the Reset_chkdsk.reg file.​

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2. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.​

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3. Right click on the .reg file (on Desktop) and click on Merge.​

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4. Click on the Run button for Security Warning pop-up.​

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5. Click on Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.​

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6. When done, you can delete the .reg file (on Desktop).​

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The Manual Way:​

1. Open the Start Menu.​

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2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​

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3. Click on the Continue button in the UAC prompt.​

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4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 5)​

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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager​

5. In the right pane, right click on BootExecute and click on Modify.​

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6. Type autocheck autochk * and click on OK. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: You will be replacing autocheck autochk /p \??\C: with autocheck autochk* instead. If BootExecute already has a Data value of autocheck autochk *, then you do not need to do this. Go to STEP THREE below.​

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7. Close regedit.​

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STEP THREE

Run a SFC /SCANNOW Command

1. Try running a sfc /scannow command to see if it can fix chkdsk.​

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2. When SFC is finished, try running chkdsk again.​

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3. If chkdsk still will not run at startup, then proceed with the steps below. If it did, then you're done.​

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STEP FOUR

Replace autochk.exe File

NOTE: This will show you how to replace your corrupted copy of the autochk.exe file with clean copy to be able to run chkdsk at startup.

1. Be sure that you already have ran a SFC /scannow from STEP THREE above to see verify that the autochk.exe file was foud to be corrupted first in the sfcdetails.txt file. If it's not, then you do not need to do STEP FOUR.​

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2. In Windows Explorer, go to C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe. (See screenshot below)​

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3. Take ownership of the file autochk.exe at the C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe location, and "Allow" your user account "Full Control" of it. (See screenshot above)​

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4. Right click on autochk.exe and click on Properties. (See screenshot below step 2)​

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5. Click on the Details tab. (See screenshots below)​

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A) Make note of what File version the autochk.exe file is.​

NOTE: If the File version is blank or you have SP1 installed, then do step 6. If not, then do step 8.​

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6. Download the same version that you have in step 5.​

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7. For the Vista 6.0.6002.18005 SP2 Version of autochk.exe​

NOTE: This is for the 32 bit and 64 bit Vista with SP1 and SP2 installed.​

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A) Click on the download button below to download the 6.0.6002.18005.zip file.​

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B) Go to step 10.​

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8. For the Vista 6.0.6001.18000 SP1 Version of autochk.exe​

NOTE: This is for the 32 bit and 64 bit Vista with SP1 installed.​

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A) Click on the download button below to download the 6.0.6001.18000.zip file.​

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B) Go to step 10.​

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9. For the Vista 6.0.6000.16386 RTM Version of autochk.exe​

NOTE: This is for the 32 bit and 64 bit Vista without SP1 or SP2 installed. This version has been reported to still work with or without SP1 installed, so you may try it if you still have problems with the newer 6.0.6001.18000 SP1 or 6.0.6002.18005 SP2 version.​

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A) Click on the download button below to download the 6.0.6000.16386.zip file.​

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10. Save the ZIP file to your desktop.​

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11. Open on the downloaded autochk.exe.zip file.​

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12. Extract (drag and drop) the autochk.exe file from wihtin the ZIP file to your desktop.​

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13. Right click on the autochk.exe file on your desktop and click on Properties and the Unblock button under the General tab. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: If you do not have the Unblock button, then it is already unblocked. Continue on to step 14.​

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14. Right click on the autochk.exe file on your desktop and click on Copy.​

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15. Go back to the Windows Explore window at C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe. (See screenshot below step 2)​

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16. Right click on a empty space in the Windows Explorer window and click on Paste. (See screenshot below step 2)​

NOTE: If it will not let you Copy or Paste the new autochk.exe file (on desktop) over, then rename the old one and repeat step 14, then delete the old renamed autochk.exe file afterwards.​

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17. Click on Copy and Replace. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: This replaces your autochk.exe with the downloaded clean one on the desktop that has not been taken ownership of.​

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18. Click on Continue for Access Denied prompt.​

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19. Click on Continue for UAC prompt.​

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20. Close the Windows Explorer window.​

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STEP FIVE

Set Chkdsk to Run at Startup

1. Try the different methods in this tutorial below to run chkdsk to see which one works best for you.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Run Check Disk at Startup in Vista
• How To Perform a Repair Installation For Vista
• How to Do a Clean Install of Vista with a Upgrade Version
• How to Do a Clean Install with a Full Version of Vista
• How to Do a System Restore in Vista
• How to Repair and Verify the Integrity of Vista System Files with System File Checker
• How to Change Vista Disk Check Press Any Key Timeout Value at Startup
• How to Read the Event Viewer Log for Check Disk (chkdsk) in Windows

 

[marcm]

I had tried that also originally and I believe windows reported some problems it could not fix (I think I couldn't even understand the log file), so I just abandoned it. I have recently changed the boot screen back to the default logo screen just so I don't have to run the memory checking on every boot (the bios options are very limited on this Toshiba). I can tell by the speed of the boot up that nothing is happening with chkdsk but I will change the screen back and try it again just to make sure.

Thanks..............Marc

Update:
I scheduled another chkdsk and changed the boot screen......nothing. I'm going to run a run a sfc now.

 

[marcm]

I ran sfc /verify only. The message was Windows Resource Protection found integrity violations. Details are included in the CBS.log .......

At this point last time I had put a lot time in repeated tries and reboots trying all the methods for running chkdsk and just didn't have any more motivation to start on this. I had looked at the log but really couldn't understand it.

I have 2 large log files now, CBS.log and CBS.persist.log

 

[Brink]

Marcm,

At this point, other than a clean reinstall, you might consider doing a repair (upgrade) install to fix this problem.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

 

[marcm]

Yeah. I would like to do that but this box came with restore disks and I don't want lay out the money for a retain version.

Thanks much for your help!

 

[FrankIto]

Hey, I tried all of the steps described in this tutorial to no avail. After a while a noticed RJCC's tip, but I do not see a "Repair" option when I press F8 when the computer starts.

I have Windows Vista Business on a HP Pavilion dv2000.

 

[Brink]

Hello Frank,

You would not see the Repair option in the Advanced Boot Options screen unless you have a OEM recovery partition.

Instead, you might see if doing a System Restore using a restore point dated before you had this problem can fix it.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[FrankIto]

Unfortunately, the restore point does not exist anymore (or it is simply not showing even though I have checked the option to see the restore points older than five days).

I guess the only way would be to make a clean install to solve this problem?

 

[Brink]

Well, other than a clean install, you could try a Repair (upgrade) install. This would be different than the repair option you mentioned before. If the repair install works, you will not have to reinstall everything again.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[FrankIto]

Unless I screwed up in the creation of the slipstream DVD it does not seem to work. The option for the repair install is grayed out.

 

[Brink]

Did you have a full version of Vista? They usually do not allow for an upgrade install.

 

[FrankIto]

I guess that would be the cause of it being grayed out then.

 

[Brink]

I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose there's nothing left to do but a clean install if you need to fix this one option.

 

[doug510]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but my question definitely seems to belong here.

This tutorial/forum is awesome - thanks to all. However, I still can't get chkdsk to run at startup. I've replaced the autochk.exe file as per the tutorial and it still doesn't work. Oddly, after replacing it with the version I downloaded from the tutorial I ran sfc again, and still got that the autochk.exe was corrupted:

2009-01-21 16:04:10, Info CSI 00000035 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"autochk.exe" of Microsoft-Windows-Autochk, Version = 6.0.6001.18000, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_INTEL (0), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
There are a few other lines like this, but I don't want to spam everyone with them. Anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks again for all the great info.

 

[Brink]

Hi Doug, and welcome to Vista Forums.

If the autochk.exe file is corrupted, then you will not be able to run checkdisk until it is fixed. You might see if doing a System Restore using a restore point dated before it did not work (if known) to see if it can fix it.

If not, then other than a reinstall, you can try a Repair (upgrade) install.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Kenny480]

omg, i need help. Nothing was working, so I tried the repair, command, dismount c: method, and when i try to start up, it tells me i have to reinstall vista to activate windows. it's my gf's laptop, and she claims she doesn't have the restore disks that should have come with it. I don't know what to do now, i've gone into f10 settings and did a hard disk test and figured i'd come on and see what help i can get at this point. Also, it wouldn't let me restore to a previous point until i ran chkdsk because of corrupt(?) files, so that option was out.

Also, this all started because her computer was connected to the network, but IE wouldn't connect to the internet. When i tried i was asked to run chkdsk because of a corrupt IE file.

 

[Brink]

Hello Kenny, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Her laptop would normally have a OEM recovery partition that can be used to restore Vista back to factory default. If you can post back the brand and model of her laptop, I'll see if I can find instructions on how to do the factory restore from her computer manufacturer's website.

Shawn

 

[Honieybee]

Hi!

I'm experiencing the same sorts of trouble with a computer (a Dell XPS M1330 running Vista home premium SP1) that I've had less than a week!

I have a few corrupted files (which I think I know which program they originate from), which I cannot delete by going in to "program files." I can't uninstall the overall program via "uninstall program" in the control panel. I then tried a system restore to a point before I installed the program, and my computer freaks out and says it isn't allowed.

I've followed the tutorial to the letter (trying both the SP1 version and the other--I have SP1). The command prompt returns the following results: "This version is incompatible with the version of windows you are running. Check your computer's system information. . ." you get the idea (with SP1). AND "The C:\Windows\systgem32\autochk.exe application cannot be run in Win32 mode."

I ran sfc/scannow, and it tells me that there are corrupted files that cannot be repaired. I'm unable to access the cbs file that details which files are causing the problem.

I'm taking some very important exams this week, and another concern I have is that I'll need a reinstillation. Is this a problem that's "livable" for about a week (if reinstillation is required) that won't cause a complete computer crash?

Any help is much appreciated!

Jennifer

 

[Brink]

Hello Jennifer, and welcome to Vista Forums.

It does sound like you will need to do a clean reinstall. You should be able to wait to do this though since it only causing issues with chkdsk not running at startup for now. To be extra safe, be sure to keep backups of anything that you do not want to lose.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[ltharp]

Hi Brink, I have followed the above directions only to be stopped from copying the new autochk.exe file to the system32 folder. Even though I have admin rights (doubled checked and confirmed) I can neither replace the file nor change the name. I click on the appropriate boxes at the UAC pop up but then I get another pop-up saying destination folder access denied you need permission to perform this action. Any suggestions????????

 

[Brink]

Hello Itharp, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Did you take ownership of the file in step 2 in the STEP THREE section first?

Hope this helps,
Shawn