Chkdsk reports for external USB hard drives

[Guest]

When running chkdsk with the "automatically fix errors" option enabled on the
system drive, XP prompts me to reboot the computer. When I do, it runs
chkdsk during the boot. Once I get to the desktop, I can access a report of
chkdsk's findings in Event Viewer under the "Winlogon" event to determine if
I had any errors or inconsistencies and, if so, whether chkdsk fixed them.

However, when I run chkdsk on my external USB hard drive with the same
option checkecd, I don't get a report in Event Viewer. Does XP log the
report somewhere else and, if so, where can I find it? TIA.

 

[CS]

When running chkdsk with the "automatically fix errors" option enabled on the
system drive, XP prompts me to reboot the computer. When I do, it runs
chkdsk during the boot. Once I get to the desktop, I can access a report of
chkdsk's findings in Event Viewer under the "Winlogon" event to determine if
I had any errors or inconsistencies and, if so, whether chkdsk fixed them.

However, when I run chkdsk on my external USB hard drive with the same
option checkecd, I don't get a report in Event Viewer. Does XP log the
report somewhere else and, if so, where can I find it? TIA.

It appears XP does not log the chkdsk report to the event viewer for
external hard drives, however, if your external hard drive is
formatted to FAT-32 (as many are) you can use a copy of scandisk
instead. Scandisk will log it's findings and repairs in the root
directory of the drive it checks. You can use the scandisk utility
from Win98 or WinME, both should work OK.

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

In 2002, 1 of MVPs wrote a script which will execute the
Chkdsk (NO fix) command for every hard drive,including
USBs, it finds on your system & create log in the root
directory of the first fixed disk it finds (usually C, and
displays the log when finished. You can also run this script
as a Scheduled Task.

All 4 $0. What a deal.

Post back if interested.
HTH-Larry

When running chkdsk with the "automatically fix errors" option enabled on the
system drive, XP prompts me to reboot the computer. When I do, it runs
chkdsk during the boot. Once I get to the desktop, I can access a report of
chkdsk's findings in Event Viewer under the "Winlogon" event to determine if
I had any errors or inconsistencies and, if so, whether chkdsk fixed them.

However, when I run chkdsk on my external USB hard drive with the same
option checkecd, I don't get a report in Event Viewer. Does XP log the
report somewhere else and, if so, where can I find it? TIA.

Any advise given is my attempt to show appreciation for all
the excellent help I've received here but I'm no MVP so it
may only apply NUGS (Normally, Usually, Generally, Sometimes

 

[Guest]

In 2002, 1 of MVPs wrote a script which will execute the
Chkdsk (NO fix) command for every hard drive,including
USBs, it finds on your system & create log in the root
directory of the first fixed disk it finds (usually C, and
displays the log when finished. You can also run this script
as a Scheduled Task.

All 4 $0. What a deal.

Post back if interested.

Yes, I would definitely be interested in a script that does something like
this. Thanks.

Ken

 

[Guest]

It appears XP does not log the chkdsk report to the event viewer for
external hard drives, however, if your external hard drive is
formatted to FAT-32 (as many are) you can use a copy of scandisk
instead. Scandisk will log it's findings and repairs in the root
directory of the drive it checks. You can use the scandisk utility
from Win98 or WinME, both should work OK.

It is a NTFS drive. You have identified exactly what I am looking for --
the chkdsk equivalent of what scandisk used to do after analyzing and
repairing a log.

Ken

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

I put the code between ======'s in file called
chkdsk_all.vbs then run it & wait 4 txt file 2 popup.. Many
thx 2 MVP Torgeir Bakken

=====================================================
'chkdsk_all.vbs
'Runs chkdsk on all hard disks - Can be run as a Scheduled
Task
'puts the output of chkdsk in a log and display it
' Torgeir Bakken - 2002-03-05
'Based on the script defrag_all2.vbs by Doug Knox
'This code may be freely distributed/modified

Option Explicit

Dim WshShell, fso, d, dc, LogFile, Drive

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set dc = fso.Drives
For Each d in DC
'Determine drive letter of first fixed disk
'This is the drive that the report will be placed on
If d.DriveType = 2 Then
Drive = d
Exit For
End If
Next

LogFile = Drive & "\chkdskreport.txt"

WshShell.Run "%comspec% /c echo Starting chkdsk of all hard
disks " _
& Now & " >" & LogFile, 0, True
For Each d in dc
If d.DriveType = 2 Then
WshShell.Run "%comspec% /c echo ********* Checking
drive " & d _
& " ******** >>" & LogFile, 0, True
WshShell.Run "%comspec% /c chkdsk.exe " & d & " >>" &
LogFile, 0, True
End If
Next

WshShell.Run LogFile
=======================================================

Yes, I would definitely be interested in a script that does something like
this. Thanks.

Ken

Any advise given is my attempt to show appreciation for all
the excellent help I've received here but I'm no MVP so it
may only apply NUGS (Normally, Usually, Generally, Sometimes

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 21:14:03 -0700, "Ken Gardner"

I wonder why this information is so buried, i.e. isn't stored under
ChkDsk rather than requiring one to smell it's under Winlogon?

Does it tell you which files it has "fixed", and what it did to them?

It appears XP does not log the chkdsk report to the event viewer for
external hard drives

Ah. The mystery is why we find this acceptable.

NT's security and pro-IT focus means logging whatever happens, in the
interests of accountability, non-repudiation, etc. and here we have
ChkDsk "fixing" any file on the system, so that (a) the contents are
as broken, or more so and (b) it's no longer detectable as a damaged
file, and no record of this is kept, and it can't be undone.

NT peeled off in the DOS 5 era, and unfortunately has taken that as
the yardstick. ChkDsk should have matured into a proper controlable
tool by now, as Scandisk did waaay back in DOS 6.

however, if your external hard drive is formatted to FAT-32
(as many are) you can use a copy of scandisk instead.

Scandisk will log it's findings and repairs in the root directory
of the drive it checks. You can use the scandisk utility
from Win98 or WinME, both should work OK.

Yep; Scandisk is waaay better than ChkDsk:
- interactive, i.e. tells you what it would do and *asks* if it can
- logs to C:\Scandisk.log that you can read from a diskette boot

It's a scandal that there is still nothing similar for NTFS.

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Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com