The /F option also needs a reboot to run but requires less time. The /R option can take a very long time to complete, and needs to work on a reboot so only run that when you have the time. The /F option focuses on fixing filesystem errors, while the /R option also checks for bad physical sectors on the drive-don’t use the /R option on an SSD as this option is not built for solid state drives. If you want it to fix problems you need to run the check disk program with the /F or /R options. To just check the status of all your drives type chkdsk for a read-only status of your drives. To do this, search for command prompt in the Windows 10 search box, and then select Run as administrator from the options as pictured here. Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive Turn on (or restart) your computer. Start the Dell Diagnostics from either your hard drive or from the optional Drivers and Utilities CD (ResourceCD). ’Chkdsk’ runs only with elevated privileges. Enter system setup to review your computers configuration information, and ensure that the device you want to test displays in system setup and is active.

Run the command prompt as an administrator to use ‘chkdsk.’ For those looking to take extra care, run it every few months, at the start of each quarter, for example. In case, you have a faulty hard drive, the diagnostic tool will show up with an error i.e. It checks the display, storage, processor, fan speed, and several other crucial components that can affect the working of hard drive and make it undetectable or inaccessible.

If a driver update doesn’t help, run Windows’ built-in ‘chkdsk’ (check disk) command-line utility. This tool is meant for detecting and scanning the faults related to the hard drive.

Dell hard drive diagnostics