"incorrect parameter"

Question

my external ssd suddenly can't be read because of "incorrect parameter" I tried chkdsk X: /f /r and similar but this didn't work

Answer 1

1

Right click your Start Button and open Disk Management.

Expand the bottom pane in Disk Management so all drives and partitions are visible in that pane.

Please provide a screenshot of that Disk Management window.

2

Right click your Start Button and open Device Manager.

Expand the Disk Drives section.

Please provide a screenshot of the full Device Manager window.

3

Please connect that drive up to another PC, is the drive working correctly in that PC.

Answer 2

Run chkdsk in a way that ensures the volume can be locked and errors can actually be fixed, and then review the result codes and logs.

1. Connect the external SSD directly (no hubs) and make sure no files or apps are open from drive X:.
2. Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator).
3. Run a basic status check first:

      chkdsk X:
   

   This only reports status and doesn’t fix errors.
4. To repair logical errors, run:

      chkdsk X: /f
   

   If the drive is in use, chkdsk may display:

      Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.
   

   Close anything using the drive and run again. Chkdsk must be able to lock the drive to correct errors.
5. If you suspect bad sectors, run:

      chkdsk X: /r
   

   /r includes /f and will take longer because it reads all sectors.
6. When chkdsk finishes, note the exit code:
   • 0 – No errors found.
   • 1 – Errors found and fixed.
   • 2 – Cleanup performed or skipped because /f wasn’t specified.
   • 3 – Disk couldn’t be checked or errors couldn’t be fixed.

If chkdsk still cannot fix the drive (exit code 3 or repeated errors), the file system or hardware on the external SSD may be too damaged for chkdsk to repair. In that case, avoid repeated /r scans on an SSD because they add unnecessary wear, and consider data recovery or replacing the device.

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References:

• chkdsk