Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Those old enough to remember DOS days may remember a utility called chkdsk. (Of course, those old enough to remember DOS may be suffering from memory loss, so they may not remember chkdskchkdsk is short for check disk.) It's a command-line utility that checks the operating system and disk drive for any errors, and optionally fixes them. (A command-line utility is one that you run, oddly enough, from a command-line.)
The chkdsk utility is available in Windows XP. It doesn't offer anything different from Windows' disk tools, but some people like using a command-line utility. To use it, follow these steps:
Open a command prompt window by choosing Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt.
Enter the proper commands to switch to the drive you want to check. For instance, if you want to check drive E:, then type E: and press the Enter key. The drive you specify is made the current drive.
Type chkdsk and press Enter.
Using chkdsk without any parameters runs the program in read-only mode. This means that it doesn't fix anything; it only reports what it finds. If you want chkdsk to fix errors, use the chkdsk /f command instead.
The chkdsk program goes through three checks before reporting its findings:
Checks the file system to make sure that all the file links are valid.
Checks the system indexes for errors.
Checks (on NTFS drives) security descriptors to make sure that file security is intact.
You cannot run chkdsk in fix mode on a disk that's in use. (An in-use drive is one that has files open.) If you try, the program informs you that the disk is in use and gives you the opportunity to "dismount the volume." If you instruct chkdsk to do this, all the open files on the drive are closed and the drive is made inaccessible. This could result in data loss. You should choose to dismount only if you're really sure you won't lose critical data.
If the drive is in use and you choose not to dismount the volume, chkdsk offers to perform the check the
The chkdsk utility is available in Windows XP. It doesn't offer anything different from Windows' disk tools, but some people like using a command-line utility. To use it, follow these steps:
Open a command prompt window by choosing Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt.
Enter the proper commands to switch to the drive you want to check. For instance, if you want to check drive E:, then type E: and press the Enter key. The drive you specify is made the current drive.
Type chkdsk and press Enter.
Using chkdsk without any parameters runs the program in read-only mode. This means that it doesn't fix anything; it only reports what it finds. If you want chkdsk to fix errors, use the chkdsk /f command instead.
The chkdsk program goes through three checks before reporting its findings:
Checks the file system to make sure that all the file links are valid.
Checks the system indexes for errors.
Checks (on NTFS drives) security descriptors to make sure that file security is intact.
You cannot run chkdsk in fix mode on a disk that's in use. (An in-use drive is one that has files open.) If you try, the program informs you that the disk is in use and gives you the opportunity to "dismount the volume." If you instruct chkdsk to do this, all the open files on the drive are closed and the drive is made inaccessible. This could result in data loss. You should choose to dismount only if you're really sure you won't lose critical data.
If the drive is in use and you choose not to dismount the volume, chkdsk offers to perform the check the
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Confused by something in Windows? Ever wish you could watch a demonstration or follow a wizard to solve your problem step by step? Wait, you can!
Choose Start, Help, Help and Support Center. From here, you can locate tutorials here in a couple ways:
Enter the word tutorial in the Search text box and click the arrow button. Links to the first 15 tutorials appear. (Fifteen is the default number of search results.) Click a link to run a tutorial.
When you run a search, the Suggested Topics section of the results typically divides into two sections: Pick a Task; and Overviews, Articles and Tutorials. Any item in the second area that begins with the word Practice is a tutorial.
Click a tutorial link to run it. It runs, opening a window that plays images along with an audio narration and a toolbar. Do one of the following:
When you're instructed to by the narration, perform an action, such as clicking a link in the tutorial window.
Use the tutorial toolbar to navigate through the tutorial. For example, use the Previous Topic, Jump Back, Jump Ahead, or Next Topic buttons to move through the tutorial content, and use the Pause and Stop buttons to take a break from the tutorial or stop it from running.
Use the tutorial toolbar to get more help with the More Information, Glossary, Tip, and Help buttons.
Close a tutorial by clicking the Close button in the tutorial window.
Tutorials are played by using the Macromedia Flash Player. To modify the way the player works, when a tutorial first begins, right click the tutorial screen and choose Settings. These settings control privacy, microphone recording volume, camera settings, and how much storage space is used on your hard drive to play the tutorials. To adjust playback volume, click the volume control on the Windows taskbar and move the sliders up and down to make the sound louder or softer.
Choose Start, Help, Help and Support Center. From here, you can locate tutorials here in a couple ways:
Enter the word tutorial in the Search text box and click the arrow button. Links to the first 15 tutorials appear. (Fifteen is the default number of search results.) Click a link to run a tutorial.
When you run a search, the Suggested Topics section of the results typically divides into two sections: Pick a Task; and Overviews, Articles and Tutorials. Any item in the second area that begins with the word Practice is a tutorial.
Click a tutorial link to run it. It runs, opening a window that plays images along with an audio narration and a toolbar. Do one of the following:
When you're instructed to by the narration, perform an action, such as clicking a link in the tutorial window.
Use the tutorial toolbar to navigate through the tutorial. For example, use the Previous Topic, Jump Back, Jump Ahead, or Next Topic buttons to move through the tutorial content, and use the Pause and Stop buttons to take a break from the tutorial or stop it from running.
Use the tutorial toolbar to get more help with the More Information, Glossary, Tip, and Help buttons.
Close a tutorial by clicking the Close button in the tutorial window.
Tutorials are played by using the Macromedia Flash Player. To modify the way the player works, when a tutorial first begins, right click the tutorial screen and choose Settings. These settings control privacy, microphone recording volume, camera settings, and how much storage space is used on your hard drive to play the tutorials. To adjust playback volume, click the volume control on the Windows taskbar and move the sliders up and down to make the sound louder or softer.
