by Joe Roberts

Created on: May 05, 2008

Checking for and Fixing Errors in Windows XP

The simplest and most effective way to find and correct errors in Windows XP is to let the integrated Scandisk tool do it for you. It has been improved over previous versions of Windows in that it no longer requires you to select confusing options for it to work properly. It also doesn't usually run until you Windows next loads, avoiding delays to your current work or constant restarts of the scan as it used to do in Windows 98.

It is however slightly harder to find. You will need to open "My Computer".

From here, you will need to select the appropriate hard drive to scan for errors. Most errors will occur on the hard drive that your operating system is installed on. This is almost always the one marked (C:). However, it doesn't hurt to scan all your hard drives on a regular basis as it is usually not a very time-consuming task.

Right-click on the appropriate drive and select "Properties".

A window will pop up will several tabs. Click on the one marked "Tools".

The window will change to one featuring 3 separate boxes. You want the want titled "Error-checking". Click on the box labeled "Check Now..."

Another window will appear with two options that can be ticked. "Automatically fix file system errors" is the one you will always want ticked. "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" is optional, however it takes a very long time to complete, depending on the size of your hard drive, as it physically examines every part of it for damage. This option is only recommended as a last resort if nothing else works as it will likely render your computer unusable for a large amount of time when you next boot up Windows.

Once you have selected the relevant tick-boxes, click on "Start". Most of the time a 3rd window will pop up with a message telling you that the program can not run while the hard drive is in use and will ask you if you want to run it next time Windows boots up. Click "Yes".

Congratulations. Your computer will perform a self-diagnostic and attempt to correct any errors it finds next time you turn your computer on.

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