Jake's Tech Talk Scandisk

What is Scandisk?

Scandisk is a program designed to read a disk, and to detect and correct problems with the data structure on the disk. It can also detect areas of the disk's surface that can no longer reliably hold data, and mark those areas so they are no longer available for file storage.

Why should I run Scandisk?

When a program is terminated in an abnormal manner, copies of files that were in memory are written to the disk without names or pointers to the File Allocation Table. These are called Lost Allocation Units or Lost Clusters. These tend to slow the system down, and should be removed.

In some cases, a file creation error can cause cross-linked files; where more than one file is referenced to the same disk location in the File Allocation Table. These cause incorrect or incomplete loading of files, which can cause program failures or lockups.

When should I run Scandisk?

You should run Scandisk anytime you suspect a problem of this type, and as a preparatory step before installing new software. You should also run Scandisk before running a disk defragmenting program, although most defrag programs will prompt you to run Scandisk if they detect lost clusters.

How do I run Scandisk?

Either (1) click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scandisk

or (2) click My Computer, then right click on the desired drive, click Properties, click the Tools tab, and select Error Correcting Status. You may set Advanced Options if desired, but be wary of the option for automatic repair. This may cause unexpected results if you have not set the Advanced Options to handle repairs in the manner you prefer. As a general rule, you can delete any lost allocation units, rather than converting to files, since they are almost always copies of files already stored elsewhere on the drive. The default handling of cross-linked files is to make copies of each file elsewhere.

Standard checking is generally sufficient for normal disk checking at any time. Thorough checking tests a disk's surface for faults more completely, but requires significantly more time. It should be used for regularly scheduled maintenance rather than spur of the moment tests.

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