How to Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check Error? [Solved]

User Query: How do I fix a cyclic redundancy check error on my external hard drive?

Solution: Have you ever encountered a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error on your external hard drive, USB drive, SD card, or even your HDD/SSD in Windows? This type of error can cause your files to become inaccessible, and it can be frustrating to figure out how to fix the problem. Luckily, there are several methods you can try to recover your data and get your storage device working again.

In this article, we'll explore some of the common causes of CRC errors on different types of storage devices and discuss the different methods you can use to troubleshoot and fix the CRC error.

What is Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Error?

Cyclic Redundancy check, well known as CRC, is an error detection code that gives data error cyclic redundancy check if it identifies any changes to the data that is being stored, accessed, or transferred onto a storage device like CD/DVD, SD card, or a hard drive.

In further detail, when CRC is set up on a device, it forms a codeword for data that is to be stored or sent to another storage media. The code word consists of check values that are calculated block-wise before the storage of data.

While the data is being accessed by a computer, the codeword or the check values are compared with the current values of accessed data, and any mismatch in the values results in data errors. This would mean inaccessible data due to hard drive or SD card corruption.

We have divided this article into three parts. In the first part, we will discuss the various error messages that you might encounter while experiencing a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) data error.

In the second part, we will focus on the causes of CRC errors, explaining what can lead to this type of data error in storage devices.

In the third and most important part of the article, we will provide you with solutions to fix your storage device that has encountered a CRC error, so that you can retrieve your data with our help.

Part 1: Encountering CRC data error

As shown in the image above, an error message shows up when you try to open a file or folder on an SD card or hard drive. Usually, the data becomes inaccessible due to logical data error (corruption) or physical damage.

In the following sections, we will broadly discuss the below errors and solutions to solve data error CRC:

• "Drive is not accessible. Data error (cyclic redundancy check)"
• "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)" in Outlook due to a corrupt .pst file
• "Cyclic Redundancy Check" error on an optical disc (CD, DVD, etc.)
• "CRC error" on internal and external hard drives
• "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)" on SSDs
• "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)" on SD cards
• "Cannot initialize disk: Data error (cyclic redundancy check)"
• "Cannot copy <filename>: Data error (cyclic redundancy check)"
• "Data error (cyclic redundancy check) - No drive letter"
• "CRC failed"
• "Disk boot failure. Insert system disk and press enter"
• "Invalid drive specification"
• "File creation error - Data error (cyclic redundancy check)"

While it’s common for the CRC error to occur on external hard drives and portable media like SD cards or flash drives, it can also happen to internal drives and their partitions; in cases like these, you will find the drive to be unallocated or not initialized in Disk management.

Even though you try to initialize the disk from Disk Management, an error “Cannot initialize disk” comes up. The immediate course of action is to understand the causes in order to fix the data error cyclic redundancy check.

Part 2: What Causes Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Errors?

As soon as you encounter a CRC error, it becomes very beneficial to learn what causes these errors. Some of the major causes of CRC errors include:

• Shutting down the computer while the hard drive is connected to it.
• Ejecting the external hard drive while the writing process is being carried out.
• Presence of bad sectors on the hard drive.
• Severe virus or malware infection.
• Cluttered hard drive or registry errors.

The above-listed reasons cause logical errors except for bad sectors. Bad sectors on the hard drive are formed due to physical damage or wear and tear during read/write operations on the storage device like SSD or flash drive.

Part 3: How to Fix Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Data Error?

There are various methods to fix the Cyclic Redundancy Error on External HDD. Here are a couple of handy techniques for resolving CRC errors:

Method 1: Fix Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check Using Error Checking Tool

The computer has a built-in program to find and fix system errors. Even this tool helps in eliminating bad sectors from further usage. Let’s see how to use Disk Utility to solve the CRC error-

• Connect the external hard drive OR to the computer and select it using the mouse
• Right-click on it and select Properties from the context menu
• In the properties window, select the “Tools” tab
• Then, under error checking, click the “Check Now” button.
• From the next window, select both “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors” and click on the “Start” button
• Wait until you get a dialogue box, as seen below:-

Method 2: Fix CRC Errors Using CHKDSK Command

• Run the command prompt as administrator by typing in CMD in the search box on the taskbar and right-click on the command prompt suggestion to select the Run as administrator option.

• Find the Windows drive letter by opening This PC or File Explorer and look for an external drive or partition that has a Cyclic Redundancy Check error to note the drive letter.

• In the command prompt window, type “chkdsk drive letter: /f” For example: if the drive letter of the storage device or partition that has CRC error is “k” then the command is “chkdsk k: /f”

The suffix “/f” is used to fix drive errors. The scan takes a while and fixes any logical errors, as shown below

Method 3: How to Solve Cyclic Redundancy Check Error Using SFC Scan:

SFC or system file checker is a tool that scans all protected system files of the operating system, including registry files, and replaces them with a copy from a cached folder. However, this method can cause data loss if the data error is caused due to bad sectors or a virus

Using the steps below SFC scan can solve CRC errors due to registry corruptions as well:

• Open the command prompt by running it as an administrator.

• Type the command sfc /scannow and the file-checking process begins, as shown below.
  
• After a brief amount of time, if you see the message “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them,” restart your computer and reopen the drive without any error.

• If you see the error message “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them,” you would need a safer and more trusted approach, like using a hard drive data recovery software capable of creating a disk image.

Interesting Read: Find out how to fix Toshiba external hard drive not working issue.

Method 4: Format the Drive to Fix CRC Error

If previous troubleshooting methods failed to fix the RAW state or CRC error on your device, you can try formatting the drive. We don't recommend formatting a hard drive without backup, as formatting will erase all your important data. 

In case you do not have any options left and you must have to format the drive to fix the CRC error then you can recover data from the formatted hard drive later with Remo Recover.

Step 1: Open Windows Explorer by pressing the "Windows key + E" on your keyboard.

Step 2: Locate the problematic device displaying the CRC error, right-click on it, and choose the "Format" option.

Step 3: Select an appropriate file system for your device, such as NTFS or FAT32.

• Choose NTFS if you are dealing with a hard drive or external storage device.

• Select FAT32 if you are working with an SD card or a USB drive with a capacity of 32GB or smaller.

Step 4: Enable the "Quick Format" option and click on the "Start" button to initiate the formatting process.

By following these steps, you will format the device and create a new file system, which should resolve the CRC error issue.

Interesting Read: Find out how to recover data from FAT32 drives.

Method 5: Using a Data Recovery Tool

If none of the methods mentioned above have worked for you, and you're worried about losing all your data due to a CRC error, or if you're feeling hopeless because your computer is displaying error messages preventing you from accessing important files, then you need Remo Recover - the ultimate solution for all your data recovery needs.

With Remo Recover, you can retrieve your lost or deleted files from a wide range of storage devices, including external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, SSDs, and more. This powerful software can recover data even from hard drives with CRC errors, severe corruption, or formatting issues. No matter how complicated your data loss situation is, Remo Recover has got your back.

The software guarantees safe and secure data recovery using its advanced scanning algorithms and can restore more than 500 file formats, including photos, videos, audio, documents, and more. Moreover, it supports various file systems, such as exFAT, FAT FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS.

Don't let data loss ruin your day. Get Remo Recover today and recover your lost data with just a few clicks.

Steps to Recover Data From External Hard Drive with CRC Errors

Conclusion

To avoid CRC errors, you can schedule regular defragmentation tasks and run CHKDSK on your hard disk every month. If you encounter a CRC error, stop using your system to prevent further damage and try to solve the error as soon as possible to avoid permanent data loss.

However, Data recovery tools like Remo Recover are available to help recover lost or inaccessible data. If you have any questions, feel free to use the comment section below, and we'll be happy to assist you.

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