How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP

Chkdsk (Chkdsk.exe) is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair any that it finds. For example, Chkdsk can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors. To use Chkdsk, you must log on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

You can also run Chkdsk from My Computer or from Windows Explorer.

Manual steps to run Chkdsk

Notes :
1.Chkdsk requires exclusive access to a volume when it runs. Therefore, if one or more of the
files are open on the disk that you want to check, Chkdsk displays a prompt asking if you want
schedule the disk check for the next time that you restart your computer.
2.Chkdsk might take a long time to run, depending on the number of files and folders, the size of
the volume, disk performance, and available system resources, such as processor and
memory.
3.Chkdsk might not accurately report information in read-only mode.