Wall Off Bad Disk Sectors

(2K, XP, 98, ME)I have trouble saving files to my hard disk, perhaps due to bad clusters on it. I plan to replace the drive; but in the meantime, can any Windows program block off the bad clusters?

Ted Hyatt, Bronx, New York

The ScanDisk utility accompanying Windows will do this for you. In Windows 9x and Me, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk. Select the drive or drives, choose Thorough under 'Type of test', and click Start. In Windows 2000 and XP, open Explorer, right-click the drive you want to check, and select Properties. Click the Tools tab and, under 'Error checking', click Check Now. In the Check Disk dialog box, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Windows will recover as much data from your bad sectors as it can and will move the data to another part of the disk. It will then mark the defective area as "bad" and won't use it in the future (see Figure 4).

Choosing either the 'Thorough' or 'recovery' options can make the scan seem interminable. But it's worth doing anyway to prevent your data from falling into those black holes in the future.

A Shortcut to Safe Mode

(9x) Safe mode is a great way to troubleshoot your computer. To enter it, you usually have to reboot your PC, press Ctrl or F8 to see the boot menu, use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and then press Enter. Vic Ferri of Timmins, Ontario, describes how to make a shortcut that restarts Windows in Safe Mode with a click or two.

First, open the folder where you'll keep the shortcut. If you want to put the shortcut on the Start menu, right-click the Start button and choose Open or Explore. Navigate to the subfolder corresponding to the menu you want to use for your Safe Mode shortcut, right-click in this folder, and choose New, Shortcut. In the Command line box, type win /d:m and click Next. Type a name for your shortcut and click Next again. Finally, select an appropriate icon and click Finish (see Figure 5). Now right-click your new shortcut icon and choose Properties. Select the Program tab and then the Advanced button. Check the MS-DOS mode box, and uncheck Warn before entering MS-DOS mode. Click OK twice. From now on, you simply have to choose your shortcut from its Start menu location (or double-click it if it's on the desktop), and sit back until Windows has finished the switch to Safe Mode.

Is Your OS About to Expire?

(2K, XP, 98, ME)Nothing lasts forever. And with computers, that's an understatement. Microsoft supports each Windows version for only about five years. When one of its operating systems starts to show its age, Microsoft encourages you to upgrade to a newer version by phasing out support for the old one (saving the company money in the process). Visit Microsoft's Product Lifecycle Dates page for information on the life cycles of various Windows versions, as well as the estimated date when your version's support may be set to expire. If Microsoft's support is important to you, it may be time to think about an OS upgrade.

Windows Toolbox: Enlarge Your Virtual World With UltraMagnifier

If you need a screen magnifier that goes beyond Windows' own Magnifier utility, try Pallium Consulting Services' UltraMagnifier. Besides providing several zoom levels (1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, 16X, and 32X), UltraMagnifier gives you a customizable pixel grid and a status bar that shows the color values of the pixel under the pointer and its screen coordinates. You can even save the zoomed image as a .bmp or .png file, and you get printing and print preview functions as well. The topper: It doesn't cost a penny. Go to Pallium's Web site for the download.

Send Windows-related questions and tips to scott_dunn@pcworld.com. We pay $50 for published items. Scott Dunn is a contributing editor for PC World.