Maintaining Your System; Maintaining Your Hard Drive - Gateway ALR 8200R User Manual

90 Gateway ALR 8200R User's Guide

Maintaining Your System

Maintaining your Hard Drive

Hard drives need regular maintenance because running the 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 hard drive problems. The two most important tools for
hard drive maintenance are the programs ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter.
(Windows NT does not include Disk Defragmenter.)
Using ScanDisk
ScanDisk is a program that lets you check your hard disk for damaged areas
and then repair them. We suggest that you scan your hard drive at least once
a week to once a month, depending on how often and how much you use
your computer.
In Windows 95, Click on the
1.
then
Accessories
The ScanDisk window opens.
In Windows NT, Scandisk is accessed through the
drive's
Properties
In the ScanDisk window, click on the drive you want to scan.
2.
3. If you only want to check your files and folders for errors, select the
option button. If you want to do a more thorough scan for
Standard
errors, select the
Because the Thorough option takes more time than the Standard
option, we recommend you normally use the Standard option and do a
Thorough check at least once a month.
4. If you selected
Standard
ScanDisk uses when it checks files and folders, click on the
To Start ScanDisk
button. Then click on
Start
, then
System Tools
sheet.
option.
Thorough
and you want to change the settings
Programs
, and then .
ScanDisk
tab of the
Tools
,