How to Repair a Damaged Hard Drive Using CHKDSK

This article applies to Windows XP/2000

Introduction:

Over time, your hard drive could develop errors for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons are:

Improper Shutdowns
Power Outages
Power Surges
Age of Drive

In this article I will explain a method that can repair a damaged hard drive. It is also possible to be able to tell if the hard drive is nearing its end by using this method.

Warning: Depending on the extent of the damage to your hard drive, this test can cause the hard drive to actually fail. So, prior to running this test, be sure to backup all data.

Start Repair Method:

Insert your Windows XP/2000 installation CD and restart your computer to launch the CD. If you receive a prompt asking what boot method you would like to use. Select the option that allows you to boot from the installation CD.

The next prompt will ask what you would like to do? Select the letter “R” to enter the Windows Recovery Console.

When asked what partition you would like to boot to, select the partition that has your Windows operating system installed on it. You may be asked for an administrator password at this point. If you use one, then enter it now. If not, simply press enter to continue.

A command prompt should now appear. Type in the following command and then press enter on your keyboard: chkdsk /p

Your system will begin testing for errors on your drive. If you receive a message that states; “One or more errors detected on the volume”, then it is possible to use CHKDSK to repair these errors. If no errors were found, CHKDSK will not be able to repair your drive.

If one or more errors were found, type in the following command at the command prompt and then press enter on your keyboard: chkdsk /r

Once you press enter, the CHKDSK utility will begin checking every sector on your hard drive for errors and automatically repair them. This test could take some time depending on the size of your hard drive.

Once your system stops scanning and returns you to the command prompt, type the following command again, then press enter: chkdsk /p

If after the scan completes and it has found no errors, this means that you have successfully repaired your drive. If errors are again reported, this means that the CHKDSK utility was unable to repair these errors and it could also indicate that the drive is on its last leg.

Exit the Recovery Console and remove your Windows XP/2000 installation CD. Be sure to (if you haven’t already) backup all data on your drive.

Volume Icon in Taskbar

t's really handy to have access to the Volume Control panel in the event you quickly need to move the volume slider up or down. In its default state, XP ships with almost a clean slate for both the desktop and taskbar. So, if you'd like to place the volume control icon in the taskbar, you're going to need to make a little adjustment.

To place the volume control icon in the taskbar, follow these steps:

Single-click the Start menu.
Single-click Control Panel.
Single-click Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices.
Single-click Sounds and Audio Devices to launch the Sound and Audio Devices properties.
On the Volume tab, locate the text labeled "Device Volume" and place a check mark next to the text labeled "Place volume icon in the taskbar."
Single-click Apply.

You should now have the volume icon in the taskbar. Now all you need to do is double-click this icon to bring up your Volume Control panel.

The Windows XP File Systems

When installing Windows XP from scratch, it prompts you to select from two different file systems: FAT32 and NTFS. As expected, it gives no real reason why you should select one or the other, and defaults to NTFS.

FAT32
If you're installing on a dual-boot system where you would have a FAT32 partition (default type for Windows 98 and SE for partitions over 2GB), you may run into problems depending on your situation. The FAT32 file system was created when the size of hard drives exceeded 2GB. The previous file system for DOS and Windows 95 was FAT16, which offered at most 2GB of allocation on your hard drive. This of course is useless for today's hard drives when you can't find anything under 10GB anymore. Where FAT16 allowed a 2GB maximum, FAT32 only allows a 32GB maximum. If your hard drive is over 32GB, you'll have to split it into separate partitions, or use NTFS.

NTFS
NTFS was introduced with Windows NT. Among the reasons why it was introduced, it allowed partitions greater than what's even offered today, and boasts better performance and security. Focusing on security, it's possible that while an NTFS hard drive is secure when running Windows XP, there's no easy way to get back into the hard drive if you boot from an emergency floppy that only sees a FAT16 or FAT32 partition, such as what you'd get from a 98 or ME emergency floppy. The security in NTFS actually prevents you from circumventing its own file system from a boot floppy. This means that if for some reason your hard drive becomes unusable and you need to move data off of it, the task won't be as easy as it was when using Windows 95, 98, and ME. The solution that the user has in this situation is to boot from the Windows XP CD and run a repair on the hard drive. This should fix any problems the user had with the system and bring it back to a bootable state. The other issue is in dual-boot situations. Running under NTFS, you can see FAT16 and FAT32 partitions, but if you boot back into Windows ME, you can't see the NTFS partition. This is a problem if you downloaded something to your XP partition and you want to move it to your ME partition while running under ME. Also, if you upgraded ME to XP and you convert your file system from FAT32 to NTFS, you cannot go back to Windows ME since ME can't run under NTFS. However, only NTFS allows you to set permissions on individual folders so that you can control who sees what.

Converting from FAT32 to NTFS at a later time
If you want, under Windows XP you can convert your FAT32 partition to NTFS using the following command from your Command Prompt:

convert c: /fs:ntfs

Conclusion
With all this information, find what suits your needs and go with it. If you're the kind of person that backs up regularly, go with NTFS. Same if you want to use a partition over 32GB without partitioning. If you want to play it safe, or if you want the ability to transfer files from one partition to another under a dual-boot situation, stick with FAT32. If you want to read more about these file systems, Microsoft has an excellent article on their web site.

How to Avoid Rapidshare and Megaupload Download Limits and Wait Times

Rapidshare is one of the most frustrating websites to download large files off of, especially if they are broken into many pieces while Megaupload positively shines in comparison. So why do people keep using these two services when more generous file hosts like Mediafire exist?

I can only guess that it’s simply because so many other people are using them. In order to get free premium Rapidshare accounts, which let you download unlimited amounts of files, users upload their own files onto Rapidshare, hoping enough people download them in turn so that the uploaders can earn enough premium points to qualify for a free account.

But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. You can get unlimited Rapidshare downloads more simply.

What you are going to do is request a new IP address from your ISP. This is assuming that you do not subscribe to an Internet service with fixed IP addresses.

First, figure out what your current IP address is by going to IP Chicken. Write down the series of numbers that are displayed. This is your current IP address.

Then, follow the steps below to get a new IP:

1. Go to Start->Run and type in “cmd” without quotes to bring up the command prompt. Hit Enter.

2. Type in “ipconfig /flushdns” without quotes and hit Enter.

3. Type in “ipconfig /release” without quotes and hit Enter.

4. Type in “ipconfig /renew” without quotes and hit Enter. You should now have a new IP address. Check your IP address at IP Chicken again and compare it to the one you got earlier.

5. Now, erase your browser’s cache and cookies.

6. Try downloading the Rapidshare or Megaupload file again.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Command	Result
CTRL + C	Copy
CTRL + X	Cut
CTRL + V	Paste
CTRL + Z	Undo
DELETE	Delete
SHIFT + DELETE	Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin
CTRL while dragging an item	Copy selected item
CTRL + SHIFT while dragging an item	Create shortcut to selected item
F2	Rename selected item
CTRL + RIGHT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word
CTRL + LEFT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word
CTRL + DOWN ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph
CTRL + UP ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL + SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Highlight a block of text
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
CTRL + A	Select all
F3	Search for a file or folder
ALT + ENTER	View properties for the selected item
ALT + F4	Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT + Enter	Displays the properties of the selected object
ALT + SPACEBAR	Opens the shortcut menu for the active window
CTRL + F4	Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously
ALT + TAB	Switch between open items
ALT + ESC	Cycle through items in the order they were opened
F6	Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F4	Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
SHIFT + F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
ALT + SPACEBAR	Display the System menu for the active window
CTRL + ESC	Display the Start menu
ALT + Underlined letter in a menu name	Display the corresponding menu
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu	Carry out the corresponding command
F10	Activate the menu bar in the active program
RIGHT ARROW	Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
LEFT ARROW	Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
F5	Refresh the active window
BACKSPACE	View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer
ESC	Cancel the current task
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive	Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Backup Windows Vista

Backup Windows Vista
The Backup and Restore center - bundled with Windows Vista - is an excellent tool, which allows you to backup and restore your files or an image of your operating system.

Launching the Backup and Restore Center

To launch the Backup and Restore Center, do the following:
1. Press the Start buttom
2. Type Backup
3. Select Backup and Restore Center

Backing up Your Files

To backup your files, click Backup Files and follow the directions given to you. Select the directories and files you want to backup and find a suitable place to store these files. I recommend an external hard drive or a DVD.

Restoring Your Files

Launch the Backup and Restore center and click Restore Files. Locate the medium your files are stored on and follow the instructions to get your previously backed up files back.

Back Up and Restore the Registry

Some guides in this book will require you to change values in your registry. If you make a mistake and don't correct it, you may find your computer is not as functional as it was before. To protect yourself from any mistakes, you need to backup your registry. To back up and restore your registry, do the following:

Backup the Registry

1. Press Start > Run (Winkey+R) and type regedit
2. Left click Computer in the left pane
3. Go to File > Export
4. Save the file (for extra caution, save the file to a
USB thumb drive)

Restore the Registry

1. Press Start > Run (Winkey+R) and type regedit
2. Left click Computer in the left pane
3. Go to File > Import
4. Choose the backup file you created

Recovering Lost Data on Your Drive

I lost some photos recently and after trying a few different recovery programs, I came across Recuva. My problem was solved and now I you to use this great software. Recuva (pronounced "recover") is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses!

Get a Windows Vista Recovery Disc

Most new computers these days come with windows Vista installed. Most of these computers don't come with any kind of Windows Vista disc. Some may come with a recovery disc but they are bad news as most recovery disks will delete all your files and restore your computer to the state it was in when you first purchased it.

Windows Vista DVD's come with a recovery center to allow you to fix operating system related problems. If you do not have this DVD, Microsoft made a recovery disc for this purpose.

Please Note: This disc cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows Vista.

may be

Maybe its intuition
Some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes
I see my future in an instant
And there it goes
I think I've found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than
A little crazy but I believe

I knew I loved you, before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you, before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

There's just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I found my way home
I know that it might sound more than
A little crazy but I believe...

I knew I loved you, before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you, before I met you
I have been waiting all my life