Check for disk errors
The Windows Error-Checking tool (Chkdsk) can identify and fix potential problems with your hard disk. Run it every few weeks or once a month if everything seems to be performing fine. It’s also worth running Chkdsk straight after every crash or hard-disk reset.
To access the tool, open My Computer (Computer in Vista), right-click your system drive and select Properties. Go to the Tools tab, click the Check Now button and add ticks to ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ and ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.’ You’ll probably have to restart Windows before Chkdsk can begin checking the drive.
