Windows 11 Built-in Repair Utilities You Should Master

SFC Options

SFC has several options that can be used to improve its functionality:

  • /SCANNOW: Scans all protected system files and fixes problems if possible. This is the most commonly used option.
  • /VERIFYONLY: Scans all system files but does not attempt to fix any problems found; instead, it will report every problem found.
  • /SCANFILE=<file>: Verifies the integrity of specific system files and corrects them where possible. This is useful if you suspect a particular file is corrupted.
  • /VERIFYFILE=<file>: Scans for specific files but doesn’t try to fix them. It is also useful for checking for suspected corrupted files.
  • /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory>: Attempting to scan and repair the offline boot directory. This is useful if you are running SFC from the Recovery Console.
  • /OFFWINDIR=<offline Windows directory>: Scans Windows directories offline, also useful when running SFC from the Recovery Console.
  • /OFFLOGFILE=<log file path>: Creates log files for offline scanning and repair, which can help in further analysis.
Other Interesting Articles

Examples of SFC Usage

If you suspect that any system files are missing or corrupted, you can run the following command:

SFC /SCANNOW

Once the process is complete, SFC will notify you if any files are missing or corrupted and will try to fix them if possible. If SFC is unable to repair the corrupted file, you may need to use another utility such as DISM to repair the corruption further.

3. DISM: Repairing Corruption in OS Files

Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a very important tool in Windows 11 that is used to fix corruption in installed operating system files.

 DISM was first introduced with Windows Vista as part of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Toolkit and has now become an integral part of the Windows operating system. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to use DISM, the options available, and steps to resolve any issues you may be facing.

DISM is a tool designed to query, configure, install, and remove Windows features, especially for enterprise installations. However, this tool is also very useful for repairing corruption in installed operating system files.

 By using DISM, you can ensure that your operating system’s core files are in good condition and functioning optimally.

How to Run DISM

To run DISM, you need to open Command Prompt with Administrator privileges. Here are the steps:

  1. Right-click on the Start icon and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Type the following command to start scanning and repairing:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  1. Press Enter to execute the command.

DISM Options

DISM has several options that can be used to improve its functionality:

  • /Online: Indicates that you want to repair a running Windows installation.
  • /Cleanup-Image: Indicates that you want to clean and repair the system image.
  • /RestoreHealth: Scans system files and tries to fix any issues found.
  • /Source:WIM:[X:]\Sources\Install.wim: Used to specify the location of the Windows image file to be used as a source for the fix. Replace [X:] with the appropriate location of the mounted ISO file.
  • /LimitAccess: Prevents DISM from accessing Windows Update to search for source files, which is useful if you want to use only local files.

Latest Articles

Related Articles