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What are DISM and SFC?
When your Windows computer starts acting up, like crashing for no reason, showing strange errors, or just feeling super slow, it might be because some important system files are damaged.
Thankfully, there are two tools built into Windows that can help fix these problems: DISM (Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool) and SFC (System File Checker).
These tools are made to fix different parts of your system, but the order you use them matters a lot. To get the best results, you should usually run DISM first and then follow it up with SFC. Let’s look at why this works best.
What Do DISM and SFC Do?
DISM is used to fix the Windows image. Think of the Windows image as a backup blueprint that SFC uses to repair damaged files. If the image itself is broken, SFC won’t have a good source to fix the files. By running DISM first, you make sure this blueprint is clean and ready to use.
SFC scans your computer for damaged system files and tries to replace them with working versions. Once the Windows image is fixed with DISM, SFC can do its job better, using the clean image to replace corrupted files.
So, the recommended order is to run DISM first and then SFC.
Why Should You Run DISM First?
If you run SFC before DISM, it might still try to fix your system files. However, if the Windows image that SFC uses is also corrupted, SFC could fail or only fix part of the problem. That’s why running DISM first is a safer and more reliable way to fix your system.
How to run DISM and SFC
To use DISM, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
To use SFC, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command:
sfc /scannow
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What Happens If You Run SFC First?
If you decide to run SFC before DISM, here’s what might happen:
- Successful Repairs: If the Windows image is fine and your system files aren’t too damaged, SFC might fix everything on its own.
- Partial Repairs: If the Windows image has minor issues, SFC might fix some files but fail to repair others. You’ll see messages about files it couldn’t fix.
- Failed Repairs: If the Windows image is seriously damaged, SFC might not fix anything and could even show errors saying it couldn’t complete the job.
In cases where SFC doesn’t fully work, you can still run DISM afterward to fix the Windows image. Then you’d run SFC again to make sure all the system files get repaired correctly. But it’s easier to avoid these extra steps by starting with DISM.
In Summary
For the best results, always run DISM first to repair the Windows image. After that, run SFC to fix any damaged system files. This order helps make sure your computer gets back to running smoothly without unnecessary complications.
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