Importance

• Chkdsk is a built-in operating system utility that examines each computer hard drive for any drive errors or files that may be cross-linked, according to Computer Hope. Other functions of chkdsk, says PC Fix, include checking the hard disk for lost file clusters and recovering data in situations where information is lost due to power outage, faulty software or a crashing computer. Finally, chkdsk will produce a report displaying the status of the system and the actions it performed. One weakness is that chkdisk cannot recover a large volume of lost data, states PC Fix.
  
  Computer World states that error checking is a process that checks for changes to data. Periodic error checking can also prevent many problems. Any type of data that one generates and sends is subject to alteration or even corruption. One reason for this is background noise in lines, etc., according to Computer World. Other reasons, states Scribd, include situations in which the user loses power in the midst of using an application that is writing data to the hard drive, if the user fails to follow proper shutdown procedures, or if a program is deleted from the hard drive, but the shortcut pointing to that program remains intact. Uncorrected disk errors may cause damage in terms of hard drive corruption, as the errors can spread. In severe cases, the disk may even become unreformattable, according to Scribd. Computer World points out that error checking can occur with great precision, but as the demands made on the error checking code (ECC) increase, its efficiency suffers. For this reason, it is designed to work in 1-bit rather than 2-bit increments.
  
  

Similarities

• Though the chkdsk and error checking have the same overall function, they work differently.Mensch und Computer image by Sven Rausch from Fotolia.com
  
  Both chkdsk and error checking are safety measures designed to repair errors before damage spreads and worsens. Both functions may be triggered by a sudden power loss. Both can make repairs at some level, but differ in the ways that they accomplish this.
  
  

Differences

• Chkdsk and error checking differ in that chkdsk looks for lost clusters of files, according to Computer Hope, but error checking checks for changes in data. They also differ in that the amount of data that can be restored by chkdsk is small, but in error checking, it can be varied, although small units seem to work best, says Computer World. PC Fix states that chkdsk also verifies system status by report after the function runs its course.