A hard drive may lose its reliability over years of use. Some areas are inaccessible due to a shock to the computer or a simple wear. It is important to get Windows to locate such blocks and to ensure that it uses more. To do this, there is a utility called ScanDisk. It scans each sector of the hard drive to verify that it is able to record data reliably. If this is not the case, Windows will attempt to repair the area and mark it as unusable, the system is put more data.

To enable Scandisk, run Start / My Computer. Click on the hard disk that you want to analyze with the right button and select Properties. In the Tools tab, click Check Now.

It is advisable to activate the options “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”. If they are not activated, Windows will ask you to intervene whenever it detects an error.

Click Start. Most of the time, Windows will do the Scandisk at the next start your computer.