Tip: Run Check Disk from the Command Line to Find and Fix Errors

You can run Check Disk from the command line or within other utilities. At a command prompt, you can test the integrity of the E drive by typing the following command:

chkdsk E:

To find and repair errors that are found in the E drive, use the following command:

chkdsk E: /f

Note that Check Disk can’t repair volumes that are in use. If the volume is in use, Check Disk displays a prompt that asks if you want to schedule the volume to be checked the next time you restart the system. Click Yes to schedule this.

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The complete syntax for Check Disk is this:

chkdsk [volume[[path]filename]]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/I] [/C] [/L[:size]]

The options and switches for Check Disk are used as follows:
Volume Sets the volume to work with.
filename FAT/FAT32 only: Specifies files to check for fragmentation.
/F Fixes errors on the disk.
/V On FAT/FAT32, this displays the full path and name of every file on the disk. On NTFS, this displays cleanup messages, if any.
/R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information (implies /F).
/L:size NTFS only. Changes the log file size.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary (implies /F).
/I NTFS only. Performs a minimum check of index entries.
/C NTFS only. Skips checking of cycles within the folder structure.

From the Microsoft Press book Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant by William R. Stanek.

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