For an external device such as a USB flash device, SD card or external hard disk to work, the OS must be able to read and write to it. But if the OS is unable to read/write to the device, you may receive various error messages and the device will not work as expected. One such error message you may encounter is the following.
‘Error:0x80071ac3: The operation could not be completed because the volume is dirty. Please run CHKDSK and try again’.
In this article, let us look at the reasons for this error and some simple solutions to resolve the same. The main reasons for this error are corruption in the external hard disk, out-dated or corrupt drivers or due to bad sectors.
Now let’s move on to the troubleshooting steps to resolve this problem.
Solution 1: Run CHKDSK
The first step involves running CHKDSK, which is a built-in tool to resolve corruption issues in the disk (external hard drive in this case). It can resolve file system errors and also detect bad sectors. To run CHKDSK, follow the steps below.
- Connect your external hard drive to your system
- Click Windows + E to open File Explorer
- Right click on the external hard disk connected and click Properties
- Go to the Tools tab and click Check Now
- In the dialogue box that opens, make sure both the options that are ‘Fix file system errors’ and ‘Scan and recover bad sectors’ are selected and allow the tool to complete scanning the drive
- CHKDSK will try and resolve any issues it finds and if need be, run the tool again using the same steps.
Then try using the external hard disk and check if the error persists. If it does, proceed to the next step.
Solution 2: Reinstall drivers
The error ‘0x80071ac3’ could also be a result of corrupt or out-dated drivers. Hence it is a good idea to reinstall the drivers and check if the error persists. To reinstall drivers follow the steps below.
- Click on Windows + X key to the WinX menu
- Select Device Manager from the list
- Identify your external hard disk and click Update Drivers > Search automatically for updated driver software
- If this doesn’t work, click Uninstall instead of Update Drivers in the previous step.
- Then restart your computer
Now check if the external hard disk works with any error. If it does, you are done here. If not, proceed to the next step.
Solution 3: Run CHKDSK using Command Prompt
In some cases, running CHKDSK from the command prompt may help resolve errors with the hard drive. To do so, proceed with the following steps.
- Once again, click on Windows + X keys and select Command Prompt (Admin)
- Enter the admin ID and password to log in
- In the Command Prompt, type
‘CHKDSK <drive letter:> /R’
Note: Please replace <drive letter> with the letter corresponding to your external hard disk.
This command will resolve corruption issues in the selected drive and also scan for bad sectors.
Solution 4: Recover data and format the drive
If the above solutions don’t help you resolve the ‘0x80071ac3’ error, it is a smart move to recover data and format the drive. In order to recover data, Hi5 data recovery tool is a great solution. It is specialized in data recovery from drives that are inaccessible or producing errors such as this one.
The best part about the software is that you can use the free trial to recover files and try out the software. Once you have all data recovered, format your drive to resolve the error ‘0x80071ac3’.
Note: In case, you have formatted the drive before recovering data, you don’t need to worry because Hi5 Software can be used to recover data after formatting as well. Refer the link to check out the product and the steps involved.
