Before it reboots CHKDSK will start verifying files. Hence you should run CHKDSK before Windows is loaded and this can be forced by scheduling the disk check and closing down the system. If your windows operating system is running, CHKDSK will not run. It is best to make sure you are not running anything else inadvertently. However CHKDSK can only run if it is the only application using that hard disk drive and you may have to ‘force a dismount’. There are options available to ‘automatically fix file system errors’ and’ scan for and attempt the recovery of bad sectors’. If the file system has become corrupted, there is a chance that CHKDSK may recover your lost data.

But is CHKDSK good enough to test a failed hard drive and should I use it? In Windows 7 there has been reported problems whereby the CHKDSK /R command can cause a system crash, but we are not able to replicate this at Data Recovery Specialists.

CHKDSK will search for errors but will only fix them if ordered to do so by the user.

CHKDSK short for ‘check disk’ is a Windows utility which verifies the file system integrity of a volume on your hard drive, fixing logical errors and repairing bad sectors.

Run chkdsk windows 10