Solving the CHKDSK “The Volume Bitmap is Incorrect” error

  • Many users complain about the “The Volume Bitmap Is Incorrect” error message when performing a CHKDSK scan.
  • Here are some of the best, step-by-step methods you can use to solve the problem.
  • The problem occurs in several different scenarios, including damaged MTF and BitMap files, third-party intervention, and a new installation can also be used to fix this problem.

During a CHKDSK scan, many users are prompted to receive an error message that says “The Volume Bitmap Is Incorrect”. The bitmap is a single file in the NTFS file system, which keeps track of all the clusters that have been used and unused on the volume. You have come to the right place if you’re one of those users facing the same issue. You can resolve the issue in a matter of minutes if you follow these steps.

What is the cause of the “The Volume Bitmap is incorrect” error?

What is the cause of the "The Volume Bitmap is incorrect" error?

During chkdsk scanning, you may receive the error “volume bitmap is incorrect”. As well as hard drive failure, bad sectors on hard drives, corrupt bitmap attributes, sudden power outages, virus attacks, etc., the error volume bitmap is incorrect may also be caused by a number of factors.

If you receive the error message ‘Volume bitmap is incorrect’ and other defect areas, make sure you correct them at the earliest convenience. Many users run Check Disk at the command prompt to perform an analysis of their computer system to make sure they don’t have any problems.

It turns out that this particular problem occurs in several different scenarios. Here is a list of potential culprits that we have reviewed from user reviews and repair strategies.

The command does not restore the bitmap volume – Although “chkdsk.exe /scan” is the most popular way to run the CHKDSK utility, it is also the most likely cause causing this specific error. Keep in mind that this scan skips several controls, including the volume bitmap. Thus, the utility will report the problem, but it will not solve it unless you run a standalone operation without the “/scan” flag.

Running the scan in safe mode is the first step to fix the volume bitmap error.

We believe that CHKDSK does give errors after it has completed its execution because it returns an incorrect volume bitmap error after it has been run. Check Disk generates an error message stating that the MFT bitmap attribute of the master file table (MFT) is incorrect. In this article, the causes and solutions of this error will be discussed.

Third-party intervention – It turns out that this problem can also be caused by the third-party intervention. Disk partitioning programs such as Acronis and Partition Manager have been known to cause this behavior because they leave a background service that interferes with CHKDSK. If this scenario applies, you can solve the problem either by running the CHKDSK command in safe mode or by uninstalling the disk partitioning application before running the scan.

Damaged system files – Judging by the number of user reports, this problem may also be caused by some kind of corruption of the system file folders.
If the corruption is not severe, DISM and SFC files can be used to fix it (if the corruption is not severe).

Damaged MTF and BitMap files – It is also possible that your machine has a problem with corrupted system files that cannot be fixed in the usual way. In this case, the solution, which does not affect your files, is to perform an onsite repair installation.

The player has been cloned before – There is also a specific scenario that causes this error, even if the files on your operating system are not corrupted.  If you have already cloned the drive, it is possible that the MTF and BitMap data was corrupted during this process. In this case, the repair shop will not work because the corrupted data will be transferred. The only solution, in this case, is a new installation.

We have compiled several guides on how to resolve this problem that may help you. Below are some of the methods that others have recommended.

Our methods have been categorized by effectiveness and rigor, so we recommend following them in the order we have presented them for best results. Your solution will include a recommendation for a suitable repair strategy (no matter what the reason for the problem is).

How to fix the “Volume Bitmap is Incorrect” in windows 10?

Corruption Was Found While Examining

External HDD made internal HDD (Seagate ST8000), is chalk full of some important data. Drive if accessed, causes hangs. Temporary directory is corrupt. File System I believe is Exfat (I know). I have been running checkdisk on the drive with argument /r /x /f for over 3 days now, and it is still giving that same error 50 times per file, then on to the next file. Thoughts? I’d really like to just kill that directory entirely, then run the utility, but any attempts to access the drive fail, and it even at one point prevented my system from posting. I get the drive might be bad, but at least it would be nice to try and pull the data off first.

How to fix the "Volume Bitmap is Incorrect" in windows 10?

Perform a scan in safe mode.

A safe mode scan is the first step to fixing Volume Bitmap.

There are problems with the volume bitmaps. Windows has checked the file system and found problems. To resolve them, you need to run chkdsk /scan.

Here’s a guide.

  1. In Advanced Start, select Reboot Now under Refresh and Security after pressing the Windows key and the I key together.
  2. To start your computer in Safe Mode, select Troubleshooting and select Advanced Settings and Startup Settings from the pop-up menu.
  3. Check if the bitmap volume problem was solved correctly after starting your computer in safe mode by opening a command prompt.

The following solutions may prove useful if this one does not work.

Check the volume of this PC.

There is another way to check the disk if you are still encountering Windows 10 raster error.

  1. To proceed, double-click File Explorer and choose this computer.
  2. You can check a disk’s properties by right-clicking it.
  3. For further instructions, select the Check option from the Tools tab in the pop-up window.

The wizard will then guide you through the rest of the process. Once all transactions have been completed, your hard drive has been successfully checked.

Using a third-party tool

The “Volume Bitmap is incorrect” error can be avoided by running third-party software in addition to the methods we pointed out above.

The right partition management software, which has powerful features for managing your disks and drives, would be a good choice.

Detailed instructions are provided here.

  1. You will need to install and run the third-party program.
  2. Click Check File System after selecting the drive you would like to check.
  3. Click Start to continue once you have selected Check and fix found errors in the pop-up window.

As soon as your computer reboots, a hard disk scanner will scan your disk and detect errors. You can fix these problems with a third-party program.

Run the system file checker and the DISM tool.

Using System File Checker and DISM tool, you can scan and fix corrupted system files in Windows 10 if you receive the “Volume Bitmap is incorrect” error.

Here’s what you need to know.

You can run command line as administrator by entering the command line name into the Windows search box, selecting it, and then right-clicking it.
Then, enter sfc /scannow by pressing Enter.
The following additional commands can be entered if the above command did not work.

The dism.exe command runs when online and so does the clean-image and health scan.
Cleanup-image, scanhealth, and recover dism.exe

Check to see if the “Volume Bitmap is wrong” issue has been resolved by restarting your computer and running the chkdsk command again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. A command-line menu opens on the desktop. In the command line menu, the scan operation may result in a "Loud Bitmap is incorrect" error. If the scan operation was performed without problems, reboot the PC.

What is a "Volume Bitmap"? Volume Bitmap is a special file on your NTFS file system. This file is responsible for keeping track of all used and unused clusters on an NTFS volume.

The main function of chkdsk is to scan the volume's file system (NTFS, FAT32) and check the integrity of the file system, including file system metadata, and correct any file system logic errors it finds. If desired, it is recommended that you run chkdsk as part of normal maintenance.

The Check Disk utility, also known as chkdsk (since that is the command you run it with), scans your entire hard disk and solves problems. The main function of chkdsk is to check the integrity of the file system and file system metadata on the disk and to fix any logical file system errors it finds.

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Mark Ginter is a tech blogger with a passion for all things gadgets and gizmos. A self-proclaimed "geek", Mark has been blogging about technology for over 15 years. His blog, techquack.com, covers a wide range of topics including new product releases, industry news, and tips and tricks for getting the most out of your devices. If you're looking for someone who can keep you up-to-date with all the latest tech news and developments, then be sure to follow him over at Microsoft.