Troubleshooting Lab

In this lab, you will perform two common activities for DSTs who are troubleshooting issues with hard drives. The issues range from intermittent application errors to slow performance. You will first run Check Disk on your hard drive to verify the integrity of the disks and then run Disk Defragmenter.

Exercise 1: Run Check Disk and Fix Errors

1. Log on to Windows XP.

2. From the Start menu, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and select Command Prompt.

3. At the command prompt, type chkdsk /F.

4. Windows returns a message telling you that it cannot fix errors on the system drive while it is in use and asking whether you want to schedule a scan for the next time you start Windows. Press the Y key, and then press Enter.

5. Close the Command Prompt window.

6. On the Start menu, select Turn Off Computer, and then select Restart.

7. Watch while Windows restarts. Before you get to the logon screen, Windows notifies you that a Chkdsk scan has been scheduled and gives you the opportunity to cancel it by pressing any key. Let the scan run, and watch its progress. When it is done, the logon screen is displayed.

Exercise 2: Defragment a Disk

1. Log on to Windows XP.

2. From the Start menu, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and select Disk Defragmenter.

3. Disconnect from the Internet, turn off all antivirus software, turn off all screen savers, and close all running programs (except Disk Defragmenter).

4. Select a disk, and then click Defragment.

5. Close all dialog boxes and windows when the process is complete.