With an operating system as complex equally Windows, things often go wrong without whatever credible reason. Yous may encounter random program crashes, data loss, or your files may become inaccessible among a legion of other issues.

If you lot see a random issue on Windows x, your kickoff instinct should be to browse your difficult drive for errors. This is where the CHKDSK arrangement utility comes in. Let's see what CHKDSK is and how to use it.

What Is the CHKDSK Utility on Windows 10?

CHKDSK stands for "Check Disk". The proper name alone gives away a lot of the details most the CHKDSK utility.

The CHKDSK utility scans your hard drive for potential logical issues. This includes checking for bad files, missing file metadata, wrong file types and sizes, and bad sectors. Put simply, if there is something wonky going on with the files and filesystems on Windows, CHKDSK volition figure out the problem and will attempt to fix it.

How to Use CHKDSK on Windows

Y'all can use the CHKDSK from inside the File Explorer or from an elevated Command Prompt window.

How to Use CHKDSK From File Explorer

To use it from inside File Explorer, open up This PC, and right-click on the drive that you lot desire to scan. Then, navigate to Backdrop > Tools > Cheque.

Once you lot click on Check in the Error checking section, Windows will tell you whether information technology has plant whatever errors on the drive or non. If it has establish errors, y'all tin scan the bulldoze to fix those errors. Otherwise, Windows will advise you confronting it.

That said, if yous want to scan the drive either way, just click on Scan drive in the dialogue box. This will showtime the CHKDSK scan.

How to Use CHKDSK From the Command Prompt

The CHKDSK control gives you a lot more control over the CHKDSK utility. Using this command, y'all tin can tell the utility precisely what yous want information technology to do. For instance, you can tell it to merely scan for bad sectors.

To apply the CHKDSK command, open an elevated Command Prompt window past hit Win + S and typing cmd. Then, right-click on the relevant upshot and select Run as administrator.

In Control Prompt, type chkdsk /r [drive letter] and press enter. Replace [drive letter of the alphabet] with the drive letter of the drive that y'all want to scan.

The scan takes a long time to terminate and may announced to get stuck on occasion. However, it'due south best to let CHKDSK terminate its chore uninterrupted, so let information technology do its work.

CHKDSK can save your files from disaster earlier it strikes. So, regularly cheque your hard disk for logical errors and bad sectors. And although CHKDSK is ofttimes plenty in most cases, exist aware that sometimes you may need to run some additional scans like SFC.

What Is the Departure Between CHKDSK, SFC, and DISM in Windows 10?

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Fawad Murtaza (106 Articles Published)

Fawad is a full-fourth dimension freelance writer. He loves technology and food. When he is not eating or writing nigh Windows, he is either playing video games or daydreaming near traveling.

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