This is perfectly normal. Windows NT/200/XP restrict drive access when windows is running for security reasons, as well as for architectural reasons which have to do with how windows was built.
Also in my experience chkdsk AND norton Disk Doctor under Windows NT/200/Xp fail to repair many file system errors.
If you are running NTFS then you're stuck with a combination of chkdsk and norton disk doctor. If you are running FAt 16 or 32, then your very best bet is to let good old scandisk do it for you. Prepare a Windows 95/98 boot floppy, and use it to boot, then type "scandisk <driveletter:>" at the command prompt
 
good luck

You could just schedule a disk check upon the next reboot, where exclusive access to the drive is permitted.

is there a workaround of this?
is it possible at all to get scandisk to run in windows
instead of rebooting?
if it wasnt possible, i dont think the option would be there..

Not sure if Norton's disk doctor will test or not, it's been quite a long time since I had that installed. Due to the filesystem of NT/2000/XP, exclusive disk access is disallowed.
 

 
You'll see there that only when you check the option to automatically fix errors do you get a reboot/schedule prompt.
 
Hope that helps.

as adamvjackson pointed out you can always schedule a check to be done at the next reboot. The easiest way to do this is to run chkdsk from a command prompt.
Start->run-"cmd" (without quotes)
then type
chkdsk ?<driveletter:> (example chkdsk c
 
That should ask u if you want to schedule a check on next reboot

thanks ill try that
gotta free up space on my other drive to move the swap file
 
i have 512 mb sdram too but i doubt ill tempt fate by not using
a swap file
wish me luck

Quote:Due to the filesystem of NT/2000/XP, exclusive disk access is disallowed.

that must explain why its next to impossible to fix a corrupted ntfs disk

i use the boot up scanner, but i dont trust it to fix everything