Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is basically a data verification method that computer uses to check the accuracy of data on the disks (hard disk drive, optical disks such as CD, DVD etc.) CRC detects accidental changes to raw data residing in the storage media.
The CRC error occurs due to hard drive corruption, misconfigured files, registry file corruption, cluttered disk, unsuccessful program installation, or when there’s a bad spot on the media.
Despite a specific cause, the CRC error is a serious issue that must be resolved as soon as possible to avoid a system failure and, most importantly, data loss.
Fortunately, there are few options that are available to solve the following CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) errors:
- Drive Is Not Accessible data error (Cyclic Redundancy Check).
- Data Error (CRC) Error Message in Outlook due to a corrupt personal folder (.pst).
- Cyclic Redundancy Check Error on an optical disc (CD, DVD etc.).
How to Solve the Data Error (Cyclic Redundancy Check) Issue?
1. Using CHKDSK Utility
To solve CRC error, you must repair the hard drive by running CHKDSK utility via command prompt. CHKDSK checks the integrity of your hard drive and fixes logical file system errors, bad sectors & file system metadata. You can run CHKDSK by following these steps:
- Connect the storage device to your PC.
- Press ‘Windows+Q’ and type CMD in the search bar.
- Right-click on the ‘Command Prompt’ and select ‘Run as Administrator’.
- A command prompt window appears. Type chkdsk X: /f where X is the hard drive or any other media storage device letter connected to your system. Alternatively, you can type chkdsk X: /F /X /R for the rigorous scanning and repairing.
- Hit the ‘Enter’ button and wait until ‘chkdsk’ utility repairs the disk errors.
After CHKDSK completes error checking, re-connect storage media to the system and then try to access it from File Explorer. If you are able to access the data without any error; immediately copy data from it to a safe location on your system and format the hard drive or any other storage media via Disk Management tool or DiskPart.
NOTE: If the problem persists, you need to format your storage drive. The format will erase all the data from the storage device. If you don’t want to lose data, you must follow the last solution given in this post, which is more effective and optimal.
2. Run SFC Scan
SFC stands for System File Checker, which is used to repair Windows system files including Windows DLL files, registry files, or other protected files. Sometimes due to corrupt file system or registry files, as discussed above, CRC error occurs.
The SFC scan finds the file issue and replaces the corrupt or damaged file with a new one. The entire process can take around 5 to 20 minutes depending upon the files size and volume. To run SFC scan, follow these steps:
- Connect the storage drive
- Click the Windows icon to open the search bar
- Type cmd. Right-click on ‘Command Prompt’ and select ‘Run as Administrator’ from the options
- Type sfc /scannow in the cmd window and hit the ‘Enter’ button to run the SFC scan
After SFC scan is finished, restart the system and try accessing the files from the storage media. If the problem still persists, please refer to the next solution.
3. Using a Data Recovery Tool
If none of the above listed solutions works for you, take the help of a powerful data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Windows. This tool can help you recover data from a severely corrupt, formatted, re-formatted, inaccessible hard drive, and lost or deleted hard drive partitions with a few simple clicks.
This tool guarantees safe and secure data recovery from all types of storage media formatted in exFAT, FAT (FAT16, FAT32), and NTFS such as USB sticks, hard drives, and even from scratched optical disks (CD/DVD).
You can follow the below steps after watching the video to recover data from a storage device with CRC error.
Watch this video to Fix Cyclic Redundancy Check Data Error?
- Download and Install the Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Windows software on your PC.
- Connect the storage drive to the PC via USB port. If you are prompted to ‘Format Hard Drive’ on a message box, click ‘No’.
- Launch the software.
- Check the ‘All Data’ checkbox to select and recover drive files, folders, and other deleted data from the external hard drive. You can also check individual boxes.
- Click the ‘Next’ button, and then choose the connected storage drive.
- Turn on ‘Deep Scan’. The Deep Scan option takes more time as it thoroughly searches for the deleted data deep inside the hard drive based on file signatures and it also facilitates recovery of RAW data.
- If you want to recover drive data from deleted, inaccessible, or un-allocated partition, select ‘Can’t Find Drive’ under Other Locations and click the ‘Scan’ button.
- On the next screen, select your drive and click the ‘Search’ button. All deleted partitions will be listed under the ‘Partitions Found’ box.
- Select the partition and click the ‘Scan’ button to start scanning. If nothing is found, click on the ‘Deep Scan’ link at the bottom to start Deep Scan.
- In the left Tree View pane, you can see all the recovered files and folders. Click on the ‘File Type’ tab to view files segregated by type. You can also click on a file to preview it before you begin the recovery.
- Check the checkboxes of data that you want to recover and then click the ‘Recover’ button.
- Click the ‘Browse’ button to select the location where you want to save the recovered data. Make sure not to select the same drive.
- Click the ‘Start Saving’ button.
The selected recovered files and folders are saved at the desired location.
Conclusion:
To avoid CRC error, schedule weekly or monthly defragmentation task in Windows. Also, run CHKDSK every month to keep your hard disk healthy and free from errors including bad sectors.
If you ever face any CRC error, stop using the system and try to solve the error as soon as possible. The error can lead to much bigger problems later on, including loss of your precious data.
However, data recovery tool like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Windows is readily available to rescue you from such situations by recovering deleted, inaccessible, or lost data. So next time if you ever face any problem related to data loss, visit Stellar’s website for an optimal solution.
