<< whenever i try to run CHKDSK with the /F operator (so it'll fix the problems), it tells me to reboot because it needs exclusive access to the disk. i reboot, but it never runs. please help! >>
Are you certain that CHKDSK isn't running during the reboot? Forgive my asking, but it actually is supposed to run before the desktop reappears during the reboot. (You should see evidence of this during the boot if you watch the screen.) If you're running chkdsk on the boot partition, then it can't run with the OS up at the desktop. It has to wait until the following reboot.
Is this an NTFS partition? If so, you might open a CMD prompt and enter the command "chkntfs /d" (no quotes) and hit the Enter key. That should restore default chkdsk behavior at boot time, just in case it has been altered.
If the partition you're trying to run chkdsk on is not the boot / system partition, then there may be something else going on.
Could you post information about the exact method you are using for trying to run chkdsk? And tell us exactly what you see during the subsequent reboot?
- Collin