Hardware and software setup

How to scan your hard drive for errors. How to check hard drive without loading windows

Each user knows and will definitely get into such situations when something breaks down in the computer, works incorrectly or does not work well. There is nothing more irritating than a misguided technique that keeps freezing or unknown reasons governs itself. Of course, all parts can break, but the mechanical parts that are still preserved in modern computers are especially susceptible to destruction. One of them is the hard drive.

In this review, not only theory will be considered. The authors had a failed disk at hand, the operating system of which loaded for about 20 minutes. It was decided to fix this and quite successfully!

What can go wrong

In order to prevent damage and repair the hard drive in time, or at least save the necessary information, you need to regularly monitor the status. To do this, it is recommended to carefully monitor the "health" of your computer. Here are the points to pay close attention to:

  • watch out for errors. Technology, like humans, is prone to error. There was one incident with the hard drive - it's okay, but if errors appear constantly, you need to urgently contact the wizard.
  • friction or beat. Since reading is done using the head, there is a chance that it will move and begin to spoil the main disk with information. If you hear a suspicious knock in the system unit, this may well mean that there is a problem with the hard drive.
  • analyze work. If your computer did not save the file, or if a recently saved document suddenly disappeared, you need to go to the wizard. If the computer's long-term memory is not working well, the hard drive is to blame.
  • recognition. The computer did not see the disk? Bad, most likely, this is a problem with the disk, and not with software, although this may be the case. Try to put the part in another system unit. If it works - everything is in order.
  • failures. Are you trying to upload a document, but the technician stubbornly refuses to do so? Problems with loading long-term memory files are taken from breakdowns of the same part.
  • long loading. If you open every photo for half an hour, you can’t delete a light text document, then this is also a hard drive problem.

It is not necessary to sit at the computer all the time system block and listen to how the problematic detail “does” there. It is enough just to periodically listen and carefully monitor the state of the entire computer, then everything will be in order.

How to Check Your Hard Drive for TOC Errors

In general, if your hard drive is fine and doesn't need emergency help, you can run a proactive error check. This will speed up your computer and save your nerves. Let's look at the algorithm of this useful procedure under the Windows 7 operating system.

  • in order for the computer not only to find problems, but also to fix them, you need to check the box “Automatically fix system errors».
  • if you want to try to repair the physical structure of the disk itself, you need to select the "Scan for and repair bad sectors" option. Please note that this procedure will take a lot of time.
  • any doubts? Select both options and perform maintenance.

Another little tip. If you decide to “treat” a disk that is a system drive for a computer, do it immediately before turning it off.

In order for any technique to work well, and it was easy for you to manage it, you need to monitor and care for it. Especially when it comes to a device that is much more complicated than a stove and it is sometimes quite difficult to figure it out on your own. Carry out preventive work, and if necessary, call the wizard and then with your computer, and, therefore, everything will be fine with your data.

HDD Regenerator

This program is best downloaded from the portal (softportal.com). We launch the installer.

If you leave a check mark in the last window, the program will start immediately. Let's not delay and let's get started.


And what is that Full Version menu? It turns out that the program is paid, and our compatriot requires $ 90 for a key. In addition, when removed, it behaves worse than a virus. Requires a restart of the operating system and takes a long time to think.

R.tester

  1. Right-click on any logical drive that you want to check.
  2. In the menu that opens, click on the "Properties" line.
  3. At the top of the properties window, click LMB on the "Service" tab.
  4. Click on the "Perform verification" button.
  5. Here, put both checkboxes in the checkboxes and click on the inscription "Start".

If the selected partition is not a system partition, the disk error check will start immediately. If you want to check the C: drive, the OS will display a notification that the operation cannot be performed at this time. Do not consider this behavior of the OS as a failure. Since all system data resides on the partition, it cannot be disabled while Windows is running.

Just click on the "schedule check" button and restart your computer. After turning on the PC, checking the disk for errors will begin even before the operating system loads.

Command line


To run the chkdsk utility from the command line, follow these steps.

  • Right-click on the desktop and select "Create Shortcut" from the context menu.
  • A window will appear asking you to select executable file, but the easiest way is to just type "cmd" into the input line and click OK.
  • Now right-click on the shortcut you just created and select the "Run as Administrator" line. A command prompt will open.
  • Type: chkdsk [partition letter]: /f /r.

As with starting from a graphical shell, checking the disk for errors will notify you that the program cannot be executed if you specify a system partition. At the same time, the question will appear on the screen: "Do you want to execute the task after restarting the PC?" Press the Y key to say yes, or N if you don't want to check the HDD.

If the OS won't boot

If Windows refuses to start due to a file system problem, a hard drive error check can be run from the Recovery Console. Open the BIOS by pressing the DEL key on the computer's initial boot screen. Set as boot device (First boot device) laser disc drive. Insert the Windows installer disc.


After booting from DVD, a selection window will open language settings. At the bottom of it will be located the item "System Restore". Remember that if errors occur on the HDD, it makes no sense to roll back to earlier restore points, overwriting data can lead to even more problems.

In a window that offers a choice of recovery options, click on the "Command Prompt" button. The syntax of the command remains unchanged - chkdsk [drive letter]: /f /r. In this case, the disk check will start immediately without rebooting.

Third party software

If the chkdsk utility did not result in positive result, and critical errors due to the HDD continue to occur, you should perform a more thorough check with . Hard drive manufacturers themselves produce special means to test your equipment. In addition to this software, you can use the Victoria and MHDD applications.

Be prudent! Checking the disk for errors by a third-party application should be performed only after creating backups of all important data. Moreover, you need to save copies of the data in external storage.

Let's make an explanation. "Bad sectors" are areas of the disk from which data cannot be read. Their very appearance is a bad sign, but acceptable, but a constant increase in their number indicates that the disk is most likely no longer a “tenant”. It is necessary to think about replacing it, and not to delay the decision for a long time.

So, the chkdsk program will check the disk, the check time depends on the size of the disk and the number of files on it. The system drive will only be checked after a reboot. You will have to be patient and wait for the work to be completed. When finished, a report will be displayed.

If you cannot log in, you will need to use the recovery tools and run the program from there.

Standard Windows check

Another way to check a disk is to use the check built into the OS. For this you need:

If the selected hard drive is used by any program, then to check it is necessary to stop its work. Click the "Disable" button and the test will continue. The scan time depends on the size of the disk and its fullness.

To check the system partition in this way, the system will display a message that testing will continue after the reboot. Agree with this, after restarting the computer, wait for the scan to finish.

With all due respect to Microsoft, only third-party programs can provide detailed information about disk health. If you need laptop repair, in Lyubertsy there is a good workshop where they can check your HDD. Moreover, they will do this using third-party programs, which we will discuss later.

Ashampoo HDD Control 2

This program is paid, but a free trial period will give you the opportunity to check the drive. The program is multifunctional, with its help you can perform many actions with the disk, including defragmentation, disk cleaning, etc. Now we are interested in the "Testing" and surface check modes.

To start the check you need:

To determine the state of the disk surface, you need to go to the "Control" tab and click on the "Surface Test" section.


The progress of testing can be observed in the window that opens. To indicate the state of the disk surface, color marking is used:

  • Blue - the sector is not checked.
  • Green - no errors.
  • Red - bad sector.

If the disk is large, the check may take a long time.

HDDScan

A popular program for getting information about a disk, checking it and fixing errors. To start testing you need:

To view the status of the disk, go to the "Map" tab, where all information about the surface of the disk will be located. Sectors are marked with squares of different colors. They mean:

Victoria

Perhaps the most popular utility for determining the health of a hard drive. It can be run both from Windows and from bootable media, if it is not possible to run operating system. Consider working with a program launched from Windows.

After launching, in the main program window you will see several tabs, the most important of them are:

In order to start the test, you must click the "Start" button and wait for the end of the work. First of all, you need to pay attention to the column of multi-colored rectangles with numbers next to them. Color-coded information about the speed of reading from disk sectors is displayed. Ideally, the values ​​should be near rectangles with different shades of gray.


The numbers next to the green or orange rectangles show the number of sectors for which you have to spend more time reading. The red rectangle shows that there are sectors on the disk, information from which can be read, but this requires a lot of time.

Most likely, these "red" sectors are candidates for bad ones. You should remember their number, and after some time re-scan. An increase in their number indicates degradation of the disk surface. Moreover, areas that are marked in blue may soon appear.

You can try to restore these "broken" sectors. To do this, you need to set the "Remap" mode and start the scan again. If possible, the program will restore these areas of the disk. If the "blue" blocks remain, you should think about replacing the hard drive.

Each user knows and will definitely get into such situations when something breaks down in the computer, works incorrectly or does not work well. There is nothing more annoying than a bad-thinking...

Check Disk Utility or chkdsk.exe is a tool in Windows 10 that investigates disk corruption. This tool turns on automatically when the computer encounters a sudden shutdown or detects a corrupted file system. In a few cases, this tool is recommended to be run, but in other cases, Windows itself will run it, depending on the nature of the errors. CHKDSK scans the disk space and verifies that the integrity file system has not been compromised - and if it finds any logical errors, it fixes them. Let's take a look at how to use the CHKDSK tool to check and hard recovery drive in Windows 10/8/7.

Error checking and recovery of bad sectors on the disk

What exactly does this tool check? Everything is very simple, it checks in 5 steps: checking the underlying structure of the file system, checking filename associations, checking security descriptors, looking for bad clusters in user file data, looking for bad and free clusters. The format of given commands in command line looks like chkdsk[drive:] [options] and looks like chkdsk c: /f /r /x. Please note that the local drive C: is indicated, if you need to check the entire hard drive, then remove C: and the command will look like this chkdsk /f /r /x. If you need to check and repair a flash drive, then specify the volume letter instead of C:. Let's take a closer look at advanced options that can greatly help you fix hard drive errors.

  • Open a command prompt as an administrator and enter the command chkdsk C: /f /r /x for scanning hard drive for errors and press Enter.
  1. C - local disk or the one you want to check. If you want to check the entire hard disk for errors, then simply issue the command chkdsk /f /r /x
  2. /f- Fixes the bugs it finds.
  3. /r- Looks for bad sectors and restores them.
  4. /x- Performs unmounting of the volume before checking it, if necessary.
  5. I've listed the more important commands in one, but you can see additional commands by typing at the command line chkdsk /?.

Service Check program Disk (Chkdsk.exe) used to check the disk for errors and bad sectors. This command line utility Windows strings checks the integrity of both basic and dynamic disks. It is used to check and fix errors found on NTFS volumes and older formats like FAT, FAT32.

Check Disk able to find and fix many kinds of errors. The utility primarily looks for inconsistencies in the file system and associated metadata. One of the ways that Check Disk finds errors is by comparing the volume's bitmap with the disk sectors assigned to the files.

Many users have a question - How to run CHKDSK? For this you need:

CHKDSK Command Options

CHKDSK [volume[[path]filename]] ] , where

  • Volume- Specifies the mount point, volume name, or letter of the drive to be checked, followed by a colon.
  • File name- Files checked for fragmentation (FAT/FAT32 only).
  • /F- Fix disk errors.
  • /V- For FAT/FAT32: Display the full path and name of each file on the disk. For NTFS: Display cleanup messages (if any).
  • /R- Search for bad sectors and restore the surviving content (requires / F).
  • /L:size- For NTFS only: Set the size of the log file (in KB). If the size is not specified, the current value of the size is displayed.
  • /X- Preliminary disabling of the volume (if necessary). All open handles to this volume will be invalidated (requires /F)
  • /I- NTFS only: less strict check of index entries.
  • /C- NTFS only: Skip checking for cycles inside the folder structure.
  • /B- NTFS only: re-evaluate bad clusters on disk (requires /R)
  • The /I or /C options reduce Chkdsk execution time by skipping some volume checks.

An example of analyzing a disk without fixing Chkdsk errors

You can check the integrity of a drive by entering the command name followed by the drive letter followed by a colon. For example, to check the integrity of drive C, type:

If, as a result of checking the indexes, lost files are found, Check Disk will restore them as they are. Typically, recovered files are stored with the .chk extension in the root directory of the respective drive. Finally, Check Disk displays a report that tells you if the free space was erroneously marked as in use, and if so, recommends correcting the error by running Check Disk with /F key.

An example of fixing disk errors with Chkdsk

When you analyze a disk, you check it, but you don't really fix anything. To check the disk and fix any problems found, you need to specify the / f switch, after which Check Disk will look for and fix errors:

  • chkdsk /f C:

Check Disk cannot recover volumes that are in use. If the volume is in use, Check Disk asks if you want the volume to be checked the next time you boot your computer. Key /R sets the search for bad sectors of the disk and the restoration of readable information, and key /X- Forced disconnection of an NTFS volume if necessary.

Check Disk may display more than detailed information about the progress of the check with /V key. For NTFS volumes, you can restrict index checking by setting key /I, and skip checking loops inside folder structures by specifying key /C.

CHKDSK is an abbreviation for check disk, which can be roughly translated as "check disk". This standard application for operating room Windows systems, which checks the hard drive for file system errors. Moreover, the application can fix file system errors.

The utility is built into the operating system, so you don’t have to look for it for a long time. So, attention.

Open "Computer" and select the hard drive that interests us. Click on it right click mouse and a menu appears. Select "Properties" from the menu.

You will see the disk properties window. Select the Tools tab and click Run Check.

A small window will appear. In it, you need to check the boxes (or check them as you wish) next to the items "Automatically fix system errors" and "Check for and repair bad sectors." Next, click the "Start" button.

If this is not a system drive, the check will be launched, which, in fact, you will see.

If the disk is a system disk, that is, it is used in this moment, you will be prompted to check it the next time you start your computer. Click OK or, in my case, "Schedule Check Disk". In this case, the check will be performed the next time the computer is restarted.

How to run CHKDSK from the command line?

There is nothing complicated here. Click "Start", in the line "Search programs and files" we write the word cmd. A shortcut will appear at the top of the window. Right-click on it and select "Run as administrator".

After you have launched the command prompt as an administrator, enter the command chkdsk c: /f, where c is the letter of the drive that needs to be checked, and /f is the option to fix errors on the drive. Press Enter.

If the drive is a system drive, you will get an error that the drive cannot be locked and the CHKDSK command cannot be run. You will be prompted to check the volume on reboot. Type Y and press Enter if you agree, or N and press Enter if you don't want to check on reboot.

If the drive is not a system drive, the application will check and all the results of the check will be displayed on the command line. By the way, the process of searching for errors and fixing them can take from several minutes to several hours, depending on the disk and system configuration.

CHKDSK used to check disks and display reports on the results of the check. Command line format:

CHKDSK [volume:[[path]filename]] ]

Volume Specifies the mount point, volume name, or letter of the drive being checked, followed by a colon.

File name Files checked for fragmentation (FAT/FAT32 only).

/F Fix disk errors.

/V Detail mode output. For FAT/FAT32: Display the full path and name for each file on this drive. For NTFS: also display cleanup messages.

/R Search for bad sectors and restore their contents. (requires key /F).

/L:size NTFS only: Resize the log file to the specified value (in KB). If the size is not specified, the current value of the size is displayed.

/X If necessary, force the volume off. All open handles to this volume will be invalidated. (requires parameter /F).

/I NTFS only: Less stringent checking of index entries.

/C NTFS only: Skip checking for cycles within the folder structure.

Keys /I or /C reduce CHKDSK execution time by skipping some volume checks.

Examples of using:

CHKDSK- check the current disk (volume) in read-only mode

Report example:

File system type: NTFS.

Volume label: DISK_C.

ATTENTION! The F parameter is not specified.

CHKDSK runs in read-only mode.

Checking Files (Stage 1 of 3)...
File verification completed.
Checking indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
Index check completed.
Checking Security Descriptors (Phase 3 of 3)...
Checking security descriptors is complete.
CHKDSK checks the USN log..
USN log check completed

488384000 KB total on disk.
482155688 KB in 332072 files.
108552 KB in 14989 indices.
0 KB in bad sectors.
KB 1120884 is in use by the system.
65536 KB used for the log file.
4998876 KB free on disk.

Cluster size: 4096 bytes.
Total clusters on disk: 122096000.
1249719 clusters on disk.

CHKDSK D: /F- check disk D: in error correction mode.

If in this mode checks CHKDSK cannot get exclusive access to the volume being checked, the program will prompt you to set the mode of automatic start of testing the specified disk at the next system reboot. The check will be performed by the Windows session manager service, according to the contents of the registry key
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\BootExecute
The results of the check can be viewed in the system event log - (Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Event Viewer - Application) service notifications Winlogon. The presence of a sign of starting the CHKDSK program at the next restart Windows can be checked with the command CHKNTFS, a link to the description of which can also be found on the page with a list of CMD Windows commands. In addition, it can be used to change some test parameters.

The operation of the CHKDSK program is divided into three main passes, during which CHKDSK checks all the metadata on the volume, and an optional fourth pass. The term "metadata" means "data about data." Metadata is an add-on to the file system that keeps track of information about all the files stored on a volume. The metadata contains information about the clusters that make up the data volume of a particular file, which clusters are free, which clusters contain bad sectors, and so on. On the other hand, the data contained in the file is referred to as "user data". In NTFS, metadata is protected using the transaction log. The process of changing metadata is divided into certain logical stages, or transactions, which are logged. If the sequence of actions to change the metadata is not logically completed, then a rollback is performed according to the transaction log data to the moment when this change has not yet been started. In other words, using the transaction log greatly increases the likelihood of metadata integrity.

This method is not used to protect user data (not metadata) in the NTFS file system.

Stage 1. Checking files

During the first pass, CHKDSK displays a message that a file check is in progress, as well as the amount of check performed, expressed as a percentage (from 0 to 100). During this phase, CHKDSK checks the record segment of each file in the main file table ( MFT) volumes.

Stage 2. Checking the indexes

Essentially, indexes are directories in a file NTFS systems. CHKDSK checks that there are no "lost" files and that all directory listings contain existing files. An orphan file is one for which a valid file record segment exists, but which is not listed in any of the directory listings. A lost file can be restored to its corresponding directory if that directory still exists. If the corresponding directory no longer exists, CHKDSK creates a directory in the root directory of the drive and moves the file into it.

Step 3: Check security descriptors

Security descriptors contain information about the owner of a file or directory, about NTFS permissions for given file or directory, and about the audit for that file or directory. CHKDSK checks the structure of each security descriptor, but does not check whether the listed users or groups actually exist or whether the permissions granted are valid.

Stage 4. Checking the sectors

This stage of CHKDSK execution is determined by the presence of the parameter /R when starting the program. Searching for bad sectors in free space volumes. CHKDSK attempts to read each sector on the volume, and if an error is found, the cluster that the sector belongs to is marked bad and removed from the volume's logical structure. Even without a key /R the program always checks by reading the sectors related to the table MFT(to metadata). In addition, the sectors that are used for the user data area are checked during the previous stages of CHKDSK.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that the execution time of CHKDSK with the key /R may be significant. In addition, modern hard drives have a built-in self-testing and parameter control (S.M.A.R.T) system, the presence of which makes it pointless to use the bad sector search mode using CHKDSK, since all modern drives constantly perform internal routines for monitoring the technical condition and self-diagnostics, as well as procedures built into the firmware level for remapping poorly readable sectors (unstable sectors) to sectors from the reserve area (remap or remap procedure). These processes occur invisible to the computer user. Therefore, the presence of bad blocks (Bad Blocks) is possible only if there is no free space in the spare area for reassignment, or if there are failures at the time of writing data to the sector, for example, during an emergency shutdown of the primary power supply.

When lost files are found, the program CHKDSK creates them in the file system structure as files with the extension .CHK. In practice, information from such files can be recovered manually only in cases where it is presented in text form. In some cases, you can use third-party software, such as a utility

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