Use the System File Checker (SFC) Tool One of the most effective ways to fix corrupted system files in Windows 10 is by using the System File Checker (SFC) tool. Here’s how to use it:
Open an elevated command prompt by searching for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu, right-clicking on it, and selecting “Run as administrator”.
In the command prompt, type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter. This will initiate a scan of all protected system files and replace any corrupted files with a cached copy from a compressed folder at %WinDir%\WinSxS\Temp.
Wait for the scan to complete. If any corrupted files are found and successfully repaired, details will be included in the CBS.Log at %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.
If the SFC tool is unable to fix some corrupted files, you can try manually replacing them with a known good copy from another computer running the same version of Windows.
Use the DISM Tool
Another tool you can use to fix corrupted system files is the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. Here’s how to use it:
Open an elevated command prompt as in the previous method.
In the command prompt, type “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” and press Enter. This command will use Windows Update to provide the files needed to fix corrupted files.
Wait for the process to complete. It may take some time, depending on your system’s configuration.
Once the process is finished, restart your computer and try running the SFC tool again to ensure all corrupted files have been repaired.
Run an SFC Scan from Safe Mode If the SFC tool is unable to fix corrupted files while Windows 10 is running normally, you can try running it from Safe Mode. Here’s how:
Boot your computer into Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key during startup (on some systems, you may need to press Shift F8 or Ctrl F8).
Once in Safe Mode, open an elevated command prompt and run the “sfc /scannow” command as before.
If the SFC tool is still unable to fix the corrupted files, make sure the PendingDeletes and PendingRenames folders exist under %WinDir%\WinSxS\Temp.
If the folders are missing, create them and run the SFC scan again.
Perform an SFC Scan Before Windows 10 Starts
If the SFC tool is unable to fix corrupted files even in Safe Mode, you can try running it before Windows 10 starts. Here’s how:
Boot your computer using a Windows 10 installation media or recovery drive.
When the Windows Setup screen appears, click “Next” and then click “Repair your computer”.
Select “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced options” > “Command Prompt”.
In the command prompt, type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter to run the SFC scan before Windows 10 starts.
If the scan finds and repairs corrupted files, restart your computer normally.
Replace Corrupted Files Manually If none of the above methods work, you can try manually replacing corrupted files with known good copies. Here’s how:
Identify the corrupted file by reviewing the CBS.Log file mentioned earlier.
Take administrative ownership of the corrupted file by running the following command in an elevated command prompt:
takeown /f Path_And_File_Name
Replace “Path_And_File_Name” with the actual path and filename of the corrupted file.
Grant administrators full access to the corrupted file by running:
icacls Path_And_File_Name /grant administrators:F
Again, replace “Path_And_File_Name” with the actual path and filename.
Copy a known good copy of the file from another computer running the same version of Windows and replace the corrupted file with it.
Use System Restore
If you have System Restore enabled on your Windows 10 computer, you can use it to fix corrupted files by restoring your system to a previous state. Here’s how:
Open the Start menu and search for “System Restore”.
Click “Create a restore point” and then click “System Restore”.
Follow the on-screen instructions to select a restore point and complete the process.
Once the system is restored, check if the corrupted files have been fixed.
Reset Your Windows 10 If all else fails, you can reset your Windows 10 installation to fix corrupted files. This will remove all installed apps and files, so make sure to back up any important data before proceeding. Here’s how:
Open the Start menu and search for “Reset this PC”.
Click “Get started” and follow the on-screen instructions to reset your PC.
If the reset process doesn’t work, repeat it and choose the “Remove everything” option, selecting the drive where only Windows files are installed.
After the reset is complete, reinstall any necessary apps and restore your backed-up data.