[Resolved] CHKDSK Stuck at 10%, 11%, 12%, 100% in Windows 10/8/7

How to fix chkdsk stuck at 10%, 11%, 12%, or 100% on Windows 10/8/7? Here are four practical solutions to help you resolve the issue.

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"CHKDSK Stuck at 10% in Windows 10, How Long Does CHKDSK Take"

"I ran chkdsk /r on my Windows 10 PC around two hours ago, but now it's stuck saying 'Scanning and repairing drive D: 10% complete.' It doesn't seem to be progressing. How long does chkdsk usually take? Has the ChkDsk process frozen or become stuck?"

Overview of the CHKDSK Stuck or Frozen Issue

CHKDSK, a built-in system tool in Windows, is used to examine and fix the file system on a hard drive. When your computer is becoming sluggish, you might run ChkDsk to check and repair bad sectors or corruption to enhance its performance.

But alas, occasionally, the disk check may fail because ChkDsk becomes stuck at specific percentages, such as 10%, 11%, 12%, 100%, or it might freeze at a particular stage. CHKDSK stuck at stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Chkdsk undergoes several distinct phases, and it can get stuck during any of these phases.

The chkdsk stuck or chkdsk frozen issue may occur when:

• The hard disk file system is corrupted or damaged, or there is an issue with the file system.
• There are excessive disk fragmentation and fragmented files.
• The disk contains bad sectors that lead to scan stagnation.

Now, attempt the following methods to resolve the chkdsk stuck issue in Windows 10/8/7 and successfully complete the disk scanning and repair process.

Further Reading: CHKDSK not working

4 Effective Solutions to Fix CHKDSK Stuck on Windows 10/8/7

When the chkdsk scanning and repairing process becomes stuck, you can initially wait for a period of time. However, if you don't have the patience to wait for hours, you can address the issue using the following methods.

1. Defragment Hard Drive

Defragmentation refers to the process of consolidating fragmented files, which occur when disk operations scatter files across the disk. As previously stated, an excessive number of fragmented files can contribute to the chkdsk process becoming stuck. Hence, defragmenting your hard drive can be a solution to this issue.

Step 1. Select the partition drive that has the checking issue.

Step 2. Right-click the partition, and click "Properties" > "Tools" > "Optimize".

Step 3. Select the partition again and click Optimize. This will initiate the defragmentation process.

2. Utilize SFC and DISM Scans to Repair System Files

When chkdsk is stuck or frozen:

Step 1. Restart your computer by pressing the power button.

Step 2. During the next boot, press the Esc or the appropriate key to stop ChkDsk from running.

Step 3. Run the Disk Cleanup utility to remove your junk files.

Step 4. Open an Elevated Command Prompt and type sfc /scannow, then press Enter to run the System File Checker. After the scan finishes, restart your computer. Make sure to exit chkdsk during the boot process.

Step 5. After that, re-open CMD as an administrator and type Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, then press Enter to repair the Windows image.

Step 6. Run chkdsk again and see if it can finish the scan.

Read Also: SFC scannow: There is a system repair pending

3. Use a Third-Party Disk Repair Tool as an Alternative to CHKDSK

Most of the time, the above steps can help resolve the chkdsk frozen or stuck issue in Windows 10/8/7. However, if these methods are unsuccessful, try using a reliable Windows partition manager like tools Partition Master - a tool that can effectively manage disk scanning and repair tasks.

In addition to disk optimization, Partition Master offers other all-in-one partition and disk management solutions for your Windows computer, such as:

• Resize/move partitions (the Pro version enables you to drag to move space from D drive to C drive, create, format, delete, and merge partitions
• Copy and clone an entire disk to another, even if the target partition is smaller than the source
• Convert a logical partition to primary or primary partition to logical, FAT to NTFS partition, MBR disk to GPT, or GPT disk to MBR
• Permanently erase all data on the hard disk to prevent information leakage or recovery
• Migrate OS to SSD to upgrade from HDD to SSD for faster Windows performance

4. Check Bad Sectors and Clone Hard Drive

If none of the above solutions work, you'll need to check your disk for physical bad sectors. Use the Surface Test function in a tool like Partition Manager to accomplish this.

Step 1. Right-click the disk that you wish to check, and then click "Surface test".

Step 2. The operation will be performed immediately. Bad sectors will be marked in red.

Clone a hard drive to HDD or SSD

If it turns out that your disk does have numerous bad sectors, you'll need to copy or clone the data to a new disk and replace the faulty one. How to clone hard drive to HDD or SSD? Don't worry; a reliable partition management tool offers robust disk cloning functions to help you transfer and back up your data seamlessly.

Step 1. Select the source disk.

Click "Clone" from the left menu. Select "Clone OS Disk" or "Clone Data Disk" and click "Next". Choose the source disk and click "Next".

Step 2. Select the target disk.

• Select the desired HDD/SSD as your destination and click "Next" to proceed.
• Read the Warning message and confirm by clicking the "Yes" button.

Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size.

Next, click “Continue” when the program warns you that it will erase all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, make sure to back it up beforehand.)

You can choose "Autofit the disk," "Clone as the source," or "Edit disk layout" to customize your disk configuration. (Select the last option if you wish to allocate more space to the C drive.)

Step 4. Click "Start" to begin the disk cloning process.

To summarize

The CHKDSK stuck issue typically occurs when the hard drive's file system becomes corrupted or there are bad sectors and fragmented files on the disk. To address this issue, you can defragment the partition, run an SFC (System File Checker) scan, use the file system checking tool, examine for bad sectors, or clone the damaged disk to another HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive).

Frequently Asked Questions About CHKDSK Stuck in Windows 10

Here are the top four frequently asked questions related to chkdsk stuck at 10% or other stages in Windows 10. If you're also encountering any of these issues, you can find the solutions here.

How long does chkdsk repair take?

A chkdsk scan can take several hours, depending on the size of your drive and the number of corrupted files. For a 1TB drive, the chkdsk process typically takes around 5 hours. If there are bad sectors on the hard drive, it may require additional time to complete.

How do I stop chkdsk in progress? To stop the Check Disk (chkdsk) process that is currently running on your Windows operating system, follow these steps: 1. **Log in to your Windows account**: If chkdsk is running during startup, you'll need to log in to your Windows user account to access the command prompt. 2. **Open Command Prompt as an Administrator**: - Press `Win + X` keys together on your keyboard. - Click on "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" from the menu that appears. You might need to choose "Windows Terminal (Admin)" in newer versions of Windows. 3. **Interrupt the running chkdsk process**: - Type `Ctrl + C` in the Command Prompt window. This will attempt to interrupt chkdsk. If it's in the middle of a critical operation, it may not respond to this command immediately. - If Ctrl + C doesn't work, you can try restarting your computer. However, be aware that doing so might cause file system corruption if chkdsk was fixing critical issues. 4. **Schedule chkdsk for a later time**: - After stopping chkdsk, you can schedule it to run at the next system startup by typing the following command and pressing Enter: ``` chkdsk /f /r /x C: ``` Replace `C:` with the drive letter you want to check. The `/f` repairs errors, `/r` locates bad sectors and recovers readable information, and `/x` forces the volume to dismount first if necessary. 5. **Exit Command Prompt**: - Type `exit` and press Enter to close the Command Prompt window. Remember that stopping chkdsk while it's running can potentially lead to data corruption or filesystem issues. It's generally recommended to let chkdsk complete its process, especially if it was initiated due to system errors or disk problems.

How to Stop Chkdsk on Windows 10? There are several methods to halt a chkdsk scan. Typically, chkdsk initiates automatically during the Windows boot process, and there is a brief window where you can press any key to skip the scan. However, once it has started, you cannot stop the chkdsk process until it finishes. Attempting to shut down the computer during the check might result in file system corruption.

Why is chkdsk taking so long? The chkdsk utility is a built-in Windows tool that checks and repairs file system errors on a disk. It can take a long time for chkdsk to complete for several reasons: 1. **Disk Size**: If you have a large hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD), chkdsk will take more time to scan and process all the sectors. 2. **Number of Files**: A higher number of files and folders on the disk means chkdsk has more items to check, which increases its runtime. 3. **Extent of Issues**: If there are many errors or corruption on the disk, chkdsk may need to perform extensive repairs, which can be time-consuming. 4. **Scan Type**: Chkdsk has different scan options. A more thorough scan, such as scanning for lost clusters or checking security descriptors, will naturally take longer. 5. **System Performance**: The speed of your computer and the load on other processes can impact how quickly chkdsk runs. 6. **Boot Mode**: Running chkdsk during boot-up (when no other programs are running) might be faster than running it manually while the system is in use. 7. **Fragmentation**: If the disk is highly fragmented, chkdsk may need to access data scattered across the disk, taking more time. To monitor chkdsk's progress, you can view the console window where it's running, which usually displays an estimate of the remaining time. Be patient, as allowing chkdsk to complete its process is crucial for maintaining the health and integrity of your disk.

The duration of chkdsk relies on the size of the chosen partition. The bigger the capacity, the longer it'll take. If there are lots of sectors and corrupted files needing repair on the HDD or external hard drive, it could take even more time.

Can chkdsk stop at Stage 4?

You can safely interrupt chkdsk during stage 4. During the fourth stage, the chkdsk utility only reads data from the disk and writes to it only if a bad sector is detected. It's generally safe to halt the process at this point. The likelihood that you have an actual bad sector and chkdsk is in the process of repairing it when you stop it is quite low.