Windows 8 In Depth

Check and Defragment Your Hard Disk

Windows 8 Setup uses CHKDSK to give your hard disk a quick once-over before settling down to the serious business of installation. Sure, a “quick once-over” is better than nothing, but you should be more thorough. Specifically, use your version of Windows’ Check Disk program to give your hard disk a “surface” scan. The surface scan checks your hard disk for physical imperfections that could lead to trouble down the road. In most recent versions of Windows, open File Explorer, display the Computer folder, right-click drive C (or whatever drive contains the Windows system files), click Properties, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Disk. When the Check Disk interface appears, activate the Scan For and ...