Windows Chkdsk Utility
If you are a frequent computer user you are probably well acquainted with errors and error messages. Chances are you have also experienced other types of problems such as problems booting or some other problem that can occur on your hard drive. The problem comes with regular use of your computer when you are uploading and downloading files. There are many things that can go wrong with your hard drive but this does not always have to spell gloom and doom.
Windows users have an added advantage since Microsoft has seen the need to provide a chkdsk utility to perform hard disk diagnostics. With this handy tool you can check your hard drive to find out if there are errors on your hard drive or maybe there are bad sectors on the hard drive that are preventing your system from working properly.
Windows XP is one of the versions that has the chkdsk utility feature. It will allow you to perform a quick scan or a more in-depth scan that does a more through check of your hard drive.
You can launch this chkdsk utility from Windows. All you have to do is open My Computer then right click on the hard drive you want to check. You will then select the properties tab which can be found in the tools tab. Then all you have to do is tell it to check now. You will have two choices to choose from. One will offer you the option to automatically fix file system errors and the other one will scan for and attempt to recover bad sectors on the drive. Once you tell Windows to perform the scan you will get a message telling you what errors, if any, were found.
Here is where you need to get a pen and paper. Unless you can screen print the results you will want to write down what errors pop up. This will be helpful in the future when you are attempting to repair those errors. You will also have this documentation to serve as back-up in case you need to take your computer in for repair.
It would be best if you ran a chkdsk for each drive. Your computer may have several drives and any one of them could be defective or be causing problems. The most common drive is C but there are other drives that serve to provide you with other functions.
Chkdsk utility is a great tool to use to try and diagnose hard drive problems. You may only think the problem is with your hard drive when in fact it is with a program or download. Finding out whether or not your hard drive has defects will help you determine what methods of repair you need to consider.
If you find that your hard drive has bad sectors it may be possible for you to fix those sectors by telling chkdsk to repair all errors it finds. This is certainly worth trying before you take your computer into the shop. Chances are you will be able to repair the damage at home without the added expense of a professional.
