How to fix bad sectors in Windows 10, 8, 8,1

Fixing bad sectors in Windows 8, Windows 10 represents a complex operation, but if you choose to follow the guidelines from below, you will be able to easily resolve the problems related to your device hard drive.

Right from the start you should know that the Windows system can’t always fix bad sectors on a damaged hard drive. The OS can indeed detect these sectors and prevent your from placing new data on them.
As you know, if your hard drive has bad sectors, then the data which is saved there might get lost, if of course you can’t manage to restore it.
So, due to the same reason, in the guidelines below I will first show you how to scan your Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 device in order to check if the hard drive is having bad sectors or not and then I will explain you how to recover these sectors and add data on a new hard drive.

• Read Also: 5 best software to recover damaged Windows hard drive

Also note that installing or reinstalling your Windows 8 / Windows 8.1/ Windows 10 system from scratch or choosing to repair or refresh your OS will not fix the bad sectors issues. So, just read the steps from below and decide whether to apply the same or to take your device back to service for technical assistance.

How to Fix Bad Sectors in Windows 10, 8, 8.1

1. Scan for bad sectors
2. Use Drive Manufactures Utility
3. Fix disk errors via Command Prompt

1. Scan for bad sectors

First of all, scan for bad sectors; you can do it in two ways:

1. Right click on your hard drive – select Properties – choose the Tools tab – select Check – scan drive
2. Open an elevated cmd window:
   • Go to your Start page – right click on your Start button
   • From there select “Open cmd with administrator rights” and there type chkdsk /F /R -> press Enter

• Also check: How to fix chkdsk stuck problems in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, 10.

Now, if there are bad sectors detected, remember that Windows can’t fix them. Here’s what you need to do to solve your problem.

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2. Use Drive Manufactures Utility

1. Take out your damaged hard drive.
2. Buy a new hard drive and appropriate USB adapters.
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3. Connect your old hard drive on another computer and check for bad sectors as showed above.
4. Then, connect your new hard drive to the same computer.
5. Up next use the drive manufacturer’s utility (just follow the on-screen wizard) and clone your old and damaged drive into your new hard drive.
6. In the end, place the new hard drive on your Windows 8 / Windows 8.1/ Windows 10 device as you are done.

3. Fix disk errors via Command Prompt

On Windows 10, you can run a disk check using Command Prompt. There are also two more commands that you can use to detect and repair logical and physical issues.

1. Start Command Prompt as administrator and type the chkdsk C: /f command > hit Enter.
2. Replace C with the letter of your hard drive partition.

If you do not use the /f parameter, chkdsk displays a message that certain files need to be fixed, but it does not fix any errors. The chkdsk D: /f command detects and repairs logical issues affecting your drive. To repair physical issues, run the /r parameter as well, as shown in the screenshot below.

So, there you have it — this is how you can scan for bad sectors on Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10 and also this is how you can easily fix bad sectors by yourself.
Do use the comments field from below in case you want to share your thoughts with us and our readers.

• Read Also: 4 best PC repair toolkits to restore your PC’s health

Also, if you’ve got additional tips and suggestions on how to fix bad sectors in Windows 10, you can list them in the comments below.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2014 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.