Dies CHKDSK have a secret log for it's repair actions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter tanstafl
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tanstafl

When chkdsk is run on bootup due to one or more 'dirty bits' being on,
it gives the cryptic note that it 'made changes', but the linger time
is too short to really read it. I went through all the .log files on
C drive looking for the chkdsk log - nada.

Off to Google - 1/4 mil hits, gotta be paydirt here. A few usoft KB
articles and several other sources convince me that the only
repository for chkdsk logging is the application events log in control
panel. Off to application events. Sure 'nuf it's there - sorta:

" Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is FAT32.

One of your disks needs to be checked for consistency. You
may cancel the disk check, but it is strongly recommended
that you continue.
Windows will now check the disk.
Volume Serial Number is 74C0-56DC
Windows has made corrections to the file system.
6806248 KB total disk space.
41108 KB in 316 hidden files.
7364 KB in 1416 folders.
3697056 KB in 27130 files.
3060716 KB are available.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
1701562 total allocation units on disk.
765179 allocation units available on disk. "

Now I'm back to square one - is there any way to determine what chkdsk
thought was wrong with the file system, and what were the
'corrections' that it made?

W2K SP4 + Rollup 1
 
Now I'm back to square one - is there any way to determine what chkdsk
thought was wrong with the file system, and what were the
'corrections' that it made?
Click to expand...

CHKDSK C: /F > chkdsk.log

You will have a text record of everything that was done.
 
The chkdsk that runs at boot is called autochk, and you review it's logs in the event viewer.
 
find the command prompt & type: chkdsk/?
this will give you a summary of what it does.
& for more options type: help
 
CHKDSK C: /F > chkdsk.log

You will have a text record of everything that was done.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointer. I tried it using D: since I didn't want to
reboot. Didn't produce a logfile - but then there wasn't anything to
fix, so the jury's still out. Googled again using your idea, got a
hit that suggested an alternate syntax:
CHKDSK C: /F > C:\ CHKDSKLOG.TXT . But it also implied that all it
would contain was the contents that would be placed in the event log -
which of course is worthless. I'll try canceling autochk after the
next BSOD (ouch!) and run your syntax manually. In the meantime, do
you have a pointer to your chkdsk.log info, maybe I can divine a lead
to do more research. Thanx
 
The chkdsk that runs at boot is called autochk, and you review it's logs in the event viewer.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification. Googling for autochk didn't show up
anything remarkable. From the usoft article, it seems autochk is just
frontend logic for deciding whether to run chkdsk - but I'll dig
deeper manana. The search is still ongoing for getting something a
teeny bit more verbose than the "Windows has made corrections to the
file system." line in the Event Viewer. :-) Minutia like what was
wrong and what did you do to fix it?
 
find the command prompt & type: chkdsk/?
this will give you a summary of what it does.
& for more options type: help
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, my talent for
procrastination has now bit me. On this system, DOS windows close
immediately after execution is done -dunno why :-( On a 3Ghz system
that window is done and gone without even flickering the screen.

Never was motivated to pursue it - guess it's time now. Do you
perchance happen to know of a switch, option or registry key that
would keep the window open until closed manually? If it's not on the
top of your head, don't research it. Better for me to do my own
digging.
 
Hi, Pete.

If you Run a "DOS" command from the Start | Run prompt, it will close the
window when it is finished. (Unless you include the the switch to keep it
open, which I can't remember right now.)

But if you Run Cmd.exe, it should open a "DOS" window - which will stay open
until you close it by typing Exit at the prompt. I enclose "DOS" in quotes
to emphasize that this is not true MS-DOS, but only the Cmd.exe program (the
"Windows command interpreter"), which emulates MS-DOS in Win2K/XP/Vista.
You can use Cmd.exe's Properties window to customize the way it works on
YOUR computer.

Once in the "DOS" window, type cmd /? to get a mini-Help file showing the
many available switches you can use with the command. In fact, you can type
any "DOS" command, followed by /?, to see such a Help file. Dir /?, for
example, will show you many ways to see a Directory (Folder). And chkdsk /?
will show you the switches available with Chkdsk.exe. More details are in
the Windows Help and Support file (Press F1 from almost anywhere in
Windows).

I'm using the Vista beta at the moment and some things have changed since
Win2K. But this part still operates much as it did 6 years ago this month,
when Windows 2000 came to market. Six years is a long time to procrastinate
about learning such a basic tool for using Windows! Of course, that's the
biased opinion of a guy who used MS-DOS for years before Windows 1.0
arrived. ;^} Even today, there are many jobs that can be handled much
better in a "DOS" window than by using the GUI, and there are some jobs that
can only be done that way, so it's a very useful tool to know about.
Better for me to do my own
digging.
Click to expand...

Right! ;<) And remember, what you learn will benefit you, not just to put
out today's fire, but for as long as you use your computer - which might be
the rest of your life. It's worth your investment!

RC
 
do you have a pointer to your chkdsk.log info, maybe I can divine a lead
to do more research.
Click to expand...

I do not know of any. You can always query the KB with keywords
gleened from the output.
 
But if you Run Cmd.exe, it should open a "DOS" window - which will stay open
until you close it by typing Exit at the prompt.
Click to expand...

You can also open the "Console" icon, which is cmd.exe.
I enclose "DOS" in quotes
to emphasize that this is not true MS-DOS,
Click to expand...

It is the infamous DOS Virtual Machine (DVM) of IBM-Microsoft
collaboration on OS/2.That brief affair is considered to be the most
blatant case of date rape in the history of personal computers.
I'm using the Vista beta at the moment and some things have changed since
Win2K. But this part still operates much as it did 6 years ago this month,
when Windows 2000 came to market.
Click to expand...

MS threatened to eliminate the DVM but the protests caused them to
reconsider. I suspect the reason was also that there are things that
they could not do without it, as you pointed out.
 
That is the transaction log that NTFS uses to track what is written to the disk.
If only half of a file is written to disk when the power goes out, this data is used to remove the fragment out of the file
allocation Table.

--
 
That is the transaction log that NTFS uses to track what is written to the disk.
If only half of a file is written to disk when the power goes out, this data is used to remove the fragment out of the file
allocation Table.
Click to expand...

Can it be used to diagnose volume corruption under NTFS?
 
In
tanstafl said:
Thanks for the clarification. Googling for autochk didn't show up
anything remarkable. From the usoft article, it seems autochk is just
frontend logic for deciding whether to run chkdsk - but I'll dig
deeper manana. The search is still ongoing for getting something a
teeny bit more verbose than the "Windows has made corrections to the
file system." line in the Event Viewer. :-) Minutia like what was
wrong and what did you do to fix it?
Click to expand...

The only time I've ever seen a message like that in the Event Log entry was
this: "Cleaning up minor inconsistencies on the drive." I was willing to
believe I didn't need to know what they were. Here's a more typical output:
----------------------------
Event Type: Information
Event Source: Winlogon
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 3/5/2006
Time: 8:38:55 PM
User: N/A
Computer: MPC
Description:
Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is WIN2KPRO.


A disk check has been scheduled.
Windows will now check the disk.
Cleaning up minor inconsistencies on the drive.
Cleaning up 5 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 5 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 5 unused security descriptors.

22828333 KB total disk space.
18099536 KB in 102205 files.
34320 KB in 10625 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
180373 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
4514104 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
5707083 total allocation units on disk.
1128526 allocation units available on disk.

Windows has finished checking your disk.
Please wait while your computer restarts.
 
Create your own copy of the System Log

I think this is about as far as you can go and it highlights the errors in booting etc. Just follow these simple instructions:

How to View Event Logs
To open Event Viewer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance [note this option may not be available].
3. Click Administrative Tools, and then
4. Double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

5. In the console tree, click Event Viewer.
The Application, Security, and System logs are displayed in the Event Viewer window.

6. Now click on System to view the log in the right pane.

7. To create a txt file, right click on System and click on Export List... save your text file.
 
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