Fix The Error Message "The parameter is incorrect"

“The Parameter is incorrect”

Sooner or later every Windows user must have come across this message while trying to access or open a drive. It is one of the frequently occurred error messages and various reasons contribute to it.

Before we dig in to contemplate on the various solutions that could help to get rid of this situation, let us first shed some light on the reasons that cause this error.

1. File system corruption: Now what does a file system do? It organizes and manages the data on every partition of the OS. Every partition adopts a certain type of file system and files are stored in these partitions accordingly. When a file system gets corrupted, issues related to the drive crop up which can make it inaccessible.
2. Failure to CreateMailbox: You want to create a business account or a consumer account with a mailbox. When the procedure to CreateMailbox in the MPS (Microsoft Provisioning system) fails, such a message is encountered.
3. Improper ejecting of the hard drive: Many times we do not bother to use the “eject the hard drive” option and directly remove the external hard drive or flash drive from the system. It is a reckless practice. Boot records of the partition can be destroyed if the external hard drive is forcefully removed. These records help the OS to read and write data from the drive. But, if they are corrupted, the drive will be inaccessible.
4. Improper shutdown of the PC: Problems related to the internal hard drive or partitions begin to resurface when the system is abruptly switched off. Power failure also is one of the reasons which causes issues with the partition and the hard drive eventually making it inaccessible or unreadable.
5. Issues with the USB port: The USB port is the bridge which connects the external Hard Drive to the computer. Smooth working of the USB hard drive is important in order to access the external storage devices. USB port generally stops functioning properly due to weak power supply or fluctuations in the supply.
6. Bad Sectors: A single bad sector is capable of making an entire drive inaccessible. Some bad sectors are repairable while some are damaged beyond repair. Moreover, repairing one bad sector cannot stop the occurrence of other bad sectors.
7. Virus attack: Virus infection or malware attack can also make a drive unreadable or inaccessible.

Heading onto the solution......

How to fix "The parameter is incorrect"?

 

Solution 1: Format the Drive

1. Connect the external drive to the system through the motherboard or USB board.
2. Go to This PC-->Manage-->Disk management.
3. Right-click on the drive. Choose to 'format'. Click on 'OK' when the pop-up appears.
4. Set the Volume Label and File System format .Check the option "Perform a quick format" and when it is done, click  on"OK" .

Once the drive is formatted, it will be back to being readable and accessible.

Solution 2: Run the 'CHKDSK' operation

1. Click on 'Start' button. Go to All programs-->Accessories.
2. Go to 'Command-Prompt' and right-click on it. Select 'Run as administrator'.
3. For getting access as an administrator, enter the password or click on 'Allow'.
4. Next, type the line 'chkdsk d/e/f' ; whatever name is assigned to the external drive.

Note: Your inaccessible drive may contain some valuable data which you might require from time to time. It can be recovered using an efficient data recovery software. Read on: How to access data from inaccessible HDD?