How to Run System File Checker in Windows 7/8/10 [Sfc/scannow]

In Windows installation, you are facing any problem; there you can use a handful of tools to try and solve the problem. If the problem is hard disk errors, you are allowed to run Check Disk, whether it’s a corrupt or damaged system file, you are free to run System File Checker. Both you can run in Windows itself.

In this writing, we will make you understand how to run System File Checker in Windows 7/8/10. Before that, you have to know about what is System File Checker.

What is a System File Checker?

System File Checker is a useful tool that will examine all original files installed with Windows and confirm any of the data are not deleted, replaced, or damaged in any way. If System File Checker detected any of the problems, it automatically loads original files instead of the damaged or deleted ones.

Let’s see how to run System File Checker:

How to run SFC from within Windows 7

• Click the Start button and in the given space in the search bar type cmd Do right-click on cmd.exe and you select Run as Administrator
• You can see the User Account Control click Yes on it, then type Sfc/scannow and press Enter key
• Now the System File Checker runs and checks the performance of the files.

How to run SFC from within Windows 8/10

• Press Win+x from the desktop and select Command prompt (Admin) from the men
• On the User Account (UAC) Control-click Yes, then type Sfc/scannow and click the Enter key
• Now the System File Checker runs and checks the performance of the files.

Anyway, in such a situation where a corrupt or missing file blocks Windows from booting or blocks command prompt and console program, Sfc.exe from being launched. You can run Sfc.exe offline with Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) in Windows.

Let’s see how it works in Windows7/8/10

How to run SFC from Windows 7 Recovery Media

• While in booting, press F12 and from the boot menu select the ‘recovery media.’
• Then select the Language and go to Next option
• Select ‘Repair your computer.’
• In the screen list, select ‘Windows Installation’ then click Next (in case of the absence of any options, you need to solve the boot partition.)
• Select ‘Command prompt.’
• Then type this command- Sfc/scannow/offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows then click Enter
• Now the System File Checker runs and checks the performance of the files.

How to run SFC from Windows 8/10

• In screen press F12 and from the boot menu, select the ‘recovery media.’
• Then select the Language and go to Next
• Select ‘Repair your computer.’
• Then click ‘Troubleshoot’ and then ‘Advanced option.’
• Select ‘Command prompt.’
• Then type this command- Sfc/scannow/offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows then click Enter
• Now the System File Checker runs and checks the performance of the files.

SFC modifier function

Mostly using the scannow modifier is eligible to solve all the problems, and for some specific purposes, some of the other modifiers are also available. Let’s see what they are and their use as well.

/scannow uses to scan all system files and replaces damaged or corrupted files

/scan once use to scan all system files once

/scan boot use at boot time to scan all files in every time the system is restarted

/cancel use to cancel any pending scans

/enable applications to enables WFP (Windows File Protection) the function of WFP is to block all programs from modifying Windows system files

In running the utility, at the scan ends, you may receive any of the below messages

• Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation

Conclusion

In following our writing now, you can repair missing system files in Windows 7/8/10. In some cases, System File Checker does not work correctly when upgrading from Windows 7/8 to 10; you can find system restore points gone on the screen. But you can follow the above instructions to fix the issues successfully and can retain your Windows performance well.