1. Start the Windows XP Recovery Console by booting up your computer from your Windows XP installation CD. Insert the XP CD into your CD-ROM drive and turn on your computer.
2. Set your BIOS to boot from CD or from DVD. Your system’s BIOS settings can be opened by hitting the 'F2', 'F8', or the 'Del' keys on your keyboard. One of these should be pressed as the computer is booting up. The specific key differs depending on the manufacturer of your computer. When you see the following message, 'Press any key to boot from cd', tap any key on your keyboard and wait until you see the “Welcome to Setup” screen.

3. Hit 'R' to begin the Recovery Console. You will then be asked to select which Windows installation you wish to load. You should choose the first option unless you have a multi-boot system.
4. Type in the administrative password and hit 'Enter'. If you don’t have an administrative password, simply press 'Enter' to continue. This will bring you to the following command line: C:\Windows>.
5. Type in the following command into the command prompt, 'chkdsk /p /r'. This will launch and run 'chkdsk'. Be patient as this may take a few minutes. (It may even take a few hours on a slower system). Make sure you don’t cause any interruptions.
6. Type in 'Exit' to restart your computer after 'chkdsk' completes. And you are done!