Click the Tools tab in the Properties dialog box for the disk you want to scan. (Refer to Task 2, "Displaying Disk Information," for help opening the Properties dialog box.)
The Tools tab opens. Click the Check Now button in the tab's Error-checking area.
INTRODUCTION
Sometimes parts of your hard disk get damaged, and you might see an error message when you try to open or save a file. You can scan the disk for damage using the ScanDisk program and fix any problems. You must also run ScanDisk before you can defragment a hard disk (covered in the next task).
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Restarting Your PC
Windows may display a dialog box notifying you that the disk check could not be performed because the utility needs exclusive access to certain files, and that those files can be accessed only by restarting Windows. To schedule the disk check to occur the next time you restart your computer, click Yes .
Click the Automatically fix file system errors check box.
Click the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.
Click the Start button. ScanDisk performs the scan.
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Errors Found?
If ScanDisk finds an error, a dialog box appears explaining the error. Read the error message and choose the option that best suits your needs. Click OK to continue. Do this for each message.
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Scanning After Rebooting
If you don't properly shut down Windows, you are prompted to run ScanDisk when you reboot. You can then check for errors before your system is restarted.
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Periodically Scan
It's a good idea to periodically run ScanDisk, even if you aren't having problems. Doing so helps keep your system running efficiently .
