User's Manual

Checking the Hard Disk for Errors
In the following chapters, you will find out how you can analyze your drives using the TuneUp Disk Doctor
module and why it is important to do so.
Introduction
When working with your computer, files are constantly being read and written – regardless of whether you
are editing a text document, looking at pictures or simply starting an application. Windows places all files in
special file systems to allow quick access to all necessary information at any time.
More information on system files
File systems keep track of every file and folder on a drive and save information about these objects such as
their name, size, date of last access, location and much more.
The file systems used by Windows for hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards (such as those used by
digital cameras) and diskettes are called FAT and NTFS. The newer of the two file systems, NTFS, allows you
to save additional information such as access authorizations and is better suited for the size of modern disks
than FAT.
Over time, errors may occur in these complicated systems - due to defects in the drives being used, power
outages or program crashes. If these errors are not found and corrected quickly, this can lead to error mes-
sages, problems with programs and, in the worst case, total loss of important data.
TuneUp Disk Doctor performs a thorough analysis of your drives and their file systems. If any errors are
found during analysis, they can be repaired automatically. This is how you guard against data loss.
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