Scan Disk / Check Disk 
Fixing Hard Drive Errors

DO IT:  Weekly.

In a perfect world, you can save, erase, and move files and everything goes without a hitch. 

However, computers are very complex, fast machines and despite the best efforts of all the designers, engineers and programmers who've worked to make them flawless, sometimes programs collide and mess up each others files.

ScanDisk is a built-in tool from Microsoft that scans and, in most cases, repairs errors on your hard drive. These errors can occur when your computer crashes and has to be restarted.  This is why you should run the Scandisk utility from time to time.   Believe me, it makes your computer much more stable! 

For Windows 95/98/ME:

Step 1:
Go to Start » Programs » Accessories » System Tools » ScanDisk.

Step 2:
Select and click the drive you want to scan, and then choose either the Standard or the Thorough test.

Scandisk runs in two modes: Standard and Thorough.  The Standard test checks the files and folders on the selected drive for errors.  The Thorough test performs the Standard test and then checks the entire surface of your hard drive for physical damage. You can even specify to scan areas of your disk containing only data files, or just the areas with system files, or both. This process takes a long time. Unless the Standard test fails you shouldn't need to run this test.

Step 3:
Click Start.

For Windows XP and 2000
Windows XP doesn't come with the same ScanDisk utility as Windows 95/95/ME. Instead, XP uses a revamped version of the old classic DOS utility "CheckDisk." 

Step 1:
Go to Start » Run and type chkdsk

Step 2:
Once your computer is done running the chkdsk utility in three stages, the window will close on its own.

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