Checking the hard drive with ScanDisk or CHKDSK before installing Windows 7

Before installing Windows 7, be sure that hard drive doesn’t have any problems. Windows 9x versions have Scandisk, which you should run to check the drive. Windows XP users must use a utility called CHKDSK, which they can invoke by typing in some commands at a command prompt

To run CHKDSK from Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Click on Start from the Taskbar and then click on Run.

2. Type CMD into the text box and press the Enter key. A command prompt appears.

3. Type the following command into the command prompt, exactly as shown:
CHKDSK /F.

CHKDSK is a disk-checking utility for NT-kernel operating systems such as Windows Vista or Windows 7. The “/F” switch tells CHKDSK to fix any problems it encounters, if it can.

4. Press Enter. The command prompt box that appears informs you that you have to reboot to check the drive. It also asks whether you want to run CHKDSK on the next reboot.

5. Press the Y key to indicate “yes.”

6. Reboot the computer and allow CHKDSK to check the hard drive. If it encounters any problems, it repairs anything it can automatically. If it finds problems it cannot repair, consider replacing the drive before you install Windows 7.