The SFC command is a Command Prompt command that can be used to verify and replace important Windows system files. Step 1. Download EaseUS CleanGenius on your computer for free. Use this one-click tool to fix the file system error on your hard drive. If command line is not your ideal choice, you can apply this command-line alternative tool - EaseUS CleanGenius. After this operation is finished, please reboot the Windows computer and check to see if you get the same error. Press 'Enter' on the keyboard for the check to start.ĥ.

On the command prompt window, you will need to input the command line (C: is where your Windows is installed).Ĥ. Click 'Repair your computer' > 'Advanced startup options' > 'Troubleshoot' > 'Advanced options' > 'Command prompt'.ģ.

Boot the computer via the Windows installation media either a USB stick or a DVD, and go to 'Next'.Ģ. So make sure to recover all data first with reliable data recovery software.ġ. The CHKDSK utility is built-in Windows, aiming to check the integrity of your hard disk and fix bad sectors if any were found.Ĭaution: The CHKDSK command will erase all saved files on the target device while fixing the disk error. The methods are applicable to major Windows operating system including Windows 10/8.1/8/7. The following are the 4 widely used methods to unlock hard drive so that you can refresh your PC and completely get rid of 'the drive where Windows is installed is locked' problem. Afterward, boot your problematic computer from the recovery disk, and start disk/partition backup. Prepare a USB flash drive or a CD/DVD disc in advance, to create a bootable recovery disk as the below video demonstrates. On a working computer, go to the EaseUS Todo Backup product page, download and install it for a 30-day free trial. To access data and create an exact copy of the hard drive, you need to back up data without booting into Windows, and third-party EaseUS backup and recovery software could help achieve the goal. You should know that this locked hard drive issue will prevent you from starting your computer as normal. It usually happens to Windows 10/8.1/8/7 system recovery when a critical system file is missing or corrupted, the System Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is damaged or some required information is missing. Full stepsĪbout 'The drive where Windows is installed is locked' error: Full stepsįor the lost data after unlocking Windows drive. Restart PC from Windows installation media.

Command prompt disk management