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Laptops

How do I use the Scan Disk tool?

For most Windows 98/ME systems:

1. Click on your Start button
2. Go to Programs, then to Accessories, then to System Tools
3. Choose "Scandisk"
4. Select the disk that you would like to scan for problems (either "C:", if your computer's hard drive, or "A:", if your floppy drive)
5. Select which type of scan you would like to have done. We suggest a thorough scan at least once a semester (preferably once a month), but you have the option of choosing "Standard", which takes a few minutes only.
6. Check the box in front of the "Automatically fix errors" selection
7. Click "OK"
8. When the computer is finished scanning the disk, a report screen will appear alerting you to any changes that were made.
9. Click "OK"

For most 2000/XP machines:

1. Double-click "My Computer" (if it's not on your desktop, try your Start Menu)
2. Right-click on the icon for your hard drive (usually C:) or floppy drive (usually A:), depending on whether you want to scan your computer or a floppy disk.
3. Choose "Properties" from the pop-up menu.
4. Choose the "Tools" tab.
5. Press the "Check Now..." button.
6. Check off both boxes ("Automatically fix file system errors..." and "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors")
7. Press the Start button underneath the check boxes.
8. When the computer is finished scanning the disk, a report screen will appear alerting you to any changes that were made.
9. Click "OK"