Examination hard drive for mistakes necessary in case of slow operation or freezing of the computer, as well as failure of the operating system. Often, many users try to resort to third-party software which is inconvenient for a simple hard checks disk for errors. So let's take a look at this article how to check HDD for mistakes» using two methods integrated into Windows.

There are two ways to run disk check:

• run the chkdsk utility using the command line (be sure to run it with administrator rights);
• disk check using standard tools in a graphical Windows interface, or rather through the "properties of the disk".

Checking the hard disk for errors using the command line (I method)

To run the built-in utility CHKDSK you need to run the command line console with administrator rights. To open it, use the keyboard shortcut "Win + R", in the "Run" window, enter the value "cmd" in the empty field and run it. For more information, see: "Windows Command Prompt" .

As indicated in the figure, we have entered one command with additional parameters, which will check the hard disk for errors − CHKDSK C: /F /R, Where:

Chkdsk– specifies the name of the utility for checking the hard drive;

C: – given parameter means that we will check the C partition (system drive);

/F- this option will fix errors on the disk.

/R– search for bad sectors and recovery of surviving information.

After entering the command, a message will appear that the disk will be checked for errors the next time the system is rebooted. Agree, enter "Y" from the keyboard and restart the computer to start checking.

Additional information about utility parameters chkdsk can be obtained by running it with key "/?".

Checking the hard drive for errors with GUI(II way)

Regardless of the used operating systems- Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8, you need to go to the icon on the desktop "My Computer" - "This Computer" - "Computer".

Next, select desired disk, press right click mouse and select "Properties". To check the hard drive, go to the "Service" tab. In the window that opens, click the "Check" button. When you click on the button, a special window will appear, hover over and click "Check disk".

After clicking, a scanning window will appear, which notifies you about the analysis of checking the hard disk for errors. The disk check process may take some time.

When successful completion the above image will appear.

And if there are indeed errors on the scanned disk, the program will offer to restore this disk. Therefore, you need to click on the "Repair Disk" button and in case the operating system cannot correct errors, this usually occurs on system drive C, then the error checker will prompt "Repair the disk at the next restart", click this button, the program will close and you will need to restart the computer.

After the reboot, during the start of your computer startup, will open special application, which will check and fix errors on the hard drive being checked. Here are two simple ways, which can be used to check any local disk for errors.

This step-by-step instruction will help you check hard drive for errors in Windows 7, 8.1, 10. We will do this via command line or via explorer menu .

Note that the use of any third-party is not provided. Everything is checked by the resources of the computer itself and the operating system. Why, you ask? I explain: this is done for the reason that most powerful programs, which are designed specifically for testing, are little known and incomprehensible to the user. Therefore, when using programs little known to you, you can do more harm to your computer.

Checking the hard drive using the command line

To get started, you need. In newer versions of Windows 8.1 and 10, this can be done by right-clicking on the " Start", then select " Command Prompt (Administrator)».

In it (on the command line) enter the command chkdsk drive_letter: check_options .

*Check Disk only works with drives that have been formatted in NTFS or FAT32.

Well, for example: chkdsk C: /F /R - the command indicates to check drive C, and errors will be corrected automatically - parameter F, and checking for bad sectors and trying to restore them - parameter R.

In the event that you want to check a disk that is in this moment is used by the system, you will see a message stating that the scan may start after restarting the computer. Accordingly, you can refuse or agree ( Y - agree, N - refuse).

In other cases, after checking, you will receive statistics of the checked data, errors found and sectors that were damaged.

If you want to know the program parameters in more detail, you can run chkdsk, and specify a question mark as a parameter.

So, after the end of the check, you can see its results in the log Check Disk. For this you need to press Win+R and enter eventvwr.msc. In chapter Windows logs- Application, search by keyword Chkdsk.

Checking the hard drive through Windows Explorer

This is the easiest way to check your hard drive.

To do this, go to My computer”, and right-click on the disk that we want to check. Choose " Properties» → Tab « Service» → « Check».

Usually, in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, a message appears stating that a disk check is not required at this time. But you can force it.

By the way, in Windows 7 it is possible to select the appropriate items for verification, which allow you to enable verification and correct errors automatically.

As you know, all computer data is stored on a small, but often very capacious drive - a hard disk, or hard drive, HDD (Hard Disk Drive). So, like any device, the hard drive gradually wears out, which affects its performance and performance. You can notice this: if your PC (laptop, netbook) is an “experienced” comrade who has been working for more than a year, it may start to freeze, “think” for a long time when accessing certain folders, etc. This - sure signs the appearance of "broken" sectors on the hard drive. In this case, he just needs your help in the form of checking and, if possible, correcting errors in his work. You can do this in several ways, I'll tell you about everything in order. If you decide to figure out how to check your hard drive for errors, then my recommendation is to read this article to the end, and only then start following the steps described in this article.

In order to properly maintain your hard drive, extend its life for many years, you need to understand some of the basics of the drive. So first I'll try my best plain language tell you what happens inside the hard drive, and because of what it loses its “former grip” over time, and after that I will mention what programs will help you maintain and fix the hard drive. If you don’t have the desire to delve into the problem literally from the inside, but plan to simply go over the instructions like “click here - click here” - move to the second part of the article describing the methods and programs for checking the hard drive. The first section of the material will be devoted to theory, and I will try to make it as interesting and understandable as possible. Go!

The principle of operation of the hard disk and formatting

A hard drive is a device that consists of several glass/aluminum plates coated with a ferromagnetic material. Above the surface of each plate (disk), at a distance of about ten nm, there are magnetic heads that read and write information to the disk.

In production hard drives at the final stage, tracks, sectors and marks are applied to the magnetic surface of the disk. This process is called low-level formatting. Thus, service information is applied to the disk. In simple terms, the “magnetization” of service information is higher than that with which we will subsequently fill the disk. That is why user data, files can be written and erased many times, but service information cannot.

IMPORTANT: if you have read / heard somewhere that fixing hard drive errors will help low-level formatting, and it can be carried out using any program, remember: this operation is performed once and only at the factory using expensive equipment. It is impossible to perform low-level formatting using software at home! Of course, you can format it, but this will not be the formatting that we would like.

Sometimes I resort to such formatting (there is special utilities), but I do this procedure to format the disk when other programs refuse to do so. Ask why is this happening? Because some programs, if they cannot format the disk, write a message, for example, “ Hard Formatting disk could not be completed", and if you use special programs, which format several times in the same area, then sometimes this option works - when the disk cannot be simply formatted.

The hard drive is equipped with some kind of operating system (not Windows, which we all know and use). With the help of labels and OS commands applied to the disk, the drive “understands” where exactly the magnetic head needs to be delivered at the current time for reading / writing. The table of tracks, sectors and marks, as well as the OS of the disk - Firmware, firmware - is stored in a special section, closed from the BIOS and the operating systems familiar to us, zone. Therefore, if you suddenly wonder if you need to update the hard drive firmware, you should know: you don’t need to do this. After all, a hard drive is not an iPhone, and it does not need updates for the normal operation of a modern hard drive.

Bad HDD sectors - physical, logical, software

We are getting closer and closer to the problem - the loss of performance by the hard drive.

So, the disks are marked into tracks and the tracks are divided into sectors. By the way, the minimum hard disk available to the user - 512 bytes. What happens if a sector suddenly becomes unreadable? The hard drive controller gives the command to make a few more reading attempts (at this moment, on the other side of the monitor, we can notice how the PC is slightly “dumb”), and if the operation was unsuccessful, the system marks the sector as faulty (bad block ), and the information that should have been written to this sector is written to another working sector in the backup partition. At the same time, information is entered into the label table that now this sector is considered non-working. The process of redirecting from bad sectors to spare ones is called "Remapping", or in slang "remap".

Note: imagine: the magnetic head cannot always move continuously along the tracks sector by sector - due to bad sectors, it has to jump to the backup track and back again and again. For this reason, by the way, you can hear extraneous sounds, crackles from the HDD. Naturally, the more bad sectors on the disk, the slower the hard drive works.

There are several types of bad sectors:

1. Physical bad block. Such sectors arise as a result of physical, mechanical damage to the hard disk - shedding of the ferromagnet, cracks, chips. It is logical to assume that their occurrence is due to physical impact - vibration, shock or high temperature (overheating), dust penetrating inside the disk. A physical bad sector cannot be fixed by any software, the only solution is to enter it in the defect table and assign it a “deputy” on the backup track. Therefore, do not knock on your laptop and also be attentive to system unit computer, which is usually placed under the table.
2. Logic bad block. Are the result of a violation of logic work hard disk and are divided into two categories: repairable and unrecoverable.
   1. Unrecoverable logical bad block. In this case, service information is violated - the sector label, address, etc., which is sometimes possible to correct, but only available to narrow specialists with expensive equipment.
   2. Correctable logical bad block. Together with the information in the sector is written additional parameter- checksum, or Error Correction Code (ECC), which allows you to restore information even in the event of a failure. It happens that you turn off the computer (for example, from the socket while the system was still working), the information was written to the hard disk, but the checksum was not entered into the table. This is where programs come to the rescue. HDD recovery, which, "without asking" sectors, forcibly write zeros to them, and, accordingly, new checksums. After that, the sector returns to work, and the disk is formatted without problems using standard Windows tools. If formatting is not done, then the hard drive will repeatedly access the disk and, due to an incorrect checksum, your computer or laptop will freeze.

1. Software bad block. The name itself tells us that such blocks occur during the operation of the program, which means that with the help of any program such bads can be fixed. Here we include incorrectly marked sectors and other "small things", which are corrected by the usual formatting.

IMPORTANT: I'm sure you all know this very well, but just in case, I'll say it: formatting will destroy all your data on the disk. Therefore, before formatting a disk, make sure that all the necessary information from it is copied to another medium. Otherwise, you will simply lose it.

Standard utilities in Windows for checking hard drives

With the theory sorted out, let's move on to practice. There are several applications for working with "problem" hard drives that have proven to be powerful and reliable tools. About all in order.

By tradition, I will say a few words about standard means Windows. The functionality, of course, leaves much to be desired, but for the prevention of disk errors it will do. To check the disk using the OS, open "Explorer", right-click on any of the disks and select the "Properties" line from the menu.

In the window that opens, go to the "Service" tab and see that we have few options - you can check for file system errors or run defragmentation. We will not stop at the check (we press the button and check), but I will say a few words about defragmentation. As the name implies, this process is the reverse of the process of disk fragmentation as a result of a remap (this was discussed in the theoretical part of the article above). Simply put, defragmentation is the ordering of the disk table and spare sectors for faster access to the latter and speed up the response of the hard disk as a whole. It is recommended to run a disk defragmenter occasionally. However, remember: any operation of checking or repairing a hard drive is a lengthy process, so you need to stock up on time.

Conclusion: you need to check the disk for errors in the file system and you can also defragment the disk.

Another way to check the disk using standard means is through the command line. Run it - press "Win" + "R" on the keyboard, then enter "cmd" and click "OK". Next, we write the command “chkdsk C: / f / r”, where “C:” is the letter of the drive being checked, “/ F” and “/ R” are parameters indicating that it is necessary to automatically correct errors, as well as check bad sectors and try to recover the information.

Attention! If you fail to use this command, namely, you do not have enough privileges to use this command, then a little lower I will tell you what to do in this situation.

Note: the method that I described above rarely saves, so I highly recommend the chkdsk utility, which saved me more than once.

Also keep in mind that if your physical disk is divided into logical disks, for example, C, D, etc., then you need to check all your logical disks.

If the disk you are checking is currently in use, the system will prompt you to schedule a disk check the next time you restart your PC, you need to press the Y key: "Y" - "Yes" ("Yes"), and "N" - "No" ("No" ). After that, you must reboot your device.

If the disk is free, then a check will be carried out, the results of which the program will display on the screen. Perhaps the program will ask you to make a volume disconnect ( local disk), in this case, also press the "Y" key on the keyboard. Below is an example of this message:

If you run the command "chkdsk /?", the program will issue full list parameters that can be used with this utility, however, in most cases, the method described above is enough for diagnostics.

If the utility writes that you do not have privileges to execute the command, then you need to run it as an administrator. Make it simple. For users who have Windows 8 or 10 installed, press the "Win" + "X" keys, a menu will open where you need to select "Command Prompt (Administrator)". After that, you can safely enter the command you need. If Windows 7 or XP is installed on your computer, then you need to find “cmd” or “command prompt” through the search, right-click on it and select run as administrator.

By the way, you can return to the disk check results later, even after closing the command line and restarting the PC. For this:

1. Press "Win" + "R", write in the line "eventvwr.msc", click "OK".
2. In the "Event Viewer" window, open "Windows Logs", right-click on the "Application" item and select "Find ..." from the menu that appears.
3. We enter "chkdsk" in the search bar and find the corresponding entry in the log.

Well, we figured out the standard verification tools, now let's go through the software from third-party manufacturers.

If your Windows does not boot, then connect the hard drive to be tested to another computer. Thus, you will boot from another hard drive, and you will check your own (which may have errors).

Checking Your Drive with Seagate SeaTools

This program, as the name implies, was released by the manufacturer of the HDD of the same name - Seagate, but this does not prevent it from being "omnivorous" and working with any disks. You can download from the official site, the software is free:. At the time of this writing, you need to click on the link "Diagnostic software SeaTools for Windows", which is located on the left. After downloading and installing the program, you need to run it.

Next, select the drive you are trying to restore to normal work(checking the box on the left) and click "Basic Tests". Here you can select options for working with the hard drive. In the picture below, I showed what verification options this utility has. You can use all the options that this program offers. You can click on the picture below to view the program interface:

Like any self-respecting utility, there is an image boot disk(Seagate for DOS), launching from which will allow you to use the verification functions before loading the OS. For example, when the system does not boot. It is advisable to check the hard drive in this mode. Because in this way you will not have problems when checking.

In addition, the program has a "Help" section, which is completely in Russian.

Checking Western Digital Drives

The next utility is more narrowly focused and is designed to work exclusively with the HDD western digital. Her name is Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. To download the program, go to the manufacturer's website http://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en , find the program in the list and download it. Next, run the program, right-click on the desired disk and select "Run Diagnostics".

Traditionally, there is a version of the bootable iso-image and the capabilities are similar to the previous software, the interface is elementary.

Disk analysis with HDDScan

I will mention another worthy representative of the "army" of fighters with hard drive errors. Here, it is worth noting the function of checking in the linear recording mode - “Test” - “Erase”. When launched, the program forcibly writes data sector by sector, thereby returning most of the bad sectors to work (this was also mentioned above). By the way, if it is possible to disconnect the hard drive from your PC and connect it to another with HDDScan installed on board, then use this verification option. This way you will achieve the maximum efficiency of the check. You can download the program on the website. After downloading, you need to unpack the archive, go to the unpacked folder and run the HDDScan.exe file.

To run the test, select your hard drive on the left, then click on the picture with hard drive and select "Surface Tests".

In the window that opens, leave everything by default - "Read" and click "Add Test". So, we started the scan, now we can click on the entry "RD-Read" double click left mouse button to open a window with detailed information about working with the hard disk.

If you have a lot of delays - from 20ms and above, then this means that your disk is already very bad and you need to think where to copy all the important data that is on hire. In the future, you need to replace the bad hard drive with a new one. It is advisable to use the program on another computer so that no processes interfere with checking your disk.

Hard drive recovery in Victoria

So we got to, perhaps, the most popular tool for "revitalizing" magnetic data storage devices. This program sometimes it is very problematic to download from the official site and therefore I will give you a link to another site where you can download this program http://www.softportal.com/software-3824-victoria.html. I always try to give links only to official sites, but sometimes developer sites do not open for some reason and therefore I had to link to a third-party resource. This site is popular and therefore you don't have to worry about viruses.

After downloading the archive, unpack it and run the program as administrator. Be sure to take this step!

At the beginning of work, select the “Standard” tab, and in the window on the right, select the desired disk, and then click on the “Passport” button. In the log window below you will see how your HDD was determined. If an entry appears in the log, it means that the program was able to read information from this hard disk.

If this did not happen, and you saw "Get S.M.A.R.T. command... Error reading S.M.A.R.T!" - probably, the HDD controller is not working in the mode that we need. To change it, you will have to go into the BIOS and go through the following path: "Config" - "Serial ATA (SATA)" - "SATA Controller Mode Option" - change from "AHCI" to "Compatibility" (IDE). Save the BIOS changes and continue working with the program.

Note: do not forget to return everything to its place after finishing work with Victoria.

So we got to the disk test: go to the "Test" tab, click "Start".

In the course of the check, the cells in the left window will be filled with multi-colored rectangles. It is in our interest that they all be gray - this is the color of a healthy sector. But the blue and red ones are an indication of the bad sector of the disk. If, after the check, there are especially many blue cells, then you need to run the check again, first turning on the “Remap” option (located at the bottom right). As a result of such a check, the program will try to isolate broken blocks (I also talked about this in theory), hiding them. It is also worth noting that the orange and green rectangles mean that there are sectors on your disk where there are very large delays. If they are present, then this is also very bad.

IMPORTANT: if the disk check results are disappointing, I recommend copying the information to a backup disk, or be ready to replace it. Since the disk began to “lose” sectors, then most likely this process will continue. How long the disc will last you is impossible to predict. If there are no necessary files on this hard drive, and you use it only for working on the Internet, then of course you can not buy a new storage medium. If next time you have problems with this hard drive, it means that it is already unstable, and you will need to buy a hard drive.

I have tried to describe theory and practice as simply as possible. Of course, it will be difficult for an ordinary user to study the material in 5 minutes, and therefore give your disk enough time to resolve the issue of its unstable operation.

In this article, I gave as an example the utilities used by computer wizards, and if you use other programs, then there is nothing to worry about. After all, the most important thing in your case is the result. Namely, to understand what to do with your carrier - to restore or it's time to buy new hard disk.

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Good luck in testing and only high-quality hard drives!

Video that will help you work with Victoria:

Or removable USB HDD devices are almost the most common. That is why comprehensive measures for checking the hard drive should be given priority. Now we will try to briefly consider what a HDD check is in several main areas, and we will give an understanding of the basics of the methodology for correcting various types of errors.

Why Hard Drive Errors Occur

There are many reasons for failures both in software and in physical terms. First of all, this should include a sudden power outage, which is accompanied by a short-term increase in voltage. And if we take into account that at that moment, say, data was being copied, it becomes clear that errors cannot be avoided.

Something similar is observed in the case of an incorrect shutdown of the operating system, when forced shutdown computer terminal or laptop by long pressing the power button.

It's good that the next time you turn it on standard program to check the HDD, originally present in any Windows OS, starts automatically. True, not everything is so simple here. The fact is that the HDD check can start again and again during subsequent system boots. This is due to the fact that the "native" application simply cannot fix system errors on the hard drive automatically. How to get rid of the constant launch of this process will be discussed a little later.

HDD check: main directions

Before proceeding to consider the issue of the operation of numerous hard drive testing and error correction tools, let's consider the main directions that are provided for the comprehensive verification system.

So, for example, the most simple method considered to be viewing detailed information about the device. Today there are quite a lot of different utilities like Everest, CPU-Z or CPUID Hardware Monitor. It must be said that such programs give out the most detailed specifications devices, and at startup, even the speed of the HDD is checked (or rather, the speed of rotation of the spindle).

Another direction is testing the hard drive for the presence system errors with a view to correcting them later. In this case, the HDD is checked for bad sectors.

This process is somewhat reminiscent of defragmentation, only in the case of defragmentation of the hard drive, frequently used files and applications are moved to the fastest areas of the HDD (with a change in physical rather than logical address). Similarly, the HDD check for bad sectors also functions. The program itself reads the current address from the damaged sector, and then overwrites it with a normally functioning one. As already clear, in this case, the logical address remains unchanged.

The third priority is to check the surface of the disk, because the service life of hard drives is limited, and physical damage simply cannot be avoided. It is clear that by the end of its service life, the hard drive can simply “crumble”, and in most cases it will have to be thrown away. Although, if the damage is not too serious, you can restore the hard drive, for example, using special recovery utilities. We will consider them separately.

It goes without saying that data recovery on inoperable hard drives cannot be ignored. Actually, this is often done by various federal services when investigating computer crimes committed by hackers, when the relevant equipment is confiscated from them. But we will not climb into the jungle. Checking HDD sectors can also be carried out by an ordinary user. The main thing is the presence of a set of special utilities.

Checking the HDD and fixing errors using Windows tools

Now a few words about the built-in tools of operating systems Windows families. They also have a HDD check. Windows 7, for example, is not particularly different from its predecessors and successors (XP, Vista, 8, 10).

Such a tool is called from the usual "Explorer" by right-clicking the manipulator (computer mouse) on the corresponding disk or logical partition. Properties are selected in the menu, after which the transition to the corresponding tabs is carried out, where you can carry out maintenance.

When calling such a service, it is strongly recommended to set the parameters that will be used to check the HDD. Windows can also automatically fix system errors. However, this approach may not always help. It happens that the system issues a warning that it is not possible to automatically correct errors.

In this case, it is better to use the command line or the Run menu, where a variety of commands are written, depending on what exactly needs to be done. The simplest team this type is "chkdisk c: /f" (testing with automatic correction of system errors). Applied to file systems NTFS can use "chkntfs /x c:". By the way, it is manipulations of this type that allow you to get rid of the annoying check of the hard drive when you restart the computer terminal.

In general, it is better to read background information about the use of a particular command, because checking HDD can be made completely different ways depending on what letters will be written after entering the main command.

Informer programs

Concerning information applications, you can find quite a lot of them. As mentioned above, the most famous are utilities like CPU-Z or Everest. But these are general-purpose programs, so to speak.

The most acceptable and most powerful utility that combines the functions of an informer and a scanner is considered to be CrystalDiscInfo. By the way, it is capable of not only displaying information on the device, but even controlling some basic parameters, for example, changing the spindle speed.

HDD check programs for bad sectors

Speaking about what is a program for checking HDD for bad sectors, it is worth noting separately such powerful utility, like Victoria, created by a Belarusian developer.

The application can work as in standard mode in Windows environment, and in DOS emulation. What is most interesting, it is in DOS that the utility shows its maximum capabilities.

Disc Surface Check

Hard drive surface testing (Surface Test mode) can be used in the standard tools of the Windows OS itself, or you can turn to specialized utilities such as HDDScan.

It is noteworthy that the software package itself is released in the form portable version and does not require installation on the hard drive. It goes without saying that you can even start the scanning process from a regular USB flash drive, using the default settings or applying your own (they are located in the Process section).

Of course, to identify problems with surface integrity HDD program can, but to reanimate a damaged hard drive - no. But there is a way out here too.

Resuscitator programs

Resuscitation of even a damaged hard drive or removable USB HDD can be done thanks to a unique development called HDD Regenerator, which at its first appearance made a lot of noise in the field of modern computer technology.

According to the developers themselves, this application is able to restore physically damaged sectors of the HDD surface using magnetization reversal technology. It makes no sense for an ordinary user to delve into all the subtleties of the technological process. The main thing is that the program works perfectly. From the outside, this may seem strange: how can you remagnetize a hard drive programmatically? However, in combination with the use of physical methods, this process became possible for use in stationary computer systems. Winchester does not even need to be dismantled.

Data recovery

With data recovery, the situation is somewhat worse. This is understandable, because not every utility is capable of working like an HDD Regenerator.

Of course, some software packages such as Acronis True Image can be recommended for use. But such a utility works on the principle of creating a backup copy. In case of damage to the hard drive or accidental deletion of information, it is better to use tools like Recuva, PC Inspector File Recovery or Recover My Files. But even they cannot give a full guarantee of data recovery, for example, in case of physical damage to the HDD.

By and large, with a sufficiently large volume of the hard drive, it is recommended to create backups data in advance. Then you don't have to look for specialized utilities or puzzle over how to recover lost information.

Comprehensive Solutions for HDD Testing

In order to carry out a comprehensive check, including prompt receipt of information on the device, actions that provide for a complete check and correction of HDD failures and damage, data recovery, etc., it is better to use several software packages together. For example, in the most extreme case, the combination might look like this:

• information stage - CrystalDiscInfo;
• full HDD check - Victoria;
• surface test - HDD Scan;
• recovery of a damaged hard drive - HDD Regenerator.

Which program is better?

It is not possible to say which program for checking HDD or removable media is the best, since almost all utilities have their own specific direction.

In principle, among the main applications for checking and automatically correcting errors, one can especially highlight the Victoria package (high-quality HDD error checking), and in terms of disk recovery, HDD Regenerator undoubtedly belongs to the championship.

Conclusion

We briefly talked about what an HDD check is and what some types of software products. However, in conclusion, it is worth noting that it is not recommended to bring your hard drive to an extreme state, you need to check it at least once a month. This approach will avoid the occurrence of many problems in the future.

In principle, you can set the automatic check of the hard drive according to the schedule, even using the standard Windows Task Scheduler, so as not to call the process manually every time. You can simply choose the right time, but here you also need to take into account the fact that it will be extremely difficult to work with the system when the testing process is running.

By the way, even installing a conventional uninterruptible power supply or stabilizer will protect the hard drive from the harmful effects associated with power surges or power outages.

Thank you very much for your reply, thank you!
I wait until the end of the check (it checks drive C, where Windows is), by the way, the check is quite fast, no more than 3-5 minutes, and after that the computer restarts and turns on normally.

"Of course, it would be nice to format your entire hard drive" in the sense of the entire disk in general, even those partitions where Windows is not installed?

In general, here's the problem. Computer turns on but won't boot, hangs on splash screen motherboard. At the same time, it can hang on the motherboard splash screen for half an hour (and then nothing happens, I turn off the computer with the button), or maybe 5-10 minutes, and after that it gives Disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter. I went into the BIOS more than once, as it began to appear, so I found that the BIOS sometimes does not see my hard drive. Either the situation is such that the computer still boots up, Windows boots up, but after booting up after a short time of 10-20 minutes, a blue screen pops up, errors 0x0000007A, 0x00000077.
I noticed that it all started after I installed a new video card (1 month ago). Of course, they also climbed out earlier blue screens somehow, somehow, there was also a disk check at boot, but it was sooooo rare, isolated cases, so to speak, and here it has been going on for a whole month. At the same time, there is no certainty, it would be okay to have one thing, otherwise each time in a different way - all the situations described above alternate, now one thing, then another. I assumed it was because new video card, because I read that there is a hardware conflict, incompatibility, they also write that after installing the video card, you need to reinstall Windows (especially if you change the manufacturer, and I have it, there was Nvidia, now Radeon), but I did not reinstall Windows.

(continued text)
Computer information:
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2400 MHz (9 x 267)
Systemic Gigabyte board GA-EP43-DS3 (4 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMMs, Audio, Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
Memory module DDR2 4096 Mb Corsair 2*2 GB
Gigabyte video card AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (1024 MB). There was a video card GeForce 8800 GTS.
WDC Disk Drive WD6400AAKS-00A7B0 (640 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA-II)
PSU 550W
operating system Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 (32-bit) (installed about 1.5 years ago)
The whole computer, that is, all the insides of the computer, is about 5.5 years old, except for the new video card.

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The disk has already been checked by the Victoria program. As a result, I gave out 14 broken sectors (blue squares with "x"), 1 orange and 94 green, the rest are gray. No action for broken sectors did not undertake, just tested the hard drive. SMART hard drive in HDDScan: all indicators are marked in green, and only 197 Current Pending Errors Count is marked in yellow with an exclamation point.

I forgot to write that against the background of all the situations described above that occur with a computer for last month, it may one day turn on, boot up perfectly fine, and work all day normally,

even for several days, this can happen,