3 Ways to Fix a Corrupted Flash Drive Using CMD (Diskpart/CHKDSK)

This is a collection of commands for repairing a damaged flash drive using Command Prompt, specifically CHKDSK or Diskpart.

Flash Drive Repair Utilities vs. CMD

We say that we usually recommend using free repair tools to fix a damaged pen drive rather than CMD. This is because free flash drive repair tools typically have a simpler user interface, making them easier for non-tech-savvy users to diagnose and resolve issues with their flash drives.

Free USB Flash Drive Repair Tool - Fix Bad Sectors & More

IM-Magic Partition Resizer is a free tool that can help repair damaged USB flash drives. It offers a variety of features to repair, clone, and manage flash drives efficiently. Key features include:

  • Check USB Flash Drive Health: Detect file system errors and monitor drive condition.
  • Scan for Bad Sectors: Identify and repair soft bad sectors on the USB flash drive.
  • Remove Write Protection: Regain control over your USB flash drive.
  • Format RAW USB Flash Drive: Convert to NTFS, FAT32, or other formats.
  • Reset and Erase USB Flash Drive: Wipe the drive for a fresh start.
  • Change Drive Letter: Modify assigned drive letters for better organization.
  • USB Flash Drive Cloning: Transfer data from a failing USB flash drive.

Download Free for Win 11-7 Read more...

Part 1: Repair damaged USB flash drives using the "Check Partition" feature.

format tool
  1. Step 1: Download the software and connect your USB flash drive to the PC.
  2. Step 2: Right-click the USB flash drive in the software and select "Check Partition" to start the repair.
  3. Step 3: Confirm the repair settings and click 'OK' to begin the process.

repair bad sectors

Part 2: Clone the damaged USB flash drive to another drive for free using Partition Resizer.

  1. Step 1: Download the tool and connect your USB flash drive to the PC.
  2. Step 2: Right-click the USB flash drive in the software and choose "Copy Disk" to start cloning.clone hard drive
  3. Step 3: Choose the target drive for the backup (ensure the destination drive is larger).
  4. Step 4: Click 'Apply Changes' to begin cloning your USB flash drive.

recommendRecommend: 8 free usb drive repair software [easy to use]

3 CMDs to Fix Damaged Flash Drive

Here are the exact command lines that you may use for fixing damaged pen drive if you insist on using cmd to get the repair job done.

Must read: recover data from damaged flash drive is required before any repairing with cmd since the cmd is also kind of storage media rebuilding that would bring data destroyed or removed, especially the diskpart format cmd.

CMD 1 - Fix corrupted pen drive with cmd chkdsk /f

Open your computer, connect your flash drive to your PC, and then remember its drive letter since it would be used in cmd chkdsk

chkdsk h*: /f

(* h is drive letter that you need to change to your own usb flash drive drive letter)

cmd chkdskk to repair sd cardcmd chkdsk to repair pen drive

Video Guide - how to repair damaged pen drive using chkdsk

CMD 2 - Fix corrupted pen drive with cmd chkdsk /f /r

chkdsk /f/r i:

This time, you may use another cmd chkdsk /f/r i: when i is the drive letter that you need to replace it with your own flash drive drive letter.

CHKDSK f r

CMD 3 - Fix corrupted pen drive with cmd diskpart format command

This one works for most damaged pen drives when it has raw format, unreadable error, flash drive 0 bytes...

  1. Step 1 - Open cmd by pressing "Windows icon + R"
  2. Step 2 - Type diskpart
  3. Step 3 - Type 'list disk'
  4. Step 4 - Type 'select disk *' (You need to select the one that represents your flash drive)
  5. Step 5 - Type 'clean'
  6. Step 6 - Type 'create partition primary'
  7. Step 6 - Type 'format fs=ntfs quick', or type 'format fs=fat32 quick', or you may use 'format fs=exfat', or 'format fs=ntfs' with no quick included when quick means quick format in Windows.

cmd to format samsung sd

Still not working? Here are more solutions for your damaged usb stick.

  1. 8 free usb format tools to format flash drive
  2. 8 free usb stick repair tools
  3. Fix corrupted usb flash drive in 8 free ways

Note: if your flash drive was infected by virus, you may undelete files from flash drive after virus using cmd.

What is Diskpart

Diskpart is a Windows command line that is built with many functions including cleaning disk information, formatting disk file system, changing properties...

See more professional information about diskpart on Microsoft.com

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/diskpart

What is CHKDSK

CHKDSK (pronounced check disk) is a command that displays a status report for a volume, such as a disk/flash drive with main function to correct any errors found in that storage device.

The Verdict

The cmd command lines are advanced computing knowledge for advanced users. There could be some minor errors happen to non-techie users, for example you may wonder whether there should be any space among letters or should it need any : in between...

It's easy to get lost when using the cmd for starters so we strongly recommend users use free usb repair utilities instead of the cmd for repairing damaged flash drives.

freeQuick fix -> how to fix usb drive raw to fat32

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