Check Disk causing an error on Windows 10? Microsoft is rolling out a fix

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You shouldn't run into an issue with the Check Desk tool on Windows 10 anymore.

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Surface Go 2 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is rolling out a fix for an issue that might cause a boot failure when the chkdsk tool (Check Disk) was used.
  • The issue affects a small number of devices, according to Microsoft.
  • The issue should now be prevented automatically for non-managed devices.

Microsoft acknowledged and rolled out a fix for an issue that caused booting to fail on some Windows 10 devices following the use of the chkdsk (Check Desk) tool. As pointed out by Bleeping Computer, Microsoft doesn't state which versions of Windows 10 have been affected by the issue but lists the bug in the pages for the KB4592438 and KB4586853 updates.

The issue was first spotted on a Planet3dNow forum and was first reported by BornCity.

The support page for an affected version of Windows 10 outlines the symptoms of the issue:

A small number of devices that have installed this update have reported that when running chkdsk /f, their file system might get damaged and the device might not boot.

The same page also outlines how the issue has been addressed:

This issue is resolved and should now be prevented automatically on non-managed devices. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate to non-managed devices. Restarting your device might help the resolution apply to your device faster. For enterprise-managed devices that have installed this update and encountered this issue, it can be resolved by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. To find out more about using Group Policies, see Group Policy Overview.

To mitigate this issue on devices which have already encountered this issue and are unable to start up, use the following steps:

  1. The device should automatically start up into the Recovery Console after failing to start up a few times.
  2. Select Advanced options.
  3. Select Command Prompt from the list of actions.
  4. Once Command Prompt opens, type: chkdsk /f
  5. Allow chkdsk to complete the scan, this can take a little while. Once it has completed, type: exit
  6. The device should now start up as expected. If it restarts into Recovery Console, select Exit and continue to Windows 10.

Note After completing these steps, the device might automatically run chkdsk again on restart. It should start up as expected once it has completed.

If you use or manage enterprise devices that have been affected by this issue, you'll have to install and configure a special Group Policy.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 930, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.