Storage errors
35 errors. Choose the message that matches your computer.
SMART-REALLOCATED
SSD/HDD remaps bad sectors. The disk is nearing the end of its life.
StorageNTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
NTFS file system error. The disk or driver has a read/write problem.
StorageINACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
Windows cannot access the system disk at startup. Common triggers are changing SATA mode in BIOS and corrupt MBR/GPT.
StorageSSD-TRIM-FAIL
TRIM for SSD does not work, it reduces the performance and life of the drive. Common triggers are SSD in RAID array and old firmware.
StorageNVME-CONTROLLER-RESET
The NVMe SSD controller has reset due to a communication error. It causes system crashes or data loss.
StorageSSD-WEAR-CRITICAL
The SSD has reached the critical TBW (Total Bytes Written) wear limit. Risk of failure.
StorageDISK-READ-ERROR
Windows reports 'A disk read error occurred' when booting. PC won't boot.
StorageCRC-DATA-ERROR
The operating system encountered a Cyclic Redundancy Check error while reading from the file. The data is corrupted and cannot be read.
StorageRAW-FILE-SYSTEM
The disk's file system (NTFS/FAT32) has been corrupted and the system sees it as unformatted (RAW). Data is unavailable.
StorageSMART-PRE-FAIL
Self-diagnosis of the disk predicts its early physical end. Common triggers are end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageNVME-CTL-RST
The controller on the SSD lost communication and restarted itself (OS crashes). Typical causes include end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageSATA-CRC-ERR
Data is lost during cable transmission, indicating a damaged connector. This usually traces back to power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageBAD-SEC-UNC
The HDD surface or SSD memory cell has been permanently damaged. Common triggers are defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageCACHE-FLSH-FAIL
The data in the disk cache was not saved before the power failure. It's most often caused by end of life (age), defective cable and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageMBR-GPT-CORR
The system sees the disk as unallocated space with no data. Typical causes include end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageVSS-FREEZE
Creating a restore point or backup caused the disk to freeze. Common triggers are end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageTRIM-IGNORE
The SSD does not clean up the deleted blocks, which reduces the speed extremely. Reports of TRIM command to clean SSD was ignored usually describe a sudden crash, brief unresponsiveness, or a stop-code screen…
StorageSPN-MOT-FAIL
The platters of a classic hard disk cannot spin (click). This usually traces back to end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageTBW-LIM-RCH
The SSD has reached the end of its write life (TBW) and has entered read-only mode. Common triggers are defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageM2-THROTTLING
The M.2 disk controller is baked under the graphics card, and the speed has dropped to a minimum. The usual suspects are end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageBIT-ROT-DET
The data on the disk has naturally degraded, leading to archive file corruption. The usual suspects are end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageDRAM-CAC-FAIL
A buffer built directly on the disk reports a hardware error. Typical causes include end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageSEC-ERS-LOCK
ATA Secure Erase command was rejected by frozen disk security. The usual suspects are end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StoragePCIE-LANE-DRP
M.2 drive running on PCIe x4 suddenly fell into PCIe x1 mode, reading speed dropped drastically. It's most often caused by end of life (age), defective cable, power outages and high temperatures in the M.2 slot.
StorageNVME-PCIE-DEMOTION
The M.2 SSD runs at half speed due to shared PCIe lanes with the GPU or chipset. Work through the steps below in order.
StorageSSD-DRAM-CACHE-FAIL
An SSD without a DRAM cache (DRAM-less) is extremely slow when writing large files or reading small files. It's also often linked to defragmenter running on SSD instead of TRIM.
StorageCHKDSK-STAGE3-STUCK
The chkdsk disk checker is stuck at stage 3 (Security Descriptors) or 4 and is not progressing. It's most often caused by extremely large number of file system errors, bad sectors on the HDD slow down the operation…
StorageBITLOCKER-RECOVERY-LOOP
The computer asks for the 48-digit BitLocker key every time it is restarted, even if the password is not changed. Work through the steps below in order.
StorageSSD-TEMP-WARN
The NVMe or SATA SSD is operating above optimal temperatures. This usually traces back to poor case airflow and missing M.2 heatsink.
StorageNVME_READ_ONLY
The solid state drive controller detects media wear or flash array errors and locks itself in read-only write-protection to prevent further data loss. The user can read files but cannot save, modify, or format the drive.
StorageNVME_OVERHEATING_CRASH
High-speed NVMe PCIe SSD temperature exceeds safety thresholds, triggering critical thermal throttling, performance drops, or sudden controller disconnects resulting in BSOD or system freeze. Common triggers are…
StorageNVME-CONTROLLER-RESET
The NVMe storage controller has been reset by Windows due to a command timeout. The NVMe driver sends a command to the drive and waits a maximum of 8 seconds for a response.
StorageDISK-WRITE-PROTECT-ERROR
Windows cannot write to the disk due to write protection. This can occur on USB drives with physical write-protect switches, SSDs with failed controllers entering read-only mode as a self-protection mechanism, or…
StorageBITLOCKER-RECOVERY-LOOP
The system is stuck in a BitLocker recovery screen loop, repeatedly asking for a 48-digit recovery key. This occurs when the TPM chip detects that the boot configuration has changed (BIOS update, new hardware, Secure…
StorageHDD-SLOW-READ-SPEED
A mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) exhibiting extremely slow read/write speeds, typically below 30 MB/s when sequential reads should be 100-200 MB/s. This is an early warning sign of imminent drive failure.