How to Fix a Stuck Scanning and Repairing Drive on Windows 10: 6 Effective Solutions

If you’re experiencing the frustrating issue of your Windows 10 computer getting stuck on the “Scanning and Repairing Drive” screen, you’re not alone. This problem can be caused by a variety of factors, including disk errors, hardware issues, or even malware. Fortunately, there are several effective solutions you can try to get your computer back up and running. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through six proven fixes to address the “Scanning and Repairing Drive” stuck problem.

Fix 1: Check the Disk Connection

One of the first things you should check is the physical connection between your hard drive and the computer. If you’ve recently moved your PC or made any changes to the hardware, it’s possible that the disk connection has become loose or disrupted. Carefully inspect the cables and ports to ensure that the disk is properly connected to the computer. Reconnecting the disk or replacing the cable may help resolve the issue.

Fix 2: Wait for the Scanning and Repairing Process to Finish

Sometimes, the “Scanning and Repairing Drive” process can take a significant amount of time, especially if there are a large number of errors or issues with the disk. Be patient and allow the process to complete, as forcibly interrupting it may cause further damage to the disk. The process may appear to be stuck at a certain percentage, but it’s important to let it run its course.

Fix 3: Stop Windows from Scanning and Repairing the Drive

If you’re confident that the disk is not experiencing any critical errors, you can try to stop the scanning and repairing process. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to shut down the computer. 2. Press the power button to start the computer again. 3. Once you see the first sign of Windows starting, hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off the device. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). 5. In the “Choose an option” screen, select “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced options” > “Startup Settings” > “Restart”. 6. In the Startup Settings menu, choose option “5” or press “F5” to enable Safe Mode with Networking.

Fix 4: Disable Automatic Repair

The “Scanning and Repairing Drive” process is part of the Automatic Repair feature in Windows 10. If this feature is causing issues, you can try disabling it. To do this: 1. Press the power button to shut down the computer. 2. Start the computer and you will see the “Preparing Automatic Repair” screen and then “Diagnosing your PC”. 3. Before the disk checking starts, press any key to disable the disk checking.

Fix 5: Enter Safe Mode and Run CHKDSK

If the “Scanning and Repairing Drive” issue is caused by disk errors, such as bad sectors or file system errors, you can try running the CHKDSK (Check Disk) utility in Safe Mode. Here’s how: 1. Follow the steps in Fix 3 to enter Safe Mode. 2. Once in Safe Mode, open “This PC”, right-click the drive that Windows is stuck on, and choose “Properties”. 3. Go to the “Tools” tab and select “Check” to run CHKDSK on the drive.

Fix 6: Recover Data and Reinstall Windows

If none of the above solutions work, and the “Scanning and Repairing Drive” issue persists, it may be necessary to recover your data and perform a clean reinstallation of Windows. This should be considered a last resort, as it will erase all data on the affected drive. Before proceeding, make sure to back up any important files and documents to an external storage device.