Ask Bob Rankin: How Can I Check for Hard Drive Damage?

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If, like me, you are a MacHeretic and are still learning the PC operating system, I found a valuable resource for help:
From Ask Bob Rankin:

Every operating system can check a hard drive for bad sectors. In versions of Windows prior to XP, the DOS utility CHKDSK was used at the command line level. Later versions of Windows use this procedure:

• Open the Start Menu and click on My Computer
• Right-click on the icon representing the hard drive in question and select Properties
• On the Tools tab, click the Check Now button under "Error-checking"
• On the following popup window, check the box labeled "automatically fix errors" and "scan for and attempt to repair bad sectors"
• Click OK

You will have to restart Windows because the error-checking utility cannot run while Windows is running. The tests and repairs will take a significant amount of time on a large hard drive; go to lunch or happy hour. When the tests for hard drive damage end, Windows will restart automatically. A report will be available after the error-checker does its job.

Click on the image above and subscribe to Rankin's e-mail list for more tips and information. Click the link "Ask Bob Rankin" to read this article in full. There are instructions for Macs there. Perhaps I'm not a MacHeretic as much as bi-platform girl.
_/\_/\_