autochk.exe corrupt

timoto said:

Hello

I started to investigate this issue because scandisk would no longer run at startup.

If during boot Repair Windows I run sfc at command prompt I get this message:

"there is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. restart windows and run sfc again."

The restart does not solve the issue.

Checking the registry the default command is "autochk*"

sfc reports autochk.exe in both system32 and restore as being corrupt.

In the past I did a Repair Install, which appeared to rectify the issue, but lost me time and patience with reinstating my multiple OS bootloader. This is a clumsy and long winded solution for repairing something that is likely to reoccur on a regular basis.

One of the other things I had tried previously was to extract autochk.exe from the win7 media DVD, replacing autochk.exe in the system32 folder.

But sfc still found autochk.exe to be corrupt.

Why after replacing the autochk.exe from original install disk into system32 folder, and then immediately running sfc to check the file, does it say that the file is a mismatch?

I have read elsewhere that there maybe another "hash" file used during the sfc verification process to determine if autochk.exe is corrupt, and that actually, it is this "hash" file that is corrupt and not the autochk.exe file.

I would like to get to the bottom of this to eliminate any misconceptions and solve the original issue.

Anyone figured this one out already ?

Thanks

The replaced autochk.exe file may not be the same version, date, or size as the original on the cd hence the hash mismatch.

The only way that will work is if they ALL match.


Ken

There was no extra info from this forum but if you are looking for a solution my issue was answered on another forum:

autochk.exe corrupt windows 7 x64 pro

It was suggested that I apply a hotfix, and it worked.

Autochk.exe is Corrupt & Error Checking Won't Run (2016-07-17)

Although a solution was found to this problem of having a corrupt autochk.exe file (getting a Hotfix from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975778 which properly installs fresh autochk.exe files) there seems to have been some confusion about the autochk.exe system files mentioned in this post, and I'd like to add some clarification.

The windows OS uses autochk.exe to initiate Checking Disks for Errors which sets off chkdsk.exe which then runs the error checking program. On occasion, system files become corrupt; when the corrupt file is autochk.exe, you can no longer run Error Checking. Upon running System File Check (SFC) in the Command Prompt - Run As Administrator - the report in the Command Prompt window will be that SFC found some corrupt files and was unable to repair all of them. You will go to C:\windows\Logs\CBS.log which is opened in Notepad where you'll find the results of the SFC.

This report may tell you that the autochk.exe file is corrupt and "cannot be repaired". This means that you need to have access to the windows install DVD to extract an uncorrupted copy of the autochk.exe file and use it to replace the corrupt file on your system. This usually means that you take the autochk.exe file from C:\windows\system32 on the DVD, then go to your computer C:\windows\system32, delete the corrupt autochk.exe (you may need to Take Ownership & Permissions before your system will let you alter system files), and put the good file in its place.

Please note that if you have already updated to SP1, you'll need to get a good copy of the SP1 autochk.exe files--you can't use the ones from your installation DVD, because the original Windows 7 DVD (system files numbered 6.1.7601.16385) doesn't have the SP1 file versions on it (system files numbered 6.1.7601.17414). The version numbers on your computer may not be those I have given for mine. After you replace the autochk.exe file in System32, Error Checking may still not work.

In fact, autochk.exe in different forms can be found in between 2 and 4 different folders on your Windows 7 C:\ drive, and one or all of the autochk.exe files may be corrupt requiring replacement of all the different autochk.exe files on your computer.

I believe that the autochk.exe file located in C:\Windows\System32 is the actual working system file that calls for running chkdsk.exe, the Error Checking program. Another autochk.exe file may exist in C:\Windows\SysWOW64. I believe the file in C:\Windows\winxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-autochk_31bf385...is a backup file for the x64 working file in System32.

If you run x86 windows, your backup autochk.exe file may be located in C:\Windows\winxs\x86_microsoft-windows-autochk_31b... Different files with the same autochk.exe name may be composed of different amounts of data. On my computer the x64 files are 759KB and the x86 versions are 653KB. The SFC results may say that the hash number for the autochk.exe file in C:\windows\system32 is different from the hash of the file in the winxs folder.

Different hash numbers indicates different update versions (i.e. SP1) or that one or both files being compared are corrupt and require replacement. When all of these particular system files are running the right, uncorrupted version, then the Error Checking program will function normally and the SFC program will tell you that all the system files are in good shape again.

For more information about Error Checking, chkdsk.exe, autochk.exe, running the System File Check (SFC) utility and interpretting the CBS.log file, and extracting good system files from your install DVD to replace corrupt files, please refer to Microsoft Support, do a Google search, or do what I do before looking elsewhere and check with www.SevenForums.com where friendly experts will answer your questions or you will find excellent tutorials about almost any topic you'd care to address. There is a proprietary forum from this group for each version of windows, including the fairly recent addition of a forum dealing with Windows 10.

What's written here is the understanding of a non-expert who has nevertheless studied the experts extensively. I apologize if anything here isn't entirely correct, needs additional information or can be improved in any way. If you have any corrections or clarifications, please let us know by commenting here.