OT: Disk error check on all disks at-once

kentwolf wrote on 8/19/2009, 6:49 PM
Fried a power strip today. Error checking all of my disks since all crashed.

Question: Is there such a thing that will execute a disk error check on all hard drives at once? Specifically, looking to issue a do a disk error check on all hard drives...then it checks them all, one right after the other.

The same error checking one does when right-clicking on a drive in Explorer, then properties/tools.

Not sure if I am wasting my time even searching for such a thing.

I have 10 drives in my tower. This sort of thing would be a helpful convenience.

Thanks for any info.

Comments

GenJerDan wrote on 8/19/2009, 7:30 PM
You can use the command line. Assuming Windows, of course.

Start | Run | cmd <enter>

chkdsk c: /f (to fix errors, if possible)

Repeat for all drives.

Those that can't be checked immediately will prompt you to have them checked on next reboot. (Which you can do after all the drives have been checked or set for checking. Don't have to do it right away.)
Open multiple CMD winows to avoid having to wait until the last one finishes before doing the next.
Himanshu wrote on 8/19/2009, 7:34 PM
The command that is executed to check the disk is called CHKDSK so you can simply run CHKDSK on each drive via a command prompt. Set up a simple batch script file (.bat), something to the effect of:

CHKDSK /F C:
CHKDSK /F D:
...etc...

Note: /F is to "fix errors" that chkdsk finds - you decided whether you want to use that flag or not. You may want to pipe the output to a log file when you run the batch file. Start a command prompt (cmd) and type in HELP to get information on commands.

If I suspected that the data on the disks was damaged in any way, I'd make a full disk image before running CHKDSK, because that itself may modify the disk.
Terje wrote on 8/20/2009, 9:52 AM
If you have 10 drives it is relatively unlikely, even with a power failure, that all of them would fail. It is more likely that your disk controller has a problem.
kentwolf wrote on 8/20/2009, 1:54 PM
>>...disk controller has a problem...

No problems at all. Just seeking to automate disk error checks.

I had not considered a command line option and just might be the ticket.

Thanks for the ideas guys!