SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

**Brink** · **OPTION ONE:**

How to Repair Windows 7 System Files with System File Checker

Information

The sfc /scannow command (System File Checker) scans the integrity of all protected Windows 7 system files and replaces incorrect corrupted, changed, or damaged versions with the correct versions if possible.

RELATED LINKS:

OPTION ONE:
To Run the SFC /SCANNOW Command

1. Open a elevated command prompt.

2. In the elevated command prompt, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This may take a little bit to finish.

3. When the scan is complete, hopefully you will see all is ok like the screenshot below.
NOTE: If not, then you can attempt to run a System Restore using a restore point dated before the bad file occured to fix it. You may need to repeat doing a System Restore until you find a older restore point that may work.

4. When done, close the elevated command prompt.

OPTION TWO:
To See the SFC /SCANNOW Scan Results

NOTE

When SFC runs, it logs it's actions to the C:\WINDOWS\LOGS\CBS\CBS.LOG. This will show you how to see only the specific SFC entries with the [SR] tags in the CBS.log. This can be helpful to show you what files SFC could not fix automatically if you wanted to try and manually replace them.

1. Open a elevated command prompt.

2. In the elevated command prompt, type:
findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt and press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This will place a sfcdetails.txt file on your desktop with the SFC scan details from the CBS.LOG.

3. Close the elevated command prompt.

4. Open the sfcdetails.txt file on your desktop to see the SFC scan details in the CBS.LOG.

5. You can safely delete the sfcdetails.txt file afterwards if you like.

That's it,
Shawn

shadowminx69 · 01-18-2009

would it be a bad Idea to make a task to run this each night? not sure if it would be a good Idea or not. Hit me back

**Romulinx2** · 01-18-2009

Thanks, I forgot about this. I used to use it in early editions of windows. Run it and sorted some errors.

**darkassain** · 01-18-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowminx69

would it be a bad Idea to make a task to run this each night? not sure if it would be a good Idea or not. Hit me back

you shouldnt have any problem with it...

**Brink** · 01-18-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by Romulinx2

Thanks, I forgot about this. I used to use it in early editions of windows. Run it and sorted some errors.

You're welcome Romulinx2.

Shawn

thunder2008 · 02-07-2009

Very useful information running the sfc atm, thank you for this thread.

**Brink** · 02-07-2009

You're welcome Thunder2008.

anykey · 03-01-2009

Good to see this again.
Thanks for the reminder.

Didn't you used to put some letters/codes as a suffix, something such as /* or /?. This was to fix things.

**Brink** · 03-01-2009

Hello Anykey,

You could type sfc /? in the elevated command prompt for a complete list of sfc commands to use, but sfc /scannow is the best option to scan and repair all protected system files command. No other suffixes that I know of though.

anykey · 03-01-2009

Thanks Brink, perhaps I am thinking of the old chkdsk.
I was always taught to do it something like this:

chkdsk /f /r /v /e