Microsoft KB Archive/71586

= MS-DOS: Running CHKDSK As A Child Process =

Article ID: 71586

Article Last Modified on 5/10/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft MS-DOS 2.11 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.1
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3a
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.01 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0a
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q71586



SUMMARY
To maintain a fixed disk, you may wish to run CHKDSK /F as a child process from an application that runs continuously. However, you should not do this.

CHKDSK assumes that the file allocation table (FAT) is in a stable state. If CHKDSK detects an error and attempts to correct it by making changes to the FAT, CHKDSK could destroy the FAT operations that MS-DOS has done up to that point.

More specifically, if CHKDSK is run when a file is open, the chain of clusters &quot;owned&quot; by the file could be altered in the FAT by CHKDSK. When the file is closed and MS-DOS finishes updating the FAT and the directory, you may be left with an error in the FAT.

Additional query words: 6.22 2.11 3.00 3.20 3.21 3.30 3.30a 4.00 4.01 4.01a 5.00 5.00a 6.00 6.20

Keywords: KB71586

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