Check Disk Windows 10: How to Check and Scan Hard Drive for Errors

Check Disk Windows 10 [5 Solutions]:

#1. Windows Security and Maintenance
#2. Windows Properties
#3. Chkdsk cmd
#4. Third-party free disk error checking tool

Among the five tools, Qiling Partition Master Free is a third-party disk error checking tool that requires a download and installation on your Windows 10 PC or laptop.

Your Windows 10 computer's hard drive, SSD, or external drive may report errors, but regularly checking for errors can help identify the cause and fix them easily. Disk errors can arise from various issues, including bad sectors, improper shutdowns, malware, corruption, and physical damage. Fortunately, checking disks in Windows 10 is relatively straightforward, with options ranging from simple to powerful.

There are five effective methods to scan and fix disk errors on Windows 10, each suitable for different needs - choose one to troubleshoot and improve the performance of your internal or external hard drive, HDD, SSD, or SD card.

To check a drive for errors, you can run a built-in system tool called Check Disk (chkdsk) in Windows. This tool scans the drive for errors and can fix problems it finds.

#1. How to Check Disk Errors in Windows Security and Maintenance

Step 1. Open Control Panel -> click on the Security and Maintenance icon -> expand the Maintenance -> look under Drive status.

Step 2. The screenshot shows that all drives are functioning correctly, with no issues detected, and if any problems were found, the drive would be scanned.

#2. How to Scan Drive for Errors in Windows Properties

Step 1. Open This PC in File Explorer -> right-click the HDD/SSD you want to scan -> choose Properties.

Step 2. Under on the Tools tab -> click the Check button under the Error checking section.

Step 3. Next, you can choose to Scan drive if wanted or Repair drive if errors were found.

Step 4. When the scanning finishes, click on the Show Details link to see the Chkdsk log in Event Viewer.

#3. How to Scan Drive for Errors Using Chkdsk Command

Chkdsk is a utility that checks a volume's file system and metadata for logical and physical errors. When run without parameters, it only displays the volume's status and doesn't fix any errors. However, with the /f, /r, or /x parameters, it can fix errors on the disk volume, making it a more powerful tool than methods 1 and 2 for checking and repairing disk errors in Windows 10.

Parameters description:

chkdsk /f: chkdsk fixes errors on the disk, but it requires the disk to be locked. If it can't lock the drive, it will prompt the user to check the drive the next time they restart their computer.

chkdsk /r: The /r command locates bad sectors on a disk and recovers readable information, requiring the disk to be locked. It includes the functionality of the /f command, plus an additional analysis of physical disk errors.

chkdsk /x: The /x command in a disk management context forces the volume to dismount first, if necessary, and invalidates all open handles to the drive. It also includes the functionality of the /f command. This means that /x performs a dismount operation, which can be necessary before other disk management operations, and then invalidates any open file handles to the drive, effectively closing them. This is similar to the /f command, which forces a dismount, but /x takes it a step further by also invalidating open handles.

Step 1. Type cmd in the Windows 10 search box, and choose to run as an administrator.

Step 2. When Command Prompt launches, type the command chkdsk C: /f /r /x.

The command "chkdsk C: /f /r /x" is used to check and scan the C drive for errors, repair file system corruption and bad sectors if errors are found.

# 4. How to Check Disk with Qiling Disk Checking Tool

Qiling Partition Master is a comprehensive disk and partition management tool that offers a wide range of features, including resizing, formatting, deleting, wiping, or creating a partition. One of its notable features is a disk check function that identifies and fixes hard disk partition bad sectors, file system errors, and other disk errors in Windows 10, doing so in an automatic and fast manner.

Free Download

Step 1. Download Qiling Partition Master and install it. Click the disk that you want to check in the "Disk Management" page, and then click "Surface test" to check the disk.

Step 2. Click "Proceed" button, then operation will be immediately performed. Bad sectors will be marked as red.

Conclusion

In Windows 10, there are five ways to check disk, utilizing the chkdsk utility, which is a Windows tool that checks the integrity of your hard disk and can fix various file systems.

You can run check disk (chkdsk) in Command Prompt to automatically scan and repair hard drive errors, or use alternative third-party disk checking tools for the same purpose.