Use CHKDSK to Fix the Selected Volume Corruption Problem in Windows 10

Error: The Volume You Have Selected to Shrink May Be Corrupted

When you try to shrink a partition in Disk Management in Window 10/8/7, one of the errors you may encounter is "The volume you have selected to shrink may be corrupted. Use Chkdsk to fix the corruption problem, and then try to shrink the volume again." When such an error occurs, you are unable to shrink your partition unless you use Chkdsk to fix the corruption problem.

Why does this issue occur?

Actually, when Windows reports the partition you selected may be corrupted, it indicates that there are file system errors on the selected partition, be it DBR (DOS Boot Record) corruption, $MFT (Master File Table) corruption, or FAT (File Allocation Table) corruption.

How to solve the problem?

When you are faced with the issue, you have two solutions for you. One of them will certainly help you shrink a partition in Windows successfully.

2 Solutions to the Volume You Have Selected to Shrink May Be Corrupted in Windows 10/8/7

The file system errors mentioned above can be easily fixed using Chkdsk. Chkdsk, also chkdsk.exe, is a Windows utility that can be used to check and repair disk errors like file system errors and logical bad sectors. Thus, your primary choice is to run Chkdsk on the partition you want to shrink. If that fails to work, you can try an alternative way to shrink a partition in Windows 10/8/7, which skips the problem but helps to achieve your goal of resizing your partition.

Method 1. Use Chkdsk to Fix the Corruption Problem

You have multiple choices to run CHKDSK in Windows 10, including from Command Prompt, This PC, and installation disc. But it's unnecessary to use the installation disk since it's much more complicated than the other two ways. Here we will show you how to run Chkdsk in Command Prompt. (Chkdsk is commonly used to fix a corrupted micro SD card, USB flash drive. However, when you encounter CHKDSK cannot run because the volume is in use by another process, click the link to fix. )

Step 1. Press the "Windows" key and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Enter the following command: chkdsk e: /f /r /x

• "e" means the drive letter of the partition you want to repair;
• chkdsk /f is running to fix any found errors;
• chkdsk /r is running to locate for bad sectors and recover any readable information;
• chkdsk /x is running to force the volume you're about to check to be dismounted before the utility begins a scan.

Step 4. In case of possible system file corruption, you are recommended to run the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files after running Chdksk.

sfc /scannow

After fixing the corruption problem, you can now retry to shrink the partition in Disk Management.

If command line is not your ideal choice, you can apply this command-line alternative tool - EaseUS CleanGenius. Use this one-click tool to fix the file system error on your hard drive.

Step 1. Download EaseUS CleanGenius on your computer for free.

Step 2. Run the software. Click "Optimization" on the left panel, and then choose "File Showing" . 

Step 3. Go to "Choose drive" and select the drive with a file system error. Check the "Check and fix file system error" option and click "Execute".

Step 4. Wait the EaseUS CleanGenius completes the repairing process. After that, click the "here" to view the result.

Method 2. Shrink Partition in Windows 10/8/7 Using Alternative Way

In most cases, Chkdsk and System File Checker will help you fix "The volume you have selected may be corrupted. Use Chkdsk to fix the corruption problem, and then shrink the volume again." However, there are situations in which Chkdsk shows no violations. That's when you can use Disk Management alternatives to help you shrink a partition.

The reliable partition tool - EaseUS Partition Master does more than Disk Management can do. With it, you can not only use Chkdsk to fix the corruption problem without using Command Prompt but also resize your partition by extending or shrinking without receiving the error message saying "the volume you have selected may be corrupted". For the detailed guide, refer to the article about how to shrink Windows 10 partition.

How to Recover Data Deleted by Chkdsk

Generally, using Chkdsk to fix the corruption problem won't cause data loss on your partition. If Chkdsk removed important data on the drive during the fix, you can recover the lost data using the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

Key Features of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard:

• restore accidentally deleted files in simple steps.
• Retrieve lost data from disk space, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and other storage devices.
• Support users to preview all the recoverable files before actual recovery.
• 100% safe and secure. Works well on both Windows and Mac computers.

No matter what reason you lost your data, Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to bring them back!

Step 1. Run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Choose the drive where you lost files and start scanning by clicking "Search for Lost Data". This software allows you to recover lost data from all devices, including HDD, SSD, USB drive, SD card, pen drive, camera, etc.

Step 2. Browse the full scan results. You can choose the file type you need by clicking on the file type filter. EaseUS data recovery software supports 1000+ file types like photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and many more. 

Step 3. Select the files you want to preview. Click "Recover" and set a storage location or Cloud drive to save the recovered data. 

The Bottom Line

Don't be threatened by the error message saying the volume you have selected to shrink may be corrupted. Using Chkdsk can fix the corruption problem easily. Even if Chkdsk doesn't work, you still have an alternative choice to shrink your partition successfully.