Run System File Checker
Beginner
Scans all protected Windows system files and repairs corrupted or missing ones from a cached copy.
USE WHEN Random crashes, apps failing to open, Windows behaving oddly, after a failed update.
⚡ Requires Administrator. Takes 5–15 min. Do not close the window.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
sfc /scannow
💻 PowerShell
sfc /scannow
DISM — Check Image Health
Beginner
Quickly checks the Windows component store for corruption flags without making changes.
USE WHEN First step before running a full DISM repair.
⚡ Requires Administrator. Completes in under a minute.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
💻 PowerShell
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM — Scan Image Health
Beginner
Fully scans the component store for corruption. More thorough than CheckHealth.
USE WHEN CheckHealth reports corruption, or before RestoreHealth.
⚡ Requires Administrator. Takes 2–10 minutes.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
💻 PowerShell
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM — Restore Image Health
Intermediate
Downloads replacement files from Windows Update and repairs component store corruption.
USE WHEN ScanHealth reports corruption, or after SFC fails to repair files.
⚡ Requires Administrator and internet. Can take 20–45 minutes.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
💻 PowerShell
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
DISM — Restore from ISO Source
Intermediate
Repairs the component store using a mounted Windows ISO instead of Windows Update.
USE WHEN No internet connection, or Windows Update source is unreliable.
⚡ Mount Windows ISO as a virtual drive first. Replace D:\ with the correct drive letter.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\sources\install.wim /LimitAccess
💻 PowerShell
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\sources\install.wim /LimitAccess
View SFC Repair Log
Beginner
Shows which files SFC checked and whether they were repaired or could not be fixed.
USE WHEN After an SFC scan, to see the detailed results.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log | more
💻 PowerShell
Get-Content $env:windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log | Where-Object {$_ -like '*[SR]*'} | Select-Object -Last 100
View DISM Log
Beginner
Displays the last 50 lines of the DISM operation log.
USE WHEN After any DISM operation, to confirm what was repaired or where it failed.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
more C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log
💻 PowerShell
Get-Content C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log -Tail 50
Check Boot Configuration
Intermediate
Lists all Windows boot entries in the Boot Configuration Data store.
USE WHEN Diagnosing boot problems, missing boot entries, or dual-boot issues.
⚡ Requires Administrator.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
bcdedit /enum all
💻 PowerShell
bcdedit /enum all
Fix MBR and Boot Sector
Advanced
Repairs the Master Boot Record and boot sector when Windows cannot start.
USE WHEN PC shows 'Operating system not found' or boot loops. Run from WinRE.
⚡ Run from Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) command prompt, not from within Windows.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
💻 PowerShell
bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
Startup Repair via Command Line
Advanced
Triggers Windows automatic startup repair from the command line.
USE WHEN Windows fails to boot normally and you want to trigger the built-in repair.
⚡ Requires Administrator. Reboots the machine into WinRE on next startup.
🪟 Command Prompt (CMD)
reagentc /boottore
💻 PowerShell
reagentc /boottore
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