How can I remove ‘Scan and fix’ message?

QBecause I need to access files on both my Windows 10 PCS, I store everything on a USB stick. Not long ago Windows started showing a notification that I should ‘Scan and fix’ the stick. I agreed to do so, but Windows froze before any progress was made. Can I make Windows stop telling me to scan the drive? Ryan Bester

AWindows prompts you to scan and fix a removable drive (such as a USB stick) if it believes it has previously been unplugged without being properly ejected. This can corrupt it, so it’s a sensible precaution, but we agree it’s annoying. The best way to avoid being nagged is to always right-click the drive letter and select Eject before physically unplugging the stick.

The fact that your PC froze suggests the stick is corrupted. Make a backup of its contents, then right-click the Start button and choose Command Prompt (Admin). At the prompt type chkdsk :e /f< (replace e: with the drive letter of your stick). That should either fix any errors on the stick or identify that there aren’t any.

If that doesn’t work, reformat the stick. To do this, insert it in your PC, right-click it in the drives section of File Manager, select Format, then click Start. Once completed, copy your data back to the stick. You should no longer be prompted to fix it.

It is possible to turn off the ‘Scan and fix’ message - or at least it used to be before the Windows 10 Creators Update (CU) arrived in April. It’s worth trying if you haven’t installed the CU yet, though be aware that it also disables the Autoplay function, which automatically opens CDS, DVDS and USB sticks in your preferred software.

Open the Start menu, type services, then run the Services app in the suggested results. Scroll down the list of services and double-click Shell Hardware Detection. In the window that opens change the ‘Startup type’ box from Automatic to Manual (see screenshot), then click Stop followed by OK. Retrace your steps if you need to turn it back on.