How To Fix NTFS FILE SYSTEM Error On Windows

The NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM bug check, which has a value of 0x00000024, generally occurs if there’s some problem with ntfs.sys. This driver file enables read and write operations between the system and NTFS drives.

Aside from this, the presence of bad sectors on the disk, corrupt storage controller drivers, or memory problems can also cause this BSOD.

The NTFS FILE SYSTEM error can prevent you from booting at all, in which case, you’ll have to try and troubleshoot via the recovery console or using an installation media. We’ve detailed how you can do this in this article.

Table of Contents

Ways to Fix NTFS FILE SYSTEM Error

Before you start, reseat the memory modules and the storage media to get any connection issues out of the way.

Boot to Safe Mode / Installation Media [Situational]

After encountering this bugcheck, a restart is often all that’s needed to be able to boot normally. In such cases, you should back up all important data elsewhere, as there’s a possibility that your drive is corrupted/failing. Afterward, you should check out some of the fixes listed below to ensure you don’t encounter the BSOD again.

However, more often, the system will just keep crashing and won’t be able to boot. In such cases, you should first try booting to safe mode. Here’s how you can do this:

Force restart the computer 3 times a row to boot into the Recovery Environment.
Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
Press 5 or F5 to select Safe Mode with Networking and restart.
You should be able to try out the fixes listed below in safe mode.

In rare cases, you won’t even be able to access the recovery environment. This indicates that the disk is seriously corrupt, and your priority should be to save as much as you can.

In cases like this, you can use a Live Linux Drive to try to recover data, or you can boot using an installation media and try some of the fixes from this article. Here are the steps for the second method:

Connect the installation media to your system and restart.
Press the Boot Options key shown on the screen (usually F12).
Select the installation media to boot from it.
In the Installation Wizard, select Repair your computer.
Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
Your options will be limited here, but you can still try out some of the fixes like chkdsk. If none of the fixes resolve the BSOD at the end, you can also use the same method to reinstall the OS.

Check Drive Space

Microsoft recommends having a certain amount of free space on the drive (generally 10% – 15%) for various Windows functions, including swap files. If this space isn’t available, that can lead to this BSOD. As such, you’ll want to clear up a bit of space if necessary.

Inbuilt tools like Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup will be helpful for this purpose. Additionally, you could use Disk Management to check if there’s any unallocated space.

Use Diagnostic Tools

If your system manufacturer has provided any hardware diagnostics tools, especially ones for the storage sub-system, it would be best to use those. Otherwise, the native CHKDSK utility will also be helpful. Here’s how you can use it:

Press Win + R, type and Enter cmdEnter.
Type chkdsk c: /f /r, replace c: with your system drive letter if different, and press Enter.
Enter Y to accept the prompt and restart your PC. The disk scan will run upon restarting.

In the recovery environment, the steps to use chkdsk are slightly different:

Select Command Prompt from the Advanced Options page.
Execute the following commands and note the system drive letter:
Diskpart list vol
Enter exit.
Type chkdsk c: /r, replace c: with the drive letter from Step 2, and press Enter.

Use Memory Diagnostic Tool

If the available nonpaged pool memory is very low or completely depleted, that can also stop the system and lead to this BSOD. As such, you’ll want to check for any memory issues in your system. Here’s how you can do this with the Memory Diagnostic Tool:

Press Win + R, type mdsched, and press Enter.
Select Restart now and check for problems.
The tool will begin tests automatically upon restarting, but you can also press F1 and specify whether you want to perform a Basic, Standard, or Extended test. The number of tests and time taken will vary accordingly.
After the tests are complete, the results will be displayed briefly.

You can also view the results later on through the event viewer. Here’s how you can do this:

Press Win + R, type eventvwr, and press Enter.
Select Windows Logs > System.
Click on Find from the left pane, type MemoryDiagnostic, and press Find Next.
Select the log and check its description for details on what the problem is.

Repair Corrupt System Files

Missing or corrupted system files are another potential reason for this BSOD. As such, we recommend using the DISM and SFC utilities to repair system corruption. Here are the steps for this:

Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
Execute the following commands:
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth sfc /scannow

If you’re booting from an installation media, here’s how you can use these utilities via the recovery environment:

Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
Execute the following commands and note the system drive letter:
Diskpart List vol
Enter exit.
Type DISM /image:C:\ /cleanup-image /restorehealth.
Replace C: with the system drive letter if different and press Enter.
Next, type sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\windows.
Once again, replace C: with the system drive letter if different and press Enter.

Disable Monitoring Programs

Although rare, things that continually monitor the system, like antiviruses, disk defragmenters, or backup programs, have a possibility of causing this BSOD. As such, disabling or removing any such programs atleast temporarily will be helpful for resolving this BSOD.

Use System Restore

If you had created a system restore point before this BSOD first started, restoring your system to that point would be one of the easiest ways to fix the NTFS FILE SYSTEM error. Here’s how you can do this via the live Windows environment:

Press Win + R, type rstrui, and press Enter.
Press Next and select the restore point to use.
Accept the confirmation prompts and press Finish.
After 30 – 60 minutes, the system restore should finish, and you’ll receive a completion message.