Scanning and Repairing Drive Stuck at 100% (4 Ways to Fix It)

Finding your PC’s scanning and repairing drive stuck at 100% and not returning to normal function can be worrisome. You are not the only one who has ever experienced this issue. It even frustrates many users both in the past and in the present. 

Resolving this problem can take time, especially when you have no idea what causes it and what you can do about it. In this article, we’ll explore some of the reasons why this issue occurs and provide tips on how to fix it.

Why is Your Computer Scanning and Repairing the Drive?

The “scanning and repairing drive” process typically occurs when your computer has detected errors or issues with your hard drive. This happens more commonly with traditional HDDs, though you might rarely see it in newer SSDs. It happens for various reasons, such as power outages, hardware failures, or software issues. 

When your computer detects critical errors, it will automatically launch the scanning and repairing process to fix them. Often, it is a hardware or software issue and is not exclusive to any specific computer brand such as HP, Dell, or Lenovo.

How Long Do the Scanning and Repairing Drive Take?

The time it takes to scan and repair your drive depends on several factors, such as the size of your hard drive and the number of errors detected. In some cases, the process may take several hours or even days to complete. 

If you find the scanning and repairing drive stuck at 100% for an extended period, it may indicate a problem with your hardware or software that requires troubleshooting.

What Causes the Scanning and Repairing Drive Stuck at 100 Percent?

It can be frustrating and concerning to see your computer gets stuck in the scanning and repairing process. Moreover, there are several possible reasons why this occurs, such as:

1. Corrupt system files:

This can cause your Drive C to get stuck at 100% when scanning and repairing. This is mainly due to software issues or malware infections. If your system files are damaged or corrupted, it can lead to various problems. That includes slow system performance, frequent crashes, and data loss.

2. Damaged hardware:

You can also trace back this said issue to your hard drive or RAM. If your hard drive has bad sectors or is failing, it can lead to data corruption or loss. Similarly, if your RAM is damaged, it can lead to system crashes or other issues.

3. Faulty hard drive:

Another possible cause of the scanning and repairing drive process getting stuck is a faulty external hard drive. If you’re using an external hard drive to store data, it could be the source of the problem. The drive could be damaged or corrupted, causing the scanning and repairing process to jam.

If you’re currently experiencing these issues on your computer, there are several steps you can take to resolve them.

4 Ways to Fix the Scanning and Repairing the C Drive Stuck at 100%?

If you’re currently experiencing the said issue on your computer, here are the troubleshooting steps to resolve it.

1. Perform Hard Shutdown

Performing a hard shutdown is a good first step to getting your system to exit the C drive checking process. 

It’s important to note that this can potentially cause data loss or other issues. It’s not common but you should fully understand the implications nevertheless. 

Here are the steps to perform a hard shutdown:

1. Press and hold the power button on your computer or laptop.
2. Keep holding the power button for 5-10 seconds until the computer or laptop turns off completely.
3. Wait for a few seconds before pressing the power button again to turn the computer or laptop back on.

Once your PC restarts, watch to see if it boots normally. If it tries to start rechecking the disk again, click any key to see if that will cause the system to exit the scanning process.

2. Run Startup Repair

Say, your computer resumes scanning and repairing after the forced shutdown and then gets stuck at 100% again. Then, you may need to boot your computer in Safe Mode and run the startup repair process. 

1. To boot into Safe Mode, start with your computer powered down. If it’s stuck at 100% once again you may need to repeat the force shutdown. When the computer is booting, hold the power button or unplug the power cable to quickly shut your computer back off. Repeat this process three times. After the third failed attempt to boot, your computer will automatically detect there is a problem and load into Automatic Repair mode. 

2. You will see a message that Your PC did not start correctly. Select Advanced options to continue into the Automatic Repair menus. 

3. Under Choose an option, select Troubleshoot. Then you will need to select Advanced options from the Troubleshoot page.

4. On the next window, select Startup Repair. Allow this process to proceed through to completion. If Windows identifies a problem that may be contributing to your startup issues, your computer will automatically restart. If Windows cannot identify the problem you may see an error that reads “Startup repair failed”. 

NOTE: If you need help accessing the Advanced Startup Option on Windows 10, please click the link we provided for another tutorial.

3. Run CHKDSK

Windows provides a utility to find and fix disk errors called Check Disk (CHKDSK). This is a time-intensive process, so plan for your computer to be down for a while, while the utility runs. CHKDSK scans the file system and metadata to look for issues that compromise the integrity of the data or files. 

Since you can also access CHKDSK within Automatic Repair, you are going to start with the first few steps from the Startup Repair solution:

1. Follow steps one through three (1-3) of the Startup Repair solution listed above. 
2. Once you are on the Advanced options window, find and select Startup Settings.
3. Then type number 5 to select Enter Safe Mode with Networking. 

4. Your computer will restart and automatically boot into Safe Mode. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run program. Enter cmd into the search bar and press OK.

5. You can now run the CHKDSK utility from Command Prompt. Type the following command and then press Enter:

chkdsk /f C:

6. Let CHKDSK fully complete its scan, which may take a few hours. CHKDSK will attempt to fix any disk errors it finds. When the scan is complete, you can shut your computer down and attempt to restart it to see if it starts checking the disk.

4. Run System File Checker (SFC) Utility 

The System File Checker (SFC) scan is a useful tool that can help identify and repair any corrupt or missing system files. Those may cause your computer to get stuck at 100% during the scanning and repairing process. 

When system files become corrupted or go missing, it can cause a range of issues. It includes system crashes, data loss, and slow performance. Running the SFC scan is a straightforward process through the Command Prompt. 

To run the scan, you must open the Command Prompt as an administrator. If you can’t properly boot into your Windows operating system, you can start with the same first three steps from the previous Run CHKDSK steps:

1. Follow steps one through four (1-4) of the Run CHKDSK solution listed above. If you can boot into Windows and are experiencing the scanning issue intermittently, you can skip this step.
2. Once Command Prompt has opened enter sfc/scannow and press Enter. This will initiate the SFC scan, which will check your system files for any errors and attempt to fix them if possible. The scan may take some time to complete. It all depends on the size of your system files and the speed of your computer.
3. Once the SFC scan is complete, you should receive a message indicating whether any issues were found and fixed. If the scan was successful, you should be able to access your computer normally. Additionally, the scanning and repairing process should no longer get stuck at 100%.

However, if the *SFC scan does not fix the issue, there may be other underlying causes you need to address. For example, if the problem is related to hardware, you may need to replace the damaged component, such as the hard drive or RAM. Alternatively, if a faulty external hard drive causes the issue, you may need to replace or repair it.

*While SFC/Scannow seems to be the ultimate solution to many system issues, it is not completely foolproof. 

Sometimes, your initial run can result in error messages such as “Windows resource protection could not start the repair service”. In some instances, you might also encounter “Windows resource protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some”. In such cases, you might want to check out our other tutorials that specifically address these issues.

Scanning and Repairing Drive Stuck at 100%, Resolved!

The “scanning and repairing drive” process is a helpful tool to fix errors or issues with your hard drive. So, it can be frustrating when it freezes. This article explores some of the reasons why this issue occurs. Some of the common culprits are corrupt system files, damaged hardware, or a faulty external hard drive. 

Additionally, we provided several solutions to fix the issue. It includes performing a hard shutdown, running startup repair, running CHKDSK, and running the System File Checker (SFC) scan.

It’s important to note that some of these solutions may take some time to complete. However, it’s worth the effort to get your computer back up and running smoothly. If the issue persists after trying these solutions, it may be necessary to seek professional assistance or replace damaged hardware. 

By taking these steps, you can resolve the issue and prevent data loss or further damage to your computer.