18 Gateway ALR 8300 User’s Guide
Maintaining the system
Maintaining the hard drive
Hard drives need regular maintenance because running the software divides
files, creates spaces between data, and otherwise decreases the hard drive
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 the hard disk for damaged areas
and then repair them. We suggest that you scan the hard drive at least once a
week to once a month, depending on how often and how much you use the
computer.
1.
In Windows 95, Click on the
7X
7XEEVXVX
button. Then click on
44VVSKV
SKVEEQW
QW
,
then
%GGI
%GGIWWWSVM
WSVMIIWW
, then
77]]WX
WXIQ
IQ 88SSPW
SSPW
, and then
7G
7GEERR(
(MW
MWOO
.
The ScanDisk window opens.
In Windows NT, Scandisk is accessed through the
88SSPW
SSPW
tab of the
drive
44VVSSTTIV
IVXXMI
MIWW
sheet.
2.
In the ScanDisk window, click on the drive you want to scan.
3.
If you only want to check the files and folders for errors, select the
77XXEERRHHEEVVHH
option button. If you want to do a more thorough scan for
errors, select the
88LLSSVVSSYK
YKLL
option.
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.
To Start ScanDisk
4080TL.book Page 18 Tuesday, December 22, 1998 2:50 PM
