The Volume Bitmap is incorrect.

Question

Some days back, when I ran CHKDSK, it says

**The master file table's (MFT) BITMAP attribute is incorrect.The Volume Bitmap is incorrect.Windows found problems with the file system.**So, I ran CHKDSK /F  and there was a message saying the problem was fixed. Today, when I run CHKDSK /F again, it says

**CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bitmap.Windows has made corrections to the file system.**I'm using Windows Vista Home Premium. The system hangs frequently. There seems to have disk errors. Even though CHKDSK reports it fixes problem, it seems the the problem is still there. McAfee security center reports that the system is ok. How to fix these problems? I becomes very frustrating that the system hangs frequently. Please help.

Answer 1

This error from Chkdsk  appears to be an on-going problem with (as a minimum) Windows Vista Home Premium edition, and maybe other versions.  I have been struggling with it for well over a year, maybe two (it seems like forever!).  I ignore it after running Chkdsk in a 'dos box'  a couple of times.  It usually happens to me on my system drive, so I must flag Chkdsk /F to run on a reboot, which is a pain, due to the time taken to reboot and reload all background programs.  I've set up a bat file to run Chkdsk on all my drives, then finish with Chkntfs on all drives.  C: continues to show the same error with Chkdsk, but Chkntfs has always shown that each drive "is not dirty", regardless of when I run it.  (Not sure if that has any bearing on the results I see with Chkdsk.)

Today, drive C: checked clean, but I got a similar error on drive D: as follows:

CHKDSK D:

.

..

...

The master file table's (MFT) BITMAP attribute is incorrect.

Windows found problems with the file system.

Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

I run CHKDSK D: /F and it finishes with the following:

CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the

master file table (MFT) bitmap.

Windows has made corrections to the file system.

I again run CHKDSK D: without the /F and it finishes, again, with the following:

The master file table's (MFT) BITMAP attribute is incorrect.

Windows found problems with the file system.

Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

If I repeat the above, I get the same results.

So, I'm stuck in a loop.  At least it's not drive C: this time : )

I've got a boot-loader that (if I recall correctly) reads drive D: first, then jumps to the  Windows partition on drive C:, so I'm not sure if that has any bearing on the problem.  However, I've been using the same boot loader, without changes, for a long, long time, and have not changed its configuration.  So, I cannot explain why, even if the boot loader were somehow at fault, the problem would jump from drive C: to drive D: when running Chkdsk. 

It's perplexing.  My advice would be to use a couple of different drive checkers, and if they check clean, not to worry about it.  (I've used the drive Properties - Tools - Error-checking utility [which may just be chkdsk in a gui interface], and I've also tried 2 or 3 third party defraggers, one example being Auslogics Disk Defrag v. 3.1.9.160, which has a disk checker built in.  I don't recall any of them ever finding a problem with any disk that Chkdsk has flagged with the above errors.)

I'd be curious to hear whether this problem occurs with Windows 7.  It might be one of those problems that Microsoft decides to fix in the newer operating system, and let it ride in the older one, to encourage laggards to upgrade!

aboutblank6

9/11/2011

Answer 2

I have the same error message. My HD has passed several SMART tests and no anomalous are showing in HD TUne or HD Scan as well. Advance System Care in the diagnostic also reported the findings but also wrote "NO ERRORS". MY HD is only 8 months old.

Answer 3

The hard disk could be failing.  If you haven't already done so, back up your important data files to an external medium immediately.  The disk could become completely inaccessible at any time.

Then run a hard disk diagnostic program, from your computer manufacturer, you disk manufacturer, or the Ultimate Boot CD to test it.

Answer 4

I've run  Hard Disk, CPU, Memory test using VAIO Hardware Diagnostics. It reports "No errors were detected."

Answer 5

I am getting the same error and I am running Windows 7.  My PC originally came with Vista, but I got a free upgrade a year ago.

I am not able to restore my PC to an earlier version because I get an error message that there are bad sectors. 

I ran CHKDSK which found The Volume Bitmap is incorrest and Windows found problems with the file system.  I haven't run CHKDSK /F yet.  I'm a novice user and this makes me nervous.  My files are backed up, but my printer is no longer talking to this PC.

Is my hard drive dieing?