"Corrupted master file table. Windows is unable to recover the master file table. CHKDSK terminated."

"I have been utilizing a Seagate HDD with a single NTFS partition on my Windows 10 Acer laptop to store data for the past two years. However, this morning upon booting up my computer, I encountered an error stating, 'Corrupt master file table. Windows will attempt to recover the master file table from the disk. Windows cannot recover the master file table. CHKDSK aborted.' Now, when I attempt to access the drive, it displays, 'E:\ is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.' Could anyone kindly recommend a method for recovering both the data and the Master File Table (MFT) so that I can at least obtain a backup?"

Corrupt master file table. Windows will attempt to recover master file table from disk

The Master File Table (MFT) is the most crucial component in an NTFS file system. It maintains an inventory of all files present on the volume, including their logical placement within directories, their physical location on the hard drive, and various metadata associated with each file. Should the MFT become corrupted, access to files within the NTFS file system volume will be compromised.

Common reasons for corruption of the Master File Table include: 1. Power failures or sudden system shutdowns during file operations. 2. Malware or virus attacks that target the file system. 3. Software glitches or bugs in programs that interact with the file system. 4. Incorrectly performed disk defragmentation. 5. Insufficient disk space while saving or modifying files. 6. Hardware issues, such as faulty hard drive sectors or controller errors. 7. Incomplete or interrupted file system repairs. 8. Accidental deletion or modification of MFT entries. 9. File system corruption due to operating system crashes. 10. Compatibility issues between different versions of software and the file system. These factors can lead to corruption of the Master File Table (MFT), which is a critical component of file systems like NTFS in Windows, storing metadata about all files and directories on the volume. When the MFT becomes corrupted, it can result in data loss, inaccessible files, or system instability.

    • Windows system crash
    • Malware and virus attack on MFT
    • Numerous bad sectors on the hard drive
    • Application crash or malfunction
    • Improper ejection of external disk

When faced with such an issue, you can run CHKDSK in repair mode to check and fix bad sectors to address the problem. However, if you attempt to run CHKDSK to rectify the issue and receive an error message like "Corrupt master file table. Windows will attempt to recover master file table from disk. Windows cannot recover master file table. CHKDSK aborted," how can you修复主文件表 when Windows fails to do so? Continue reading to explore some practical solutions.

Fix "Corrupted Master File Table" Error in Windows 10/8/7 and Recover Data

Tip
Hard drive formatting is one of the solutions, so before attempting the fixes below, it's essential to back up your hard drive to avoid any unintended data loss.

Solution 1: Repair Corrupted Master File Table using CHKDSK Utility

1. Right-click on the hard drive with the corrupted master file table and select "Properties."

2. Click "Tools" > "Check". And choose "Scan drive".

corrupt master file table

If CHDKS fails to load, proceed to Solution 2.

Solution 2: Utilize the FixMbr Command to Repair the MFT

1. Access the System Recovery Options screen. Connect a bootable USB drive to your computer, then restart your PC and repeatedly press F2 or F8 to enter the BIOS setup. Navigate to the Startup or Boot section and configure your computer to boot from the newly connected drive. Save the alterations and restart your PC.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions, and select "Repair your Computer" when you reach the System Recovery Options window.

3. Choose "Command Prompt" to open a command prompt window. Type bootrec.exe and press Enter.

The parameter /FixMbr enables the repair of a corrupted Master Boot Record.

Solution 3: Recover Data and Format the Drive

If the above solutions fail to resolve the "Corrupt master file table. Windows cannot recover master file table. CHKDSK aborted" issue, your last resort would be to format the hard drive to regain access and usability. However, to prevent data loss, it's crucial to recover data from the corrupted partition using a tool like Data Recovery Wizard beforehand.

How to Recover Data from a Damaged Hard Drive

Here, we highly recommend trying a data recovery program, which performs exceptionally well in recovering files from a corrupted hard drive or raw disk in Windows 10/8/7 or any previous versions. It is also capable of retrieving lost data from various storage devices such as USB flash drives, SSDs, HDDs, CF/SD cards, and more due to formatting, deletion, partition loss, application/system crashes, virus attacks, etc.

Click the button below to obtain this user-friendly data recovery tool. Then, follow the steps outlined below to recover data from a hard drive with a corrupted master file table.

Step 1. Install and launch the file recovery software on your Windows computer. Select the precise location where you lost the files and click the "Scan" button.

Select a location to scan

Step 2. The software will instantly begin scanning the drive, and the erased files will be displayed shortly. If you locate the required files during the scan, you can halt the scan. To swiftly find the target file, utilize the file format filter.

Select files to recover

Step 3. Select the files you wish to recover, such as Word documents, Excel sheets, PDFs, photos, videos, or emails, and then click the "Recover" button. You can choose a different location to save the recovered files.

Recover lost data

Once the data recovery is complete, you can format the hard drive to NTFS or FAT to use it again.

1. Navigate to "This PC" or "Disk Management," right-click on the partition or drive you wish to format, and choose "Format."

2. Set the Volume Label, File System, and Allocation Unit Size according to your needs. Then, click "OK" to initiate the process.

Consult with tools Data Recovery Experts for personalized manual recovery assistance. Following FREE diagnosis, we can provide:

  • Repair damaged RAID configurations, unbootable Windows operating system, and corrupted virtual disk files (.vmdk, .vhd, .vhdx, etc.)
  • Recover or repair lost partitions and repartitioned drives
  • Undeformat hard drives and fix raw drives (including BitLocker encrypted drives)
  • Rectify disks converted to GPT protected partitions