Where is SCAN DISK on W-XP?

[~ Free Spirit ~]

The tech told me to run scan disk and do a defrag before burning all my
files to CDs - or I'll lose them. But there is *no* MY COMPUTER on the
Start menu. He said Start/My Comp/C: /Tools/Ck now. My menu looks like
W98 and I don't see any info on changing it to a XP menu to find "My
Computer". How do I do a scan disk when I can't find My Computer on the
menu????

FS........

 

[Patty MacDuffie]

Is My Computer on the Desktop? If so, just start from there. Double-click
to open it. Then right-click on the C drive and left-click on Properties.
Then click your Tools tab. Then in the Error Checking section click the
Check Now button. When you do you may get an unintelligible error message
about exclusive access to the drive. Not to worry. If it asks if you'd
like to run it on the next reboot say yes. This utility is called
checkdisk, btw, XP does not have scandisk.

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Is My Computer on the Desktop? If so, just start from there. Double-click
to open it. Then right-click on the C drive and left-click on Properties.
Then click your Tools tab. Then in the Error Checking section click the
Check Now button. When you do you may get an unintelligible error message
about exclusive access to the drive. Not to worry. If it asks if you'd
like to run it on the next reboot say yes. This utility is called
checkdisk, btw, XP does not have scandisk.

=======================
Thanks Patty - that worked!

FS..........

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

You should probably find a different "tech," one that knows
something about WinXP. ;-}

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, as it's not burdened with presenting a
pretty picture of moving blocks of color while it's working.

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:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Patty MacDuffie]

You're welcome.

 

[D.Currie]

Not to mention that telling you that you'll lose files by burning them
without first running scandisk and defrag makes absolutely no sense at all.

It's not a bad idea to run chkdsk and defrag once in a while, but running
those every time you want to burn a cd for fear of losing files is just a
bit silly.

Maybe if you started talking to a tech who actually knows something, you'd
be a bit less frustrated with XP.

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Greetings --

You should probably find a different "tech," one that knows
something about WinXP. ;-}

## Bruce,... HP outsources their tech help to India. The techs there
don't even own PCs and are little help. But there's no other place to get
help from HP. Some to their so-called techs barely speak English. I live
in a rural area and our one PC shop in town is horrible - no one goes
there anymore. I'm sure he'll soon be out of business.

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, as it's not burdened with presenting a
pretty picture of moving blocks of color while it's working.

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

## When I tried this, all that happens is there's a BRIEF flash of what
looks like a small DOS screen. It flashes by so quickly I can't read it.
Then "nothing!" I've seen the above posted here before - that's how I
know it don't work on my PC.

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.

## Yes. That worked. But WHERE is the report/log to be found?
W98 showed if it found anything and repaired it - XP just goes into a
reboot and tells you nothing. Where is the LOG of what it did or didn't
find????

Bruce Chambers

FS.........

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Not to mention that telling you that you'll lose files by burning them
without first running scandisk and defrag makes absolutely no sense at

all.

## No,.. that's not what he said. Since the CD-RW was screwing up and
destroying CDs he felt I may get a BETTER burn if the PC is freshly
defragged. With nothing running in msconfig but Rundll32 and a 2.60Ghz
processor there shouldn't be a problem burning at X4 or X8. He thought
perhaps the drive was too fragmented - it isn't.

It's not a bad idea to run chkdsk and defrag once in a while, but running
those every time you want to burn a cd for fear of losing files is just a
bit silly.

## He said there would be LESS chance of under-runs if the PC wasn't very
fragmented. I usually do BOTH at least once a month. XP doesn't seem to
get as fragmented as W98. He and I were discussing how I was going to do
a backup with all the "problems" I'm having.

Maybe if you started talking to a tech who actually knows something, you'd
be a bit less frustrated with XP.

## See my other post - above this one. No such critter exists in my neck
of the woods. Also, the techs in the big Nashville stores wont "talk" to
you. They want you to bring in your PC so they can charge you $30 to $50
just to LOOK at it.

FS...............

 

[Patty MacDuffie]

I don't suppose you upgraded your PC to XP with an older version of
Adaptec's EZ CD Creator on it? That'll cause your pc not to boot!

 

[D.Currie]

all.

## No,.. that's not what he said.

Well, it's exactly what you said, and I responded based on that:

"The tech told me to run scan disk and do a defrag before burning all my
files to CDs - or I'll lose them."


Since the CD-RW was screwing up and

destroying CDs he felt I may get a BETTER burn if the PC is freshly
defragged. With nothing running in msconfig but Rundll32

In msconfig? Really? That might be your problem. Windows needs a lot more
than that to function.


and a 2.60Ghz

processor there shouldn't be a problem burning at X4 or X8. He thought
perhaps the drive was too fragmented - it isn't.


## He said there would be LESS chance of under-runs if the PC wasn't very
fragmented. I usually do BOTH at least once a month. XP doesn't seem to
get as fragmented as W98. He and I were discussing how I was going to do
a backup with all the "problems" I'm having.

If you're talking about buffer underruns, on a new computer, that shouldn't
even be an issue. The burning software and the drive should be able to
handle it gracefully. On the other hand, it could just be a cheap drive.

## See my other post - above this one. No such critter exists in my neck
of the woods. Also, the techs in the big Nashville stores wont "talk" to
you. They want you to bring in your PC so they can charge you $30 to $50
just to LOOK at it.

Okay, I'll rephrase it. If you can't talk to someone who has a clue, maybe
you need to stop taking advice from people who are just running you around
in circles.

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

I don't suppose you upgraded your PC to XP with an older version of
Adaptec's EZ CD Creator on it? That'll cause your pc not to boot!

=======================
No. This is a *NEW* HP PC. W-XP came on it. I had no choice. I had
already read that EZCD wont work on XP. You have to spend another $100.00
on their newer version. Roxio refuses to honor updates from Adaptec's
customers. I was told there was burner software on here, but none of them
work right - HP techs think it's a hardware problem. Another tech thinks
it's a software problem. That's why I have to send this PC back.

The MS burn program doesn't get past the part where it asks for a CD. No
matter what brand CD we insert, the drive light flashes and looks at the
blank - then nothing happens. Clicking on NEXT does nothing. Also the MS
burn thing has no place we can find to set the speed or what kind of CD
we're making.
--
FS......
My webpages:
http://www.heartoftn.net/users/windsong/index.html
"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir ... mighty scarce."
- Mark Twain -
~~~~<~~~~<~~~{@ ~~~~<~~~~<~~~{@ ~~~~<~~~{@ ~~~<~~{@

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Well, it's exactly what you said, and I responded based on that:

"The tech told me to run scan disk and do a defrag before burning all my
files to CDs - or I'll lose them."

$$ I meant the files would be LOST when they do a complete reformat at the
tech center. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I should have made that
clearer.

Since the CD-RW was screwing up and

In msconfig? Really? That might be your problem. Windows needs a lot more
than that to function.

$$ Please clue me in!!!!! Could THAT be the problem???? He, like
another tech there was wrong???? It's happened with them before. What
should I turn back on?

If you're talking about buffer underruns, on a new computer, that shouldn't
even be an issue. The burning software and the drive should be able to
handle it gracefully. On the other hand, it could just be a cheap drive.

$$ It is a CRAP drive. Do you think they put anything of good quality on
these PCs?

Okay, I'll rephrase it. If you can't talk to someone who has a clue, maybe
you need to stop taking advice from people who are just running you around
in circles.

$$ This is excellent advice... please tell me what to turn back on in
msconfig. Or is there a TRUSTWORTHY website for that information??? I'm
starting to get paranoid.

FS..........

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

In msconfig? Really? That might be your problem. Windows needs a lot more
than that to function.

==========================
That msconfig's STARTUP window. Nothing on the other tabs was touched.

FS...

 

[Patty MacDuffie]

Sigh... Maybe you realize by now that your biggest mistake was buying an HP
Pavilion?

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Sigh... Maybe you realize by now that your biggest mistake was buying an HP
Pavilion?

==========================
Oh, yes. We both know that now. We were going by our past good
experience with HP PCs. But those were bought back when HPs were slightly
better quality. Both of the old ones are still running with no problems.
One is 4 years old, the other is 3 1/2 years old. One got very heavy use
and ran for almost 3 years before we needed to reinstall the OS due to
some virus or other invader that snuck past Norton and was unseen by
Spybot and Ad-Aware.

Where we live we can't find a certified tech to built us a custom PC. The
only one left here that builds custom PCs is CompUSA. You can pick
anything you want that'll work and they'll make you a PC. We're
going THAT route next time. Although I live near the Dell factory I heard
horror stories about their PCs as well.

What's left?

FS..........

 

[Sharon F]

We're
going THAT route next time. Although I live near the Dell factory I heard
horror stories about their PCs as well.

What's left?

Build it yourself? You can research the parts, buy what you want. Put it
together. If you're capable of reading and understanding directions, it's
really not that hard to do. Most hardware companies include free support
for installation issues so if you get a bad installation guide, you still
have those free tech calls to fall back on.

The *only* downside of "rolling your own" is having to keep track of serial
numbers and warranty terms. Dealing with many companies, if the need
arises, instead of one. I think, in the end, it would still balance out in
your favor since you would start with components picked for stability
and/or performance instead of OEM components that are often selected by
price point.

 

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Build it yourself? You can research the parts, buy what you want. Put it
together. If you're capable of reading and understanding directions, it's
really not that hard to do. Most hardware companies include free support
for installation issues so if you get a bad installation guide, you still
have those free tech calls to fall back on.

## I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to build my own. I mean
everything has to work "together" and work correctly or nothing works....

The *only* downside of "rolling your own" is having to keep track of serial
numbers and warranty terms. Dealing with many companies, if the need
arises, instead of one. I think, in the end, it would still balance out in
your favor since you would start with components picked for stability
and/or performance instead of OEM components that are often selected by
price point.

## You're 100% correct there. As far as I know CompUSA will put anything
on the PC you want providing they all, as I say, "work together." What my
husband and I can do is research what the BEST QUALITY parts are and make
sure they use those. The best HD, the best mother board etc.

Sharon F
MS MVP - Windows XP Shell/User

FS...........

 

[Ron]

I have bought quite a few computers over the last 25 years and the best ones
that I bought were Dell. They arrived exactly as I had ordered and the few
times that I contacted them they gave me outstanding service.

Unless something has drastically changed, I would certainly not hesitate to
buy from them again.

Ron

 

[Sharon F]

## I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to build my own. I mean
everything has to work "together" and work correctly or nothing works....

I built my first computer a few years ago. It's still running and, in fact,
am using it right now. Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it. I had a
friend coaching me via email - discussing the whole process, answering
"first time" questions. If you know someone trusty to boost your confidence
- it sure helps.

Your post caught my eye because I previously had an HP PC as well. The OEM
motherboard was restricting my options for a particular upgrade and this in
turn nudged me into building what I wanted. Regardless if you build your
next PC or have someone build it for you, I think you'll be very pleased.
Best of luck to you.

 

[Sharon F]

I have bought quite a few computers over the last 25 years and the best ones
that I bought were Dell. They arrived exactly as I had ordered and the few
times that I contacted them they gave me outstanding service.

Unless something has drastically changed, I would certainly not hesitate to
buy from them again.

Ron

Ron, I always buy Dell for my daughter. Good solid computers and have
always had good service from them. When she's away at college and needs
tech help right away (and I'm not available for whatever reason), I know
that she'll get the help she needs.