Gateway E1400 - Manual (Page 81)

74 Managing Your System
8 Click Start . ScanDisk checks the drive for errors.
9 Follow any instructions on screen for completing the scan.
Using Check Disk in Windows NT
Bad sectors are parts of a hard drive or diskette that will not hold data. A lost
allocation unit is a group of sectors that has lost its place in the table that
the operating system uses to locate files. Check Disk checks the hard drive
for bad sectors or lost allocation units and lets you fix them.
Use Check Disk from once a week to once a month, depending on how often
you use your system. Also use Check Disk if you have any hard drive problems.
To use Check Disk:
1 Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop. The My Computer
window opens.
2 Click the drive you want to check.
3 Select File , then Properties . The drive properties window opens.
4 Click the Tools tab.
5 At Error-checking , click Check Now . The Check Disk window opens.
6 Select the options you want for checking the drive. Check Scan for and
attempt recovery of bad sectors to scan the entire hard drive.
7 Click Start. Check Disk checks the drive for errors.
8 Follow any instructions on screen for completing the scan.
Using Disk Defragmenter in Windows 95 and Windows 98
When working with files, Windows may divide the files into pieces and store
the pieces at different places on the hard drive. This division of files, called
fragmentation, is normal. However, to access a file, the hard drive must search
for the pieces of the file and put the file back together, which can slow down
your system.
Disk Defragmenter brings all the separate pieces back together. Defragment
your computer frequently to improve system performance.
05960.book Page 74 Monday, February 21, 2000 2:47 PM