How to Resolve Error ‘MySQL Table is Marked as Crashed and should be Repaired’?

You may encounter the error “Table is marked as crashed and should be repaired” in MySQL Server while accessing the MyISAM tables or working on the database. However, it is mostly seen when you access the database after your system crashed or if you have forcefully shutdown the MySQL database application. 

This error indicates that MySQL Server fails to read the table in the database or the tables are crashed. MySQL Server can recover the crashed tables by itself, but sometimes an automatic attempt can also fail.

When this error occurs, you may fail to read data from the table, which is marked as crashed. In such a case, you need to recover or repair the crashed MySQL table. In this article, we will learn the causes behind the ‘Table is marked as crashed’ error and the solutions to resolve it. 

Causes of Table is Marked as Crashed and should be Repaired Error in MySQL

This error can occur when the MySQL table crashes due to one of the following reasons:

• Low disk space on the system hosting the MySQL tables.
• Heavy load on the server.
• Corruption in MySQL table.
• MySQL database is damaged or corrupted.
• Improper shutdown of MySQL Server.
• Improperly closing the tables while using the databases.

Methods to Resolve “MySQL Table is Marked as Crashed and should be Repaired” Error

First, check and ensure there is enough disk space available on the drive where MySQL tables are saved. To check this, right-click on the drive and then click Properties. If space is low, then free up some space. If the error persists, then follow the below methods to repair and restore the crashed MySQL tables.

Method 1: Restore Tables from the Backup File

If you have a readable and updated backup of the MySQL database, then you can easily restore the crashed MySQL tables from the backup. You can use the mysqldump utility to restore the MySQL database from the dump file. Here’s how:

Note: Make sure you have SELECT, SHOW VIEW, CREATE, and TRIGGERS privileges for the dump files. Also, check that the connection option is selected on the server.

• Create an empty database to save the restored database using the following command:

mysql > create db_name

• After this, use the mysqldump utility to restore the database. To do so, use the following command:

mysql -u root -p db_name < dump.sql

• This will restore all the objects in database. Now, you can use the following command to  check the MySQL tables:

mysql> use db_name;

mysql > show tables;

Method 2: Use PhpMyAdmin Tool

You can also use PhpMyAdmin – an open-source tool to repair and restore crashed MySQL tables. To use this tool, follow the below steps:

• Open web browser on your system and enter this url: http://localhost/phpmyadmin. This will open phpMyAdmin.
• Login to the phpMyAdmin.
• In PhpMyAdmin cPanel, click on the Import option.
• Click Choose File to select the database backup file on your local system.
• Next, select SQL from the Format dropdown and then click Import.
• It will start the import process. Once the process is complete, you will see a success message.
• To check the restored database, click List of Database.

Note: You may face time-out issues when restoring large-sized database files using PhpMyAdmin.  

Method 3: Use myisamchk Command

If the backup is obsolete or not available, then you can use the myisamchk utility to repair the MySQL database tables. Following are the steps to use this utility:

• First, stop the MySQL Server using the below command:

service mysql stop

• Then, recover the table by executing the below command:

myisamchk –recover TABLE

• Next, start the MySQL Server by using the below command:

service mysql start

Note: This command doesn’t support repairing of partitioned tables.

Method 4: Use a Professional MySQL Repair Tool

If the above methods fail to recover the corrupted MySQL tables, then you can use a professional third-party MySQL database repair tool, like Stellar Repair for MySQL. It can repair corrupt MyISAM tables and recover all the data with absolute precision. It also supports repairing of tables created with InnoDB storage engine. It saves the recovered data in a new MySQL database. Also, it allows you to review all the objects, including queries and tables, before saving the repaired database. The tool can restore data from MySQL database created on Windows and Linux operating systems. 

Conclusion

The ‘Table is marked as crashed and should be repaired’ error is associated with MyISAM tables. This error can occur due to various reasons. You can follow the methods mentioned above to resolve this error. If corruption in the MySQL database tables is the reason behind this error, then you can restore the tables from backup. If backup is not available, then the best option is to use a professional MySQL repair tool, like Stellar Repair for MySQL. This can quickly restore all the tables and other objects from MySQL database file without any modification.