Windows 7: Turn off NTFS check at startup
If the NTFS check constantly appears when you start your computer and thus delays the boot process, you can switch off the check. Here we explain how to get your system back on its feet.
Defragment the hard drives to turn off the NTFS check
The problem arises when the computer does not shut down properly and Windows sets a "dirty bit" on the hard drive to show the system that the partition may be at risk. If this bit cannot be repaired, the NTFS check appears every time it is started - even if the system is apparently running correctly. A possible solution is to defragment the affected partition.
- Click "Start" and enter "Defragmentation" in the search field. Alternatively, you can access the entry via "Control Panel" by clicking on "System and Security" and then selecting the "Defragment hard disk" sub-item in "Administrative Tools".
- In the "Defragmentation" window you can now see the partitions that you can defragment. Select the faulty one and start the defragmentation.
- Start "cmd.exe" with administrator rights. You can find Cmd.exe by clicking "Start" and entering "cmd.exe" in the search field. Right click on "cmd.exe" and select "Run as administrator".
- Now enter "fsutil dirty query c:". You can also use a different drive letter for "c:". For example, if your partition has the letter "T", enter "fsutil dirty query t:" instead. If the message "Volume - c: is NOT faulty" appears, the problem has been removed successfully. If not, follow the next steps.
Screen partitions more intensely - find hard disk problems
After the problem persists, you need to get the system to take a closer look at the partitions.
- Start "cmd.exe" with administrator rights and enter "chkdsk / F / R c:" there. Then restart the system and let the test run.
- Then enter "fsutil" again, as explained in the first step. If the error persists, use the following step.
Exclude the drive from the test
You can also exclude the partition from the check routine. This ignores it during the check and the NTFS check no longer takes place. Select this option only if you are sure that the system is running without errors.
- Start "cmd.exe" with administrator rights and enter "chkntfs / X c:". The drive is now excluded from the test.
This practical tip refers to a system with Windows 7. You can find a good defragmentation tool for free here. You can find out more about the defragmentation process in this practical tip.