Wondering if Windows "Scan and Fix" deletes files? This guide answers that key question, explaining whether the built-in Windows tool removes files, including important personal data, documents, or photos during its scanning and repair process. And get expert tips to recover deleted file while running "Scan and Fix".
I inserted a flash drive into my PC running 64-bit Vista Home Premium SP1. Vista offered a pop up asking "Do you want to scan and fix Drive K? ". It explained that there might be a problem with some files on the drive. It gave me the option to "scan and fix" or "continue". I chose to scan and fix. The drive had two directories with a few files in one of the directories. After the fix, each directory had been replaced with a file of the same name; the files lack an extension and I cannot open the files. I want to undo the results from the "scan and fix" and get my files back.
- Question from mboethch
When you insert a USB flash drive, external hard drive, or memory card into a Windows computer, you might see a prompt: Do you want to scan and fix Drive? Normally, two options will be provided: one is "Scan and fix (recommended)", the other one is "Continue without scanning".
Most people will choose to "Scan and fix" without hesitation when they see the "recommended". However, after this process is completed, you may find that some files become inaccessible or some files have vanished. So, does Windows "Scan and fix" really delete files?
In fact, when the system pops up "Scan and fix", it means that your drive may have file system errors, physical disk problems, or virus or malware infections. When you click "Scan and fix", Windows will run the CHKDSK tool in the background to automatically check, repair errors and recover readable files. Under normal circumstances, it does not actively delete user files, but in some special cases, it may unintentionally cause data loss:
📌If the file system is severely corrupted, files may become inaccessible.
🔍CHKDSK might move orphaned files to a hidden folder named FOUND.000 folder.
💡Some files might lose their original filenames and extensions during the repair process.
If you ran "Scan and fix" and noticed missing or renamed files, don't panic. As mentioned above, these disappeared files are not truly deleted. There are several methods to recover them, you can choose manual solutions or data recovery software based on your needs.
For files that cannot be opened due to missing file extensions, this is caused by damage to the file system index. Their filenames and extensions may not be recognizable, but the file contents are preserved. You only need to manually add the extensions to access these files normally.
Step 1. Locate to the file without file extension and right click on it.
Step 2. Choose "Rename" from the context menu and enter a correct extension.
If you interrupt the "Scan and fix“ process or remove the drive improperly, CHKDSK will move these fragmented files to the FOUND.000 folder with the ".chk" extension. You can find the deleted files in this folder.
If files are missing after "Scan and fix" and aren’t in the FOUND.000 folder, using a dedicated recovery tool like MyRecover can significantly increase success rates. It can scan all drives on the computer and offer an opportunity to recover lost files on them. This powerful data recovery tool is capable of recovering lost files from USB drives, SD cards, cameras, SSDs, HDDs, game console drives and more.
Let's explore the remarkable advantages of MyRecover.
✅No Command Line Needed – Simple GUI (graphical interface) for easy file recovery.
✅Higher Success Rate – Advanced deep scan for NTFS/FAT32/exFAT drives.
✅Smart Filtering – Recover files by type, date, or size with precision.
✅Handle 500+ Data Loss Scenarios – Recover from deleted partition, formatted hard drive, emptied Recycle Bin, system crash, virus attack, etc.
✅Supports over 1,000 File Types – Including documents, photos, videos, audio, archives, and Outlook data files.
✅OS Compatibility – Work not only on Windows 11 /10, but also on Windows 8.1/ 8/ 7 and all Servers.
4 Steps to Recover Lost Files from "Scan and Fix"
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from secure channel. If your drive is external drive, please connect the drive to your computer.
Step 2. Launch it and select the drive with lost files to scan, then click "Scan".
Step 3. Choose files you intend to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Select a safe location (not the original one) to save the recovered files.
Upon completion of the recovery process, the message indicating successful recovery will pop out. You can access and check the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or "Browse" button.
If your drive remains unreadable or throws errors even after "Scan and fix", you can try the following methods to fix the inaccessible hard drive.
sfc /scannow is a command used in Windows to scan and repair corrupted or damaged system files. You can use this method to troubleshoot file system issues for your hard drive.
Step 1. Open "Command Prompt" and run it as administrator.
Step 2. Type "SFC /scannow" and press "Enter". The scan will begin and may take some time to complete.
Once finished, it will display a message indicating whether any issues were found and if repairs were made.
Some viruses or malware can tamper with the file system structure, causing the Windows system to detect drive abnormalities. Removing these viruses from the drive will restore it to normal.
Step 1. Go to "Settings" > "Update & Security" > " Windows Security".
Step 2. Select "Virus and threat protection", you can choose "Quick scan" to scan for virus or malware.
If you want to perform a more comprehensive scan, you can click "Scan options" to choose "Full scan".
"Scan and fix" is a useful utility, but it’s not flawless. Although it does not intentionally delete files, it is not foolproof. If files are lost after "Scan and fix", you can use the professional data recovery tool MyRecover to retrieve these lost files. It gives you a safer way to scan and retrieve data, especially when system utilities fall short.
For more challenging cases like recovering data from unbootable Windows system—consider giving the Professional edition of MyRecover a try. It also allows unlimited data recovery capacity and offers the function of previewing file contents before recovery.
