Lenovo IdeaPad laptops are commonly used for business, office work, and personal storage. However, when CHKDSK (Check Disk) runs automatically at startup, it often indicates hard drive corruption, bad sectors, or file system errors, making stored data at risk.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical office documents for a client in Guildford from a Lenovo IdeaPad hard drive, after CHKDSK repeatedly attempted repairs without restoring file access.
As Guildford Data Recovery, Surrey’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using bad sector recovery, NTFS file system repair, and forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files securely and confidentially.
CHKDSK Running at Startup & Drive Errors Detected
A Guildford-based professional contacted us after their Lenovo IdeaPad laptop became unstable, with the following issues:
- CHKDSK ran automatically at startup, scanning and attempting repairs.
- The process would either freeze or complete without fixing the problem.
- Office documents and work files were missing or inaccessible.
- The laptop took longer to boot and sometimes crashed mid-scan.
Since CHKDSK can mark damaged sectors as unreadable and cause data loss, an immediate professional data recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Lenovo IdeaPad hard drive arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and file system diagnostic. Our findings:
- Bad sectors on the HDD – Preventing proper file system access.
- Corrupt NTFS file system – CHKDSK was failing to repair the partition correctly.
- No major mechanical failure detected, meaning logical recovery was possible through deep sector scanning.
Since continued CHKDSK attempts could overwrite recoverable data, we prioritized non-intrusive sector cloning and file system reconstruction.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Hard Drive to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve all recoverable data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the Lenovo IdeaPad hard drive.
- Used specialized imaging tools to extract readable data while bypassing bad sectors.
2. Repairing the File System & Extracting Data
Since the NTFS file system was corrupt, we:
- Rebuilt the Master File Table (MFT) to restore missing file directories.
- Recovered previously lost documents that were marked as unreadable by CHKDSK.
3. Extracting & Verifying Office Documents & Work Files
Once the file system was restored, we:
- Recovered all office documents, spreadsheets, and work files.
- Restored folder structures exactly as they were before failure.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our sector-level recovery and file system reconstruction techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the client’s lost office files, including:
✅ Word documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations
✅ Work reports, PDFs, and archived emails
✅ Organized file structures restored for easy access
The client was able to retrieve all essential documents, preventing workflow disruptions.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful laptop hard drive recoveries, we are England’s leading Lenovo IdeaPad data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ CHKDSK-related data loss recovery & NTFS file system repair
✔ Bad sector cloning & deep sector scanning for lost files
✔ Office documents, spreadsheets, and work file retrieval
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your laptop hard drive is running CHKDSK repeatedly, failing to boot, or preventing access to important work files, stop using the system immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.