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How to use SFC to repair missing or corrupt Windows files

in CMD
TUTORIAL by Codrut Neagu published on 05/10/2022

When you have problems with your computer, Windows system files may
become corrupted or go missing. This might be caused by sudden power
drops, hardware malfunctions, a hard disk or solid-state drive
approaching its end of life, and so on. If Windows reports that it can’t start
because some of its files are corrupted or missing, you should use the
System File Checker (SFC) tool in the Command Prompt. You should do the
same when Windows starts to blue screen on you with weird corruption
related errors. SFC scans all the Windows system files on your computer,
identifies those that are corrupt or missing, and tries to fix the problems it
finds. Here's how to use it:

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NOTE: This tutorial applies to both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it
also works for older Microsoft operating systems such as Windows 7.

1. How to use SFC in CMD to repair missing or

corrupted system files when Windows can’t boot
If Windows doesn't load because of missing or corrupt system files, you’ll
have to launch Command Prompt before the boot process. So, first, do
that by following any of the methods in this tutorial: How to open
Command Prompt when Windows doesn't boot (3 ways).
Then, once the Command Prompt is up and running, use the SFC
command with the following three additional parameters:

/scannow - checks the integrity of all protected system files and

attempts to repair them when possible.
/offbootdir - specifies the drive or partition that contains the system
files required for booting Windows; in most cases, this would be the C:
drive.
/offwindir - designates the location of the Windows directory, which,
in most situations, is the C:\Windows folder.

So, if your computer or device uses a standard Windows installation, you

will need to run this command: UP
 sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows\
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… and then press Enter on your keyboard.

Running the SFC command before Windows boot

What you’re basically telling Windows to do when you run the SFC
command with the parameters we’ve shown you is: scan the Windows
folder located on the boot partition C: and fix any missing or corrupt
system files encountered. Unless you’re using a fast SSD as your boot
drive, now would be a good time for you to arm yourself with some
patience. That’s because running the SFC command will take quite a bit of
time.

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Scanning and repairing missing or corrupt system files

When the process finishes, you are notified whether issues have been
found and resolved or not. For example, if everything is fine with your
system files, you will receive a message saying that “Windows Resource
Protection did not find any integrity violations.” Or, if problems were found
and repaired, System File Checker will tell you that “Windows Resource
Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.”

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The system file check finished and no broken files were found
 If there are problematic files that can’t be fixed, they are always
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mentioned in a log file named CBS.log. This file is found in the Windows
folder at this exact location:

C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Skip to the last chapter in this guide to see how to identify the corrupt or
missing files that couldn’t be repaired.

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2. How to use SFC in CMD to repair missing or

corrupted system files when Windows can boot
You may also find yourself in a scenario where Windows loads
successfully, but it crashes randomly with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)
mentioning corruption errors. If this is the situation you’re in, start the
Command Prompt as an administrator.
Then, in the CMD window, type this command:

sfc /scannow
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 … and press Enter.
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The /scannow parameter forces the SFC tool to check the integrity of all
system files and attempt to repair any broken or missing files, if possible.

Running SFC in Command Prompt

Again, unless you have a fast SSD in your computer, arm yourself with
some patience. The SFC tool can take a long time to run (at least a couple
of minutes). When it's done, you’ll see a Verification 100% complete
message in the Command Prompt window. If any problems were found
during the scan, you are also informed. In our case, SFC found a couple of
corrupt files but was able to fix them all.

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System File Checker found corrupt system files

System File Checker logs any broken files that can’t be fixed in a file called
CBS.log. You’ll find it at this path on your Windows PC:

C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Read the next section of this guide to see how to identify the system files
that couldn’t be repaired.

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 How to analyze the SFC log file (CBS.log)
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Open File Explorer and use it to navigate to the C:\Windows\Logs\CBS
folder. Then, double-click or double-tap on the CBS.log file to open it in
your default text editor app. By default, that should be Notepad.

Results of the SFC CMD command are stored in the CBS log file

Then, either scroll down to the end of the file or use the search function in
your text editor to look for any entries that begin with the text:

Cannot repair member file

Those lines of text will tell you which are the missing or corrupted system
files that SFC couldn’t repair. Then, one of the best things you can do is
use your favorite web browser and search engine to look for information
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 online about the files mentioned in the CBS.log file. Hopefully, you’ll get
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some ideas on how to fix them.
TIP: You may also want to know how to repair the EFI Bootloader or the
MBR (Master Boot Record) for Windows.

Did the SFC CMD command help you repair Windows?

We hope you’ll never have to use the SFC command to repair Windows
systems files. More often than not, that’s not a nice place to be. However,
if your computer has issues, don't hesitate to consider using the System
File Checker tool. It might come quite in handy if you have to deal with
corrupted or missing system files. If you already encountered such a
situation, did SFC manage to help you? Let us know in the comments
section below.

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