Managing Disks
Troubleshoot with Disk Management
Using Disk Management Status Codes
The main window of the Disk Management utility displays the status of disks and volumes. The following table contains the possible status codes and a description of each code; these are very useful in troubleshooting disk problems.
| Status Code | Description | Action Required |
| Online | The disk is configured correctly and has no known problems. | None. |
| Online (Errors) | The operating system encountered errors when reading or writing data from a region of the disk. (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | Right-click the disk and choose Reactivate Disk to return its status to Online. If errors continue to occur, check for damage to the disk. |
| Healthy | The volume is properly formatted and has no known problems. | None. |
| Healthy(At Risk) | Windows encountered errors when reading from or writing to the underlying disk. Such errors are often caused by bad blocks on the disk. After encountering an error anywhere on the disk, Disk Management marks all volumes on that disk as Healthy (At Risk). (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | Right-click the disk and choose Reactivate Disk. Persistent errors often indicate a failing disk. Back up all data, and run a thorough diagnostic check using the hardware manufacturer's software; if necessary, replace the disk. |
| Healthy (Unknown Partition) | Windows does not recognize the partition; this occurs with some partitions created by another operating system or by a computer manufacturer that uses a partition to store system files. You cannot format or access data on an unknown partition. | If you're certain the partition is unnecessary, use Disk Management to delete it and create a new partition in the free space created. |
| Offline | The disk was once available but is not currently accessible. The disk might be physically damaged, or it might be disconnected. (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | Check the physical connections between the disk and the power supply or disk controller. After repairing connections, right-click the disk and choose Reactivate Disk to return its status to Online. If the damage cannot be repaired, delete all volumes, right-click the disk, and choose Remove Disk. |
| Missing | The disk is corrupted, disconnected, or not powered on. (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | After you reconnect or power on the missing disk, right-click the disk and choose Reactivate Disk to return its status to Online. |
| Unreadable | All or part of the disk might be physically damaged, or (in the case of a dynamic disk) the dynamic disk database might be corrupted. | Restart the computer. If the problem persists, right-click the disk and choose Rescan Disks. If the status is still Unreadable, some data on the disk might be recoverable with third-party utilities. |
| Failed | The dynamic disk is damaged or the file system is corrupted. | To repair a failed dynamic volume, check to see whether the disk is online. (If not, right-click the disk and choose Reactivate Disk.) Then right-click the volume and choose Reactivate Volume. If the failed volume is on a basic disk, be sure that the disk is properly connected. |
| Unknown | The boot sector for the volume is corrupted, and you can no longer access data. This condition might be caused by a virus. | Use an up-to-date virus-scanning program to check for the presence of a boot-sector virus. |
| No Media | A disc is not inserted in the drive. (This status message appears only on removable media drives, such as CD and DVD drives.) | Insert a disc in the drive, and choose Action, Rescan Disks. |
| Initializing | DDisk Management cannot determine the disk status because the disk is initializing. (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | Wait. The drive status should appear in a few seconds. |
| Not Initialized | The disk does not contain a valid signature. It might have been prepared on a system running a non-Microsoft operating system, such as UNIX or Linux, or the drive might be brand new. | If the disk is used by another operating system, do nothing. To prepare a new disk for use with Windows 7, right-click the disk and choose Initialize Disk. |
| Foreign | The disk was originally installed on another computer and has not yet been set up for use on your computer. (This status message appears on dynamic disks only.) | Right-click the disk and choose Import Foreign Disks. |