Cannot open volume for shortcut

CHKDSK is a system tool present in Windows that verifies the integrity of a volume and attempts to correct logical system errors. It also identifies the bad sectors present on the hard disk and marks them so that there are no errors when the computer uses the disk..

Cannot open volume for shortcut

Sometimes, when using the CHKDSK command, users find the error “Cannot open volume for shortcut”. This error means that the application cannot access the drive to scan and perform its operations there. There are many solutions and the checks make this problem go away. Start with the first solution and proceed accordingly.

Solution 1: exclude unit from CHKDSK

If your computer has recently experienced a BSOD, your system may set your drive a bit buggy and will always try to run CHKDSK on it before starting your computer. If that unit is C, you will not be able to start your computer or will have similar problems. Or if another unit is equally damaged, you can use the solution from the computer to exclude it from CHKDSK. After excluding the drive, we will include it again. This will pretty much remove the dirty part and make CHKDSK scan the drive normally.

Please note that if you have a physically damaged hard drive, this solution will not work as expected. There is no alternative to repairing a physically damaged drive.

1. Press Windows + R, type »command prompt» in the dialog box, right-click and select »Run as administrator«. If you have this problem on local drive C, consider booting from command prompt using recovery options and do this solution from there. Open command prompt as administrator

2. Type the following command followed by the name of the drive and press Enter.

chkntfs /X D:

Here the unit “D” is excluded from CHKDSK. You can replace the letter with the one that gives you the problem.

Run the chkntfs command / XD

Note that this command is not cumulative. What's more, the main purpose of this command is to prevent volumes from being checked for dirt.

1. Now we will include the disk in CHKDSK again and see if the scan can work correctly. Keep using the same command prompt and run the following command:

chkdsk /f D:

Run the chkdsk command / f D

This command will force the execution of CHKDSK. If another app is using the volume, you may receive a notice that the volume is in use. You can press Y or run the command on reboot. This error will only occur if you follow this solution from Windows. If you are using the recovery options command prompt, this will not happen.

Solution 2: check third party apps

This error can also appear if you have any third party drive monitoring software enabled on your computer. These applications are already accessing your hard drive, which makes the CHKDSK unable to perform its operations normally.

Disable all these programs manually or uninstall them completely from your computer. Press Windows + R, type »appwiz.cpl» in the dialog box and press Enter. All applications will appear in the list. Uninstall the ones that monitor or “repair” your hard drive. Restart your computer and see if the problem goes away.

Uninstall programs

Solution 3: clean boot windows or use safe mode

You can use Windows built-in safe mode to start the system without third-party applications running and without Windows running with very limited drivers. You can also use the clean boot feature to boot with the minimal set of services and drivers. Thus, will discard if any of the drivers / services is creating problems and causing the error message.

1. Clean boot windows or use safe mode. Failsafe mode

2. Now run the Chkdsk command to check if it works normally. If so, it probably means there is a conflict with third party applications or system drivers. You can try to activate each batch service and determine which one is causing the problem. You can use the application manager (press windows + R, scribe “appwiz.cpl” in the dialog box and press Enter) to uninstall the third-party app that is causing the problem.

Solution 4: use a boot device

If nothing has helped you so far, so creating a bootable media and running chkdsk through that media can solve the problem. Your computer's own SFC mechanism is likely not working as expected and causing the error message even when you try to run it. Make sure not to interrupt and let the SFC scan complete via boot media.

1. Create a Windows bootable media and boot through that media. Create a Windows installation media 10

2. Now run the chkdsk command to see if it works normally.

Solution 5: check your hard drive

If all the above solutions don't work, consider checking your hard drive. In many cases, CHKDSK cannot attempt to scan your computer if the hard drive is physically damaged and there is some physical problem inside.

Check the hard drive

You can try inserting the disk in another computer and see if it works there. What's more, try removing the drive from your computer by swapping the cable and SATA port and trying to access them again. This problem also happens if you have a bad cable or the port is broken. If all these tips don't work, you should consider having a verified technician review them.