How to Run a Chkdsk Function on Windows XP

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Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: April 8, 2021

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This article will tell you how to perform the check disk function on Windows XP.

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1. 
   1
   Click the Start button and select Run.
2. 
   2
   In the Run box type cmd.
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3. 
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   Click OK.
4. 
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   Type the drive letter of the drive you want to check (followed by a colon) and press ↵ Enter. For example, to check drive D, type d:
5. 
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   Type cd\ and press ↵ Enter. This takes you to the root directory of the drive.
6. 
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   Type the chkdsk command followed by one of the following switches:

   • Use the /f switch to automatically repair file system error. Type chkdsk /f and press Enter.
   • Use the /r switch to repair file system errors and scan for and recover bad sectors. Type chkdsk /r and press Enter.
   • If you don't specify a switch for Chkdsk, any errors that are found will not be fixed.
7. 
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   If prompted to schedule Chkdsk to run the next time the computer restarts, press Y and then ↵ Enter. You may be prompted to do this because Chkdsk needs exclusive access to the drive it's checking.
8. 
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   Type exit and press ↵ Enter when finished. If you had to schedule the Chkdsk operation, then restart your computer.

   • When Windows is loading, Chkdsk should automatically run and check the drive that you specified earlier.
   • Another way to run Chkdsk is to click the Start menu, select My Computer, right-click the drive to check, and go to Properties > Tools > Check now.
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• Question

  What do I do if my tools are not opening in properties?

  

  Community Answer

  Open command prompt (Windows key + R and type "cmd") then just type "Chkdsk" in the black window and press Enter. (You need administrator privileges.)

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• For best results schedule the check disk utility to run automatically.
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Warnings

• This may take a while depending on hardware speed and number of errors on the hard disk.
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