How to Check Your Disk for Errors Using Chkdsk
Occasionally, problems can occur with a hard disk, which can have a variety of symptoms (slow start-up times, delays in opening files and folders, inability to open files and folders etc.). The chkdsk tool that comes with Windows scans disks for problems, and tries to correct any that it finds.
If you think you may have problems with your disk, you should run a check. Even if you don't, you might want to check on a periodic basis (maybe once a month), to check for and correct any issues before they develop into more serious problems.
How to Check Your Disk for Errors
To check your disk for errors, select "My Computer" from the Start menu. Right click on the disk you want to check, and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu.
This will open the properties for the disk, which displays information such as the amount of free space remaining. Select the "Tools" tab, and then click the "Check Now..." button.
The disk check options then appear. The first box ("Automatically fix file system errors") is usually selected by default, but check it if that it not the case. The second box ("Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors") does some additional checking, but does mean that the process will take longer (possibly hours). Unless you're constrained by time, you should select this option too.
After you hit "Start" you'll probably see a window like the one below, telling you that the check can't be done while the disk is in use. Click the "Yes" button, and the check will be performed next time you re-start your computer.
If you restart your computer, then before Windows starts up again, you'll see the information from the disk check.
How to Find and Interpret Chkdsk Results
Strangely, locating chkdsk results is a bit of a black art. They appear on screen at the time the check is run, but disappear when Windows starts, so unless you're watching carefully at the time (which would be pretty boring), you'll miss them.
To find the results, you need to open the Event Viewer. This may be accessible from the Start menu -> All Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer, but if you don't see it there, don't worry because the Administrative Tools menu is probably just not enabled on your computer.
To enable this, right-click on the Start button and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu.
Select "Customize..." from the "Start Menu" tab.
Scroll down to the "System Administrative Tools" entry, and select "Display on the All Programs menu". You should then be able to access the Administrative Tools menu and open the Event Viewer (Start menu -> All Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer).
When the Event Viewer starts, it looks like this:
Click on "Application", and then scroll down to find the most recent entry with a value of “Winlogon” in the “Source” column.
If you double-click on this, you'll see the results from the last disk check that was performed.
In this case, you'll see that the check found free space that was incorrectly marked as allocated, and made corrections to the file system. You'll also see that it also says "0 KB in bad sectors", which means that we don't have any data stored in bad areas of the disk, which is what we want.
If you do find errors in the results which chkdsk can't correct, you could try searching the Microsoft Help and Support website for help in diagnosing and solving these. If that doesn't resolve the problem though, we recommend that you ensure that all of your data is safely backed-up, and consider replacing the disk.
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