SFC Fails To Fix Errors – What Now?

We all know that Windows breaks from time to time. It is part of the daily chore. If you’ve never had a Windows installation break  then I can only presume you’re a master or a magician. It could be that you’ve never used Windows in the first place. Say! That is a possibility– n’est-ce pas?

This is going to be short and sweet.

 Opening an Administrator Command Box

Windows 8.x

• Right-click the Start Button and choose Command Prompt (Admin)

Done…

Windows 7 and before…

• To start a command prompt as an administrator
• Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
• Right-click Command prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
• If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

To start a command prompt as an administrator (alternative method)

• Click Start.
• In the Start Search box, type cmd, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.
• If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

Done… finally…

It doesn’t matter how many nay-sayers are out there. Windows 8 rocks! Nobody listens to me 🙁

The whole point of this painful exercise is to run a System File Check against the original files that are supposed to be integrated within your system. SFC does just that. The files against which they are compared is called the  Component Store and is supposed to contain all the original and updated (Windows Updates) files required by the Operating System (OS), namely, Windows.

Windows SxS – The Component Store

Windows Side by Side (SxS) is a huge directory of files that is supposed to contain all the updates and files in their original configuration. This is supposed to ensure that your Operating System (ie, Windows ) cannot be broken. A simple comparison of SxS will immediately demonstrate any flaw in the currently used files and can therefore be replaced with the supposedly flawless copy. That’s the plan, at least.

The underlying problem is that the SxS files can themselves become corrupted making the comparison useless.  It also causes SFC to burp when it finds a problem. That’s where DISM comes in. Let’s start from the beginning.

System File Checker (SFC)

The inherent weakness of SFC is that it only makes comparisons against what is already on your computer. If the Component Store is crappitated, the check is a waste of time and it will throw up– an error that cannot be fixed. What good is that?

Note to the unenlightened: “Crappitated” is a word that many of you will not have encountered before this wonderful and uplifting story. I checked the spelling. I did not make it up. It is a valid word that only technology journalists know about. And I’ve just shared it with you. My public. Trust me. 

System File Checker (SFC) compares your Component Store against what is on your computer, that is, how your computer starts and runs. Basically, the “knowledge” it has.

Deployment Image Service and Management (DISM) compares what is on your system against what is in the “cloud”, that is, what Microsoft says it’s supposed to be. The two may be different.

It’s that simple.

Does Running SFC Make Sense?

Comparing files that already exist on your computer against files that already exist on your computer may at first glance appear to be a good idea. It may also appear to be a pretty lame idea.

If those files have been corrupted by some form of malware, then those so-called original, pristine  files are pretty much useless when it gets down to verification purposes.

Step One – Run SFC

• Open an Admin Command Box
• Type: sfc /scannow\
• Wait… patiently… for… a… while…
• If no errors show up, then wonderful! You’re done.
• If errors show up that can’t be fixed, then we’re on to Step Two.

Step Two – Try DISM

This may or may not work. I have had varying success rates using this little-known command. It turns out, that our editor in chief, James Hillier, was recently able to “fix” his computer using the DISM command. That says a lot considering that Jim is a knowledgeable and computer-savvy sort of guy. Note:  I may be biased in my assessment.of said editor. Sorry for the discomfiture.

• Open an Admin Command Box and type one of the following to run DISM in the manner you choose:
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

I don’t have a clue what the difference is between the ScanHealth and CheckHealth switches are. You may do some research if you like. Regardless, it may take some time to run, from a few minutes to many depending on your system. If I remember right, it took about 15 minutes or so for mine to complete.

Update 9/20 –  One of our readers, B, offered this very helpful information:

/CheckHealth – This switch option only checks to see if a component corruption marker is already present in the registry. It is just a quick way to see if corruption currently exists, and to inform you if there is corruption. It does not fix anything or create a log. This should be finished almost instantaneous.

/ScanHealth – This switch option does not fix any corruption. It only checks for component store corruption and records that corruption to the log file. This is useful for only logging what, if any, corruption exists. This should take around 5-10 minutes to finish.

/RestoreHealth – (recommended) This switch option checks for component store corruption, records the corruption to the log file, and FIXES the image corruption using Windows Update. This should take around 10-15 minutes up to about an hour to finish depending on the level of corruption.

Thanks, B!

If you access the help menu for DISM, you will notice the “switches” I suggest are not necessarily shown by default. This is normal. Undocumented “switches”, or “parameters” are a consequence of geeky programming people who can not seem to master the language of the masses. They are, on the other hand, quite fluent in areas devoted to complication and obfuscation.

SFC is recommended by many people in-the-know. DISM is generally unknown, and therefore not suggested.

This may take a lot of time and might result in no positive effect. It’s a shot in the dark but worth a try.

That’s it! Like I said, this may or may not help you. I have experienced varying degrees of success using the DISM command, but Hey! Any chance at success in these dire times is worth the effort, is it not?

Richard