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How Do I See the Results of a CHKDSK that Ran on Boot?

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OK, so CHKDSK ran when my machine rebooted, and displayed some stuff. Problem is I have no idea what it displayed, since it then proceeded to reboot the machine when it was done. How do I get it to stop, pause or otherwise let me see what it did?

It’s not obvious, I can tell you that.

For a recent article on CHKDSK, I carefully timed taking a few screen shots of CHKDSK as it was running in a virtual machine so I could capture the results.

Besides not being useful to the average user, it turns out that was overkill. You don’t need to go to those lengths to get CHKDSK’s output. In fact, you can almost  ignore what it displays on boot.

You can get the results later, much more easily.

Read moreHow Do I See the Results of a CHKDSK that Ran on Boot?

How can I track what programs come and go on my machine?

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Recently, an entry keeps appearing on my taskbar. It appears for less than a second before disappearing again. I once managed to click it, but no window popped up. The icon is a blank rectangular box and there is no description. It’s driving me nuts trying to work out what it is! How can I identify this process?

Programs do seem to come and go at times. When you’re diagnosing performance or security issues, understanding what’s coming and going can be important. Sometimes, it can just explain a flashing item in the task bar.

Fortunately, there is a fairly simple way to trace what’s happening.

Read moreHow can I track what programs come and go on my machine?