How to Fix Corrupt System Files on PC Windows 10/Windows 7/Windows 8/8.1/XP/Vista

System Files in Windows OS get corrupted due to several reasons; accidental system file deletion, virus or spam attack or installing faulty programs can be culprits behind interfering with normal functionality of the computer. System files are what run Windows software and are the heart & soul of the entire OS. Thankfully due to technological advances these days the issue of damaged system files can be fixed without having to reinstall the entire OS like in the past. Here you can will learn How to fix corrupted system files on Windows 10. You can us same method mentioned below to fix system files error on Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7 & XP/Vista.

Corrupted system files result in blue screen of death error on Windows PC, which is also known as BSOD error.

So far complaints about the corrupt system files in Windows 10 have been few or far between. Previously, Windows system files used to get impaired rather easily, which is not the case in the latest Windows 10 because of the impregnable programming codes. However, there is always room for error giving hacker and spammers an opportunity to infiltrate any opening in order to tinker with Windows OS.

Since Windows is the most used PC platform in the world, it’s this widespread use and popularity which makes it more vulnerable to attacks from hackers. Not only that, sometimes user’s own negligence can result in corrupting system files. So, it’s important that you know how to fix corrupted system files without going through the cumbersome process of reinstalling the whole Windows OS from the start.

Now Windows 10 provides a build-in method of repairing damaged files and spotting errors. Command prompt has been a vital component of Windows OS from Windows 7 onward. Using command prompt you can run system file scanner that spots all debased files and automatically fixes all those it can. Here is an easy way by which you can recover system files that have been compromised.

How to fix corrupt files on Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista:

System files corruption problem is common on Windows platform. But here are some of the most reliable methods to fix system files error on Windows PC and laptop.

1 – Use SFC Command to Repair System Files

Login to Windows as admin.
Go to Start > All Apps > Windows System > Command Prompt OR right-click Start button and select Command Prompt (admin) option from the list.
Click on Command Prompt to open it.
Now type the following command in the prompt window and hit the Enter key:

Sfc/scannow

This will initiate the scanning process. All corrupt files will be shown on the command prompt window as and when detected in real-time. Scanning process can vary depending on the number and nature of system files on your PC, mostly it take around 40 minutes for the process to complete.
If you see this message ‘Windows Resources Protection did not find any integrity violations‘ on Command Prompt window, it means all is well. But if you see’Windows Resources Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them‘ then follow next step.
Now in case of system files error message on Command Prompt, reboot PC in Safe mode. To enter safe mode on Windows 7/Vista/XP restart PC and hit F8 key repeatedly until you see a screen with a list of option including Safe Mode, click on Safe Mode with command prompt option and hit enter. Windows 10/8/8.1 can see this guide Boot in Safe Mode on Windows 10/8.
Now in Safe Mode open Command Prompt (admin) and type sfc/scannow which will fix system files.

DISM Command Method

If SFC Command Method didn’t work on Windows 10 and 8 then follow instructions for DISM Command method.

Open Command Prompt as Admin. Right-click Start Menu and select Command Prompt (admin) option.
Type DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth and hit enter.
Wait for the scanning to complete.
Restart PC.
Now follow SFC Command method above to fix corrupted system files.

To fix The Source Files could not be Found error click blue anchor.

2 – Perform System Restore to Fix Corrupted Files

If both method above did not work on your PC to fix Windows system files then you can perform complete system restore to go back to the previous point where all files were free of errors. System restore is easy, follow instructions below for it:

Type Restore Point in the search box
Click Create System Restore Point
Next click System Protection tab in System Properties window.
Click Configuration button and make sure Turn On System Protection Option is checked.
Select system drive and click Restore Point and hit OK button
All done

On Windows 7/XP/Vista open Command Prompt window as an admin and type rstrui.exe and hit enter. On Windows XP type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and hit enter.

This method works on Windows 10 & Windows 8/8.1 to fix corrupt files by performing system restore via advanced startup option.

On Windows 10 click restart and press & hold Shift key on keyboard. On Windows 8/8.1, move mouse to bottom right corner to open Windows charm bar, click power icon and click restart while pressing and holding Shift key.
This will take you to the Advanced Startup screen
Click Troubleshoot
Next click Advanced Options
Select System Restore
Now Restart PC

3 – Reinstall Windows

If none of the above methods worked then last reinstalling Windows OS is the last resort. Perform Windows reset, reinstall or refresh on PC to fix corrupted files issue. Here how to do it on Windows 10:

On Windows 10, open Start menu
Click Settings
Go to Update & Security > Recovery
Click Get Started under Reset this PC
You see two options: Keep my files for just removing everything from system driver and keeping stuff on other drives. Other option is Remove Everything for removing all PC content saved in all drives, in this option select All Drives option for it.
Once you have selected the option and clicked on it then wait until system refresh is complete. System Refresh takes less time than System Reset.

On Windows 8/8.1 follow these instructions for system refresh and reset: