Lean and Clean makes for a Mean Machine….Part
Two
In
Part One, I pointed out the various temporary files
that exist on your hard drive; files which you should remove on a regular basis
because they take up valuable storage space.
Once you have deleted your
temporary files, the next step you should perform is to optimize (also called
"defragment) your hard drive, which I will explain in the next edition of
EVERYTHING OFFICE.
In this issue, I want to cover another task that you
should perform not only before optimizing your hard drive(s), but also on a
regular basis. I do it once a day. It's called SCANDISK and it is included as
part of the Windows operating system. A more enhanced version of this disk
utility, called DISK DOCTOR, is included with Norton Utilities. In fact,
SCANDISK is actually a Norton product that they licensed to Microsoft to use
with Windows.
I prefer DISK DOCTOR, however as SCANDISK is already
included as part of Windows, let me explain how to use it. From time to time, a
hard disk drive will develop problems of which you are not aware: problems
which will affect your computer's operation in a varying degrees. Some of these
include:
- Files with invalid dates.
- Cross-linked files (these are files that are trying to occupy
the same place on your hard drive and as a result, are now
damaged).
- Lost clusters.
- Unequal FATs (File Allocation Tables. There are two on every
hard drive. One is active, the other is a back-up. They MUST be exactly the
same at all times for they tell your hard drive where everything is stored.
Without them, your computer will not work!)
Running SCANDISK is quick and easy. Choose START, PROGRAM,
ACCESSORIES, SYSTEM TOOLS, then SCANDISK. But a quicker way to get there is to
put a shortcut to it on your desktop. Here's how:
- Open Windows Explorer (if not already on your desktop, the quickest
way is to RIGHT click on start, then choose EXPLORE) . In the left window, find
the Windows folder (you may already be in it). Inside of it, find the folder,
START MENU and click on the +. Now find the folder PROGRAMS and click on the +
next to it. Now click on the + next to ACCESSORIES, then on the folder SYSTEM
TOOLS.
- In
the right window, you will see a number of program shortcuts, including both
SCANDISK and DISK DEFRAGMENTER. To put both on your desktop. click on DISK
DEFRAGMENTER (it will highlight). Hold down your shift key and click on
SCANDISK. Now they are both highlighted. Release the shift key and RIGHT click
on SCANDISK, then, from the drop-down menu, click on COPY.
- In
the left window, scroll all the way up to the top, find the DESKTOP icon and
click on it. From the menu at the top of the screen, choose EDIT, then PASTE.
That's it….you've done it. Now to run either of these, you can simply
double-click on them from your desktop.
-
In Windows 98, you can do all of this a little faster. Once you've located the
program shortcuts per step 2 above, RIGHT click on either one, then choose SEND
TO, then CREATE SHORTCUT ON DESKTOP.
Now that you've got a quick way to access these important
tools, run SCANDISK as follows:
- Double-click on the SHORTCUT TO SCANDISK icon on your desktop
(You can rename these icons, in fact any icon, by RIGHT clicking on it and
choosing RENAME. Then just type in a new name like SCANDISK, in this case, and
press ENTER.)
- The SCANDISK window will open. If you have just one hard
drive, you will see only one drive in the SELECT DRIVE window. If you have more
than one drive, or if you have only one, but it is divided (partitioned) into
more than one part, you will see all of them in the SELECT DRIVE window.
Highlight (click) on the one on which you want to scan.
- Now, click on the ADVANCED button at the bottom of the window.
Leave the selected boxes which are checked as they are, however maker sure that
under the "Check Files For" menu that both boxes are checked (Invalid file
names and Invalid dates and times). Click OK.
- Back at the main window, click on the STANDARD box. Make sure
the AUTOMATICALLY FIX ERRORS box is checked and then click START. After it has
finished running, a report window will appear which you may wish to examine.
When you are finished, click CLOSE.
- Back at the main window, you may select another drive (if you
have one) to scan or just click on the CLOSE button to exit the
program.
As I mentioned earlier, you should run SCANDISK daily. Pick a
regular time each day to do this. May I suggest first thing in the morning,
before you get started with your daily office work.
While you were
running SCANDISK, you probably noticed another option, THOROUGH. Checking this
box will first run the standard routine and then it will test the surface of
your hard disk for bad areas. This advanced function will require more time
than the standard test, so plan on doing it while you are away from your
computer (how about during lunch?).
All disks eventually develop bad
areas that cannot store data. This is due to a loss of the disk's ability to be
magnetized. Floppy disks are the worst when it comes to bad areas. Often I will
test a floppy disk's surface before I use it to store data to make sure it is
in good condition and that any bad areas are identified and "marked", so
Windows will know not to store data in the bad areas.
You should
perform the THOROUGH test on each of your hard disks at least once a month. If
there are bad areas, SCANDISK will move any good data found in them to another
area of your hard disk and then mark the bad area so that no data will ever be
saved to those areas in the future.
If you ever notice that the
THOROUGH test consistently identifies bad areas, be aware that this is a very
good indication that your disk is beginning to go bad. You may wish to consult
your firm's IT administrator to get further advice or call technical support.
Do NOT let this go unattended. You don't want a hard disk crash!
As I
stated above, it's not uncommon for a disk to develop bad areas once in a
while, so don't freak out if SCANDISK finds a few. I've even seen brand new
disks with them, although this is infrequent now days. DO be concerned though,
if every time run a thorough test, another bad area is identified as I
mentioned previously.
For more information and help with SCANDISK, look
in your Windows help file (START, then HELP).
Good luck and remember,
if you have any comments or suggestions or perhaps a question about any of the
above, please email me.
- Rich
Poremba
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