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22
Gateway ALR 8000 User's Guide
Maintaining Your System
Fortunately, most electronic components require little or no maintenance.
Your hard drives are the primary exception to this and maintaining them
properly can significantly improve the performance of your system. Some
programs that help maintain the integrity of the hard drives in your system
come as part of the Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. The
following section contains information about caring for your hard drives.
Maintaining Your Hard Drive
Hard drives need regular maintenance because running the system software
divides files, creates spaces between data, and otherwise decreases the hard
drive's performance. Windows 95 and Windows NT provide maintenance
tools that help prevent possible hard drive problems. The two most
important tools for hard drive maintenance are the programs ScanDisk and
Disk Defragmenter.
Using ScanDisk
ScanDisk is a program that lets you check your hard disk for damaged areas
and then repairs them. We suggest you scan your hard drive from at least
once a week to once a month, depending on how often and how much you
use your computer.
Click on the
1.
Start
, then
Accessories
The ScanDisk window opens.
In the ScanDisk window, click on the drive you want to scan.
2.
If you only want to check your files and folders for errors, select the
3.
option button. If you want to do a more thorough scan for
Standard
errors, select the
To Start ScanDisk
button. Then click on
, and then
System Tools
Thorough
option.
, then
Programs
.
ScanDisk
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