Want to keep your computer healthy and happy?

One of the best ways to make sure your computer stays healthy and happy is to run a disk check.  Windows has a built-in feature that will automatically fix any errors to a hard drive (that it can), locate bad sectors blocking them off, and recover any readable data from those bad sectors.  Running this periodically (we say every three months here at Quick Fix) will not only make your data more secure, but will also keep your Windows operating system running more smoothly and efficiently.

Here’s how to run a disk check:

• First you will open the start menu (button on the bottom left side of screen).
• Open “My Computer” (it may just say “Computer”).
• Right click the C: and left click on “Properties.”
• From the Tabs at the top of of Properties screen, select “Tools.”
• Under “Error-Checking,” click “Check Now.”
• Check the box “Automatically fix files system errors” AND check the box “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.”
• Click “Start.”
• Windows will tell you that you must restart your computer for the disk check to take place.  Click “Yes.”
• Restart your computer!

It’s that easy!  One thing to keep in mind:  A disk check takes, on average, one hour to complete.  If you have a large hard drive or have a lot of data stored on your hard drive, be ready for a longer process.  We suggest running your disk check right before going to bed!

NOTE: For those of you who defragment your computer or are planning on doing so, make sure to run this disk check before running a defrag!  By identifying and quarantining bad sectors through disk check, you can be sure that fragments are not written onto any bad sectors of your hard drive.