Easily fix broken Windows files now with System File Checker

Summary

This 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• 🔄 SFC often fails due to outdated or corrupted system image cache, necessitating an update to the system image before running SFC effectively.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

00:00

🛠️ 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.

05:03

🔧 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.

10:04

🔄 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.

Keywords

💡Repair Windows system files

This refers to the process of fixing corrupted or damaged system files within the Windows operating system without needing to reinstall the entire OS. In the video, the theme revolves around this concept, demonstrating methods to repair such files using built-in Windows tools like System File Checker (sfc) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM).

💡Nuke and pave

This term is used in the computer industry to describe the practice of completely wiping a system's hard drive and reinstalling the operating system from scratch. The video criticizes this approach as it often leads to data loss and is rarely necessary, as Windows systems can be repaired in most cases.

💡System File Checker (sfc)

Sfc is a Windows utility that checks for system file integrity and replaces corrupted files with correct versions. The video emphasizes the proper use of sfc, explaining that simply running 'sfc /scannow' often fails due to outdated system image files, and how to rectify this issue.

💡System image

A system image in Windows is a cached copy of all system files that the operating system uses to repair corrupted files. The video discusses how an outdated system image can cause sfc to fail, and the importance of updating this image using DISM to ensure sfc can successfully repair files.

💡Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)

DISM is a tool included with Windows that can check and repair the system image. The video explains how to use DISM to update the system image and fix corrupted files that sfc cannot handle on its own, thus enabling sfc to function properly.

💡Windows resource protection

This is a feature of Windows that protects system files from being modified by unauthorized processes. The video script mentions an error message related to Windows resource protection, indicating that while corrupted files were found, some could not be fixed, highlighting the need for using DISM in conjunction with sfc.

💡Activation

The video briefly mentions the importance of Windows activation, referring to the process where a valid product key is used to verify the legitimacy of the Windows installation. The script includes a sponsor that offers discounted Windows 10 licenses, emphasizing the benefits of an activated copy of Windows, including the ability to upgrade to Windows 11 for free.

💡ISO file

An ISO file is a disk image file format that contains the contents of a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. In the context of the video, the ISO file is used to create a Windows installation media, which can be used to update the system image and fix corrupted system files.

💡Source image

The source image refers to the original or updated version of the Windows installation files that can be used to repair or reinstall the operating system. The video explains how to specify the path to a source image, such as an ISO file, to ensure that DISM uses the correct files to update the system image.

💡Limited access

This term is used in the video to describe a DISM command switch that restricts the tool from accessing Windows Update and only uses the specified source image for repairs. This can be useful in situations where internet access is limited or not desired during the repair process.

💡Hard drive usage issues

The script mentions personal experience with excessive hard drive usage on a gaming system, which was resolved by running sfc /scannow after properly updating the system image with DISM. This example illustrates a real-world scenario where repairing Windows system files can solve performance 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