How To Fix Error 0x80071ac3: Volume Is Dirty

At times, Windows might show an unexpected error while trying to transfer files to an external device such as an SD card. The message reads as ‘the operation could not be completed because the volume is dirty,’ with the error code 0x80071ac3 displayed aside it. This error is common in most of the Windows OS, and when encountered with, you can’t move or save anything on your external drive.

This is an annoying situation and most of the times caused by some bad sectors on the disk, or some features that prevent Windows OS to access the disk. Whatever might be the reason behind this error, fixes are available and are fairly straightforward to perform. Here, in this article, we have come up with the solutions to this 0x80071ac3 error and applying them you should be able to resolve the issue by yourself.

Resolving Error 0x80071ac3: Steps And Procedure

As mentioned, fixes for this particular error 0x80071ac3 are pretty simple to perform. Just make sure that you perform them in the order given below, and don’t skip any step. Here are the fixes that you need to perform to resolve error 0x80071ac3 on your Windows PC:

Fix 1: Check The Drive For Errors

As mentioned earlier, the error 0x80071ac3 can be a result of bad sectors on your device’s drive. In that case, you need to perform the following steps to scan your drive and to determine if this is the root cause. Here we go:

1. Press the Windows key + E together from your keyboard. The File Explorer will open.
2. Right-click on your external drive and select properties from the drop-down menu.
3. On the Properties window, click on the Tools tab.
4. Click on the Check or Check Now button.
5. If you are using Windows 10, click on Scan and repair drive. If you are on Windows 7, check all the options and click Start.

Now, you need to wait for the scan to complete, and after completion, check if the issue is resolved by trying to transfer files again to your external card.

Fix 2: Disable ReadyBoost

Many USB flash drives come with a ReadyBoost Disk Caching feature that is supposed to improve the performance of the storage device. However, this built-in feature can also result in this 0x80071ac3 error. In most cases, disabling this feature can help in resolving this error.

1. Press the Windows key + E together from your keyboard to open File Explorer.
2. Right-click on your USB drive and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
3. Look for a tab named ReadyBoost in the Properties window. Once you find it, click on it.
4. Now, you should see an option reading “Do not use this device.”
5. Click Apply and then OK.

Fix 3: Slide The SD Card Lock

If you are facing this error 0x80071ac3 on the SD card, an effective solution will be to slide the lock on your SD card back and forth a few times. After that, connect your SD card back to your computer to check if the issue is fixed.

Fix 4: Reinstall Drivers

This issue can also be caused by a damaged or outdated device driver. In that case, you need to reinstall them to fix this error 0x80071ac3. Follow the steps mentioned below to reinstall the drivers for your external drive.

1. Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator.
2. Press the Windows key + R together from your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
3. Type “devmgmt.msc” in that box and click OK or hit Enter. The Device Manager window will open.
4. Click on Disk Drives to expand it.
5. Right-click on the external drive and select Properties.
6. Go to the Driver tab and click Uninstall.
7. Now, disconnect the external drive from your computer and perform a restart of your computer.
8. Open Device Manager again by following the first three steps.
9. Insert the drive to your computer.
10. Click on Action inside the Device Manager window.
11. Click on Scan for Hardware Changes.

Windows will now reinstall the drivers for the disk drive. After completion of the process, check if the issue is resolved.

Fix 5: Format The Drive

If none of the above methods fix the error 0x80071ac3, you can try formatting your external drive as a last resort. However, take note that formatting will erase every file and data on your drive, and you should perform this action only if all the other methods fail. Follow these steps to format your drive:

1. Press the Windows key + E together from your keyboard. File Explorer will open.
2. Right-click on your affected external drive, and select Format.
3. Click on Restore device defaults followed by Start.
4. Click OK on the pop-up window.

Now, wait for Windows to format your disk. After completion of the process, check if the issue has been resolved.

These are the solutions to fix error 0x80071ac3 on your Windows PC. Hope, after going through the fixes as mentioned above and applying them accordingly, you can resolve the error without any trouble.