AOMEI FastRecovery
Fixed: CHKDSK Insufficient Disk Space to Recover Lost Data
CHKDSK insufficient disk space to recover lost data is a disk error when users employ CHKDSK to fix disk issues. In this post, we’ll show you how to recover lost data and fix insufficient disk space.
By Lucas / Updated on December 16, 2024
Scenario: CHKDSK insufficient disk space to recover lost data
“Something I was downloading to my storage drive stopped and vanished out of nowhere. The machine shows hardly when I restart it one more. I understand the warning "File or directory corrupted or unreadable". I thus looked up executing CHKDSK from the command prompt to see whether my hard drive is corrupt. CHKDSK did fail twice; the third time it worked, however subsequently I received the notice "Insufficient disk space to recover lost data." Two times CHKDSK failed; the third time it worked; but, following that I received the note "Insufficient disk space to recover lost data". If at all feasible, I would want to retrieve the files; what should I do?”
Why insufficient disk space causes disk data recovery to fail in CHKDSK?
CHKDSK is a utility used to analyze and repair file system integrity issues on a drive. During data recovery, CHKDSK may need temporary space to perform data recovery from bad sectors or corrupted file structures. The recovered data might be written to temporary files or allocated new space on the disk. If there’s insufficient free space, CHKDSK cannot complete this operation.
Also, CHKDSK may need to update or rebuild the file system's metadata (e.g., Master File Table (MFT) for NTFS or File Allocation Table (FAT) for FAT32). If there’s no space to create these updated structures, the repair process may fail.
What’s more, if there are drives with bad sectors, CHKDSK may attempt to remap data from damaged sectors to spare sectors. Without sufficient disk space, remapping becomes impossible.
1. File System Repairs: Rebuilding file indexes or creating new file tables (like NTFS indexes or journal logs) may fail without adequate free space.
2. Operating System Boot Processes: During boot, the OS may need to write temporary system files, cache, or swap data. If the disk is full, it can cause boot failures or BSOD errors.
3. Virtual Memory (Paging): When physical RAM is insufficient, the OS uses virtual memory stored on the disk. Without disk space for the paging file, the system may encounter severe performance issues or crash.
How to quickly recover lost data when CHKDSK fails due to insufficient disk space
When system tool like CHKDSK can’t recover lost data, the best choice is to quickly find lost data and recover it on another drive. Any operation on the issued disk may cause data recovery failure, because the data may be overwritten.
If you have prepared another disk to store your data, now, you can try AOMEI FastRecovery, a robust data recovery tool for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7 and all Windows Servers to quickly scan and find lost data.
With its powerful technology and user-friendly designs, you can rapidly locate deleted data and restore it to its original position. Even if the hard drive is destroyed, this utility can help you recover lost data.
We suggest you connect another disk or drive to restore lost data to avoid data loss again.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery, and then choose the external hard drive.
Step 2. Scan your drive to find the deleted files. It offers two modes, Quick Scan and Deep Scan, supporting thoroughly scanning your storage devices for finding lost data.
Step 3. After scanning, all missing files will be displayed. Kindly choose the specific files and then click Recover.
Step 4. Specify a path for these files and wait for the process to complete.
How to fix insufficient disk space to complete operation on Windows
It is normal to get the inadequate disk space prompt when using a PC. Many people have experienced the same experience: when attempting to copy a file/folder to a destination, a prompt box appears stating that there is insufficient disk space to finish the operation. Users should be aware that they will be unable to complete the operation until they resolve the issue that is causing the error. Also, some users receive the error message “Not enough disk space”, but there is plenty of disk space left in the partition they’re operating.
But if you’re sure the problem is caused by insufficient drive space, then you can try the following methods to fix this problem.
Way 1. Clear Unnecessary Files
Your computer may accumulate a substantial number of garbage files, such as.tmp, cookies, and cache files, over time, which can consume the space on your hard drive. It is imperative to eliminate these superfluous files when your hard drive is at capacity. In order to accomplish this, you may utilize the Disk Cleanup utility that is available as part of Windows.
Step 1. Press "Win + R" simultaneously, type "cleanmgr" in the popup box, and click "OK".
Step 2. Select the drive you want to clean and click "OK".
Step 3. Check the files you want to clean and click "OK" again.
Way 2. Enable Storage Sense
Windows includes an additional built-in disk scrubber known as "Storage Sense." Various types of unnecessary files can be cleaned with Storage Sense, and it can be scheduled to execute automatically.
Step 1. Go to "Settings > System > Storage".
Step 2. Toggle Storage Sense “On” where the image shows.
Way 3. Move installed apps to another location
Limited-scope files are the primary focus of Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense. It may not be able to identify and eliminate all forms of unnecessary data, such as large application files or duplicate files, which can still consume a substantial amount of space.
If the built-in tools are still insufficient to resolve the "Insufficient Disk Space" warning, you may wish to consider utilizing AOMEI Partition Assistant. With its "App Mover" feature, it is effortless to transfer installed applications, such as Microsoft Office and video games, from your current hard drive to another without any danger of data loss.
100% SecureStep 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional and then, go to "Free up > App Mover".
Step 2. Next, select the source drive where those apps are and click on "Next".
Step 3. Tick the apps you want to move, select a drive on another hard disk, and hit the "Move" button.
Step 4. Confirm the operation when prompted and the app moving process will begin.
When it completes, click on "Finish".
Tip: If you want to safely upgrade your hard disk to another larger one, you can try Clone Disk to copy all files from one hard disk to another without risk of data loss.
Conclusion
If CHKDSK notice "insufficient disk space to recover lost data", don't worry, you can choose data recovery tool to quickly save your data files. After you're sure you data is safe, you can try to extend drive space on your computer. Hope the methods in this post can solve your problem.
