Both Scandisk and CHKDSK are disk checking and error correcting utilities used to check volumes for issues and automatically repair them. Scandisk was an older utility included in Microsoft Windows up until Windows XP, while CHKDSK originated in the MS-DOS days and is still included in modern versions of Windows. At a high level, both utilities serve the same purpose – analyzing drives for problems like bad sectors, cross-linked files, directory errors and more. Where they differ is in some of their features and capabilities.
What is ScanDisk?
ScanDisk is a diagnostic utility program included in MS-DOS and Windows 9x operating systems. It was developed by Microsoft to check computer hard drives for errors and repair file system issues.
ScanDisk scans the surface of hard disks searching for issues like bad sectors, lost clusters, cross linked files, folder errors, and directory errors. It can fix many errors on the spot and recover readable information from bad sectors whenever possible (Wikipedia).
By running periodically, ScanDisk helps protect against data loss and corruption by proactively detecting and repairing problems before they escalate and cause serious damage. It provides an important maintenance tool for keeping drives healthy and ensuring file system integrity.
What is CHKDSK?
CHKDSK (short for Check Disk) is a command-line utility that is built into Microsoft Windows to scan a computer’s hard disk drive and file system for logical and physical errors. It was first introduced in MS-DOS and has been included in every version of Windows since Windows NT.
CHKDSK analyzes the file system and metadata on a volume looking for issues such as bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors. It can fix many errors found on the disk automatically. CHKDSK was developed by Microsoft as an essential maintenance tool for Windows.
Some key things that CHKDSK does:
- Scans the file system and checks for issues with the volume’s format.
- Verifies the integrity of file paths, sizes, and relationships.
- Identifies and attempts to recover readable information from bad sectors.
- Checks for issues in the Master File Table and File Allocation Table.
- Identifies files and folders taking up unnecessary space on the disk.
Overall, CHKDSK examines disk space usage, analyzes the file system for errors, and provides a status report on any problems found with the volume. It can then fix many errors automatically to help prevent potential data loss or disk problems.
Differences in Features
CHKDSK and ScanDisk have some key differences when it comes to their features:
ScanDisk is designed only for FAT file systems like FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32. It cannot scan NTFS file systems. CHKDSK can scan both FAT and NTFS file systems (Source).
CHKDSK has more options and parameters that can be used to customize the scan. ScanDisk has limited command line options. CHKDSK allows scanning specific drives or volumes while ScanDisk scans entire partitions (Source).
CHKDSK can find and repair certain file system errors that ScanDisk cannot. CHKDSK provides more detailed reporting about disk errors and file system problems. ScanDisk does basic scans and repairs (Source).
Overall, CHKDSK has more robust features for analyzing, reporting, and repairing file system problems whereas ScanDisk is limited to basic scans and repairs of FAT drives.
Performance
When comparing the performance and speed of ScanDisk vs CHKDSK, CHKDSK generally performs better and faster for checking drive errors on modern versions of Windows. This is because CHKDSK is natively built into Windows, while ScanDisk has not been included since Windows Millennium Edition and Windows 98 [1].
CHKDSK utilizes low-level disk input/output instructions to analyze filesystem data, making it very efficient at identifying and repairing disk problems. ScanDisk relies more on the operating system, which slows it down. CHKDSK can check errors on both FAT and NTFS partitions, while ScanDisk is limited only to FAT.
Overall, CHKDSK’s optimized code and tight integration with Windows allows it to outperform ScanDisk in tests. CHKDSK provides faster scan times and can check larger partition sizes more reliably. For best performance checking disk errors, CHKDSK is recommended over the outdated ScanDisk utility on modern Windows versions.
[1] https://www.minitool.com/data-recovery/chkdsk-vs-scandisk-vs-sfc-vs-dism.html
Ease of Use
CHKDSK and ScanDisk have some key differences when it comes to usability and ease of use. CHKDSK is a command-line utility that requires some knowledge of command prompts to use effectively. ScanDisk provides a graphical user interface within Windows, making it more accessible to average users.
According to one source, “ScanDisk has a GUI interface in Windows 95 and newer, and it contains more configuration options.” This makes ScanDisk more user-friendly for those less comfortable with command line interfaces [1].
Additionally, ScanDisk allows users to choose specific drives to scan and repair. It also provides a progress bar and estimations for time remaining. These features improve the usability of ScanDisk compared to CHKDSK [1].
Overall, ScanDisk’s graphical interface and additional configuration options make it more user-friendly and accessible, especially for Windows users without command line expertise.
Reliability
Both CHKDSK and ScanDisk aim to detect and repair errors on your hard drive, but CHKDSK is generally considered more reliable at this task. CHKDSK scans the file system metadata as well as the disk surface to detect bad sectors, cross-linked files, directory errors, and file system corruption. It can fix many errors automatically using redundant file system data. ScanDisk, in contrast, primarily scans the FAT file tables and no longer repairs disk surface errors in modern versions of Windows (1).
CHKDSK also provides more options than ScanDisk for scanning, including the ability to detect and recover bad sectors. ScanDisk relies on the older FAT file system while CHKDSK works with both FAT and NTFS. Overall, CHKDSK has more advanced error checking abilities and is better at salvaging data from failing drives (2). For the most thorough and reliable error detection, CHKDSK is recommended over ScanDisk.
Compatibility
ScanDisk is only compatible with older versions of Windows like Windows 9x, while CHKDSK is compatible with all newer Windows versions like Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 and 11 (Minitool, 2023). This makes CHKDSK the clear winner when it comes to compatibility, as it works across all modern hardware and is the standard disk checking utility included with Windows.
ScanDisk was last included with Windows Me and Windows 2000, and does not work on newer 64-bit versions of Windows. It relies on older DOS technology and is not designed for modern storage devices and file systems. So if you are running any remotely current version of Windows, CHKDSK is the only option that will work.
In summary, CHKDSK has excellent ongoing compatibility while ScanDisk is obsolete. CHKDSK can be run on all modern PCs and laptops using Windows, making it the superior choice for disk checking and repair in today’s hardware landscape (Minitool, 2023).
Recommendations
Here are some recommendations on when to use CHKDSK vs ScanDisk:
Use CHKDSK for checking and repairing file system errors on modern Windows versions like Windows 10/8/7. As this source mentions, ScanDisk is only supported on older Windows versions like Windows 9x, while CHKDSK works on newer versions.
Run CHKDSK first if you suspect drive/filesystem issues before trying sfc /scannow, according to this SuperUser thread. CHKDSK can diagnose and repair disk errors that sfc can’t fix.
Use the /f and /r parameters with CHKDSK for best results. /f fixes errors and /r locates bad sectors and recovers readable data.
In summary, use CHKDSK as the primary disk checking and repair utility in modern Windows versions. ScanDisk is obsolete. Try CHKDSK first before sfc for drive issues. Use /f and /r flags for optimal scanning and repair.
Conclusion
In summary, CHKDSK and ScanDisk are both disk checking utilities that serve the purpose of analyzing hard drives for errors. The key differences are:
- CHKDSK works on both NTFS and FAT file systems while ScanDisk only works on FAT disks (https://www.minitool.com/data-recovery/chkdsk-vs-scandisk-vs-sfc-vs-dism.html)
- CHKDSK can fix certain errors that it detects while ScanDisk can only detect errors without fixing them
- CHKDSK has more advanced capabilities like checking bad sectors while ScanDisk does not
- ScanDisk has a simpler interface and is easier for novice users
For common use cases, CHKDSK is generally the better utility because of its ability to fix errors and work on both FAT and NTFS. It provides more detailed diagnostics and repair functions compared to ScanDisk. Average users looking to occasionally check their hard drives for problems are well served by using CHKDSK. However, ScanDisk can still be useful for quick error scanning in FAT drives due to its simpler interface.