Linux Tip: Force File System Check on next startup

Here is your quick tip that will show how you can tell your Linux system to perform a fsck on its partitions on the next reboot. Normally this will happen by default, after some time as configured in the filesystem at creation time (or changed later): after a number of days or a number of file system mounts. If you are using ext3 filesystems you can check these intervals configured with:
tune2fs -l
...
Mount count: 5
Maximum mount count: 37
...
Last checked: Sat May 17 16:39:18 2008
Check interval: 15552000 (6 months)
Next check after: Thu Nov 13 15:39:18 2008

If for some reason, you want to force the system to run fsck on the next reboot just create an empty file called forcefsck in your system / like this:

Command:

root@sajan-desktop:/home/sajan# touch /forcefsck



During the first reboot the system will run fsck and after completing this it will also remove the /forcefsck file from the system.