Microsoft ScanDisk
{{Short description|Disk diagnostic utility for MS-DOS and Windows 9x}}
Not to be confused with SanDisk.{{Infobox software
| name = Microsoft ScanDisk
| screenshot = Microsoft Scandisk (Windows 98).png
| screenshot_size = 300px
| caption = Text-based version of Microsoft ScanDisk running on Windows 98
| developer = Microsoft
| released = {{Start date and age|1993}}
| other_names = ScanDisk
| operating system = MS-DOS 6.2 and Windows 9x
| genre = Utility software
| license = Proprietary commercial software
}}
Microsoft ScanDisk (also called ScanDisk) is a diagnostic utility program included in MS-DOS and Windows 9x. It checks and repairs file systems errors on a disk drive, while the system starts.
Overview
The program was first introduced in MS-DOS 6.2{{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=Running MS-DOS Version 6.22 (20th Anniversary Edition), 6th Revised edition|date=2003|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=0-7356-1812-7}} and succeeded its simpler predecessor, CHKDSK. It included a more user-friendly interface than CHKDSK, more configuration options,{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/199557 |title=ScanDisk command-line options |work=Microsoft Support |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |date=2007-01-23 |access-date=24 December 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/105559 |title=MS-DOS 6.2 ScanDisk.INI |work=Microsoft Support |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |date=2003-10-14 |access-date=24 December 2011}} and the ability to detect and (if possible) recover from physical errors on the disk. This replaced and improved upon the limited ability offered by the MS-DOS recover utility.{{cite web|title=What Does RECOVER Do? (Revision 3.0)|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/67223|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|access-date=24 December 2011|date=25 November 2003}} Unlike CHKDSK, ScanDisk would also repair crosslinked files.{{cite web|title=How to Fix Cross-linked Files (Revision: 2.0)|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/83140|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|access-date=24 December 2011|date=10 May 2003|quote=If you are running MS-DOS 6.2 or later, run ScanDisk, instead of [~snip~]}}
In Windows 95 onwards, ScanDisk also had a graphical user interface, although the text-based user interface continued to be available for use in single-tasking ("DOS") mode.{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc751229.aspx |title=Windows 95 Documentation |work=Microsoft TechNet |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |date=1996-03-03 |access-date=24 December 2011}}{{cite web|title=Description of ScanDisk for Windows (Scandskw.exe) in Windows 98/Me (Revision: 1.3)|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/186365|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|access-date=24 December 2011|date=23 January 2007}}
However, ScanDisk cannot check NTFS disk drives, and therefore it is unavailable for computers that may be running NT based (including Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc.) versions of Windows; for the purpose, a newer CHKDSK is provided instead.
On Unix-like systems, there are tools like fsck_msdosfs{{cite web|title=FSCK_MSDOSFS|url=http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=fsck_msdosfs&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=FreeBSD+7.2-RELEASE&format=html|work=FreeBSD System Manager's Manual|publisher=The FreeBSD Project|date=13 August 1995|access-date=24 December 2011}} and dosfsck to do the same task.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book|author-last=Cooper|author-first=Jim|title=Special Edition Using MS-DOS 6.22, Third Edition|date=2001|publisher=Que Publishing|isbn=978-0789725738}}
- {{Cite book|last=Stinson|first=Craig|title=Running Microsoft Windows 98|year=1998|publisher=Microsoft Press|location=Redmond, Washington|isbn=1-57231-681-0|url=https://archive.org/details/runningmicrosoft00stin_0|access-date=24 December 2011|chapter=ch. 16: Optimizing, Maintaining, and Troubleshooting|url-access=registration}}
External links
{{Wikibooks|Guide to Windows Commands}}
{{Windows commands}}
{{Windows Components|management}}