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Chapter 19: Relieving Hard Times for Hard Drives
Whichever method you use, the command-prompt
window opens.
You won’t be able to work on your computer while
this utility is running.
2.
Enter one of the following commands:
• To view detailed information about your hard
drive, type chkdsk driveletter: and then press
Enter. (You enter the drive letter in place of
driveletter. To check drive C:, for example, type
the command chkdsk c:.)
• To find and repair errors, locate bad sectors, and
recover readable information that may have been
lost to an application, type chkdsk driveletter:/r
and then press Enter. (Substitute the actual drive
letter for driveletter. To check drive C:, for example,
type chkdsk c:/r.)
Programs such as chkdsk can be executed (run) with
command switches that tell the program to conduct
special tasks. You enter a switch after the program
name, preceded by a slash (/). The /r switch, for
example, tells Chkdsk to find and repair errors.
If the current drive is in use (which is often the case
in a PC that has just one drive), Chkdsk informs you
that it can’t run the test with the specified repairs
now and offers to conduct it the next time the com-
puter starts. Type Y (for yes) and then press Enter.

What you do next depends on the result of the test. If
you asked Chkdsk to fix errors, for example, it may dis-
play an exit code or ask for verification before it performs
a repair or recovery task. To continue the process, type Y
and then press Enter.
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Chapter 19: Relieving Hard Times for Hard Drives
5.
Type exit and press Enter to close the command-prompt
window.

Again, if Windows is using one or more of the files
on the hard drive, you see the following message:
Chkdsk cannot run because the volume
is in use by another process. Would
you like to schedule this volume to
be checked the next time the system
restarts? (Y/N) Type Y and press Enter to
schedule the disk check; then restart your computer.
Take Out the Garbage with Disk Cleanup
1.
Choose Start➪My Computer or Start➪My Computer to
open the My Computer/Computer window.
2.
Right-click the drive you want to check, and choose
Properties from the shortcut menu to open the drive’s
Properties dialog box (refer to Figure 19-3, earlier in this

keep; check the check boxes next to any additional files
that you want to clear off the disk.

For most users, it’s best to delete only the recom-
mended files. If you choose to go further, click each
file and read its description before proceeding.
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Chapter 19: Relieving Hard Times for Hard Drives
7.
Click OK.
8.
When Windows asks you to confirm that you want to
delete these files permanently, click Yes (Windows XP) or
Delete Files (Vista and Windows 7).

How often you should run the Disk Cleanup utility
depends on your habits. If you do a lot of Internet
browsing, and disk space is running low, run the util-
ity. Otherwise, every few months is probably often
enough.
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320
Part V: Troubleshooting Your PC
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Fixing Common
Problems

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322
Part V: Troubleshooting Your PC
Start a Computer That Won’t Start
1.
Check the computer’s power source and connections.
• Make certain that the power cord is plugged into
the computer and into a source of power. The
power cord runs from the back of the computer
and plugs into an electrical socket in the wall; into
a surge protector (a good thing); or (even better)
into an uninterruptible power supply (UPS),
which is basically a large battery that is continu-
ously recharged by wall current (see Figure 20-1).
Figure 20-1
• Test the source of power to see whether it’s live. To
do that, plug a lamp, radio, or fan into the same
outlet, surge protector, or UPS that you’re using for
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Chapter 20: Fixing Common Problems
your computer, and see whether that device works
properly. If not, the wall outlet may have blown a
fuse or the surge protector may have failed (which
is its job if a power spike comes along). For more
details on dealing with a power problem, see
Chapter 9.

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Part V: Troubleshooting Your PC
Sometimes, you can get past a hardware error by
instructing Windows to open in safe mode (see
Chapter 17), which loads only the most critical com-
ponents of Windows. If Windows will load this way,
you can check Device Manager for clues about which
component failed; for details, see Chapter 18.
Solve Basic Hardware Problems
➟
Your computer is suddenly silent. Make sure you
haven’t muted the sound. The sound card or adapter
inside your PC has failed or is no longer adequate
for your needs.
Solution: Instead of opening the case, plug in an
external sound adapter such as Creative’s USB
SoundBlaster Live! 24-Bit External, which attaches to
a USB port on almost any desktop or laptop
computer.
➟
Your PC needs new or better wireless capability.
You want to give your computer the ability to com-
municate wirelessly with other devices, or you need
to upgrade an outdated or malfunctioning built-in
Wi-Fi adapter.
Solution: Several manufacturers offer external Wi-Fi
adapters and antennas that connect to your PC
through (you’re getting the pattern here, right?) the
USB port. One advantage of using an external Wi-Fi

program content to the computer. You can pur-
chase very large flash drives to store up to 256GB
worth of programs or data. Figure 20-3, for exam-
ple, shows a Kingston 128GB USB flash drive.
Old-timers like me find it hard to believe that you
can get so much storage in such a small package.
Figure 20-3
• Install an external CD/DVD drive. Another
option is to install an external drive. Drives of this
type are small units, similar to those used in full-
feature laptops, that draw electrical power from
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