Is there a way to run Windows CHKDSK to scan surface without attempt to repair?
Is there a way to run a surface scan of a hard drive using Windows CHKDSK without attempt to repair?
The only option I see for a surface scan is /r
which scans the surface but also attempts recovery of bad sectors. If you suspect a bad drive, I wouldn't always necessarily want to attempt recovery, just check the surface if there's any bad sectors, attempt a backup, then try to repair.
I know there's other tools for this, but was wondering if there is a way with CHKDSK?
EDIT: Not sure why downvoted, it's a valid question.
chkdsk
Checks the file system and file system metadata of a volume for logical and physical errors. If used without parameters, chkdsk displays only the status of the volume and does not fix any errors. If used with the /f, /r, /x, or /b parameters, it fixes errors on the volume. Microsoft Documentation
to check without repairing use chkdsk from the commandline (cmd.exe) WITHOUT parameters:
chkdsk <driveletter>:
Also see social.technet.microsoft they explain the difference between the GUI and commandline invocation chkdsk technet
It appears there is no way to only scan the disk surface. All functions either scan the file system, or scan the surface but only with option to attempt recovery.