How To Check For Broken System Files Using DISM And SFC Scans?

The sheer intricacy of the technology these days is really commendable. If observed closely, you will notice that Windows and all other operating systems work on a multitude of levels, with many components overlapping and working together in order to bring out the best user experience to you.

With so many different components involved, there is a chance that something or the other could go wrong and damage your computer. This is the reason that many users are presented with a multitude of problems regarding Windows.

What Are System Files?

Every operating system requires some core files, which are necessary to perform the operations. These critical core files are referred to as system files. These System files are extremely important in maintaining the integrity of the operating system, and without them, your operating system may fail to load properly, or may not boot at all.

However, there is a chance that somehow your system files may be broken due to some reason. This can lead to many different errors in Windows, and sometimes you may not be able to boot into Windows at all. Even Microsoft is aware of this and has included a tool within Windows to check for broken system files.

How To Check And Repair Broken System Files?

System files can become damaged due to many reasons, and are the cause behind many Windows errors. If you suspect that you have some Windows files corrupt or missing, you can use the built-in tool for the same.

You will be making use of the DISM and SFC tools, which will use the online servers to download and fix your corrupt files. To use these tools, follow these steps:

1. Launch an elevated command prompt. For this, you need to open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R. Then type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This will launch Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
2. First, you need to run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management scan. The syntax for this is the following:
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

3. Wait for the scan to finish repairing your computer.
4. If you do not have a stable internet connection, you can use a removable disk as the repair source for your scan. To do so, enter the following command:
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess

5. Wait for the DISM scan to complete. After the scan completes, run the SFC scan. The syntax for the same is:
   sfc /scannow

Once the scan completes, you will see the results displayed in the window, where the location of the log file is present. Usually, the details can be found in the %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log file.

Caution: The system file checker scans take a lot of time to finish. Hence, perform the scans at a time when you are sure that the scans won’t be interrupted. Interrupting the scans can damage your PC beyond repair.

How Do I Read The CBS.Log File?

There is no easy method to read .log files in Windows. You need to copy the information recorded in the CBS.log file to a different text file, and then read the text file. This solution comes from Microsoft support team themselves, so you can follow these without worrying about damaging your computer:

1. Again, open an elevated command prompt as shown above.
2. Use the findstr command to copy the details of the .log file to another text file. The syntax for the command is as follows:
   findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

3. The sfcdetails.txt file will be created on your desktop. Open this file with the Notepad application.

The text file is formatted according to the date and time when the SFC scans were performed on your computer. Check the date and time entries, to identify the misbehaving files.

Wrapping Up

The system files are an integral part of the operating system. However, many different factors can cause these files to go corrupt or missing, which can be detrimental to your PC. Comment below if you found this post useful, and share it with others who might need help in repairing their system files.