Using CHKDSK to Find and Fix Disk Errors

Basic scan

chkdsk C: /f /r /x

• /f — fix errors
• /r — locate bad sectors and recover readable data
• /x — force dismount (needed on the C: drive — it runs on next reboot)

Reading the results

CHKDSK output appears in Event Viewer → Applications → Wininit after running on reboot. Look for "bad sectors" count — any non-zero number means the drive is developing physical failures.

When to replace

Reallocated sectors in CrystalDiskInfo (shown in Caution/Bad health) combined with CHKDSK bad sectors = replace immediately. A drive that had to remap sectors will continue to fail.

CHKDSK for data drives

For D:, E:, etc. the command runs immediately: chkdsk D: /f /r — no reboot needed if the drive is not in use.