External hard drives and SSDs are lifesavers for extra storage, but because they are frequently plugged in, unplugged, and moved around, they are prone to file system errors and "dirty bits." If your drive is acting sluggish, showing "File or directory is corrupted," or refusing to open, Windows has a built-in hero: (Check Disk).
This usually means a third-party program (like an antivirus or a disk monitor) is using the drive. Try closing all open folders and programs, or restart your PC and try again immediately. 2. "The type of the file system is RAW"
chkdsk
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| Scenario | Estimated time | | :--- | :--- | | Quick scan (no /r ) | 2–10 minutes | | Full scan /r on 32GB USB | 15–30 minutes | | Full scan /r on 1TB external HDD | 1–4 hours | | Full scan /r on 4TB external HDD | 6–12+ hours (run overnight) |
Contrary to popular belief, CHKDSK works perfectly on external drives. Here is everything you need to know.
Look under and note the letter next to your drive’s name. Phase 2: Running CHKDSK via Command Prompt run chkdsk on external drive
In the black window, type the following command and press :
For deep repairs—especially for “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” errors—use Command Prompt.
This depends on drive size and the scan type: External hard drives and SSDs are lifesavers for
To run CHKDSK on an external drive, you typically use the Command Prompt to scan for file system errors or physical "bad sectors". While the process is straightforward, scanning large external drives can take hours or even days depending on the drive's health and size.
If CHKDSK freezes or hangs at a certain percentage (e.g., 12% for 3 hours), the drive likely has severe physical damage. It’s time to replace the drive.
Press Windows + X and select or Terminal (Admin) . Look under and note the letter next to your drive’s name