It is possible that while using your computer, unfortunate errors or problems may occur that directly affect your work. There is one that can prevent you from copying files and accessing the data on your hard disk or starting it up. This error is known as a “cyclic redundancy check error”.
If you have faced this problem and you are looking for a solution, then you should read this article to the end.
What is the cyclic redundancy check?
Cyclic Redundancy Check (also known as CRC) is a data verification method that the computer performs to check for errors on hard and optical disks (CD and DVD).
This method has an error detection technology commonly used in digital networks and storage devices to detect accidental changes in raw data. When there is a location considered “faulty” in the files on your hard disk, cyclic redundancy check errors occur.
So check out the main causes of this error below.
What are the possible causes of errors detected by a CRC?
There are a number of reasons why these errors can be detected by a CRC. That’s why we have listed the main ones so that you can understand all the details. Check them out below!
Corrupted transfer of files and folders
As the CRC examines all errors that may have occurred in altered files, including files in their original versions. If the original files and folders have already been damaged, these errors may appear. You should therefore check whether your so called primary data is actually usable or not.
Storage device problems
Storage devices can be external hard disks, for example. If they become corrupted, data transfer will be compromised. The CRC can fail and display error messages too. Therefore, if you are using a new storage item and, on its first use, you experience these problems, it is recommended that you consider that the problem may be with your device.
Connection problems on storage devices
If your computer has problems connecting to the storage device, this can lead to a CRC error. If you cannot transfer or copy the data to the destination device and receive error messages, it is recommended that you check the connection being used.
Virus attacks
Viruses can damage your computer, including the original files, folders or even the computer’s hardware. The influence they have on cyclic scanning is immediate. It is therefore always a good idea to check whether your computer is protected against viruses and whether it has been infected at any time.
The system has breaks
As we mentioned, viruses can destroy a lot of things on the computer system, and system breaks will affect software and hardware files too. So if your system crashes during data transformation, you may also have CRC problems. If this is the case, you should try to solve the system problems.
Software with many bugs
There is software that transfers files, but if the software is not qualified and has a lot of bugs, it can damage the data during the transfer process. This can be the main reason for CRC errors.
How to fix a cyclic redundancy check error?
But now that you have understood the reasons for CRC errors, follow our step-by-step guide below to solve your problem.
Scan using the CHKDSK utility
CHKDSK is a feature already installed with Windows that searches for and repairs errors on disks. It has the ability to find and repair a number of small errors or corrupted files that can cause the cyclic redundancy check error.
To access them, follow the commands below:
Right-click on the disk(HD) you want to check and select “Properties” then look for the “Tools” option. Click on “Error checking”, then click on “Check now”.
Please also note
- If a CD or DVD is displaying this error, it may be due to scratches or dust. Clean the disk with a soft, clean cloth;
- Optical disk errors are generally not repairable;
- If you get this error message on a Mac (more rare), first try running the disk utility built into the operating system and “Repair” the disk.
Be prepared to wait at the checkpoint
There are two types of verification: basic or advanced. Check the box for the type of scan you want – the default option is basic.
The basic scan should take around 15 to 20 minutes, while the advanced option can take several hours. Make sure you have this time available and don’t use your computer until the scan is finished.
Restart your computer
Restart the computer to start the scan. When scanning the computer’s main hard disk (the one containing the operating system), CHKDSK will not be able to run immediately and will schedule the scan at the next computer start-up.
You can continue to use the computer normally at this point; restart when you have time to carry out the full scan.
If you suspect that the hard disk may be “damaged“, make a backup of the important files before running the scan. Even if some data is inaccessible, save everything you can.
If you can’t access CHKDSK, try alternative methods
Sometimes, running CHKDSK in the way we have mentioned (using the right mouse button) does not perform the scan or correct the errors properly. If the scan doesn’t fix the problem, try an alternative method to CHKDSK.
- Open the windows window or press the windows key and type in the search tab “cmd”. Press ↵ Enter. and the “command prompt” will open.
- CHKDSK must be opened with administrator privileges for the scan to run. Therefore, you need to be using the computer user who is the administrator.
- Type “chkdsk /f x:” at the command prompt. The letter “x” must be replaced by the letter of the disk on which you want to run the scan. If your disk is disk “C”, type chkdsk /f c: and press ↵ Enter.
- The previous step refers to the command for the basic disk scan. To run the advanced scan, type “chkdsk /r x:” where “x” should be replaced by the desired disk letter.
- Wait for the scan to complete. At the end of the procedure, CHKDSK will display a report and restart the computer. If you have managed to correct the errors, that’s all you need to do.
- If the /r command seems to get stuck or never finishes the scan (even if you wait all day), it is likely that there are damaged files and that CHKDSK was unable to repair them. Therefore, try the following method.Over time, the hard disk can develop small file
- corruptions and other errors in different ways. CHKDSK can repair many small problems, but not the most serious ones.
Conclusion
Therefore, disk problems cannot always be repaired by simple options, especially when the problem is serious. The important thing is that, as a user of the machine, you make a habit of backing up the data you could never lose, remembering that more than one backup is the best practice.
If you try all these tips and your disk still has problems, don’t despair. Get in touch with the Bot team so we can provide the help you need.
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