Cannot Open the Volume for Direct Access

[Ian Livingstone]

Hi folks - sorry if this has been covered before,
Having problems with a few pcs here, when I schedule a disk check from windows I get this message:-
"Cannot Open the Volume for Direct Access"

Googled it and I've got SP2, not got any software on which is locking the drives, no zonealarm etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Ian

 

[P5-133XL]

Always nice to know you've got SP2, but which version (or a flavor) of Windows NT, XP, 2000, 2003, Vista?

Chkdsk is very picky and basicly requires total control of the drive in question, else it will fail. If any other application or share uses the drive when you request the drive check. Further, those applications do not require current usage, but merely recent usage. That often seems to include merely having a share on the drive (not necessarily using it, even recently). You also can not run chkdsk on the system partion, or the boot partion without manually rebooting and running it during the boot process.

So you need to start finding out the specific application or since it is several PC's a common application that is accessing the drive that you don't think ought to be.

 

[P5-133XL]

Duplicate post - Can be deleted

 

[Ian Livingstone]

Mark - many thanks for the reply - I managed to run chkdsk from the recovery console so at least it's cleared up my drive problems (after fumbling around creating a sata driver floppy) - these pcs are used for sample playback loaded with the same music app (Gigastudio3) so all I can think is that this must be grabbing the drive as you suggest.

Thanks again,
Ian

 

[P5-133XL]

Easier, would be to simply right click on the drive icon, pick properties->tools-> check drive. Make sure you checkmark the appropiate tasks and run it. If there is something interfering, it will complain and offer to check the disk during the next boot process; Accept and restart the machine -- It should run chkdsk during the boot without needing the recovery console or a SATA driver floppy.

 

[Bozo]

From the command prompt:
chkdsk c: /f = check file system and repair
chkdsk c: /r = check file system and hard drive and repair.

Change the drive letter to your choice.
If the drive is locked, you will be asked if you would like to run chkdsk at the next boot.

Bozo :jokecolor:

 

[P5-133XL]

That will work too

 

[Ian Livingstone]

Easier, would be to simply right click on the drive icon, pick properties->tools-> check drive. Make sure you checkmark the appropiate tasks and run it. If there is something interfering, it will complain and offer to check the disk during the next boot process; Accept and restart the machine -- It should run chkdsk during the boot without needing the recovery console or a SATA driver floppy.

Mark - no that's what I meant by scheduling it from windows - I meant scheduleing it during a boot - this is what was happening - I get the "Cannot Open The Volume For Direct Access" message during the reboot process (sorry should have been more detailed in my original maill).

Bozo - same with this - something is definitely blocking it in windows as it won't let me do that, but I thought that was the whole point about answering yes to do it next time you boot, in that it would run it before it runs any windows programs. Win9x used to do it that way - it would just run scandisk from dos on a reboot - I think the problem is when you schedule it from XP it has to launch the windows version of chkdsk on reboot, not the dos version.

Ian

 

[ddrueding]

Some new BIOS have a setting that prevents apps from taking exclusive control of the drive. Is something like this enabled?

 

[P5-133XL]

If the problem was executing chkdsk from boot, then the causes of chkdsk not being able to access the drive are much less common. There you are dealing with a bios setting that locks the drive; some other security application; or something like a root-kit that has modified the OS.

The only reference in the Microsoft knowledge base regarding this is: Err Msg: "Cannot Open the Volume for Direct Access" When You Start Windows NT which is caused by Cryptkey a software licensing system.

 

[Bozo]

The only reference in the Microsoft knowledge base regarding this is: Err Msg: "Cannot Open the Volume for Direct Access" When You Start Windows NT which is caused by Cryptkey a software licensing system.

I ran into that a few years ago. A program would not allow chkdsk to run during boot. If I remember correctly, I needed to disable a service for that program. But I'm not 100% sure.

Maybe searching the Gigastudio3's site??

Bozo :joker:

 

[MaxBurn]

Hmm, I am actually familiar with CripKey as our old application uses it. Has a local system service name of "CripKey License" set to auto start and it monitors some key files named *.cf in the root of C:\. Touching these files, even moving them and copying them back breaks the app and you have to call in to re-register. If you have that maybe stop that service?