If you keep encountering this stop error, even after restarting your computer over and over, fear not. We have outlined six steps to help you get rid of it and continue using Windows 10 uninterrupted.
What Happens if I Can’t Boot Up My Computer at All?
Sometimes, the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error can happen while you boot up your computer, meaning you can’t even perform some troubleshooting steps. In this case, all you have to do is boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode.
In Safe Mode, the OS will only load the minimal drivers and applications, meaning the thing causing the blue screen of death will most likely not interfere while Windows 10 is in this state.
To enter Safe Mode, begin by clicking on Start and heading to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Click Restart now under Advanced startup.
Your computer will now restart and display the Choose an option menu. From there, head Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and then click on Restart.
After the computer restarts again, you’ll see the Startup Settings menu. You can press 4 or F4 on the Numpad to Enter Safe Mode or 5 or F5 to Enter Enable Safe Mode with networking. Choose the latter option, as this will you to use the internet while in Safe Mode, which you might need if you have to download and install Windows 10 all over again.
6 Ways to Get Rid of the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM Error
There are many reasons why the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM happens, and it usually boils down to issues with your storage drive or a corrupted file system. Malware can also be an issue, but you can easily rectify this by updating your antivirus software and running a full system scan. Try the below six troubleshooting steps to resolve the error.
1. Make Sure Your Drive Has Enough Storage
If there’s no storage space left for Windows 10 to boot properly, you can run into the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error. To check your remaining storage space, type file explorer in the Search bar of the Taskbar and click on the File Explorer app in the results. On the left panel, click on This PC and see how much space your C drive, the Local Disk, has left.
If you notice that you’re almost out of storage space (the drive’s bar will be red), try deleting some files you don’t need. Alternatively, you can perform a disk cleanup by right-clicking the drive and selecting Properties. In the Properties window, click on Disk Cleanup in the General tab.
Under Files to delete, check the boxes with the files you don’t need and click the OK button.
Windows will ask you if you’re sure you want to delete these files permanently. Click Delete Files.
When the process completes, restart your computer and see if that fixed the issue. If it’s fixed, you could avoid this problem in the future by installing an extra hard drive or using an external disk drive to store less important files.
2. Update Your HDD or SSD Driver
If your storage drive’s driver is outdated or corrupted, it can also cause an NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error to pop up. You can fix this problem with a simple driver update in Device Manager. Open it by pressing Win + R to open Run, entering devmgmt.msc in the dialogue box, and clicking on OK.
Expand the Disk Drives section, right-click on your hard drive, and select Update driver.
On the next windows, select Search automatically for drivers. The OS will find your drive’s latest drivers and install them. Check if this resolved the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error by restarting your computer.
3. Check and Repair Drive Errors
Disk drive errors can also lead to the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error, and you can easily scan for these issues and fix them through Command Prompt.
To do this, type cmd in the Search bar and click on Run as administrator under the Command Prompt app in the search results.
Then, enter the chkdsk C: /f /r command in and press Enter to run it. This command will fix hard drive errors and recover files from bad sectors.
4. Use System File Checker to Fix Corrupted Files
The above steps will rule out any hard drive issues, but if the problem persists, it could be because the NTFS file system is corrupt. You can fix it and any other corrupted files using the built-in System File Checker utility (SFC).
Open Command Prompt as an administrator, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
SFC will scan your entire computer for corrupted system files and repair them. After the process is complete, restart your computer and see if the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error persists.
5. Perform a Factory Reset of Your Windows 10 Installation
If nothing has worked so far, it might be time to reset your Windows PC. Doing this will return Windows to its factory default settings.
That means it will delete any programs and files (there’s an option to keep them) and install a fresh copy of Windows 10, which will hopefully get rid of the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM BSOD.
6. Reinstall Windows 10 Manually
In the most extreme cases, your computer will not even allow you to enter Safe Mode without running into the error. If that’s the case, reinstalling Windows 10 from a bootable drive could be the best way to make your PC usable again.
This step will format your disk drive, so be sure to back up any important files before proceeding.
No More NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM Blue Screen of Death
With the steps outlined above, you’ll most likely get rid of the NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM error. It might be scary when you encounter this problem at first, but you can effectively troubleshoot it with the right knowledge. If any of the steps don’t work, it might be time to consider calling in a hardware professional to take a look at your computer.
