One of the most useful built-in tools in Windows 10 is the Check Disk or CHKDSK utility. It is the one that maintains the integrity of the disk that’s connected to a computer which can be launched using the GUI or graphical user interface and using the command line.
There are a lot of things that warrant the running of this built-in utility and one of these things is the readability of the disk. Recently, a number of users reported that they encountered an error when they tried to run the CHKDSK utility – the error states, “Cannot open volume for direct access”. This kind of error in CHKDSK appears each time the command line is launched according to the affected users.
As per the users who encountered this issue, they receive the following error messages when they tried running a ChkDsk command:
“C:\WINDOWS\system32>chkdsk /f g:
Cannot open volume for direct access.
C:\WINDOWS\system32>chkdsk /f f:
The type of the file system is NTFS. Volume label is 0529357401.”
To fix the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error, here are some suggestions that might help. Follow them carefully.
Option 1 – Try running the CHKDSK utility on Boot
On the other hand, you can also try to run the CHKDSK utility on Boot so you can fix the error and recover any damaged segments of the drive.
- Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this command: chkdsk /x /f /r
- After that, you will a message that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”
- Type Y and tap Enter to schedule a CHKDSK scan once your computer reboots next time.
Option 2 – Try to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test
The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test by following the steps below.
- You need to boot your computer into the BIOS first.
- After that, go to the Diagnostics tab and select the “Primary Hard Disk Self Test” option. Note that it may be different depending on the motherboard with different manufacturers but they should imply the same thing.
- Now wait until the test is completed and then boot your computer normally.
Option 3 – Try to check the hard drive’s health
The next thing you can do to resolve the issue is to check the health of your hard drive using the WMIC utility in the Windows Command Prompt. This utility will check if your hard drive has any problems which resulted to the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error.
Option 4 – Try to disable various restrictions on your hard drive
You might also want to disable the various restrictions on your hard drive since it is possible that it is encrypted or restricted which explains why you are unable to perform any operations in it and throws the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error instead. For instance, if you have BitLocker, you can try to disable it and see if it fixes the error or not.
Option 5 – Try to uninstall or disable the Drive Locking feature on your hard drive
You could also look for any Drive Locking feature on your hard drive that tricks disk changes as it might be the root cause of the problem. Thus, if you find one, you need to either uninstall or disable it and then execute a check disk command to resolve the problem.
Option 6 – Try to disable the application service
Disabling the application service can also help you fix the problem. How? Refer to these steps:
- Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
- Next, scroll down among the list of services and look for the service related to the security software or disk checker software.
- Once you find it, right click on that service and select Properties.
- After that, change its Startup type to Disabled and click on the OK and Apply buttons to save the changes made.
- Now restart your computer and don’t forget to enable the service back once the disk check is completed.
Option 6 – Try to use Repair Volume via Windows PowerShell
You could also try to use the Repair Volume using Windows PowerShell. All you have to do is open PowerShell as admin and type the “repair-volume -drive letter <DRIVE LETTER>” command and then tap Enter to run Repair Volume. This should resolve the error.
Apart from the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error when you run any command in the CHKDSK utility on your Windows 10 computer, if you have other system-related errors, there is a one-click solution known as Advanced System Repair you can use. This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below.
Perform a full system scan using ASR. To do so, follow these steps:
- Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
- After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.
- To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
- Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
- Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
- If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
- Type in the URL address in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
- After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
- Once the installation process is completed, run ASR to perform a full system scan.
- After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.
