The Volume Bitmap is incorrect when running CHKDSK

CHKDSK command is used to analyze the disk present on your computer and resolves its problems. Some users reported that when they try to complete a CHKDSK scan they get the error ‘The Volume Bitmap is incorrect‘. Some others say that even after the operation completes, the issue persists and continues to flash on the screen when running CHKDSK next time. In this article, we will see what can be done if the Volume Bitmap is incorrect when running CHKDSK.

Fix The Volume Bitmap is incorrect error when running CHKDSK

The BitMap file is responsible for keeping track of all the used and unused clusters on an NTFS volume, however, it can show the “The Volume Bitmap is incorrect“ error due to bad sectors on the hard drive, corrupt bitmap attribute, sudden power failure, virus attack, and so on. Therefore, if ‘The Volume Bitmap is incorrect’ keeps flashing, execute the solutions mentioned below:

1. Run CHKDSK without scanning
2. Running the scan in safe mode
3. Uninstalling the Disk Partitioning app
4. Running DISM and SFC scans

1] Run CHKDSK without scanning

When we run the CHKDSK /scan command, it skips a lot of necessary steps, due to which you see the system fails to find the correct volume bitmap. In that case, we should first run the CHKDSK command without scanning and specify a drive, then execute the command to scan and repair the issue.

To do the same,  press the Windows key, type Command Prompt here, and select Run as administrator. Now, type the following command and press enter to perform an offline scan.

chkdsk D: /f

Make sure to replace D with the drive name you want to run the command on.

The command will run the scan on the designated driver and will fix the error if there’s any.

Do keep in mind that nothing should interrupt the command CHKDSK such as closing the CMD windows or rebooting the computer. You can perform a scan on different drives using the same command with the drive’s name. After the process is completed, reboot your device. Now, run another CHKDSK command, ‘chkdsk /scan’, and check if the Bitmap issue continues.

2] Running the scan in Clean Boot

The Volume Bitmap is incorrect due to 3rd party interference apps such as HDD partitioning programs as it confuses CHKDSK into thinking that it doesn’t have the necessary permissions. We can run the computer in Clean Boot to be sure that no third-party software is interfering, follow the prescribed steps to boot in Clean Boot, and run a CHKDSK scan without any 3rd party interference:

• First of all, boot your computer into a Clean Boot state.
• Press Windows key type Command Prompt and select Run as administrator when the booting process is
  finished.
• Now, initiate the same scan that was previously triggering the “The Volume Bitmap is incorrect” message i.e; chkdsk /scan.

If the scanning process is completed without creating any issues, restart your computer after enabling all the services to bring it back to normal mode. However, if you want to find out what’s causing the issue, enable processes manually to stumble upon the exact culprit. Hopefully, after doing the same, the issue is resolved.

3] Uninstalling the Disk Partitioning app

If you have a Disk Partitioning app running in the background or even present on your system, the Check Disk command will find it difficult to perform certain tasks. This is majorly due to the fact that the Disk Partitioning app tries to manage your drives and the command is unable to bypass that. In that case, you should uninstall any such app from your computer or at least disable them and all the related services.

Read: How to check NTFS Permissions using Command-line or Free tools

4] Running DISM and SFC scans

System file corruption is another possibility that some of the associated files are corrupted, and hence scanning fails and we are getting the message ‘The Volume Bitmap is incorrect’. In such scenarios, you can use SFC and DISM to get rid of this problem, and here’s how to do the same.

• Run Command Prompt as an administrator.
• Now, type the following command and press enter to continue.

  SFC /scannow

• If this utility doesn’t work, then we can type the following command and press enter to initiate a DISM scan that is capable of identifying and resolving system file errors:

  Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

  Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

After executing the commands, run Check Disk again to check if the issue is resolved.

Also Read: ChkDsk stuck at particular % or hangs at some Stage

What is a CHKDSK scan?

CHKDSK or Check Disk is a command that is capable of scanning your drives, finding their bad sectors, and repairing them. This utility should be run with administrative privilege as it needs to alter your drives. There are various CHKDSK commands, which is why we recommend you open Command Prompts with administrative and then run CHKDSK /?. This command will show you all CHKDSK commands that you can run to repair your disks.

Read: How to cancel ChkDsk in Windows.