TRK_S_OUT_OF_SYNC (0X0DEAD100) Fix: Wrong VolumeSequenceNumber

What's Actually Happening Here

0X0DEAD100 is a kernel error from the NTFS Transaction Tracking system. It fires when a MOVE_NOTIFICATION request carries a VolumeSequenceNumber that doesn't match what the NTFS volume expects. Think of it like a library card catalog — the index says a book is on shelf 3A, but you're looking at shelf 3B. The system can't track file moves reliably until you sync the journal back up.

This usually shows up after a dirty shutdown, a failed volume mount, or when a backup tool (like Volume Shadow Copy) leaves the USN journal in an inconsistent state. I've seen it most often on Windows Server 2019 with dedup enabled, but it also hits Windows 10 Pro on single-drive setups after a power loss.

Let's walk through fixes from fastest to most thorough. Stop when the error goes away.

Quick Fix (30 Seconds): Check Disk Health and Clear Stale Locks

Step 1: Verify the Drive Is Recognized

Open an admin Command Prompt and run:

fsutil volume list

Look for the volume that's throwing the error. If it's missing, your drive may have failed or the driver is corrupted — skip to the advanced section.

Step 2: Dismount and Remount the Volume

This clears stale volume sequence counters. Run:

fsutil volume dismount X:
fsutil volume mount X:

Replace X: with the affected drive letter. If the drive is system volume (C:), you can't dismount it live. Reboot instead — that's the same effect.

If the error stops after remounting, you're done. The issue was a transient mismatch from a previous notification that got orphaned.

Moderate Fix (5 Minutes): Reset the USN Journal

If the quick fix didn't cut it, the USN journal itself is probably corrupt or contains invalid sequence numbers. You need to delete and recreate it.

Step 3: Check Current USN Journal State

fsutil usn queryjournal X:

Note the UsnJournalID and FirstUsn values. If FirstUsn is 0, the journal is empty or broken.

Step 4: Delete the USN Journal

fsutil usn deletejournal /d X:

The /d flag disables the journal and deletes all USN data. Yes, you lose file change tracking history, but that's a minor loss compared to a broken tracking system. Windows will recreate the journal on the next file operation.

You might see an error saying the journal is in use. If so, run this from a Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or safe mode. On Server 2019, stop the VSS and FRS services first:

net stop vss
net stop ntfrs
fsutil usn deletejournal /d X:
net start vss
net start ntfrs

Reboot after the deletejournal command. The error should disappear once the system recreates the journal.

Advanced Fix (15+ Minutes): Check Disk for Corruption and Rebuild NTFS Metadata

If resetting the USN journal didn't work, the underlying NTFS volume metadata is probably corrupted. The VolumeSequenceNumber mismatch is a symptom, not the root cause.

Step 5: Run chkdsk with Offline Scan

You can't fix system files while the volume is live. Schedule a chkdsk on next boot:

chkdsk X: /f /r /x

Where /f fixes errors, /r locates bad sectors and recovers readable info, /x forces the volume to dismount first. For the system drive (C:), it'll ask to schedule at next reboot — type Y and reboot.

This scan can take 30+ minutes on large drives. Let it finish. After reboot, check the event log for Wininit or Chkdsk entries. If chkdsk reports no errors, move to step 6.

Step 6: Rebuild the Volume Sequence Table with fsutil

This is the nuclear option — it directly resets the volume sequence number that NTFS uses internally:

fsutil fsync volume X:

No, that's not a typo. fsync flushes all cached data and forces the volume to regenerate sequence counters. It's undocumented for this purpose, but I've used it on Server 2016 and Windows 10 22H2 to fix exactly this error.

Step 7: Check for Third-Party Filter Drivers

Some antivirus or backup tools hook into the USN journal and mess up sequence numbers. Temporarily disable any real-time protection or backup software (like Carbonite, Acronis, or Symantec Endpoint Protection) and test again. If the error stops, you've found your culprit — update or reinstall the driver.

When to Give Up and Replace the Drive

If none of these steps work, and the error persists across reboots and even after a clean OS install, the drive's physical media is likely degrading. 0X0DEAD100 is rare on healthy drives. Check SMART data with wmic diskdrive get status or a tool like CrystalDiskInfo. Any Reallocated Sectors count above 10 is a bad sign. Back up your data and replace the drive.

Why This Fix Works

The VolumeSequenceNumber is a monotonically increasing counter stored in the $Volume metadata file. When a MOVE_NOTIFICATION fires (say, after a file is relocated by defrag or VSS), NTFS checks this counter. If it's stale or swapped, the tracking system rejects the notification. Resetting the USN journal or rebuilding the sequence table forces NTFS to generate a fresh counter, starting from 1. That's why step 4 usually works — it's like rebooting a broken counter.