Chkdsk comes on Windows operating systems and is a command line utility that strives to correct disk volume issues. It can stabilise a system and help to defrag your hard drive.
By running this handy tool, you can verify that a file system is kept in order and that clusters are not corrupted. If you so choose, you can have chkdsk correct problems. The utility has a repair function and is capable of fixing a damaged volume.
So when should we be using it? Many computer owners, no matter how savvy, put the maintenance of their system on the backburner and mount up a pile of useless registry entries. The hard drive becomes clogged and the overall performance follows a slow but frustrating downward curve leading you to wonder how it could ever have been fast! But it probably was, and using chsdsk.exe on a regular basis will go a long way to ensuring your copy of Microsoft Windows retains its performance.
There are two ways of accessing chkdsk, and they look very different. One method involves the basic command line. The other is available on Windows XP in a more visual representation.
To get to chkdsk via the command line;
- Go to Start, select Run and type “cmd”.
- Type “chkdsk c: /f /r”
This quick command will have your computer scanned for sectors that might have turned bad. By adding the “/f” we can have all errors automatically fixed, which is generally a good idea. The “/r” helps to recover extra readable information.
Leave the command line to scan through and search out the bad sectors. It will take a little while if there are a lot of errors needing attention. A very long time if you’ve made a habit of abandoning your computer.
As such, it’s a good idea to run chkdsk on a regular basis. It doesn’t need to be executed daily, but if the months are passing by and your system performance is getting scratchier, give it a full run and patch up the volumes.
To access the visual Windows version of chkdsk, available on XP;
- Firstly open up you’re my Computer folder.
- Right click on your hard drive icon (usually C:), and select Properties.
- Click Tools and then the “Check Now” option from Error Checking.
- Follow the further instructions until it asks you to restart Windows.
For both the command line and advanced Windows utility, it will be necessary to restart your computer. When you reboot, the system will automatically take control and run through the volume checking process. While this is happening, you’re powerless and left to wait for Windows to reload.
Chkdsk is seen as the first stop for hard drive related problems. If you’re troubleshooting hard drive failures or an increase in errors, it should be the first port of call. Even if your hard drive is working fine, it does no harm to run a volume check and sniff out the bad sectors. You’ll notice the improvement in performance.
