How to check if your boot drive is corrupted​？

Here are the methods to check if your boot drive is corrupted on different operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux, along with detailed explanations and related principles:

For Windows

Using CHKDSK Command

Basic Introduction: CHKDSK (Check Disk) is a command-line tool in Windows used to check the file system integrity of a disk and fix logical errors. It can also identify and attempt to repair bad sectors on the disk.

How to Use: Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by searching for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu, right-clicking on it, and selecting “Run as administrator”. In the Command Prompt window, type “chkdsk [drive letter]: /f” (replace [drive letter] with the actual letter of your boot drive, e.g., C:). The “/f” parameter tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it finds. If there are no errors, CHKDSK will display a report showing the disk status. If errors are detected, it will attempt to fix them and provide details about the issues.

Using Windows Memory Diagnostic

Basic Introduction: This tool is used to check for problems with the computer’s memory, but memory issues can sometimes be mistaken for or contribute to boot drive corruption symptoms. It can help rule out memory-related problems that might be causing system instability or errors that seem to be related to the boot drive.

How to Use: Search for “Windows Memory Diagnostic” in the Start menu and open it. You can choose to run the diagnostic immediately or schedule it to run on the next restart. The tool will then check the memory for errors and display the results after the scan is complete. If memory errors are found, it may indicate that there could be issues affecting the system’s stability and potentially causing problems that mimic boot drive corruption.

Using System File Checker (SFC)

Basic Introduction: The System File Checker is a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files. Since the boot drive contains important system files, SFC can help identify and fix issues with these files that could lead to boot drive problems.

How to Use: Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. Type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter. The System File Checker will then scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder on the computer. After the scan is complete, it will display a message indicating whether any problems were found and fixed.

For macOS

Using Disk Utility

Basic Introduction: Disk Utility is a built-in application on macOS that provides a variety of disk management and diagnostic functions. It can check the health of a disk, including the boot drive, and repair disk errors.

How to Use: Open Disk Utility by going to “Applications” > “Utilities” > “Disk Utility”. In Disk Utility, select your boot drive from the list on the left. Click on the “First Aid” button. Disk Utility will then scan the selected disk for errors and attempt to repair any issues it finds. It will display a report of the scan results, indicating whether the disk is healthy or if any problems were detected and fixed.

Using fsck Command

Basic Introduction: The fsck (File System Check) command is a powerful tool in macOS for checking and repairing file systems. It can be used to check the integrity of the boot drive’s file system and fix various types of file system errors.

How to Use: Open the Terminal application. To check the boot drive, you need to unmount it first. However, since the boot drive is usually in use, you may need to boot into Recovery Mode to do this. In Recovery Mode, open the Terminal and use the command “diskutil list” to identify the disk and partition numbers of your boot drive. Then, use the command “fsck -fy /dev/disk[disk number]s[partition number]” (replace [disk number] and [partition number] with the actual numbers identified earlier). The “-f” parameter forces the check, and the “-y” parameter tells fsck to automatically repair any errors it finds.

For Linux

Using fsck Command

Basic Introduction: Similar to the macOS version, the fsck command in Linux is used to check and repair the file systems of disks. It is a crucial tool for maintaining the integrity of the file system and can help identify and fix issues that may be causing problems with the boot drive.

How to Use: Open a terminal. To check the boot drive, you need to know the device name of the drive. You can use the “df -h” command to list the mounted file systems and identify the device name of the boot drive. Then, unmount the boot drive using the “umount /dev/[device name]” command (replace [device name] with the actual device name). After that, run the “fsck -f /dev/[device name]” command to check and repair the file system. The “-f” parameter forces the check even if the file system appears to be clean.

Using SMART Tools

Basic Introduction: SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a feature in modern hard drives and solid-state drives that allows the drive to monitor its own health and report on various parameters and potential issues. SMART tools in Linux can be used to access and analyze this information to determine the health of the boot drive.

How to Use: First, install a SMART tool such as smartmontools if it’s not already installed. You can use the package manager of your Linux distribution to install it. After installation, use the “smartctl -H /dev/[device name]” command (replace [device name] with the actual device name of your boot drive) to check the overall health status of the drive. The tool will display a summary of the drive’s health, indicating whether it is in a good state or if there are any potential problems. You can also use other options with smartctl to get more detailed information about the drive’s SMART attributes.