How can Windows system files become corrupted or damaged?

Windows system files can become corrupted or damaged due to a variety of reasons, such as hardware or software failure, viruses, malware, or user error. Corrupt system files can cause a variety of issues, including system crashes, slow performance, and errors when trying to access certain programs or files.

What are the consequences of having corrupted or damaged Windows system files?

The consequences of having corrupted or damaged Windows system files can be severe. It can cause the system to become unstable, freeze, crash, or even prevent the system from booting up. In some cases, it can even cause data loss or corruption.

What is the SFC utility and what does it do?

The System File Checker (SFC) utility is a command-line tool built into Windows that allows users to scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files. It can be used to scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir%System32dllcache. SFC can also be used to check and repair system files that are part of the Windows operating system.

Can the SFC utility fix all types of issues with Windows system files?

No, the SFC utility cannot fix all types of issues with Windows system files. It is primarily used to scan and repair corrupted system files, but it cannot fix other types of issues such as registry errors, driver issues, malware infections, or other software-related problems.

What is the DISM tool and how is it different from the SFC utility?

The DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) tool is a command-line utility used to service and manage Windows images, including Windows Setup, Windows Recovery Environment, and Windows PE. It can be used to service a Windows image, enable or disable Windows features, configure international settings, and prepare a Windows image for capture. The SFC (System File Checker) utility is a command-line utility used to scan and repair corrupted system files. It can be used to detect and repair corrupted system files, as well as restore missing or damaged system files. Unlike DISM, SFC does not service or manage Windows images, but rather focuses on repairing corrupted system files.

Recover Windows System Files: SFC and DISM Guide

Author: Vladimir Artiukh
Editor: Oleg Afonin
Updated: 11.11.2024 16:36

Encountered issues with your Windows system files and need to recover them? You’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll provide you with an essential guide to recovering Windows system files using checking system files (System File Checker tool or SFC) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management). From running SFC scans to using DISM commands, we’ll walk you through the process step by step. Whether you’re experiencing system errors or corrupted files, these tools can help restore your Windows system to a healthy state. Watch now and take control of your system file recovery process!

Recover Windows System Files: SFC and DISM Guide

Contents

If the SFC command doesn’t work, you can restore it from the system image using the DISM command (which is the abbreviation for Deployment Image Servicing and Management) in Windows 10 and 8. In Windows 7 and earlier versions of this operating system, Microsoft suggested using its System Update Readiness Tool.

When you need these two commands

Run the first command if you want to fix Windows errors. If Windows shows you a blue screen, applications crash or some Windows functions don’t work, use the SFC command to eliminate these issues. Even if it doesn’t restore any files, running this command will confirm that there are no damaged files in the operating system, so you can continue troubleshooting with other methods.

Obviously, DISM is not a command you would run just for fun. However, if the SFC command can’t fix a problem or restore a damaged system file, the DISM command (or the System Update Readiness Tool) can eliminate Windows system issues which enables SFC to run in the normal mode.

Tool	Purpose	Commands	Notes
SFC (System File Checker)	Checks Windows system files for corruption and automatically repairs them if issues are found.	`sfc /scannow`	Recommended to run in cases of performance issues or OS crashes.
DISM (Deployment Imaging Service and Management)	Repairs the Windows system image, used for deeper repair if SFC failed to resolve issues.	`dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth`	Effective for fixing corruption affecting system files or OS updates.

Run the SFC command to restore system files

This command should be launched from the Command Prompt started as Administrator. To open it in Windows 10 or 8.1, right-click on the Start button and select Command Prompt (Administrator). In all versions of Windows, you can also start this application from the search field next to the Start button: just type Command prompt in the search field and when a suitable result is displayed, right-click on it to select Run as administrator.

To start a system scan, type the following command in the window that appears, and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

Don’t close the Command Prompt window until the command is completed. It can take some time. If everything is fine, you will see this message: Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.

On the contrary, if you see the message Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them, try to restart the computer into the safe mode. To access the Advanced Boot Options menu in Windows 10, 8.1 or 8, hold down the Shift button and click Restart. In Windows 7 and earlier version of Windows, restart the computer, press and hold the F8 button until this menu shows up on the screen. Run the command sfc /scannow in the Safe Mode.

Use the DISM command to fix problems with SFC

In Windows 10, 8.1, and 8 the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool can eliminate the errors that prevent normal operation of the SFC command.

In order to run this command, open the Command Prompt as administrator. Type the command and press Enter. DISM will check Windows components for errors and fix them automatically, if necessary.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Don’t close the Command Prompt window until the command is completed. This will take a few minutes. If the progress bar seems to stop at around 20%, don’t worry - it’s normal.

If the DISM command didn’t change anything, restart the computer. Now you can run the SFC command again and it will be able to replace any damaged files with good files.

Windows 7 and earlier versions of this operating system do not use the DISM command. Instead, you can launch the “System Update Readiness Tool” (make sure to download it from the Microsoft website before you start) and scan the system to find and fix errors and issues.

Restore or reset your operating system

If you tried all the steps above but your operating system is still in trouble, you can take more aggressive action. By running System Restore (?) you will restore operating system files to an earlier state, and this could fix errors and issues - provided your Windows wasn’t damaged before the last restore point was created.

Also, don’t forget about other options, such as resetting or reinstalling the operating system. In Windows 10, 8.1, and 8 you can go for Reset this PC to roll back to default settings.

While you are doing it, be attentive to choose the right option, as there are two ways to go:

without removing files – i.e. without losing photos, music, videos and other user files;
with all data removed – i.e. bringing the system back to its state after installation.

If you choose the second option, you can’t possibly restore your data with integrated Windows tools. If this option was chosen accidentally, there is no way to avoid using third-party file recovery tools.

The commands we explored in today’s article have other functions as well. For example, SFC can check only one of the Windows files for damage and restore it. With the DISM command, you can check the operating system for damage but without restoring anything.

SFC and DISM are very convenient commands that Microsoft developed to take care of its operating system, and it is good to have them when you need to save the operating system along with a large volume of important files.