Disabling Autochk Causes Incorrect Volume Set Size

ID: Q235376

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

Although you can disable the automatic disk checking tool (Autochk.exe) that runs at Windows NT startup, Microsoft does not recommend that you do so. Disabling Autochk during the extension of a volume set can result in damage to the volume set, loss of data, or an inability to use the space added to the set.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

When you extend a volume set, Disk Administrator updates the BootExecute value under the following registry key, appending the command "autochk /x drive_letter":

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

This causes the NTFS indices to be rebuilt and the additional capacity to be added to the volume set.

If this step is not performed, Disk Administrator may report the new disk to be a part of the volume set, even though File Manager or the command prompt still shows the previous capacity. Another possibility is corruption of the entire volume set. Your only option may be to delete and re-create the volume set, and then restore from backup.

If an incorrect capacity is reported, you may be able to resolve the situation by adding a command to run Autochk to the BootExecute value in the registry key listed above. You can try adding the following data value for the BootExecute value:

autocheck autochk * autochk /x drive:

Then, shut down and restart the computer. When the computer restarts, Chkdsk runs and the volume set is verified. This process may take a long time, but you must allow it to continue. If the process is successful, the volume set reports the correct size.

Additional query words: autocheck autocheck.exe autochk.exe

Keywords : kbenv kbtool diskmem
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbinfo