Fix CHKDSK Cannot Run Because The Volume Is in Use by Another Process

You start a Windows command prompt and type “chkdsk” with “f” or “r”. After that, you see an error that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process”. This type of problem happens when other programs are accessing your Volume or Disk. If a file or a program that is installed in the disk is somehow running then you will keep on facing the same issue. Thankfully there are some quick methods that you can apply to detach this problem from your windows.

Solution 1 Shut down all the programs running in the background

When you are not even running a single program on your computer, there are tons of services still running in the background. While we do not suggest you close all the running programs, we want you to look closely the what services could be using the disks on your PC. If you do not know how to close background apps then here is a quick guide on how to close apps in Windows.

1. Go to Task Manager of your Windows system. You can simply do that by hitting Win + Alt + Del key.
2. Now click on “Task Manager” and it will open.
3. You will see the list of all programs categorized in “apps list’ and “Background processes”.

1. Close all the apps in the “Apps List”.
2. Now look at the background processes and see if you find any suspicious processes that are blocking you to run chkdsk.
3. Find the running service and right-click> “End Task” on it.

This solution is a simple yet proper way to close down programs. Many software that you run on your PC still operates in the background even when you close it. Closing them through Task Manager will not help you get rid of Windows errors, but also improved the ram management and performance of your computer.

Solution 2 Run chkdsk in the Pre-boot window

The pre-boot environment of Windows has advanced settings that can potentially help you remove the chkdsk problem. Here is what you have to do.

1. Hit the W + R key to open the Run dialogue.
2. Type “ms-settings: recovery” into the area provided and then click “OK” to confirm.

1. To continue, choose “Restart Now.” After that, the blue screen will come.
2. Inside the ensuing box, navigate to the Troubleshoot option.
3. Your next action should be to click the “Advanced options” button.
4. Go to the Command Prompt tile and select “open.”
5. In the next box, choose your desired account.
6. Enter your account password in the respected area and click “Continue”.
7. Enter the command “CHKDSK C:/r/x” while the command prompt is open and press the Enter key.
8. When the utility function is finished, close the window and select the “Continue” tile.

Solution 3 Run chkdsk after rebooting your PC

The easiest solution is to do the good old Turn off and On method. Restarting your computer can be the solution you are looking for. However, we do not want you to restart the PC normally. When the issue is chkdsk, you need to reboot your PC like this.

1. Hit the “Win + R” button to open the Run prompt.
2. Type CMD in the prompt and press Enter, but also while pressing Shift key. This will open the CMD prompt in a new window.
3. Run the following command: CHKDSK C:/r/x and press the Enter button.

1. The command prompt will ask a question and you have to reply with a Yes or No. Press Y and then Enter to say Yes. After that, “This Volume will be checked the next the system restarts” note will show up.

As the message says, the next time you restart your PC, the check disk utility will run and check system drives.

Conclusion

All the solutions for the CHKDSK aim to make your PC do one thing, that is letting CHKDSK be the only program accessing your computer. The goal is to remove all the authorisation and access to programs other than CHKDSK. Now there are many ways you can remove access to those files that prevent the CHKDSK to run normally. Use the solutions above to see CHKDSK run successfully.