Windows 7 chkdsk not working

[meridius10]

I have a Toshiba laptop with W7 upgraded to SP1.

I noticed that it adds
autocheck autochk /r \??\C:
to the default
autocheck autochk *
in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager in regedit.

Even if I modify it manually to autocheck autochk * it still adds autocheck autochk /r \??\C:

I don't think this is an administrator issue as my other laptop with W7 SP1 (SP1 included) does not have this problem.

Has anyone had this problem before and found a solution to it?

 

[Mike]

Please see this thread as a possible explanation for your problem: Chkdsk does not run on startup when selection is made - Microsoft Answers

 

[meridius10]

Please see this thread as a possible explanation for your problem: Chkdsk does not run on startup when selection is made - Microsoft Answers

I have looked at this article and tried a few things as well as to run this hotfix:
The Chkdsk.exe program does not start correctly on a Windows 7-based computer
which didn't work. Maybe I need to try it again, or something more appropriate.

I also tried looking at some things here:
Check Disk - chkdsk - Vista Forums
and
Chkdsk will Not Run at Startup in Vista - Vista Forums
but on Step Four of the above am not too sure how to safely(!) replace the autochk.exe file on W7 SP1 as these instructions and downloads are for Vista...

I can't afford to take too many risks as it isn't my laptop...

 

[Mike]

As of the date of this writing, autochk.exe is version 6.1.7601.17514 and is 759 KB (777,728 bytes). Windows Side by Side and Resource Protection should not allow arbitrary modification of this file by a non-administrator. Thus, you should run sfc /scannow to check Windows System File Integrity Checker and make sure that you have the same version I have listed. In so far as the thread I referenced above, I still suggest you run cmd.exe with elevated privileges (Administrator) and run: fsutil dirty query c:

This will help you determine if the C drive is already considered "dirty" (i.e. containing file system errors or bad sectors). You want to make this determination because this could be a reason why chkdsk is not running.

When did this problem start?

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\BootExecute has:

autocheck autochk /p \??\C:
autocheck autochk *

in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 with a scheduled chkdsk on reboot.

I would like to know why you think the setting should be different, as this should not prevent chkdsk from running at all.

Please check the Windows System Integrity using sfc /scannow and avoid replacing files.

 

[Drew]

Well, not being one to mince words. Like Mike, I am a bit baffled here, too. I, too, don't quite get why you are trying to mess w/ this or muck about in the Registry, @ all.

Try this... if, it works fine than just leave things alone.

> cmd, Run as Admin
Type, chkdsk /r/f
Hit ENTER
You'll get a yes/no question, hit the 'y' key & ENTER (this tells the scan to run @ the next reboot)
Reboot

If, the scan runs when & as Windows boots up then, you have no problem.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[Elmer]

I'll agree with the above. If your car's running as sweet as a nut, would you rip the engine out and strip it down? (actually, I used to do that when I had a Beetle ). Just an oil change, filters etc. Keep it sweet. Same with your pc, if it aint broke, don't fix it (another rule I totally ignore).

 

[Drew]

And I have rule of thumb for lay people & relative novices... stay out of the Registry. It is not a (necessary) sandbox or place for everyone/anyone to play.

Oh & Elmer, thanx for your support.

Drew

 

[Elmer]

Oh & Elmer, thanx for your support.

Drew

I wondered where my crutches had gone!!!

 

[meridius10]

OK - I have done the following:

1. Ran sfc/scannow. The msg I got was: "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them". I tried to see what was going on in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log but got "Access is denied" to the CBS txt. Not sure how to open as administrator. Tried changing permission settings in Security to 'Full Control' but no luck.

2. Ran fsutil dirty query c: and got "Volume -c is NOT Dirty"

3. In C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe properties there is no file or product version. Date modified is 20/11/2010.

4. The Boot execute is:
autocheck autochk /r \??\C:
autocheck autochk *
in this laptop but in my other one (also SP1) it is just
autocheck autochk *
which is why I questioned this entry.
In addition the "r" is different to your "p" after autochk / so I don't know if that means anything.

5. Tried Drew's suggestion but no result, i.e. just a normal boot up.

Not sure when this actually stopped working as I haven't seen the laptop for over a year, but it may even have been 20/11/2010 (as the above date).

 

[Elmer]

OK - I have done the following:
1. Ran sfc/scannow. The msg I got was: "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them". I tried to see what was going on in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log but got "Access is denied" to the CBS txt. Not sure how to open as administrator. Tried changing permission settings in Security to 'Full Control' but no luck.

Copy and paste to desktop. And sfc{space}/scannow may need two or three runs.

I also take it you have the well known tweak of Take Ownership in your (right click) context menu?

 

[Mike]

With Windows System Files corrupted, the operating system cannot be considered reliable. Because you received a positive response from sfc /scannow and because it could not repair \"some of them\", you should back up essential files and documents. To take ownership over CBS.log:

1. Right click on CBS.log file and select “Properties” from Context Menu.
2. Click on Edit button in Properties windows Click ok to confirm UAC elevation request.
3. Select user/group from permission windows or click add to add other user or group.
4. Now under Permission section check the rights which you want to grant i.e. check “Full Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions to Administrators group.
5. Click Ok for changes to take effect and click ok final ok to exit from Properties window.

Output this log data and we can try to figure out what kind of file corruption we are looking at for the OS. This problem can impede Windows Update, chkdsk, and can become worse if there are unexpected system crashes that create data loss or damaged files.

 

[Drew]

To get cmd to Run as Admin:

Hit Windows key, type cmd in Search. When it shows on the Start Menu Rt Click its icon & select Run as Admin.

But, I understand you 'told' it to do the Disc Scan before boot & it did not. Since, it's highly unlikely there will be a Restore Date that goes back far enough, maybe but, doubtful, this is what I suggest.

Try doing Repair using the OS disc. But, I'll warn you, that may not do the trick, either. Failing that & since, I feel things in the Registry are buggered (excuse the technical jargon) it may be necessary to rebuild the OS to put things right again & have Disc Check/Scan working (properly) again.

Drew

 

[meridius10]

With Windows System Files corrupted, the operating system cannot be considered reliable. Because you received a positive response from sfc /scannow and because it could not repair \"some of them\", you should back up essential files and documents. To take ownership over CBS.log:

1. Right click on CBS.log file and select “Properties” from Context Menu.
2. Click on Edit button in Properties windows Click ok to confirm UAC elevation request.
3. Select user/group from permission windows or click add to add other user or group.
4. Now under Permission section check the rights which you want to grant i.e. check “Full Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions to Administrators group.
5. Click Ok for changes to take effect and click ok final ok to exit from Properties window.

Output this log data and we can try to figure out what kind of file corruption we are looking at for the OS. This problem can impede Windows Update, chkdsk, and can become worse if there are unexpected system crashes that create data loss or damaged files.

Is there another way around this as whatever I am trying to do to modify permissions/settings, I am getting an "Access is Denied" msg and "An error occured while applying security information to C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log Access is denied"

 

[Drew]

See my previous note to you

Drew

 

[Saltgrass]

As Elmer suggests, you can copy the file to the desktop to open.

Or you can use this link and the findstr command to create a text file which includes the SFC entries. If you attach it, please check to make sure the entries are not repeated since the log is made every time you run SFC.

How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7

 

[meridius10]

OK - here is the CBS attachment. I actually just copied and pasted the original to my desktop.

I removed all entries except for the one that I ran today. It appears as though the report is showing some errors for 'autochk.exe' although I'm not too sure how to interpret them.

View attachment CBS.txt

 

[Mike]

The CBS log shows systemic problems with your Windows installation, including version mismatches even with gadget files

2012-02-05 10:56:52, Info                  CSI    000002ea [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:46{23}]"\??\C:\Windows\System32"\[l:22{11}]"autochk.exe"; source file in store is also corrupted

This indicates your problem right here. autochk.exe is corrupt and cannot be replaced, even by Windows Resource Protection (Windows Side-by-Side).

You have a bigger problem here. Did your computer crash a lot or turn off unexpectedly? You have irrecoverable data loss on your disk and it is affecting the Windows install. Under these conditions, the professional recommendation is to back up all of your critical documents and files and clean install Windows. If you have a store bought computer, you may be able to successfully recover from an emergency restore partition. I would consider the backup of essential documents to be your number one priority. It is blind luck you haven't lost a more serious part of the OS here. If you are already missing free disk space or hear any alarming noises, this is a sign of imminent hard drive failure. Whether it be from an ailing hard drive or just too many improper shutdowns, the OS itself and numerous files have been corrupted. What is known for a fact is that the system file integrity for your Windows installation no longer exists. It is the reason you can't run chkdsk.

 

[meridius10]

Many thanks for your feedback and pushing me to investigate this further. It is good to know at least what I need to do now - backup and clean install. The only inkling that something may have been wrong was that the display driver crashed from time to time. Of course trying to run chkdsk has also lead to this. Other than that, there was no real alarm bell that something may have been wrong.

As it's not my computer I don't know too much but the hard work of finding all the programs and reinstalling will start very soon.

I'll be back on these forums again also very soon with a question about my own laptop. Many thanks for your help.

 

[Saltgrass]

Anyone think running Chkdsk from the WinRE would help?

I was able to replace a TrustedInstalled file by running SFC offline, but the other version was not corrupted. The OP does have two computers and does have access to another autochk.exe file. But maybe running the chkdsk would repair the problem the OP has now.

 

[Drew]

'saltgrass'.

I think, like I said, already, he should rebuild; especially, after reading more entries since, I'd said this initially.

Drew