How to Scan and Fix Corrupt System Files

Many a time it happens that you want to mail some urgent document or download some urgent file on your computer but your computer won’t start. Ever wondered the reason for this? The reason is Corrupt System Files in Windows. The corrupt system files in windows make your system buggy and cause trouble during startup. The system files in windows become corrupt if they have been changed during software installation or gone missing.

But there’s an easy method to scan and fix corrupt system files in Windows 10. There is a command prompt utility in Windows 10 named as Windows Resource Protection which performs the tasks of scanning, checking and fixing corrupt system files.

Scan and Fix Corrupt System Files in Windows 10

1. Boot your computer into safe mode and run the Windows Resource Protection utility from windows or if your computer is not able to boot into safe mode then run the utility from the command prompt by booting through installation media into repair mode.
2. In Windows, open the command prompt in administrator mode by pressing Windows+X button and choosing Command Prompt (Admin) option from Administrative Tools Menu.
3. After the command prompt is opened, use the below syntax to open the Windows Resource Protection utility:

   SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=<file>] [/VERIFYFILE=<file>]
   [/OFFWINDIR=<offline windows directory> /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory>]

4. The Windows Resource Protection Utility is now opened. Now the first thing you should do is scan the whole system. This option will scan your computer for the corrupt files and will try to fix any corrupted files that are found. You can scan your computer with this command:

   sfc /scannow

   Also, you have an option to only scan your system and not fix the corrupted files. If you want to do this, then use the below command:

   sfc /verifyonly

   Another option is to scan and fix a particular file by using the following command:

   sfc /scanfile=<file>

   To verify a particular file, use the following command:

   sfc /verifyfile=<file>

These were some of the options which you can use to scan and fix corrupt system files in Windows 10. Windows Resource Protection utility also exists in other versions of windows but it may have slightly different options. To get all the supported options of Windows Resource Protection utility for other versions of Windows, use the command sfc /?. For any queries, drop down a comment.