Checking Your Hard Drive for Errors (Windows 98/Me)

In the course of regular use, computer hard drives sometimes develop errors. These can occur from power fluctuations, poorly-written software, ordinary wear and tear, or improper shutdown.

Recent Windows computers have built-in utilities to check the hard drive for errors, and when possible, to fix those errors.

Scandisk

Computers running Windows 98 or Windows Me have an application called Scandisk built in. Sometimes Scandisk starts automatically, such as during the first time the computer is started up after an improper shutdown. If this happens, you generally should wait for the Scandisk to finish, rather than canceling it. An exception would be if you are told otherwise by a tech support technician.

You can also start Scandisk manually by following these steps:

1. Shut down any other programs you are running.
2. Click on the "Start" button (usually on the lower left of your desktop).
3. from the Start Menu that opens up, click "Programs."
4. From the submenu, click "Accessories."
5. Click "System Tools."
6. Click "Scandisk."

When you start Scandisk, you will see a dialogue like the one on the left. You will be asked to make a few decisions, the first one being which drive(s) you want to check. If you have more than one hard drive or if your hard drive is divided into partitions, they will appear as separate letters. You can check them individually, or you can check them together by holding the "CTRL" key down while selecting each drive you want to check.

The next decision you have to make is whether you want to do a Standard or a Thorough test. If you click the radio button for "Standard,"Scandisk will check the File Allocation Tables and the folders on the drives for errors. If you check "Thorough," Scandisk will also check the surface of the drive for damage, and will attempt to recover data from "bad sectors" and will mark the sectors as being unusable. A Standard test will take a few minutes to complete. A Thorough test will take several hours, depending on the size of the drive.

Most times, you should do the Standard test. But if you have reason to believe the drive is damaged or is wearing out, or if you are instructed to do so by a Tech Support person or Help document, then you should do the Thorough test. Just be aware that it may take a very long time.

The last decision you have to make is whether to allow Scandisk to automatically fix any errors it finds. In general, you should say yes. Sometimes, though, you should say no. For example, if you lost power while working on a document, and that document has disappeared, allowing Scandisk to automatically fix the error may make it more difficult for a computer technician to recover the document. So for routine maintenance, check "Yes." Otherwise, call Tech Support first.

When Scandisk is finished, it will report to you what it found and what actions it took.

If you are frequently getting errors for no apparent reason, if you are getting errors that Scandisk can't fix, or if the results show bad sectors, then it may be a sign of a serious hard drive problem. Make backups of your documents and data, and call a professional computer technician or Tech Support.