My Windows 11 PC displays "Scanning and Repairing Drive C" every time it starts. I'm also having issues such as the taskbar search box failing to load. Command Prompt reports that the system drive is marked as dirty, so I'm considering running CHKDSK from the Windows Recovery Environment. Should I back up my files before attempting the repair? The C: drive is a SATA SSD, and CrystalDiskInfo reports it as "Good" with about 80% health.
2 Answers
Yes—make a backup of anything important before running CHKDSK or other repair commands. A dirty flag means Windows detected a filesystem problem, and the repeated repair screen may indicate that the check is not completing successfully. Once CHKDSK finishes properly, it should clear the flag, but back up your data first in case the drive or filesystem is deteriorating.
Treat the warning as a reason to copy your data immediately, even if CrystalDiskInfo still says the SSD is in good condition. That health rating mainly reflects the drive’s reported SMART status and does not guarantee that the filesystem or Windows installation is problem-free. After securing your files, run the repair and investigate further if the scan keeps returning on every boot.
I’ll make a full backup to a separate drive before attempting the repair.
I haven’t run CHKDSK yet, so I’ll back up my important files to another drive before trying it.