It's a common sight for many Windows users: you popular in your flash drive or the memory card from your camera and Windows insists at that place is some trouble that needs fixing. Does something actually need fixing? Are you risking annihilation by ignoring the nagging to scan and fix the drive? Read on equally we explicate what the message means, if you should heed information technology, and how to go on it from coming dorsum.

Inquire How-To Geek,

When I take the SD card out of my photographic camera and plug information technology into my reckoner, a petty box pops up that says "In that location's a problem with this drive. Scan the bulldoze now and fix information technology." I didn't click on the pop up box and then a few seconds the SD carte du jour automatically opened in Windows Explorer and my pictures were there like I expected. I copied the pictures, pull the SD card out, put it back in my camera, and then the side by side time I needed to re-create files the exact same thing happened. The error message must exist there for a reason, but my files always expect fine. What's the deal? Is my SD bill of fare going to be ruined or my files missing if I don't scan and fix the drive? What exactly does it practice?

Sincerely,

Popular-Up Ignoring

Although the warning has inverse slightly in appearance, Windows has been issuing these warnings for a long time. In Windows eight information technology will warn yous, as you saw, "There's a trouble with this bulldoze. Scan the drive now and fix it." Back in Windows seven and Windows Vista, it prompt you lot with "Do you want to scan and fix Removable Disk [drive alphabetic character]?"

RELATED: Do You Really Need to Safely Remove USB Flash Drives?

The warning itself is a bit cryptic, however, every bit it'south a catch all for multiple problems. The most mutual reason Windows prompts y'all to perform the scan and ready is considering the removable media in question was not properly unmounted and removed from Windows the terminal time information technology was used. You know how most of us just unplug our SD cards and USB drives when we're done? That's not skilful for your data and it makes Windows grumpy. When you plug the drive back in, Windows knows you didn't eject it properly the concluding time (considering the file organisation flag that indicates proper unmounting isn't set) and it yells at you lot. The other reason it gives you the alert is considering there is corruption within or damage to the file system on the removable drive. This isn't a Windows-simply matter, by the way; it'due south bad practice to skip unmounting removable media when using other operating systems, too.

So what should you do? You should definitely follow the prompt and scan your removable media. When you click on the prompt to do so Windows launches the CHDSK application in the background and scans the disk. This is the same tool that Windows deploys when it crashes and then, on adjacent boot, prompts you to cheque the the Bone deejay. For more information about CHDSK, including how to use it manually from the command prompt, cheque out our guide here.

Here'southward what information technology looks like when you lot run it on removable media:

The above dialog window is what Windows 7 users see immediately and what Windows 8 users see subsequently they click on the Metro UI popup window (seen in the lead prototype of this commodity). Select "Scan and set up (recommended)".

Like we mentioned before, Windows is a fleck cryptic. Typically the error it finds is simply that the drive wasn't ejected properly and isn't anything catastrophic. Click "Repair bulldoze".

Apparently you lot don't want to run the repair on your removable media if you're actively copying or writing files, or if y'all're running a portable application off the drive. You lot definitely don't need to use the "Repair on next restart" option, though. Simply make sure you're not actively using the removable disk and click "Repair at present".

Although this seems rather contradictory the the box we but saw, what the dialog box here actually means is that across non safely ejecting the removable media, in that location were no serious errors. If you're notified that in that location were errors, click on the "Show Details" box to check the upshot log in order to see exactly what errors there were.

Now, if you do this and then immediately turn right back effectually an unplug your wink drive or SD card without safely ejecting information technology, the aforementioned "There's a problem with this drive" prompt will announced the next time you plug the device into your computer. To avoid that annoyance (and to develop a practiced addiction that volition protect your information and hardware) right-click on the USB device icon in the Windows organisation tray and select the removable device you desire to squirt similar and so:

Windows volition be happy with you. Your data will be happy because all the read/write activity will terminate gracefully. You'll be happy because Windows will stop nagging you. It'south a winning situation all around.

Have a pressing tech question? Shoot us an electronic mail at ask@howtogeek.com and we'll practice our best to answer it.

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