Easily fix broken Windows files now with System File Checker
Summary
TLDRThis video tutorial guides viewers on how to repair Windows system files without a complete system reload, a process often referred to as 'nuke and pave'. The host criticizes the common practice among inexperienced techs and emphasizes the repairability of Windows. The video demonstrates the use of System File Checker (sfc) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM) to check and restore system integrity. It also covers troubleshooting steps, including updating the system image and using a Windows ISO for source files, to ensure sfc can successfully fix corrupted files, thus avoiding unnecessary system reinstalls.
Takeaways
- 🛠️ The video aims to teach viewers how to repair Windows system files without reinstalling Windows, a process often overlooked by computer technicians.
- 🔫 The term 'nuke and pave' is used to describe technicians who prefer to wipe and reload Windows instead of fixing issues, which can lead to data loss if not backed up properly.
- ⚠️ The video warns customers to be cautious about signing agreements that may waive the company's responsibility for data loss during tech repairs.
- 🔧 Windows is a highly repairable operating system, contrary to common belief, and Microsoft provides tools to fix broken installations.
- 🛡️ The System File Checker (SFC) tool checks the integrity of Windows system files and replaces corrupted ones with cached copies.
- 🔄 SFC often fails due to outdated or corrupted system image cache, necessitating an update to the system image before running SFC effectively.
- 🛠️ The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool can be used to check and update the system image, preparing it for a successful SFC scan.
- 📚 The video provides a step-by-step guide on using DISM to clean up the image base and restore health, ensuring SFC can perform its function correctly.
- 💾 In cases where DISM cannot fix the system image, the video suggests using the media creation tool to download a fresh Windows ISO and point DISM to the correct source image for repair.
- 🌐 DISM can be limited to use only the local image file and avoid Windows Update by using the 'limit access' switch, which is useful when internet access is not available or desired.
- 🔄 The combination of using DISM and SFC as demonstrated can resolve most Windows issues, reducing the need for a full Windows reload.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to demonstrate how to repair Windows system files without reloading Windows, a process often referred to as 'nuke and pave' by inexperienced technicians.
Why might computer technicians prefer to reload Windows instead of repairing it?
-Some technicians may prefer to reload Windows because they lack the knowledge or skills to repair a broken Windows installation, or they find it quicker and easier than troubleshooting.
What is the issue with simply reloading Windows for every problem?
-Reloading Windows can cause problems for customers, such as data loss, as it is rarely necessary and often technicians do not back up data before proceeding.
What does the video claim about Windows as an operating system?
-The video claims that Windows is an incredibly repairable operating system, contrary to the common belief that it often needs to be reloaded to fix issues.
What is the System File Checker (SFC) tool and what does it do?
-The System File Checker (SFC) is a tool that checks the integrity of Windows system files and replaces corrupted files with non-corrupted versions from a cached system image.
Why does the SFC tool often fail to fix a broken system?
-SFC often fails because the system image it relies on might not be up to date, or the cached system files could be corrupted themselves.
What is the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool and how does it help with SFC?
-DISM is a tool that checks the system image for corruption and proper versioning for the current build of Windows. It can fix issues and update the cache so that SFC can run successfully.
What is the recommended first step when using SFC?
-The recommended first step is to run SFC with the 'scannow' command in an administrator command prompt to check for corrupted system files.
What should you do if SFC fails to fix the system?
-If SFC fails, you should use DISM to check and potentially restore the health of the system image, ensuring SFC has the correct files to replace corrupted ones.
How can you update the system image if DISM finds it outdated or corrupted?
-You can update the system image by downloading the latest Windows ISO from the Microsoft website and pointing DISM to the source files within that ISO using the '/source' switch.
What is the additional step if DISM cannot fix the system file image?
-If DISM cannot fix the system file image, you can specify the path to a clean system image from a downloaded Windows ISO file using the '/source' switch in DISM commands.
What is the 'limit access' switch in DISM used for?
-The 'limit access' switch in DISM is used to restrict the tool from using Windows Update and to only use the specified image file for repairs.
Why might someone want to limit DISM's access to Windows Update?
-Someone might want to limit DISM's access to Windows Update if they do not have internet access or prefer not to use it for the repair process.
What is the final step recommended in the video to ensure SFC works properly?
-The final step recommended is to run 'sfc /scannow' again after using DISM to update the system image, which should now work properly due to having the correct, uncorrupted system files.
What is the video's stance on the necessity of reloading Windows?
-The video's stance is that reloading Windows is almost never necessary for fixing issues, as most problems can be resolved by properly using SFC and DISM tools.
Outlines
🛠️ Repairing Windows System Files Without Reloading
The speaker introduces a guide on how to repair Windows system files without needing to reinstall Windows, a process often referred to as 'nuke and pave'. They criticize the common practice among inexperienced technicians of wiping and reloading Windows, which can lead to data loss. The speaker emphasizes that Windows is highly repairable and that Microsoft provides robust tools for fixing issues. The focus is on the System File Checker (SFC) and the proper way to use it, rather than the common but ineffective advice found on internet forums.
🔧 Using DISM to Update System Image for SFC Success
The speaker explains the limitations of the System File Checker (SFC) when the system image is outdated or corrupted. They introduce the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM), which checks and updates the system image, allowing SFC to function correctly. The speaker provides a step-by-step guide on using DISM to clean up the image base and restore health, ensuring that SFC can scan and replace corrupted system files effectively. They also demonstrate how to run these commands in the command prompt and the importance of having an updated system image for successful SFC execution.
🔄 Downloading Windows ISO for Advanced System Repair
The speaker describes a method for downloading a Windows ISO file to use as a source image for DISM when the system image is not fixable by DISM alone. They guide the user through downloading the Media Creation Tool from the official Microsoft website, creating installation media, and then using this media to provide a fresh source for system files. The process involves running DISM with the '/source' switch to specify the path to the ISO's 'install.esd' file, ensuring that the system file check uses the correct and uncorrupted files. Additionally, the speaker shows how to limit DISM's access to Windows Update, forcing it to rely solely on the local ISO image for repairs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Repair Windows system files
💡Nuke and pave
💡System File Checker (sfc)
💡System image
💡Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)
💡Windows resource protection
💡Activation
💡ISO file
💡Source image
💡Limited access
💡Hard drive usage issues
Highlights
The video aims to teach viewers how to repair Windows system files without reinstalling Windows, a method often overlooked by computer technicians.
The term 'nuke and pave' is used to describe technicians who prefer wiping and reinstalling Windows over fixing issues, which can lead to data loss.
Microsoft provides tools and procedures to repair a broken Windows installation, contrary to common belief.
The System File Checker (SFC) tool is introduced as a method to check and repair corrupted Windows system files.
SFC often fails due to an outdated system image, which does not contain the correct versions of system files for the current build.
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool is presented as a solution to update the system image and prepare SFC for successful execution.
Detailed instructions on how to use DISM to check and repair the system image are provided.
A step-by-step guide on running SFC and DISM commands through Command Prompt as an administrator is demonstrated.
The video explains how to update the system image using DISM to ensure SFC can replace corrupted files effectively.
If DISM cannot fix the system image, the video suggests specifying the source image using the media creation tool.
Instructions on downloading the Windows 10 ISO file to create a source image for DISM are given.
The video shows how to mount the ISO image and locate the necessary source file for DISM to use.
An additional DISM switch /LimitAccess is introduced to prevent the tool from using Windows Update and only rely on the specified image file.
The video emphasizes that SFC, when used in combination with DISM, can resolve most Windows issues, making a system reload unnecessary.
The presenter shares a personal experience where SFC scan resolved excessive hard drive usage issues on a gaming PC.
The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to suggest topics for future videos on repairing and maintaining Windows.
Transcripts
today I'm going to show you how to
repair Windows system files without
reloading Windows this is the video that
many computer techs don't want you to
see in fact if you're one of my
customers turn this video off right now
you don't want to see this stay tuned
[Music]
you know what there's a problem in the
computer industry that drives me
absolutely crazy I've talked about this
in other videos and that's why I think
I'm going to do a series of videos on
this topic in the computer industry we
have something called nuke and pavetex
these are typically technicians that are
new to the industry and don't know how
to fix a broken windows install so their
first go-to is to just wipe the system
and reload Windows unfortunately this
causes a lot of problems for customers
because it it's rarely necessary and
what's worse is I can't even count the
amount of times that this has been done
to one of my customers at a big box
store and their data being not being
backed up beforehand you remember that
little piece of paper that you signed
when you dropped your computer off
typically with your signature that paper
takes away all liability from the
company of your data so they really
don't care about your data but you know
Windows is an incredibly repairable
operating system you you know I have in
the past often criticized Microsoft for
some of the decisions that they make in
fact the videos where I criticize
Microsoft are some of the most popular
videos I have on this channel however
one thing that they really do well is
give us an incredible amount of tools
and procedures that can be used to fix a
broken copy of Windows So today we're
looking at the system file Checker
command and no way before you click off
this video I'm going to cover the proper
way to use the system file Checker I'm
not just going to tell you to run sfc
scan now and be done with it like you
see on most internet forums and that's
because FSC almost never works on a
broken system for a variety of different
reasons most of those reasons can be
dealt with pretty easily and that's what
we're going to be talking about today in
this video but before we do that we got
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10. now on with the video okay so the
system file Checker tool or sfc is a
tool that simply checks the Integrity of
Windows system files and if it finds any
corrupted files it replaces them with
non-corrupted versions sfc is able to do
this because Windows keeps a cached copy
of all of its system files that it calls
the system image the reason why sfc
almost always fails by itself is because
the system image isn't always up to date
and in some cases the cached copies of
Windows system files could be corrupted
themselves let's say you loaded Windows
10 with version 1909 you've been using
the system for several years and
installing build updates as they come
out if your windows image has cache
system files the date all the way back
to 1909 then sfc can't use those system
files for build 22 H2 so it will throw
up an error like this saying that
Windows resource protection found
corrupted files but was unable to fix
some of them now you could dig through
the sfc logs and try to figure out which
system files sfc determined were
corrupted and try to replace those files
manually with the correct versions for
your specific build of Windows however
there's a way easier way that's by using
dism which stands for the deployment
image servicing and management tool this
is another tool that Microsoft includes
in Windows which will check those cache
system files to determine if they are
corrupted or if they're the proper
version for your build windows and if it
finds problems it will fix those system
files and cache the new ones so that FSC
can run successfully so now that I've
explained to you what these tools do let
me show you how they work in action
let's do it
okay so we're here in Windows and what
you'll see on most forums is someone
just telling you to run sfc scan now and
to do that you just click on start you
type CMD you make sure to run it as
administrator you have to say yes to the
user account control but once you do
that you get your command prompt open
and you just run sfc space forward slash
scan now and hit enter and it'll go
through the process of scanning your
system files and this will take a while
to complete but once it completes it
almost always fails in fact in my
experience I would say it fails 95 of
the time
and the reason why it fails is because
chances are your system file cache is
just out of date and you have to update
your system image before sfc can
properly replace those corrupted files
that it found and to do that let's get
back on the computer and I'll show you
how
okay so as you can see right here it
says Windows resource protection did not
find any Integrity violations and that's
because I ran FSC several times when I
Was preparing for this video and writing
notes and things like that so sfc has
this install of Windows solid right now
but if yours doesn't if yours gives you
this error here then let me show you
what to do all you do is just type dism
space forward slash online and online
just means it's the operating system
that's currently running it doesn't mean
you're on the internet the next thing
you want to do is hit forward slash
clean up
Dash image
base again and there's a couple
different switches you can use here if
you just want to check the system image
you can do forward slash
check health
and from there all it's going to do is
check to see if the system image has any
problems and you can also if you want to
if you hit enter on this one it does a
really quick check but if you want a
more thorough check to check to see if
the system image is good you can run
instead of check Health what you would
run is
scan health and by doing that it goes
through the process of doing a real scan
to check if the system file cache is up
to date and that there's nothing
corrupted and this one's going to take a
little bit longer than the last one
because it goes a lot deeper
okay so right there it said it didn't
find any corruption and if that's the
case you can just move on and run sfc
scan now but if it does find something
corrupted then what you would do is
instead of scan Health what you want to
do is you want to type
restore health and by typing restore
Health it'll go through the process of
doing the original scan that it did but
if it finds any problems it will fix
those problems rather than just scanning
them and letting you know what's wrong
and in all reality at this stage right
here you could probably skip all the
other switches that I showed you and
just do restore health because
ultimately that's what you want to do
anyway there really isn't many reasons
to scan it without fixing the problems
so let's move on and I'll show you the
next step if for whatever reason you run
into errors at this point there's one
more step that you should take and
that's actually a really important one
if dism for whatever reason can't fix
the system file image you might have to
actually tell it where your Source image
is and for that there's a really easy
way to do it and all you do is open up
your browser
and then search for the media
creation tool and then you're going to
want it for whatever version of Windows
you have in this case we're doing
windows 10. so go ahead and go there
click on right here on Microsoft site
download Windows 10 disk image and then
from there you're going to scroll down
where it says create Windows 10 install
media so go ahead and hit download now
and it's going to download the media
creation tool and from there go ahead
and run it you have to click yes to the
user account control and then from there
go ahead and close our browser now and
it's going to go through and it's going
to get a few things ready this might
take a little bit of time so just be
patient okay once we're at this stage
all you got to do is go ahead and hit
accept and then wait for it to get more
things ready you're going to spend a lot
of time waiting for things to get ready
in this process so I'm going to skip
ahead a little bit here okay once you
get to this stage you don't want to
upgrade this PC now that's a waste of
time what you want to do is you want to
create the install media so go ahead and
click on the second one and hit next and
then go ahead and you can leave all this
default here and hit next and then I'm
going to go ISO file right here but you
can also use a USB drive I'm going to
use the ISO file right now and then you
hit next and it's going to ask you where
to download this ISO file at and it's
perfectly fine doing it on your desktop
I actually have mine sitting inside of
the downloads folder and I've already
done that so I'm going to skip this step
right here so once you do that it's
going to go ahead and go through the
process of downloading the iso and
creating it for you and once you do that
that's all you need to do I'm going to
go ahead and close this right now
because I've already done that so we're
going to go ahead and hit yes and it's
going to clean things up so on mine if
you go into the downloads folder here's
the windows ISO image that we downloaded
and all you have to do is double click
it and it'll go ahead and mount it if
you go to this PC you'll see that it's
mounted into a virtual drive and it's on
the D drive and what we're looking for
is if you go into the sources folder
you're going to look for this file right
here it's the install ESD now yours
might be installed Wim and if it is
that's fine both will work but mine's
the ESD you just have to check to see
which one you have before we go on to
the next step and to do that all we do
is you go into your command prompt if
you push the up key it will give you the
last command you ran so that's what
we're doing right here and you want a
space after it you want to hit forward
slash and type in source
and then you want to use a colon and
then from there we want to give it the
path to this file right here this
install ESD so this is the path right
here D forward slash sources so from
there all we have to type in is D colon
backslash
sources backslash
install dot ESD and then from there once
we hit enter it's going to go through
the same process but it's going to use
the image from that ISO file that you
just downloaded in its process of
checking the system file images so I'm
going to skip ahead real quick until
this is done I'm going to show you one
more switch that you can use on this
okay so dism will sometimes use the
image file that you specified but it
will also use Windows update and if that
happens and you want to limit its access
to Windows update there's one more
switch you can use so we'll go back to
the command prompt here and for whatever
reason you might have different reasons
for wanting to do this maybe you don't
have internet access and you don't even
want it to try to access Windows update
and if that's the case that's fine so
what we're going to do is we're going to
hit up Arrow again to get the last
command that we ran we're going to hit
space we're going to do another forward
slash
and then we're going to type
Limited
access and by typing that what it's
going to do is it's going to error out
because clearly I spelled it wrong so
we're going to hit the up Arrow again
and right here here's what I did wrong I
typed limited it's not limited I'm sorry
it's limit access okay so my bad so we
type limit access we hit enter and it
goes through the process but in this
case it's not going to use Windows
update it's only going to use this image
file that we have right here in this ISO
and it's probably going to take about
the same amount of time but for whatever
reason if you want to limit its access
to the internet and Windows update then
that's how you do it
okay so at this point you should be able
to run sfc scan now and it should work
fine I used to always get frustrated
whenever I was trying to find a solution
to a problem in Windows and someone
would suggest to just run sfc scan now
because it literally never fixed
anything that was until I found how to
use dism if you want sfc to work you
have to give it uncorrupted current
versions of your system files then it
does its job exactly how it's supposed
to
by using these two commands in
combination like I've shown you in this
video it will fix most issues that many
people would just throw their hands up
and reload Windows
in fact while doing research for this
video the system here that I'm using
actually has three hard drives on it one
is just for gaming and I have another
one that's for video editing the last
one is just a temporary drive that I use
to install Windows for videos just like
this in fact that's what's running on it
right now for the longest time I've been
having excessive hard drive usage issues
on this gaming install that I have in
this system but running sfc scan now
solved the problem so like I said before
it's almost never necessary to reload a
modern version of Windows I mean it's
got to be really messed up for me to
even consider reloading windows so you
know this is not going to be the only
video on this topic that I'm gonna do
I'm gonna go through many more videos on
how to save a damaged copy of Windows
and I'm also going to create a new
playlist specifically dedicated to
repairing windows so if there's any
other issues on this topic that you'd
like me to cover then please mention
them in the comments below and I might
make a video on it but if you like
videos like this then check out this one
where I show you how to re-enable the
automatic registry backups that
Microsoft stupidly disabled for some
reason this is a feature that you will
hopefully never need but you really
should turn it back on anyway as always
you guys have a great day
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Basic File Management
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