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SOLVED Chkdsk /f hangs after last line of Stage 3

14K views 20 replies 4 participants last post by  Done_Fishin  
#1 ·
Specifically, Stage 3 "Examining security descriptors" completes ... and SHOULD return to a C: prompt. Instead, it hangs after the last line "Phase duration (USN journal verification".

There are no files on the drive. I am certain it has a few hard error sectors and want to isolate them so I can still use the drive safely. Have no hesitation to repartition the entire drive if that will put the drive back into a reliable state.

This is on a WD 8TB external usb drive and W10 Pro.

More specifically: Using Aomei Partition Assistant, if I delete then recreate the partition and then format the drive, will the bad sectors (pretty sure there are only a few) be isolated and there results a healthy usable drive? I think I know the answer (yes) but want to be sure. Doing anything with a large drive seems (of course) to take a very long time.

Thank you in advance for a concise answer .... if possible.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
Thank you. Terrible what MS did with chkdsk W10. Out of frustration, currently have deleted the only partition and am recreating. I should have waited for your reply. Had I waited long enough, chkdsk /r might have finished although, waiting a long time and System Monitor showed ZERO disk activity. If what I'm doing does not succeed, I will consult your suggestions. THANK YOU immensely.
 
#4 ·
You're more than welcome. (y)

On large hard drives I have had to leave chkdsk running overnight on more than one occasion.
 
#5 ·
You're more than welcome. (y)

On large hard drives I have had to leave chkdsk running overnight on more than one occasion.
Yes Sir and when that happened, I assumed some kind of catastrophe, being accustomed to the older ver. of chkdsk. After spending 3 days trying to feel certain this drive is in good shape, I am now doing a chkdsk /r on it, and hoping I will get to the end of this nightmare. ETA shows it at 999:00:00 .... 999 hours!!! Does show progress though ... 45,000 of 2,441,506,578 clusters so far (and climbing). :rolleyes: Thank you again.
 
#6 ·
There is no Old version of Check Disk or a Newer version. Check Disk has not changed since it previously was called Scan Disk back in the 90's.
Any HDD/SSD that crashes or it hangs for a very long period of time, means it is hung up on a large section of Bad Sectors. and is in the process of failing.
You can hang in there and wait it out, but the bottom line is that the Drive needs to be replaced.
 
#7 ·
There is no Old version of Check Disk or a Newer version. Check Disk has not changed since it previously was called Scan Disk back in the 90's.
Any HDD/SSD that crashes or it hangs for a very long period of time, means it is hung up on a large section of Bad Sectors. and is in the process of failing.
You can hang in there and wait it out, but the bottom line is that the Drive needs to be replaced.
From one of your links:

In most cases, chkdsk is still running. The problem is, in Windows 8 and Windows 10, Microsoft changed the appearance of the chkdsk display. It no longer shows you what exactly is going on the way earlier versions did.
Well, waiting it out. If I can isolate the bad sectors, I predict only a relatively small loss of space. This drive was accidentally knocked over (vertical to horizontal onto the table top) Remains to be seen.

Chkdsk /r currently displays:

717085 (and climbing with a reasonably fast rate I would think) of 2441506578 done; Stage: 0%; Total: ETA 999:00:00

but the ONLY encouraging thing is the climbing value. None of the other values have changed at all. I really appreciate your attention, input and advice.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Check your Warranty with WD https://www.westerndigital.com/warranty chances are great it is still under warranty, so you will not be "throwing it away" You can send it back and get a Refurbished drive in it's place for Free.
When a drive gets Bad Sectors, it slows down dramatically, and slows the whole computer down with it, eventually grinding to a halt. If you choose to Repair the Bad Sectors with DiskGenius and are successful, it will have a little life left in the drive, but I wouldn't trust my data on a drive that could fail at any moment. You are just avoiding the inevitable. But, it's your computer, your drive, your data. Do with it what you will.
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
grin indeed! Well, we've about beat this subject to death and since I just am just about to deploy this brand new 'black (colored)" 8TB hard drive onto my ROUTER like the failed one was, I am not sure I care anymore. It has been educational and I am privileged to have your knowledge and valuable time. I have to move forward from where I am and win, lose, or draw, this drive is going on my home network. It's been a great ride and thank you again.
 
#21 ·
I was late for this party but thought I would add a note for anyone interested now or just passing by later.

When a working external drive falls over, there is a tendancy for what is known as a "Head Crash". This is when the read/write head hits the disk similar to back in the day when the needle on a vinyl record slipped causing a scratch. In the hard disk though, this causes surface damage and debris. The debris then floats around at up to 5400 or 7500 rpm until perhaps the material gets caught by internal head magnet or caught under the head itself, which is normally held above the disk surface by a cushion of air created by the spinning disk (unlike a "pickup" needle which touches the record surface). Debris under the head causes more damage. Debris flying around inside the drive causes more damage. It might seem good initially but over time, as said in previous comments, means data corruption and constant repeat attempts at reading or writing to ensure data integrity and comparison to checksums. Errors are recorded in SMART.

I remember back in the 70's getting my training on a, I believe, 2MB hard disk drive that was almost as tall as myself. Heads were all locked down when not being used. Couldn't be used for 48 hours if it had been switched off and moved, after being powered on and came up to speed. First checks made were to see if the surface had neen damaged.