How do I run scandisk?

G

Guest

I have good reason to beleive that my external hard drive may have errors on
it due to a certain folder on it refusing to delete because Windows Explorer
thinks that it "cannot delete - cannot find the specified file" So why the
hell is said file even listed if it cannot be deleted?!

Anyway, I tried to use scandisk to find and correct the errors on my
ecternal hard drive. That did not work. Scandisk does not exist in
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools anymore (*WHY* did Microshaft have to
go and fool with something that wasn't broke and was working fine the way it
was?!) I tried searching for "Scandisk" in Start/Help And Support which led
me to c:/windows/system32/chkdsk.exe but everytime I try to run it, even in
safe mode, I get some crap close to "cannot be run in win32 mode"

What's wrong? All I want to do is to delete one lousy folder and the three
lousy files in it. What am I missing?

Thanx on advance :)
 
L

Lem

Cloudchaser said:
I have good reason to beleive that my external hard drive may have errors on
it due to a certain folder on it refusing to delete because Windows Explorer
thinks that it "cannot delete - cannot find the specified file" So why the
hell is said file even listed if it cannot be deleted?!

Anyway, I tried to use scandisk to find and correct the errors on my
ecternal hard drive. That did not work. Scandisk does not exist in
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools anymore (*WHY* did Microshaft have to
go and fool with something that wasn't broke and was working fine the way it
was?!) I tried searching for "Scandisk" in Start/Help And Support which led
me to c:/windows/system32/chkdsk.exe but everytime I try to run it, even in
safe mode, I get some crap close to "cannot be run in win32 mode"

What's wrong? All I want to do is to delete one lousy folder and the three
lousy files in it. What am I missing?

Thanx on advance :)

Scandisk has been replaced by chkdsk
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265/en-us

You can also go to the website of the manufacturer of your hard disk and
download a diskchecking utility (that will do a more comprehensive job)
there.

Chkdsk *should not* cause any problems, but you would be prudent to
backup your data before running it.

On the other hand, try deleting the problem folder in Safe Mode. By the
time you go to Safe Mode and back to normal mode, the issue may have
sorted itself out (worked for me).
 
G

Gordon

Cloudchaser said:
I have good reason to beleive that my external hard drive may have errors on
it due to a certain folder on it refusing to delete because Windows Explorer
thinks that it "cannot delete - cannot find the specified file" So why the
hell is said file even listed if it cannot be deleted?!

Anyway, I tried to use scandisk to find and correct the errors on my
ecternal hard drive. That did not work. Scandisk does not exist in
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools anymore

Because XP (and all NT-based OS's) use CHKDSK not scandisk.


(*WHY* did Microshaft have to
go and fool with something that wasn't broke and was working fine the way it
was?!) I tried searching for "Scandisk" in Start/Help And Support which led
me to c:/windows/system32/chkdsk.exe but everytime I try to run it, even in
safe mode, I get some crap close to "cannot be run in win32 mode"

What's wrong? All I want to do is to delete one lousy folder and the three
lousy files in it. What am I missing?

See above - either go to Start-Run, type "cmd", and then at the prompt
type "help chkdsk" (all without the quotes) or go to My Computer,
right-click on the drive you wish to check, select properties, go to the
Tools tab and click on "Check for errors"
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Cloudchaser said:
I have good reason to beleive that my external hard drive may have errors on
it due to a certain folder on it refusing to delete because Windows Explorer
thinks that it "cannot delete - cannot find the specified file" So why the
hell is said file even listed if it cannot be deleted?!

Anyway, I tried to use scandisk to find and correct the errors on my
ecternal hard drive. That did not work. Scandisk does not exist in
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools anymore (*WHY* did Microshaft have to
go and fool with something that wasn't broke and was working fine the way it
was?!) I tried searching for "Scandisk" in Start/Help And Support which led
me to c:/windows/system32/chkdsk.exe but everytime I try to run it, even in
safe mode, I get some crap close to "cannot be run in win32 mode"

What's wrong? All I want to do is to delete one lousy folder and the three
lousy files in it. What am I missing?

Thanx on advance :)


WinXP does not have a program called "Scandisk," as this was a
Win9x/Me program. Instead, because WinXP is descended from the WinNT/2K
OS family, it has a command line utility called "Chkdsk," which performs
much better.

Start > Run > Cmd > Chkdsk.exe /? for the correct syntax and
available options.

Alternatively, double-click My Computer > right-click the desired
hard drive > Properties > Tools > Error-checking/Check Now. This will
run Chkdsk, normally on the next reboot.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
G

Guest

I tried going to My Computer, right-click the desired hard drive, Properties,
Tools, Error-checking/Check Now, it ran without requiring a reboot before or
after, I tried deleting the files in question and still got the same "cannot
delete" message, even when I tried deleting in safe mode.
 
G

Guest

I tried going to My Computer, right-click the desired hard drive, Properties,
Tools, Error-checking/Check Now, it ran without requiring a reboot before or
after, I tried deleting the files in question and still got the same "cannot
delete" message, even when I tried deleting in safe mode.
 
G

Guest

I tried going to My Computer, right-click the desired hard drive, Properties,
Tools, Error-checking/Check Now, it ran without requiring a reboot before or
after, I tried deleting the files in question and still got the same "cannot
delete" message, even when I tried deleting in safe mode.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top