Chkdsk utility

Chkdsk is a utility program created for Windows. The program searches for clusters of lost files on the hard disk. It also creates a report on the current available amount of free memory and space present on the hard drive. The program originated with DOS and has persisted as an important command line utility in Windows. Chkdsk runs with a few command parameters, for example processing the /f parameter (chkdsk /f) command with Chkdsk retrieves the lost clusters and turns them into .CHK files. These .CHK files are easily discarded.

Furthermore, Chkdsk also creates and displays a status report for the disk. Chkdsk provides a detailed listing of errors corrected on the hard disk. For Windows 2000 Recovery Console, the chkdsk commands with its accurate parameters are listed below. The chkdsk utility can be started from the Windows 2000 Setup program. The chkdsk command with different parameters needs to be run on the command prompt of Windows 2000.

Chkdsk [drive:] [/p] [/r]

When there are no parameters, chkdsk displays the status of the disk in the current drive.

• The drive parameter specifies the drive that you want chkdsk to check.
• The '/p' parameter conducts an exhaustive check of all drives. These drives also include those that have not been by chkdsk to run. This parameter does not make any changes to the drive.
• The '/r' parameter is used to locate bad sectors and recover readable information. It is a more detailed parameter than /p.

Remember, the Chkdsk utility requires the file Autochk.exe. If the utility cannot locate it in Windows startup directory (\Winnt\System32, it will conduct a search on the Windows 2000 Installation CD. If your computer is a multi-boot computer, then it would be imperative to issue the chkdsk command from the drive containing Windows 2000.

The other function of Chkdsk is to recover data on a computer that has been lost due to software malfunction, system crash and power failure. At the moment, every other operating system has developed an internal repair tool with primary basic functions. Such as the Disk Utility for Apple's Mac OS X and fsck utility for Linux

As compared to these utilities, Chkdsk helps in repairing minor inconsistencies. However, large-scale data loss is not recoverable through chkdsk. To recover a large amount of data, chkdsk works in coordination with third party utilities. Most of these are far superior and have more command parameters. These third party utilities can recover data not recognizable by an operating system.

Chkdsk uses use two main techniques to perform a data recovery. 'The consistency checking' involves the scanning of the logical structure of the disk and ensuring that it is consistent with its specification. The next technique used by chkdsk is to use clusters of the undamaged file system for rebuilding the destroyed file system from scratch.

Many software data tools are quite ineffectual when the damages are physical. Physical damaged drives require totally different method of recovery unlike logical damage.

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