Ultimate Guide to Fix Almost ANY Windows Corruption (Without Reinstalling)
Ultimate Guide to Fix Almost ANY Windows Corruption (Without Reinstalling)
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Commands mentioned:
• sfc /scannow
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Windows 10 Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/softw…
Windows 11 Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/software-do…
▼ Time Stamps: ▼
0:00 - Intro
1:54 - Context to Get Ready
3:04 - Repairing With the Commands
5:08 - Corrupted Windows Profiles
6:43 - The ‘Last Resort’ Repair Upgrade
11:00 - If Repair Upgrade Didn’t Work
11:21 - Migrating From Corrupted Profile
12:33 - If There’s No Apparent Cause
12:59 - Fixing Corrupted Windows Updater
15:14 - Final Useful Mentions
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Content
0 -> When it comes to computer problems, there are
nearly infinite possible causes. But today I'm
5.12 -> going to show you how to solve nearly ANY problem
with Windows, assuming of course that the problem
9.92 -> is with the operating system itself, and not a
hardware failure or just with a specific program.
15.44 -> And I've got just a few super simple steps
involving some basic commands that should fix
20.16 -> most issues, and then one final 'last resort', but
even that does NOT require wiping and reinstalling
26.64 -> anything, but rather does a complete in-place
repair install, keeping everything else. And I'll
32.32 -> put timestamps in the description so you can come
back to this video next time you have an issue.
37.04 -> ---------------------
Before we continue though,
38.16 -> I do want to thank today's sponsor, Micro
Center, to whom I've already been a customer,
42.64 -> and those are the best sponsors. Micro Center
has a huge range of electronics from computers,
47.76 -> networking devices, TVs and monitors, and
more, with over 30,000 items in stock.
52.8 -> And by the way, in my experience, if you
go to one of their physical locations,
56.72 -> they carry things that no other store has,
particularly with specialty stuff like
61.36 -> individual computer components. And obviously
the people working there are going to be more
65.28 -> knowledgeable than what you'd see at some
run-of-the-mill big box store or something.
69.6 -> Whether you're shopping in-store at one
of Micro Center's physical locations,
72.88 -> or looking online (at microcenter.com) you'll
find the a bunch of great deals. And also
77.92 -> check out their new lineup of business solutions,
including workstations from Dell and Supermicro,
83.28 -> as well as their new SuperMicro workstation
or server builder at certain locations.
88.4 -> And if you've stuck around until
now it's definitely worth it,
91.52 -> because Micro Center is offering new
customers a free 240GB SSD in-store.
97.84 -> You can read all the details on their
site, but there's no purchase necessary,
101.6 -> and it's not one of those 'chance to win' things,
you sign up and get your coupon and can bring
106.88 -> it in to claim it. Again I'll that link in the
description so you can read all the details how.
111.6 -> So with all that being said, let's continue.
-----------------------
113.92 -> Alright now we can get cracking. For this video
I'm assuming you've already tried the usual stuff,
119.04 -> which I'll just list off, like you've
restarted, checked for updates,
122.96 -> updated your graphics drivers,
have done a full virus scan,
126.16 -> if it's a network issue made sure that only
that computer is having issues, and if the
130.24 -> problem does seem to be related to a specific
program, you've tried reinstalling it. Phew.
134.88 -> Well in that case, the next course of
action is to try running a few commands
139.36 -> created to repair Windows. Now some of you
may have heard these a million times already,
144.16 -> but I will be going into more detail, so stick
around. And for these commands, you guessed it,
149.52 -> they're the System File Checker - SFC,
and Deployment Imaging Servicing and
154.08 -> Managment command, DISM. And these are
the exact actual commands shown here.
158.32 -> Really quickly just for context, the SFC
command basically checks for corruption within
162.88 -> the current Windows installation and fixes
it based on a stored system image. And DISM
169.2 -> checks for issues with that system image,
also referred to as the 'component store'
173.44 -> and repairs it too. Many places will just tell
you to just run SFC and DISM and be done with it,
180.24 -> some say in the reverse order, but we're
going to cut out the uncertainty altogether.
184.48 -> Here's what you do. Search the start menu for
the command prompt and run it as administrator.
189.52 -> Then first run the command "sfc /scannow",
and let it go. It might take a couple minutes,
196.64 -> then hopefully it will say 'did
not find any integrity violations'.
200.56 -> Or, it might say 'found corrupted files
and successfully repaired them'. Which
205.28 -> actually might be better news, because
that might have solved your problem
208.88 -> right there. And this a real example of a
time I did this myself and it said that.
212.96 -> Though another possibility is that it found
corrupted files, and was not able to repair them,
218.16 -> or even that SFC won't run at all. For example,
221.44 -> if it says "Windows Resource Protection
could not start the repair service",
225.36 -> stick around till the end, this is one I had
to deal with personally. There is an option
229.52 -> to fix it without reinstalling everything,
but you're probably not going to like it.
233.28 -> No matter what it says though, don't worry because
we're not done. Oh and as a side note, if you
237.76 -> happen to close command prompt while the scan
is running, it keeps running in the background,
241.84 -> so if you try it again it will just seem to hang
until the first one is done, it's not frozen.
247.2 -> Now if SFC found anything, whether it repaired it
or not, restart your computer. But if it didn't
252.96 -> find anything, it's not necessary to restart.
And after you do that, next run this command:
258 -> "DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth"
. And I'll put these in the description so
265.36 -> you can copy and paste them. Again, if it says
completed successfully, there weren't any issues,
270 -> or if it did find something it would
say so and hopefully repaired it. And
273.52 -> again, if it found something,
probably restart your computer.
276.8 -> Finally, run the same SFC command again in any
case. If it found errors and did repair it the
282.08 -> first time, you want to make sure that there are
non left. And if it couldn't repair before, but
286.48 -> DISM repaired something, SFC might work now. As
a side note, both commands add to the log file at
293.041 -> C:\Windows\logs\CBS.log . And after running DISM,
297.92 -> in that log file it will even show this, with
the exact number of corrupted files and stuff.
302.4 -> Many times, having done all that will fix
the problem if the Windows installation
306.56 -> itself is corrupted. If it found corruption
and was not able to repair, there are still
311.68 -> other options. But before we get into
that, if it did not find corruption
316.08 -> and the problem still persists
obviously, sometimes the issue
319.84 -> is your Windows profile being corrupted. I don't
actually know how this happens, but sometimes
324.8 -> your individual profile gets corrupted and causes
weird stuff. Like one time my start menu layout
330.24 -> kept erasing itself, and it was so annoying
and it turns out it was a corrupted profile.
333.92 -> One way to tell if a profile is corrupted is
to simply create another extra user account,
339.2 -> and see if it happens in there too. You can
go to Settings > Accounts > Family & Other
344.64 -> Users > 'Add Someone Else to PC'. And it
will ask for a Microsoft account but no,
350 -> just hit 'don't have this person's
sign in' or whatever it says.
352.96 -> It'll ask again and again just select 'without
Microsoft acount', which means a local account.
358.08 -> Then just go through and finish making
it, keeping your old profile of course,
362 -> then log out of your main profile, into the new
one, and see if the problem keeps happening.
367.2 -> Though if it happened randomly
not very often, you might have to
370.32 -> use it until it does. Or long enough
where you're confident it won't.
374.08 -> If a new profile does not seem to fix it, or even
if it does, there is still one more thing you'll
379.6 -> want to try. Because if a new profile does seem to
fix it, it very well could be a corrupt profile.
385.76 -> And if it is, god help you, because almost nothing
can fix that. Now the solution is simple, just
391.76 -> annoying: Move to a new user profile, which though
is sometimes is just as bad as clean installing,
397.92 -> but I'll show you how to go about doing it a
little bit easier later. But we aren't there yet.
402.8 -> There is a method of last resort, besides doing
a clean install of Windows, because we obviously
408.08 -> don't want to go there if at all possible. And
this option is an in-place repair upgrade. The
413.36 -> quick rundown before I show you how, is
basically you download a Windows image
418.24 -> from Microsoft's website, then run it the same
way you would when installing a major update.
423.28 -> But instead of upgrading to a new version, it
just rewrites your current Windows system files.
428 -> And it does not require you to reinstall
any programs or lose any files or anything.
432.48 -> Only some minor system stuff might get reset, like
you might lose some custom fonts, or downloaded
438 -> language packs, and you'll just have to re-run
windows update most likely, but that's mostly it.
442.72 -> So here's how to do it in detail. And there's
actually a couple ways to go about this,
446.64 -> both involving the media creation tool.
So Google 'Windows media creation tool',
451.76 -> or I'll put the link in the description, and
hit 'Download Tool Now' on this page, though
456.24 -> it might look different depending on when you
watch this. For me, the file name showed the
460.4 -> version of Windows as 21H2, which is important
to note. In the start menu, type 'winver',
466.8 -> and look to make sure the tool you downloaded
is for either the same or a newer major version
473.36 -> of Windows than what you're using. Then
just run the tool and accept all the stuff.
477.2 -> Now here's the two ways. The better way to
try first in my opinion is to click 'Create
481.92 -> Installation Media' in order to make an ISO.
And if that doesn't work, later you could do
487.44 -> 'Upgrade This PC Now' option. So anyway, click
Next and on this one, make sure the language,
492.48 -> edition and architecture are correct. If it
says 'Both' or something non-specific like
497.76 -> 'All Languages' or whatever, just change it to be
exactly what you're using now. So we'll change it
502.64 -> to either 64 bit or 32 bit. Which you can see by
the way, by searching the start menu for 'system
508.56 -> information'. But it's probably 64 bit these days.
Then if there are multiple options for the edition
514.4 -> (in mine there wasn't here), make sure the Windows
edition is also right, like Home, Pro, whatever.
520.08 -> Then once it's all right, click Next, and select
'ISO file', and then just save it anywhere,
525.76 -> and let it do it's thing. It will download the
proper ISO version and make the file. And it
530.24 -> will ask you at the end if you want to burn it to
a DVD but don't. We do NOT want to burn the ISO to
536.08 -> a USB, DVD, or anything. The upgrade MUST be run
from within Windows, or from my understanding, you
542.72 -> would only have the option for a clean wipe if you
didn't. So we have to run it from within Windows.
547.68 -> Once the file is done, right
click it and hit 'Mount' ISO,
551.68 -> which should create a virtual drive, so go
into that and click 'setup.exe'. At this point,
557.44 -> if you clicked 'Upgrade This PC Now'
you'd be in the same spot as we are here.
561.52 -> The first screen will say it wants
to download updates and stuff,
564.88 -> but we don't actually want that, it could
complicate things. Just click 'change how
568.56 -> windows gets updates' or however it's
worded, and then select 'not right now'.
573.28 -> Go through and accept all the
stuff and wait for it go get ready.
576.88 -> Now hold on a second at this next window, this
one is critical to pay attention to. Double check
581.76 -> that it's installing the right edition, should be
same as your current one. Even more importantly,
587.36 -> make sure it says 'Keep personal files
and apps'. If it does NOT say that,
591.92 -> and the only option is 'Keep Nothing', do
NOT click next or install. That could mean
597.68 -> that the ISO you're using or downloaded is
for an older version than you're running.
602.32 -> And in that case you'd have to go figure out
why that is and get the newer one. Anyway,
606.16 -> make sure it's set to 'Keep personal files and
apps', and hit 'Install' or 'Next' - which ever
610.56 -> one you see. And keep in mind, before this,
that's your last chance to change your mind.
614.4 -> Now just let it run, it will
probably restart multiple times.
618 -> If you have issues or it fails to install at
all, try disabling any third party antivirus
623.44 -> and then try again. And also disconnect any
device except your monitor, keyboard, and mouse
628.8 -> basically. Or you could also try the 'Upgrade Now'
option we saw before, or just do the ISO again.
634.16 -> In any case, hopefully it should have
successfully installed, and will show the whole
639.04 -> 'new installation' setup flow, like asking you for
privacy settings and stuff, just go through that,
644.96 -> and you'll be able to log into Windows the same
as before, with everything still there. And now
649.76 -> it's basically the moment of truth, just use the
computer and see if the problem persists. You can
654.8 -> also run SFC and DISM again, and if it wasn't
able to repair before, it should be fine now.
660.4 -> Now, if for whatever reason this didn't fix it,
662.96 -> there could be a couple causes depending on some
things. If the update failed to complete at all,
668.64 -> and sfc showed corrupted files, hold on a minute.
If the update did complete and problem persists,
675.76 -> but using a new user profile does fix it, it's
almost certainly a corrupted user profile.
681.04 -> In which case if it's a corrupted
profile, here's what needs to be done.
684.4 -> Go log into that other profile you created,
or create one now if you didn't. Go to the
688.4 -> directory C:\Users\ [then whatever the name
of your account is of your original account].
693.92 -> Actually though, because of permissions, what
you'll probably have to do is: While logged
698 -> into the original account, copy everything to
the Public user folder. And then log out of it,
704.96 -> log into the new account, and then copy everything
from the Public folder into the new one.
709.68 -> Copy everything - don't drag and drop to
move, actually right click and hit copy
714.4 -> everything. But do not copy any hidden
folders, if you have hidden folders enabled,
719.2 -> such as AppData or any of those. The hidden
folders have system files having to do with
723.68 -> the Windows profile, and it would certainly
just corrupt the new profile even more.
727.84 -> Now all the files are in the new account, but
unfortunately program settings probably are not.
733.76 -> Also, not all programs might be installed for
all users, so you might have to reinstall some
738.88 -> stuff. If there's any program settings that
you really want to copy, you could just look
743.28 -> up where the settings files are stored for that
program and copy them over individually. They
747.84 -> are probably in AppData, but again, don't
just copy the entire AppData folder over.
753.12 -> Ok back to what to do if there are still corrupted
files, or the update failed altogether. If there
758.32 -> is no corruption, you've done a repair install,
and a new user profile doesn't fix it, honestly
764.16 -> I wouldn't know what to tell you at this point.
It could be a hardware issue, it could be from
768.8 -> some installed program. And if that's the case,
maybe either take it to professional or do a full
774.72 -> backup and a clean wipe. That's what I referred
to when I said 'nearly' every Windows problem.
779.2 -> But if it does still show corruption, at
least we have something to work with. And
783.2 -> it could mean that the Windows update itself
is corrupted. And this is almost just as bad,
788.48 -> because the options are really limited. This
exact situation happened to me this year,
793.04 -> where SFC wouldn't even run, and said
"Windows Resource Protection could not
797.68 -> start the repair service". I looked at the log
files, and it turns out that something called
802.24 -> "servicing stack update" was corrupted. And
when I looked that up, I discovered it was a
807.28 -> 'key underlying component for several elements of
Windows deployment, such as SFC and DISM..." Yes,
814.4 -> literally the repair tools in Windows themselves
got corrupted... [Bruh Sound Effect #2]
818.24 -> Now if it is something like that,
like I said, you can still try and run
821.84 -> SFC and DISM and then look at that CBS log file I
mentioned before. It will probably look like this,
827.2 -> and will actually list out all the corrupted
files, and above it will give more details
831.92 -> and probably say 'mismatch', plus some stuff
like the exact location of each corrupted file.
836.8 -> The way I fixed this, and yes I was able to
completely fix it, was... to painstakingly
842.72 -> copy a good version of each individual file from
another computer. Nope, not kidding, there were
847.6 -> like 60 of them. You will have to make sure the
other computer is the exact same build, I believe
852.64 -> even the same minor build number. Fortunately, my
computer was still installing updates apparently,
858.72 -> and was on the latest version, so I just updated
my laptop and then they had the same version.
863.68 -> Then you basically do a search for the good
copies. In my case, they all seemed to be in
868.72 -> these folders, so I just copied all these
directories in whole onto a thumb drive,
872.96 -> and and then extracted out good copies
individually as needed from that. But
877.44 -> I still had to go in and find the individual
things, I couldn't just overwrite everything.
881.04 -> Just be prepared for it to find more corrupted
files after replacing the first ones. Yes
886.08 -> that happened to me. But after all that SFC
actually did run, and it really did succeed
891.36 -> in checking integrity with no corruption.
I was legitimately shocked it worked.
895.44 -> Now there might be easier ways to go about
that. You will probably, like me, find guides on
900.48 -> using an external source for DISM, stuff
like that. But I don't want this video
904.8 -> to be an hour long, and that didn't even work
for me, I did try that. But it might be worth
909.12 -> trying if DISM itself is not corrupted like it
was in my case. So just look that up yourself.
914.4 -> But after doing everything above, it should have
fixed dang near every problem. To be thorough,
920.4 -> I'll mention the 'chkdsk' command, which is also
good if your SSD or Hard Drive are acting up,
926.56 -> just look up how to use that. And if you're
having a problem where Windows won't boot at all,
931.04 -> it could be a boot record issue, on which I'm
not even going to attempt to give advice,
935.28 -> I'm just not familiar enough. Though you
can yourself look up the 'bootrec' command,
939.36 -> (that's one that I know), and
it's options, that might help.
942.24 -> So at this point, at least you can say that
you'll have tried everything I could think of.
946.32 -> Thanks again to Micro Center for sponsoring
this video, and I'll put some links to their
949.76 -> stuff in the description so check that
out, including that free 240GB SSD.
954.4 -> If you guys want to keep watching, the next
video I'd recommend is one where I did go
957.76 -> over what the AppData and all that is about,
if you're curious. It really is interesting,
962.56 -> so you can click that right there. If you guys
want to subscribe, I only make videos about once
966.08 -> a week, so also be sure to enable the bell for
notifications, so they don't get lost in the
970.56 -> rest of your subscriptions. As always be sure to
like the video, comment if you enjoyed it, and
974.64 -> let me know what you think. So thanks so much for
watching guys, and I'll see you in the next one.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yidWdy-Xwdk