Run CHKDSK(Disk Check) on Windows 8/8.1

CHKDSK stands for CHECK DISK. In Windows 8/Windows 8.1, with the help of CHKDSK command, you can scan your entire hard disk drive (or each volume of the drive individually) for any errors that it may have. While using the CHKDSK command, if you add a few switches such as /F or /R, the command automatically fixes any errors that it detects, or automatically recovers any readable data from the bad sectors that the hard disk drive may have.

Since the CHKDSK command uses intensive search at the hard disk drive level, it requires the administrative privileges in order to run successfully. Also, because the CHKDSK command can only be executed from the command prompt, you must initialize the command window with the elevated privileges.

Here is how you can initialize the command window with the elevated privileges, and can run the CHKDSK command with appropriate switches:

1. Log on to the Windows 8/Windows 8.1 computer with the administrator account.
2. From the Start screen, click the Desktop tile.
3. Once on the desktop screen, hover mouse to the bottom right corner of the window.
4. From the displayed Charms bar, click Search.
   
5. From the Search pane that is displayed in the right, in the available field, typeCMD.
6. From the displayed suggested applications list, right-click Command Prompt.
7. From the context menu that appears, click Run as administrator.
   
8. On the User Account Control confirmation box, click Yes to provide your consent to continue.
9. Once on the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the CHKDSK /F C: command to check the C: drive for errors, and fix them if detected. Alternatively you can also type CHKDSK /R C: command to check the C: drive for errors, and automatically recover the readable data from the bad sectors that the drive may contain.

10. Wait till the command is executed successfully, and once the process is done, restart the computer and start using Windows 8/Windows 8.1 normally.