Sometimes you may find that your computer system is running slow, and this is when you should make sure that your hard disk is OK. You may do this by running scan disk, which is a utility that repairs errors found on the hard disk. Errors in the hard disk are largely caused by improper shutdowns, subjecting the hard disk to shocks (especially when working), and malware.
Here’s how to perform ScanDisk on different platforms.
ScanDisk for Windows 2000/XP
Go to the “Start” button and then go to “My Computer”. Right click on the drive you want to scan (e.g. the C drive), and then click “Properties”. Before you want to start the scandisk, it could help to run a disk clean up by using the disk wizard to help you get rid of temporary files or unnecessary files. Once you have done that you may go back to complete the scandisk on the “Properties” section. Click on the “Tools” tab and select “Check Now” to check the drive for errors. Select the two options and click on “Start” button to start scanning the disk. If the drive is currently in use, the program will ask you to schedule a disk check at the next reboot. The scanning process may take 10 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the disk. The same procedure largely applies to Windows Vista.
Running ScanDisk on Windows 95/98
Windows 95/98 will automatically run a scandisk in the event of improper shutdown to make sure that the hard disk did not encounter any problems during the shutdown. Manually, this is how to do it.
* Go to the “Start” button and then click on “Run”.
* On the “Run” textbox, type in “ScanDisk” minus the quotes, and then click “Ok”.
* When the ScanDisk window appears, select the drive you wish to scan.
* You then have an option of performing a thorough or just a standard scan. It’s recommended that you run a standard scan first, and if you encounter any issue with the standard test, you may then proceed to perform a thorough scan.
* Click “Start” to begin the scandisk.
ScanDisk for MS-DOS
ScanDisk was first available for MS DOS 6.2 and has been around ever since. If you are still on MS DOS (6.2 or 6.22), and want to perform a ScanDisk, follow these instructions.
* On Windows 3.x, click File. Then exit in order to get a prompt for MS DOS.
* On the MS DOS prompt, key in CD/DOS and then press enter.
* Once on the C:DOS> type “ScanDisk” and press enter.
That starts scandisk on the PC. Note that some computer manufacturers may have changed the installation directory of where ScanDisk is found. If you cannot find it or are unable to run ScanDisk on the DOS directory, you can still accomplish the same on Windows directory by keying in CD/Windows.
For more information on ScanDisk read How do I scan disk?
