Fortunately, there are a few ways to fix corrupted system files on your system, and today we’re going to show you how to repair Windows 10 & 11 with ease, and how to prevent these types of problems from occurring again.

What causes corrupt system files in Windows 10?

A system file plays an important role in the operating system and when it gets damaged and cannot complete its function, it may be called corrupt. All the programs can end up having corrupted files but when these files are part of the operating system, things can get a little bit more complicated. Some of the common causes include: There are a lot of other possible reasons for which your Windows files or system files can become corrupted, but here are some of those:

Viruses and malware – Viruses and malware will sometimes cause system files to get corrupted. This occurrence is not very common as the main goal of a virus or malware is to gather important data, so crashing your system would not meet its end goal. But, if you spot a .djvu file extension, it is most likely a virus, so learn all the ways to remove it and secure your system. To keep yourself away from all the trouble, also check our curated list of the best antiviruses. Power outages – These can happen randomly and without any telltale sign, and they can cause a lot of problems with your hard disk. If the part of the storage that contains your system installation is affected, the files that allow your OS to run normally may become corrupt. Do not hesitate to check the best UPS to keep your system up and running even in case of a power failure. System crashes – System crashes may occur because of hardware or software problems and in turn, they may produce the corruption of system files. Check this guide to find out how to eliminate issues causing the system to crash in Windows 11. Update errors – Update errors are pretty common and they often create problems with the system files and BSOD errors, which can lead to system file corruption. Check the linked guides for the best solutions to the following Windows Update error codes: 0x800703f1 0x8024ce0e 0x80080008

Hardware problems – When the hard drive starts having problems reading and writing data, bad sectors and corrupt files can start occurring. Find out the best tools for hardware diagnostics in Windows.

Apart from the reasons listed above, there are various corrupted file generator tools that could have been used. If that’s the case, head to that very tool or website for the solution. Of course, to avoid system corruption, you should keep your system updated and maintain your hard drive as clean as possible. But if you still run into trouble, our solutions below will definitely help you.

How do I fix corrupted files on Windows 10?

1. Use the SFC tool

1.1 Run System File Checker

  1. Press the Windows key to open the Windows Search box.

  2. Type cmd in the search box and click on Run as Administrator to open an elevated Command Prompt window.

  3. Input the following command: sfc /scannow

  4. Press Enter to run the command. The repair process will begin.

  5. Don’t close Command Prompt or interrupt the repair process. It can take a while, so wait patiently while it completes.

If you want to repair corrupted files on your Windows 10 device, you need to perform an SFC (System File Checker) scan. It can be done easily with a command-line tool such as Command Prompt. When you run the SFC scan, it will identify the problems and repair missing or corrupted system files in Windows 10. Also, it can easily take care of issues when the C drive is corrupted in Windows 10.

After the repair process is finished, if your system files are not corrupted, you’ll see the message Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.

However, the System File Checker tool can’t always fix corrupted files, so keep that in mind.

1.2 Check the SFC log Keep in mind that this log file contains only information related to the SFC scan that is performed in Windows. Using the two methods listed above, you can easily do a CMD scan and repair.

2. Use the DISM tool

DISM stands for Deployment Image Servicing & Management, and it’s used to fix any corruption problems that can prevent the SFC tool from running optimally. Also, this tool will help if the Windows 11 installation file is corrupted.

3. Run a SFC scan from Safe Mode

When Safe Mode starts, repeat the steps from Solution 1 to perform an SFC scan. Sometimes, an SFC scan can’t repair your files by running Windows normally, but if that happens, you can try running the SFC tool in Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a special mode that uses only default drivers and applications and by using it, you’ll eliminate any possible interference from third-party apps.

4. Perform a SFC scan before Windows 10 starts

Sometimes you need to scan and repair protected system files, but you can’t do that by running Windows 10 normally. To scan protected system files you’ll have to run an SFC scan before Windows 10 starts as shown above in this solution.

5. Replace the files manually

First, you need to open your SFC log and check which corrupted files can’t be repaired. We already explained how to view the SFC log file in Solution 1, so be sure to check it out for instructions. After you find the corrupted file, you need to transfer a healthy version of that file from another PC to your PC. Keep in mind that both PCs have to use the same version of Windows 10.

6. Use the System Restore feature

After the process is complete, system files should be restored to the previous healthy version. System Restore is a useful feature that will restore your system to an earlier state. If you are unable to fix corrupted files, you might want to consider performing System Restore. If all these steps seem a bit too complicated for you, you could also use an automated Windows 10 repair tool in order to perform the same actions without any worries. We recommend using a professional program that restores system values to their default version automatically, without affecting personal files or data.

7. Reset corrupted Windows 10

If everything else fails, you might have to reset your Windows 10. This process will remove your installed apps and files, so be sure to back up important files. Restoro will automatically scan your PC for problematic files and will replace all critical Windows system files that are malfunctioning with previous versions that are working perfectly. Here’s how you can perform this action: The built-in system restoration tool will revert your Windows to a previous version, therefore you can lose some precious data that was saved after the restoration point was made. You can always return your system to its pre-repair condition. ⇒ Get Restoro Disclaimer: This program needs to be upgraded from the free version in order to perform some specific actions. You might need a Windows 10 installation media to perform this process, so be sure to create one using a bootable USB flash drive. Once done, you can repair Windows 10 system files from USB. If the reset process didn’t fix the problem, repeat it, but choose the second option, Remove everything. Then select the Only the drive where Windows is installed option and finally select the Just remove my files option. If that doesn’t fix the problem, perform a clean install of Windows 10 by using our comprehensive guide. With this, you will be able to reset corrupted Windows 10. After going through all these methods, you know how to get rid of corrupted files in Windows 10. Also, you are now aware of how to recover corrupted files in Windows 10. SPONSORED There are also great third-party software that can help you repair easily the majority of Windows 10/11 problems you may encounter, check out this guide and learn more. Besides many of you might be wondering how to fix corrupted files in Windows 7? And you will certainly be pleased with the answer. The methods listed above will work as effectively and fix corrupted files in this OS as well.

How to fix corrupted files in Windows 11 using Startup Repair?

The Startup Repair tool helps repair issues preventing OS from booting effectively. And this is most likely due to the presence of corrupt system files in Windows 11 or the complete absence of certain critical system files. It will automatically scan for corrupt files, and either replace or remove them, thus eliminating the problem. The tool may sometimes take a while to run, but it’s recommended that you let the process complete and not terminate it mid-way. Also, bear in mind that the method listed above is in addition to the ones in the previous section. You can try those as well to get rid of corrupt files in Windows 11. For those of you trying to learn how to fix corrupted files in Mac, the process may be different but the idea is pretty much the same.

How to find corrupted files in Windows 10?

The process itself is not tricky but will require you to be attentive to minute details. If it’s the corrupt system files in Windows 10 or 11, you will notice performance-related issues, or may not be able to use certain features. In the worst case, the OS won’t boot at all, which can be fixed by running the DISM tool, SFC scan, or the Startup Repair tool from the Recovery Environment, as discussed in the previous sections. In the case of corrupted files on SSD, you might not be able to access these or they may crash soon after launch. The same is the case for an SD card, so if you have been wondering how to fix corrupted files on an SD card, just try the methods listed earlier, or use a dedicated third-party tool. Many users believe in the idea of a corrupted files virus since they are unable to use these files. But that’s not the case, and you should never delete them. Instead, go with the troubleshooting to repair these. Until now, we have discussed a particular segment or location of the corrupted files, but certain formats may also corrupt. Several users have reported coming across corrupted PDF files, corrupted Word files, corrupted GIF files, corrupted JPEG files, or corrupted PNG files, and you can check the best ways to fix them in the linked guides. Apart from these, if you want to learn how to fix missing or corrupted DLL files in Windows 10, check this guide.

How to fix corrupted game files on Windows 10 PCs?

In the case of corrupt game files, that particular game will crash frequently or it may fail to run altogether. Several platforms, such as Steam and Xbox, have a built-in feature to replace or repair corrupted game files. Also, the Repair and Reset feature built-in with Windows allows users to easily fix corrupted game file issues in Windows. The option can be found in the Apps settings. But, do keep in mind that you will not find the option for all apps installed on the computer. So, if you made any changes or were trying to get a cheat code to work, it might corrupt game files and call for repair in Windows 10. Apart from that, downloading applications from unreliable sources is also known to cause issues with the files. Be it the League of Legends corrupted files, Valorant corrupted files, Minecraft corrupted files, Forza Horizon 5 corrupted files, GT5 corrupted files, Civ 5 corrupted files, or any other game for that matter, you could easily go ahead with the corrupted files replacements using the dedicated platform.

How can I prevent file system corruption?

We’ve already explained why this problem occurs and how can you fix it but if you’re not careful, it can happen again. Of course, not all the issues can be avoided but we can supply a couple of tips that will help with corrupted files prevention in Windows. ➡ Protect your PC with an antivirus Viruses and malware are some of the main causes of system corruption, so it’s reasonable to start thinking about protecting your PC with an antivirus. Windows Defender, the built-in antivirus can do a great job but if you like to live more dangerous and visit untrusted websites, you can also pick one of the best antiviruses for Windows 11 from our list to make things safer. We are using the powerful Eset Smart Security Premium to protect our PCs, which offers great scanning options. The possibility to pause its protection for a specified amount of time is extremely useful, and the fact that it contains a Gaming mode ensures that you won’t be bothered while gaming. ➡ Maintain your hard-drive HDDs are more vulnerable than SSDs when it comes to physical damage and their resilience over time. After a while, an HDD can develop bad sectors simply from normal usage and if you add power surges, power outages, or drops, you can get serious problems. You can prevent power-related issues by getting an uninterruptable power supply, a device that acts as a buffer between your PC and the outlet and mitigates any such issues. Also, you can also maintain your hard drive in good condition by defragmenting it and checking for errors by using the system tools. But, do remember to never defragment an SSD since it has no real benefit and can actually harm the health of the drive and reduce its life. Here is how you can easily perform defragmentation of your HDD in Windows 10: ➡ Other useful tips

Shut down and restart your computer properly by using the standard methods and not the physical power button Always ensure that you meet the requirements when updating your system and installing software Remove external drives safely; use the option from the system tray or from File Explorer, don’t just remove the drive from the port Avoid interrupting any system process when you are performing a SFC, DISM, CHKDSK or any other system scan Don’t delete any system files without knowing exactly what you’re doing

Sometimes, you will find a file unreadable even after following the steps listed above. That doesn’t mean that it’s still corrupt, but it’s simply unreadable. To fix that, check the best tools to make corrupted files readable after recovery. Also, you may come across ads claiming to excel at Windows 10 online repair, but it’s recommended that you first check the source and verify that they are not malware or virus disguised as a repair tool. We hope that our guide helped you repair corrupted files in Windows 10 and that your PC is now in perfect working order. Fixing corrupted system files is sometimes difficult, and if you can’t repair the files with the SFC tool, you’ll need to use the DISM tool instead. If issues persist, you’ll have to reset your PC or perform a clean install, but all these methods will help fix corrupted files free of cost. You should also try a third-party tool. We’ve got an excellent list including the best repair tools that will fix corrupted files in Windows 10. If you have any other suggestions or questions, you can write them in the comment section below.

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