1. Go to your 'Start' menu. Select 'Computer' by left-clicking on it.
2. Right-click on the drive you want to check. By default, your hard drive should be the C drive. Select 'Properties' from the menu.

3. Select the 'Tools' tab. Go to 'Error-checking' and select 'Check Now.' You may have to enter a password. Check 'Automatically fix file system errors' to ensure Vista fixes errors with files and folders in your hard drive. You may want to simultaneously perform a disk check. Select 'Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors' to check for physical errors on the actual hard drive. The physical check takes longer to complete, but it may be worth the wait. You should check both 'Automatically fix file system errors' and 'Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors' to maximize the your chances of success.
4. Click 'Start.' The process takes some time, so remain patient and allow it to complete.