Netbook Network

So let’s say your Windows computer gets hit by a virus. Or you mess something up while modifying system files. One way or another, your system now has files that are broken and could potentially cause crashes. In the case that your system files are corrupted, you can restore the corrupted files using the System File Checker.

The System File Checker is a utility built into Windows that is used to validate the integrity of your system files. Abbreviated as sfc, the System File Checker will look for overwritten protected files and restore them from the %systemroot%\system32\dllcache directory. In case that folder cannot be accessed properly, you may need to have a Windows install CD on hand.

By opening a command prompt windows under administrative privileges , you can run System File Checker. The most common usage of System File Checker is this command:

SFC /scannow

This will have the System File Checker scan all your protected system files immediately. Overwritten system files or corrupted system files will be replaced with their correct versions.

The System File Checker tool should work with versions of Windows XP and up. Microsoft’s website has more detailed information on how to use the System File Checker here.