When you look through online Q&A forums and help sites, you might see the “chkdsk cannot open volume for direct access” problem being heatedly discussed. This common issue can be a significant roadblock, especially if you’re trying to fix disk errors or recover data. But fear not, as this article will focus on the reasons behind this issue and 5 effective solutions. If you receive the error message “check disk cannot open volume for direct access”, read on to obtain fixes now!

What causes the “cannot open volume for direct access” error? 

Here are some reasons that may cause the “check disk cannot open volume for direct access” error: 

• File System Corruption: If the file system on your drive is damaged, CHKDSK might not be able to access it directly. Typically, file system corruption can occur due to improper shutdowns, disk errors, power outages, or other factors.
• Drive in Use: Your drive is is currently being accessed by another program or process. Therefore, CHKDSK cannot perform direct read and write operations on it.
• Hardware Failure: Your hard disk has suffered severe physical damage or has bad sectors.
• Permissions Issue: Rarely, there are permissions issues preventing CHKDSK from accessing the drive. This could be due to improper user permissions or security settings.

Prepartion: recover data from corrupted hard drive

When your hard drive is corrupted, the very first thing to do is to ensure the safety of the data within it. Fortunately, Tenorshare 4DDiG can help you easily recover important files from inaccessible or damaged storage devices. This robust tool is applicable to almost all data loss scenarios, such as formatting errors, virus attacks, hardware failures, system crashes, and more. Besides, the best part of this tool is its user-friendly desgin, making data recovery a breeze. With just a few clicks, all your deleted/lost files can be restored in the blink of an eye.

Download the program from the official website and follow the steps below to recover your data:

Step 1: Once installed, launch the 4DDiG Data Recovery tool and select the problematic drive from the home interface. Then, click on the “Scan” button to search for lost data.

Step 2: After a quick scan, 4DDiG will automatically perform a deep scan to search for any missing data. Additionally, you can categorize the scan results by switching between the Path and Type options in the left panel.

Step 3: Once you locate the desired files, preview them to ensure their integrity before initiating the recovery process. Then, select them and simply click on the “Recover” button. A window will pop up, prompting you to choose a secure location to save the recovered files.

6 Ways to fix chkdsk cannot open volume for direct access

Resloving this Windows issue is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Try to follow these solutions one by one, and CHKDSK will work by the end of the article.

Fix 1: Restart your computer

Sometimes, a simple resart can help to fix the error, as it ensures that no other processes are actively using the hard disk. To avoid data loss, save any open files or documents before rebooting your PC. If the problematic hard drive is an external device, consider reconnecting it to the computer.

Fix 2: Perform a clean boot

Clean boot only loads the most basic drivers and system services required by Windows. Thus, if CHKDSK can run successfully in a clean boot state, the third-party programs or services may be the culprit. The steps to resolve the “cannot open volume for direct access chkdsk” issue are as follows.

Step 1: Press “Windows + R” to bring up the Run dialog box. Next, type “msconfig” and hit the Enter key.

Step 2: Go to the “Services” tab. 

Step 3: Check the box labeled “Hide all Microsoft services,” then click “Disable all.” Afterward, click “Apply” and then “OK.”

Step 4: Switch to the “Startup” tab and click “Open Task Manager.” Then, disable each one by right-clicking and selecting “Disable.”

Step 5: Reboot your computer.

Fix 3: Manually disable suspicious third-party services

Apart from performing a clean boot, you can manually disable third-party applications or services to fix the ‘cannot open volume for direct access’ problem. However, we don’t recommend this method for those with limited computer experience. If you mistakenly turn off critical services or applications, it can lead to system instability or start-up issues.

Step 1: Press Windows + S and type “Services” into the search box. Launch this application in the search result.

Step 2: Locate any third-party services that may lock partitions, such as the antivirus or the disk encryption tool.

Step 3: Next, right-click on the specific service and opt for “Properties” from the menu.

Step 4: In the “Startup type” section, choose “Disabled.”

Step 5: Click “OK” to save the changes and then close the Services window.

Fix 4: Reformatting your hard drive 

According to the user experiment, reformatting the drive can successfully remove the error message “check disk cannot open volume for direct access.” You can work with these steps:

Step 1: Press Windows + X, then click on “Disk Management” to locate your affected drive.

Step 2: Right-click on the hard disk and select “Format” from the menu.

Step 3: Choose the file system and allocation unit size, then perform a quick format.

Step 4: Once you’ve selected the desired settings, click on the “OK” button to start the formatting process.

Fix 5: Scan and repair bad tracks

If the error “check disk cannot open volume for direct access” persists, it is likely because there are bad sectors on the hard drive. You can repair bad tracks using the error checking tool. To do so, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open File Explorer by pressing Windows + E. Then, locate and right-click the drive you want to check for errors. In the context menu, select “Properties” to proceed.

Step 2: Navigate to the “Tools” tab. Under the “Error checking” section, hit the “Check” button.

Step 3: Windows will ask if you want to scan the drive for errors. Click on “Scan drive” to confirm. 

Fix 6: Use a CHKDSK alternative

In fact, there are many free tools and software available to check and repair disk errors. CHKDSK is not the only solution. Therefore, if you encounter the error message “cannot open volume for direct access” when running CHKDSK, consider using alternative methods. Here are some popular options:

• Ariolic Disk Scanner
• Windows Surface Scanner
• Gsmartcontrol 
• SeaTools
• HD Tune

CHKDSK cannot open volume for direct access FAQs

Q1: How do I run CHKDSK on a specific volume?

To run CHKDSK on a specific volume in Windows:

Step 1: Press Windows + E to open CMD as an administrator.

Step 2: Type: chkdsk [volume]: /f and press Enter. Replace [volume] with the drive letter you want to check (e.g., chkdsk C: /f).

Step 3: If necessary, type Y and press Enter to schedule CHKDSK to run on the next restart.

Q2: What is volume in Command Prompt?

In Command Prompt, “volume” typically refers to a specific drive or partition on your computer’s storage device. Typically, it is identified by a drive letter, such as C:, D:, or E:. 

Q3: Does CHKDSK fix corrupt files?

Unfortunately, it can’t repair or recover corrupted files. CHKDSK is primarily designed to fix issues with the file system itself rather than individual files.

Conclusion

Encountering the error “chkdsk cannot open volume for direct access” can be frustrating. But you can find it is easy to fix this problem with the solutions outlined in this article. In addition, if you decide to reformatting the problematic drive, make sure you have copies of anything you want to keep. Or, give Tenorshare 4DDiG a try. This powerful tool has proven to be effective in recovering data from formatting-corrupted/inaccessible hard drives.