Run DISM and SFC to repair missing or corrupted system files

If you get BSOD, or some Windows functions aren’t working or Windows crashes, you may run Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)  and the System File Checker (SFC) to scan Windows and restore your files.   Here is how.

1. Open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd in the search bar and then run Command Prompt as administrator.

2. Run this command which uses Windows Update to provide the files that are required to fix corruptions :

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

3. Run this command to replace the C:\RepairSource\Windows placeholder with the location of your repair source.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess

4. Run this command that will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache.

sfc /scannow

5. After the process is finished successfully, restart your computer an check if that fixes the problem.

Published by

Bob Lin

Bob Lin, Chicagotech-MVP, MCSE & CNE Data recovery, Windows OS Recovery, Networking, and Computer Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net How to Install and Configure Windows, VMware, Virtualization and Cisco on http://www.HowToNetworking.com