3 Best Ways to Recover CHK Files to Original Format

Sudden power outages, Windows OS crashes, malware attacks, etc. can cause errors while you are scanning your disks. The Windows built-in CHKDSK tool will convert your data to .chk files, then collect them into a Found.000 folder instead of deleting them.

By default, this folder is hidden. You need to go to File Explorer first and click Hidden Items. But when you try to open files with the suffix .chk, you will find it completely inaccessible. This must be a scary thing as there is a possibility of your data being lost. This article will show you how to restore CHK files to their original format.

Method1. Recover CHK files using UnCHK

UnCHK is a free CHK file recovery tool. As long as your files are not severely damaged, it can help you check the contents of CHK files and determine the original format of the files to restore them. Such as .chk to .jpg/jpeg. You can restore them according to the following steps.

Step2. Recover CHK files to the original format

Choose the directory where the CHK files are located and choose a destination directory. Select the Whole files option to scan and click on OK.

Method2. Recover CHK Files Using CMD

You can also use CMD to batch-change file extensions and restore CHK files to a recognizable format. This way you will be able to open them.

Step2. Enter the command to change the file extension

First, Type cd/ and hit Enter.

Then, type of drive letter (C:, E:, D:, etc.) where you located the “Found.000” folder.

Next, type cd Found.000.

Finally, type “ren *.chk *.jpg” to convert the CHK files to their original extensions.

Notice: If you need to change CHK files to other formats, change ".jpg" to other file extensions, such as “.doc”, “.xls”, “.png”, and “.mp4”.

Method3. Manually recover CHK files to the original format

If you can confirm the format of the original file, you can manually restore the original format in batches. The specific operation steps are as follows.

Step1. Create a text document

Open Notepad and create a document, type ren *.chk *.jpg, and save.

Notice: If the original file extension of the chk file is .png, .mp3, or other formats, replace .jpg with the desired extension.

Step2. Recover CHK files to their original format

Change the suffix of the text document to .bat.

Notice: If you still don't know how to view file extensions. You can check How to Force Windows Explorer to Always Show You the File Extensions.

Copy the .bat file to Found.000 folder. And double-click to run the .bat file.

Finally, you can open the Found.000 folder to check if the file has been restored to its original format.

Chk files are broken files and corrupted data, which are generally generated when the process of writing to the volume stops halfway or the computer suddenly shuts down without saving the file. Fortunately, if the file damage is not serious, you can restore the original format by the above method. And if you have other difficulties with computer use, welcome to visit WiseCleaner.