chckdisk almost at every boot

[diodorus]

my update: i uninstalled avira, but the problem continued. However, I am quite sure that the problem started when i installed avira (on two pc!). (I now reinstalled it, btw)
i disabled chkdsk for now...

I would like to know more about this anyway!

 

[bobdynlan]

my update: i uninstalled avira, but the problem continued.

There are some people here that should eat their words after this. Avira made one of the best antivirus software and I'm glad so many choose it. king44 and the others, you cannot advise users to find alternatives based upon your unrelated issues. Have you used the full suite with Firewall? Did you add the network paths to the exception list in AV? ...etc.

On topic:
Software configuration may be the culprit, but we need to know more about it, or else people will start bashing the only piece of software you have mentioned, Avira.

How do you shutdown your laptop, using the start menu, Alt+F4, power button on the laptop? What power plan do you use and what function is assigned to the power button (CP -> Power Options)?
Does Sleep function works? I mean, is the laptop powering down everything, dead silent and cool? Can it be resumed directly to Windows? How about doing this correctly after a few hours of Sleep? If that works ok, why are you even using Shutdown and not Sleep?

Get Autoruns from Microsoft. Launch it, go to Options, check only Verify Code Signatures. User -> Select the first user. File -> Refresh F5. After the scan is finished, File -> Export as Ctr+A, name it as the username (i.e system;service;network). Do this again for all the users. Add those txt files to a zip and post it here.

Launch Event Viewer. Go to Applications and Services Logs -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Diagnostics-Performance -> Operational. Right click it and choose Save All Events As, name it, zip it, post it here.

Still in Event Viewer, go to Action -> Create Custom View. At Filter:
Logged=Any time
Event level=Error
By log=Windows logs\System
<All Event Ids>=6008
Leave the rest, press OK, name it as Shutdown problem or whatever. You will get a list of events. On my system I have only 7 of those, and it's normal, I sometimes pull the plug on the power line forgetting to shutdown the PC. If you have lots of them, it could point to a hardware issue. Since you don't get any random reboots (do you?!) we can rule out a faulty circuit board and that leaves the bios as a possible culprit.

It seems that WaitToKillServiceTimeout 20000 had some limited success.
You should try these (test with AutoEndTasks on 1, too):
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="0"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="15000"
"HungAppTimeout"="15000"

If those are not helpfull, there is no point to delay the shutdown, so put KillService on 10000 , Auto on 1, KillApp on 5000 and HungApp to 10000.

 

[Grog]

I think I may have solved this

I have a new installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit full version ( I got the disc already because I hosted a Windows 7 Party )

I have three hard drives - I don't know whether that has anything to do with it but intermittantly the computer is booting into that chkdsk utility.

After some searched on the net, I opted for the Registry fix seen below:

To disable automatic disk checking at Windows startup through registry, go to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

In the right hand pane, double click BootExecute.

The default value of the key is autocheck autochk *

* means every drive is checked for consistency. Just add /K:C at the end before *. /K switch will disable autocheck on C: drive at Windows startup. So the final value should look like this:

autocheck autochk /k:C *

If you want to add more drives, the key should look like this: (disabling C and D drives)

autocheck autochk /k:C /k *

If you want to restore everything to default, just replace the key with the default one i.e.,

autocheck autochk *

So far this seems to have worked. Mine looks like this:

autocheck autochk /k:C /k /k:E *

Hope this helps,

Grog

 

[ellenico]

I have a new installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit full version ( I got the disc already because I hosted a Windows 7 Party )
[...]

This is a good solution, and I'm using it as well!
The only problem is that it is still unclear if this method disables completely the chkdsk at startup: I mean, if there is a legitimate need to run the chkdsk at boot (e.g. after a blackout), will chkdsk run if you disabled it with the method you suggested?

 

[Geezzer]

I have similar problem. In Event Viewer there are following log writings: "The ntfs file system structure on the disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume C:". However chkdsk does not find anything wrong (...and SeaTools and Spinrite neither). Have you checked event viewer, are there any abnormal log writings?

 

[ellenico]

I have similar problem. In Event Viewer there are following log writings: "The ntfs file system structure on the disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume C:". However chkdsk does not find anything wrong (...and SeaTools and Spinrite neither). Have you checked event viewer, are there any abnormal log writings?

Yes, I've just checked the Event Viewer and I've found a lot of errors like yours!

 

[Geezzer]

I have similar problem. Event viewer shows following log writings: "The ntfs file system structure on the disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume C:.". However chkdsk does not find any problems (neither does Spinrite or SeaTools). Quite annoying problem... Have you checked Event viewer whether there are some abnormal log writings?

 

[quenoteam]

I also had this problem. And where was the fault discovered. Win7 must be installed on a partition created and formatted with the Windows 7 installation disk. Install Win7 in partitions created with Acronis Disk Director Suite or other third party software (Partition Magic..etc) causes problems in win7 writing to disk and continually you are forced to do "chkdsk".

Solution: partition and format from you Windows 7 installation disc.
Trying
(Excuse my english)

 

[ellenico]

I also had this problem. And where was the fault discovered. Win7 must be installed on a partition created and formatted with the Windows 7 installation disk. Install Win7 in partitions created with Acronis Disk Director Suite or other third party software (Partition Magic..etc) causes problems in win7 writing to disk and continually you are forced to do "chkdsk".

Solution: partition and format from you Windows 7 installation disc.
Trying
(Excuse my english)

I formatted my primary partition with my Windows 7 RTM installation disk before installing it (more precisely, during the first part of the installation process), and now I do have the problem.
So I don't think this is a good solution, or at least it's not good for me. :huh:

 

[ickymay]

I am the last person to want to bash any software especially avira antivir as I have loved it for years and it has saved my bacon many times, but unfortunately over the past 6 months of testing win7 I have not been able to update my graphics card drivers due to getting a BSOD and I have been getting random disk check on boot for no apparent reason

the cure for me was to remove avira

now I have a conversation going with their devs and would hope they can find the issue or possibly just a conflict with another program, but I have to say I did also make a fresh install of windows 7 enterprise edition on a seperate partition, then installed avira and attempted to install my Nvidia gfx card drivers and I got the BSOD, so i then unninstalled avira and the problem stopped :huh:

One thing which occured to me that I will be trying amongst other things is a possible conflict between windows defender and avira ??

I personally would like to be able to go back to using avira on my system

 

[ickymay]

I have continued my tests on a fresh install and with only avira and windows defender turned on I will get the BSOD when trying to install my Nvidia gfx card drivers

for me I think this proves that avira and windows defender do not play well together mostly because they are in fact trying to do the same job with their spyware protection

my thread on the avira forum here

 

[AstaLaVista]

This has happened to me a few times but only when I have a thumb drive plugged in at boot time and my Primary boot is a removable drive... .

 

[gregrocker]

Your best friend with WDC HDD issues after chkdsk is Data Lifeguard, the WD diagnostic and recovery tool. The best version of it is GWScan easily burned to a bootable CD using ImgBurn (best/lightest ISO burner by far). It will do everything including re-surfacing your HDD, saving whatever is salvageable.

 

[one71]

Now I have 2 systems a laptop (Lenovo) and a PC (HP) both with the same Win 7 installation and both with the same programs installed on them. The hardware is obviously totally different, both have the same problem: at least every second boot I have a check disk.

I always "boot down safelly" with the Start -> shutwown/reboot button, I mostly close all running applications before booting.

The HD format was done by the Win7 tool at install time.

I would not call the "disable the checkdisk scan proof" as a solution! Sure it avoids that those useless checkdisk are performed but suppose your disk has really a problem (after a crash) you would not get it scanned which is very bad!

p.s. under [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
I do not find any

AutoEndTasks
WaitToKillAppTimeout
HungAppTimeout

at all ?!?

 

[ickymay]

Now I have 2 systems a laptop (Lenovo) and a PC (HP) both with the same Win 7 installation and both with the same programs installed on them. The hardware is obviously totally different, both have the same problem: at least every second boot I have a check disk.

what's your software environment ?

 

[one71]

... good the list is long ......

Win7 Enterprise RTM ("august release"), German language pack, Visio 2008, Office Pro 2008, Lotus Notes Client 8.5, cygwin, xming, Firefox, wireshark, Reinlendar Lite, Avira Prof, ImgBurn, Putty, Winscp, Putty Session Manager, SAP GUI, TrueCrypt, All meine Passworte, Password tools bundle, Filezilla, Softerra LDAP Administrator, Adobe Reader, gvim, flash player, java RE ...........

 

[ickymay]

avira maybe :huh:

after unninstalling Avira and now using Microsoft security centre my CHKDSK problems with my internal drives and also errors on inserted USB sticks have stopped !

 

[stocktiki]

NTFS corrupt or unusable

Same error here reported by Windows event. Forces CHKDSK every three boots or so -- and all the checks come back with no errors. Hard drive manufacturer (WD) own diagnostics also shows SMART data to have no errors.

Uninstalled Avast -- installed Microsoft Security Essentials, same error.

Any ideas what might be causing this yet? Is there a connection with the use of USB flash drives or a memory card reader?

 

[ickymay]

Same error here reported by Windows event. Forces CHKDSK every three boots or so -- and all the checks come back with no errors. Hard drive manufacturer (WD) own diagnostics also shows SMART data to have no errors.

Uninstalled Avast -- installed Microsoft Security Essentials, same error.

Any ideas what might be causing this yet? Is there a connection with the use of USB flash drives or a memory card reader?

did you format your disk using windows format on install or did you pre-format ?

 

[stocktiki]

Hi. Performed an in-place upgrade on preinstalled Vista installed by Dell on three-year-old PC.