After Windows To Go Crashed, CHKDSK Saw NTFS but Both Drives Stayed Unreadable
Do not run CHKDSK again, rebuild partition records or format either disk. CHKDSK recognizing NTFS records and reporting that it fixed errors does not guarantee Windows can open the root directory. When the priority is one Documents folder, a verified read-only file listing and safe export matter more than making Windows boot.
In this two-drive Windows To Go failure, an HP Pavilion g6 froze in Windows 7 To Go, was forcibly shut down, and then two large NTFS volumes became inaccessible. A subsequent chkdsk G: /f claimed corrections, yet dir G:\ remained unreadable. There are two physical disks, and the available 128GB USB already contains files.
Why NTFS Can Be Recognized but the Folder Cannot Open
Some NTFS structures or records may still be readable even when damaged metadata, a failed storage connection or another issue prevents Windows from mounting directories. Microsoft documents that CHKDSK /f changes file-system structures; a message saying it made corrections is not proof that all files are intact. The reported zero kilobytes in bad sectors does not establish healthy hardware. The same-time failure of two volumes calls for examining each physical disk and the shared connection or host environment rather than guessing a single cause.
Find and Export Only Documents Before Trying Repairs
First verify that each disk appears at its expected physical capacity and obtain health information where possible. If either drive clicks, repeatedly disconnects or shows read instability, avoid full scans and ask for an imaging or professional plan.
On a stable drive, inspect the physical device and volume structure without writing changes. DMDE's documented physical-device and partition view can help determine whether the original Documents folder can still be listed. Do not use partition-restore or repair commands on the only copy. The reason to inspect is to locate and export files, not to declare the file system healthy.
Check the free space on the existing USB first. A 128GB stick cannot hold complete images of two ~465GB disks, and no file on that USB should be overwritten. If Documents fits in its genuinely free space, an export to a separate destination is possible; otherwise arrange an additional healthy disk. Verify a few recovered documents before further work.
Only when a drive is stable, detected and there is a separate safe destination can a file-recovery scan such as Recoverit Hard Drive Recovery be considered. It must not write results to the RAW source. Once the needed documents are verified elsewhere, repair or reinstallation becomes a separate choice.