How to Run the CHKDSK Command Correctly

Windows has many programs that help repair damaged or failed hard drives. If your PC unit already has a time of use, it is normal that it does not work as on the first day. In this case, it is usually advisable to carry out an analysis to correct possible failures.

As we said, there are many free programs for Windows that perform these cleaning tasks. Almost all of them use a repair system already included in Windows itself natively.

It is Microsoft’s “Check Disk” program (also known simply as CHKDSK), and in addition to being free, it is one of the most effective you can find on the market even today. It can check the integrity of the hard disk and repair logical errors in the file system quickly and efficiently.

How to run the CHKDSK command to repair the hard drive

Microsoft’s Check Disk program is not a newcomer. It is a veteran tool that first saw the light of day in 1980 during the first Windows and DOS systems. Like most system utilities, Check Disk does not have a graphical interface, so it is run directly by invoking a command from a terminal window or MS-DOS.

Like other MS-DOS commands, the “chkdsk” command supports the ability to add certain additional parameters. Depending on the parameters entered, the command will perform different tasks.

CHKDSK command structure and parameters

CHKDSK [volume [[path] file name]]] [/ F] [/ V] [/ R] [/ X] [/ I] [/ C] [/ L [: size]] [/ B] [ / scan] [/ spotfix]

This is the basic structure of the CHKDSK command and all the parameters it accepts. Of course, you cannot execute them all at the same time, but you will have to choose the appropriate parameters for the task you want to carry out.

For example, if your hard drive (C 🙂 is damaged, you will execute the command with the following parameters.

chkdsk / f C:

The latter is the simplest repair command. It parses the drive and fixes any errors the “/ f” parameter finds.

Another example:

chkdsk / r C:

With the “/ r” parameter, the chkdsk command looks for bad sectors on the hard disk and tries to recover all the information that can still be read.

chkdsk / x / f C:

In this way, what the command will do is analyze drive C, correct disk errors (“/ f” parameter), and even force the volume to be dismounted in advance if necessary (“/ x” parameter).

The Check Disk command also works with external drives in NTFS or FAT format. So, if you have a USB stick or an external disk, you can analyze it without problems from your PC with this command.

From here, the rest is a matter of using the necessary parameters depending on your needs.

Another way to check disk errors from Windows

Finally, keep in mind that if you have problems using the Check Disk commands, you can always achieve the same effects by doing the following:

• Open a Windows Explorer window.
• Go to “This Computer” or “My Computer.”
• Right-click on the drive you want to analyze and repair. Click on “Properties.”
• Finally, go to the “Tools” tab and select “Error check Error-checking

Depending on the size of the scanned unit, it will take more or less time to finish the scan. If Windows detects any error, it will simply ask you to restart the computer to correct it. For practical purposes, you will achieve the same result as with the CHKDSK command.