Don’t have the time to run scheduled chkdsk operations? Here’s a simple way to stop or cancel scheduled chkdsk at boot in Windows 10.
If you use Windows for long enough, you will see the Check Disk or also known as chkdsk operations running at the start of the boot when you turn on your Windows machine. This is especially true when the system is turned off directly. The chkdsk functionality in Windows is specifically created to scan the disk for any filesystem errors and the logical integrity of the said file system. When there are any errors or deviations, the chkdsk utility will try to correct and repair as much as possible. This makes it so that you won’t lose any data or access to the operating system due to the errors.
One of the best things about the chkdsk tool is that it can scan your hard drive on a per partition basis. This makes it so that the scan and repair don’t take that much time. For example, if there is a problem with the C drive, the chkdsk will only scan and repair the C drive. This is much faster when compared to scanning the entire hard drive.
Though the chkdsk utility is pretty efficient and fast, it still takes a fair bit of time to complete. If you ever want to quickly access your system without running chkdsk at boot, you need to cancel the scheduled operation. Let me show you how to cancel a scheduled chkdsk operation in Windows 10.
Note: The method shown below will works in Windows 7 and 8 too.
Steps to Cancel Scheduled chkdsk Operation
Though the task may look hard, it is in fact very easy to cancel chkdsk scheduled operation. All you have to do is execute a single line command and the operation will be canceled instantly. Let me show you how.
1. First, open the start menu, search for “Command Prompt”, right-click on the result and select “Run as administrator”. Alternatively, you can also select the “Run as administrator” option appearing on the right panel.
2. The above action will open Command Prompt with admin rights. Before you can cancel the scheduled chkdsk operation at boot, you first need to verify that the chkdsk has been actually scheduled. To do that, use the below command while replacing <driveLetter> with the actual drive letter.
chkntfs <driveLetter>:
If there is a scheduled operation, you will see “chkdsk has been scheduled” message.
4. Once confirmed, use the below command to cancel scheduled chkdsk operation at boot. Again, replace <driveLetter> with the actual drive letter.
chkntfs /x <driveLetter>:
5. You will not see any confirmation but you can rest assured that the chkdsk boot operation is canceled.
(Alternative Method) via Registry
If the above method did not work for some reason, you can use the Registry Editor too.
1. First, open the start menu, search for “Registry Editor” and click on the result to open the Registry Editor.
2. In the registry editor, go to the following location. If you are using Windows 10, simply copy and paste the below path in the address bar and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
3. On the right panel, find and double-click on the “BootExecute” value. In the next window, replace its content with the following string and click on the “Ok” button.
autocheck autochk *
4. Close the Windows Registry Editor.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are two ways to stop chkdsk scheduled operation at boot in Windows. Both methods are pretty easy to follow. So, follow the one you are comfortable with. Personally, I recommend the command-line method as all you have to do is execute a single line command.
Hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible. If you like this article, do check out the list of chkdsk command and how to use them.
