Troubleshooting Disk Check Errors (fsck)

In some cases, pfSense® software may detect a filesystem issue and print an error on the console at boot time:

Disk is dirty, running fsck -y

The most common way this happens is with an unclean shutdown, such as a power loss. In most cases this is harmless and the self-check will complete and correct the error.

Manually Run fsck

In rare cases, the firewall may need to be booted in single user mode where fsck can be run manually until no problems are found or fixed:

# /sbin/fsck -y /


Repeat that command until fsck neither finds nor fixes problems when run. Do not stop when it claims to have cleaned the filesystem after fixing an issue.

Forcing an Automatic Check

If the system is booting successfully but a filesystem issue is suspected, connect to the console or SSH and use the reboot menu option (5), followed by F to reboot and force a filesystem check.