What is Scan Disk?
Scan Disk is a utility that comes with Windows (not Windows XP however) that checks your hard disk for errors. If it finds an error, it will usually fix it for you automatically. You’ll often see Scan Disk in action after your PC has crashed or been shut down incorrectly.
You can also set Scan Disk to run whenever you want to check your hard drive for errors.
How to Run Scan Disk
To run Scan Disk, go to the Start button, choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scan Disk. Next, select the drive you want to check and then choose either thorough or standard.
The standard test will check files and folder on the drive you select for errors. The thorough test checks files and folders for errors as well as checks the drive for physical damage. It allows you to specify to check only data files, only system files or both. Each test has advanced options for dealing with certain issues such as fragments, invalid files or overlapping data.
Make your testing choice, click Start and let Scan Disk run.
The Scan Disk story doesn’t end here. Notice above we mentioned it doesn’t come with Windows XP? Scan Disk in Windows XP is actually now called “Error Checking”. It’s essentially the same program with the same function but a new name.
How to Run Error Checking in Windows XP
To run error checking in Windows XP, double click the My Computer Icon. Right-click on the drive you wish to error check, for example the C: drive. Choose Properties from the shortcut menu, and then click the Tools tab. You’ll see the Error Checking section along with a button labeled “Check Now”. Click the Check Now button. Place a check mark in both option boxes:
- Automatically fix file system errors
- Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors
Click the Start button in this dialogue box and let Error Checking run.
You may be prompted to restart your PC or schedule a disc check upon the next re-boot because the utility needs exclusive access to some of the Windows files. If this is the case, go ahead and click Yes to schedule the check on the next re-boot. If you don’t need your PC for a while, go ahead and restart the computer and allow the process to run.
Running these utilities does take some time and you won’t be able to use the PC during the check. Plan ahead and perform these steps when you don’t need to use the computer.
When you are running either Scan Disk or Error Checking, you may find that the process keeps stopping and restarting, creating an endless loop of resetting itself. This can happen when background tasks are interrupting the procedure. To avoid this, perform these disk checks in Safe Mode.
Another way to run Error Checking is through the command line. Go to the Start button, click Run and type in: chkdsk
Running chkdsk does not require a re-boot of the PC.
