NTFS
Recover Files After CHKDSK
Find files chkdsk deleted or moved into found.000 folders.
Written by the Refindo Recovery Team · Published · Updated
CHKDSK can leave files missing, renamed, or scattered into hidden found.000 folders full of .chk files. When it repairs a damaged NTFS volume it removes directory entries it considers invalid and reattaches loose data as generic .chk fragments — readable bytes with no names or folders. If files disappeared right after a chkdsk run, the data is often still on the drive; it just lost the records that described it. Stop writing to the drive and scan before anything overwrites those fragments.
Stop writing to the drive
chkdsk does not erase data so much as detach it from its names. Those bytes are still on the drive, so stop using it and scan before new writes land on the space the lost files occupied.
- Do not run chkdsk again to "finish the job" on the same volume.
- Do not delete the found.000 folder or its .chk files before checking them.
- Do not save new files to the drive you are trying to recover.
- Recover to a separate disk, not back onto the same volume.
What chkdsk does to your files
- chkdsk removed directory entries it judged invalid, orphaning the files.
- Loose clusters were reattached as nameless .chk files in found.000.
- The Master File Table was rewritten, losing original names and paths.
- New writes after chkdsk overwrote some of the orphaned data.
How to recover files chkdsk removed
Refindo can scan a volume after chkdsk and recover files by their content and any surviving NTFS records, often restoring data that chkdsk left as nameless fragments. Results are best when nothing new has been written since.
- Stop using the drive immediately so nothing overwrites the orphaned data.
- Show hidden and system files, and check the found.000 folder for recoverable .chk files.
- Open Refindo and select the volume chkdsk ran on.
- Run Deep Scan to rebuild files by signature and surviving records, then recover to another drive.
When the volume was heavily changed
- The drive has been written to heavily since chkdsk ran.
- The lost files are the only copy of irreplaceable work.
- Multiple chkdsk passes have already rewritten the metadata.
- The drive shows bad sectors or hardware instability.
found.000, .chk files, and the MFT
What found.000 and .chk files are
When chkdsk finds data clusters that are no longer linked to a valid directory entry, it gathers them into a hidden folder named found.000 (then found.001, and so on) and names each recovered chain FILE0000.CHK, FILE0001.CHK, and so on. The bytes are intact, but the original file names, extensions, and folder paths are gone. Some .chk files can be renamed back to a usable extension if you can identify the type; many are easier to recover with a tool that reads their content.
Why chkdsk loses names but not always data
chkdsk repairs the file system, not your files. To make the volume consistent again it can delete index entries and Master File Table records it considers corrupt, which strips away names and folder structure even when the underlying data survives. That is why recovery after chkdsk often works at the content level — scanning for file signatures and any intact records — rather than relying on the directory, which chkdsk may have rewritten.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the .chk files in the found.000 folder?
They are data fragments chkdsk recovered but could not match to a file name. The content is intact; the original name, extension, and folder are missing.
Can I recover files that chkdsk deleted?
Often, yes, if you stop using the drive. The data usually remains until overwritten, and a scan can rebuild files from their content and any surviving records.
Should I run chkdsk again to recover the files?
No. Another pass can rewrite more metadata and reduce what is recoverable. Scan the drive instead, and avoid further chkdsk runs.
Can I just rename a .chk file back to its real extension?
Sometimes, if you can identify the file type. But many .chk files are easier and more reliable to recover with software that reads their content and restores the correct format.
Why did chkdsk delete my files in the first place?
chkdsk removes directory entries and records it considers corrupt to make the file system consistent. This can strip names from data that is otherwise intact.
Scan before you repair
Run a read-only scan first, preview what is recoverable, then save selected files to a different drive.