How to Use Window's Built-in Disk Error Checking Tool

By Malik Perkins '01

Window's built-in disk utilities are a very good set of tools to use to maintain stability of your computer. Using the Error Check tool is easy and it is recommended that users whose hard drive is formatted using the FAT32 file system run this test at least once a month.

Please Note: Windows performs a basic error check on start up automatically on drives formatted using the NTFS file format so it is not necessary for user with NTFS formatted hard drives to perform this test unless you suspect a problem. To detemine what file system you are using you can check General tab in the drive's properties window. For more information about how to get to the drive's properties window check below. For more information about the differences between the FAT32 and NTFS file systems click here.

To start, open your My Computer option either on your desktop or under your Start menu. Next, right-click on the icon for your hard drive and select the Properties option from the contexual menu that appears. You can then select the Check Now... option under the Tools tab in the drive properties window.

To run or schedule a check click the Start button at the bottom of the window.

If you would like the utility to automatically fix any error it finds then click the check box next to that option. This option is recommended for most users. More advanced users can choose to leave this option off if you'd like to see what errors where detected before proceeding.

The Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors can be used if you suspect that there is a physical problem with a section of the hard drive. This test cannot fix these types of problems with the hard drive but it may be able to recover and move any data files located in the damaged section of the drive to a good part of the disk.

Please Note: The utility will require exclusive access to your hard drive if you choose either of these options. This means that no other applications, including Windows, can be running while this utility runs. When you click Start you will get a message explaining this. To proceed with the test you should click the Yes button in the message window and restart your computer.