Clean up your hard disk with ScanDisk

Through normal use of your computer, your hard disk can become cluttered and a bit messy. Folders become cross-linked, file names contain invalid or unknown characters or become damaged, and file names become disassociated with their files. ScanDisk can fix these and other problems for you. It's also a good idea to run ScanDisk on a regular basis: once a week for standard, and once a month for thorough.

1. Click the Start button.
2. Point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
3. Click the drive you want to scan, and then choose either the Standard or the Thorough test.
4. Click Start.
   

• The Standard test checks the files and folders on the selected drive for errors.
• The Thorough test will give you further options. It performs the Standard test plus checks your hard disk 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.
• Both Standard and Thorough have a set of Advanced options that help you to deal with lost file fragments, invalid files, and cross-linked files. You can also choose to display a summary and to keep a log file of what ScanDisk finds.