4 Commands To Fix Your Windows Computer

Hello Viewers! This week with JamesOnIT we'll be exploring a few different commands that could come in handy to fix problems you may have with your windows comp. Feel free to follow along as we dive in! And don't forget to like and subscribe! Thanks for watching.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth [2:15]: This command checks the health of the Windows image and reports any corruption found. It verifies the integrity of the system files without attempting repairs.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth [3:30]: This command scans the Windows image for corruption and attempts to repair any issues found. It's a more thorough scan compared to CheckHealth.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth [4:20]: This command repairs any corruption found in the Windows image. It uses the Windows Update servers to download and replace any corrupted files.
SFC /scannow [5:50]: This command scans the system for corrupted system files and repairs them if possible. It focuses on critical system files and doesn't necessarily scan everything like DISM.
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/win...
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[@MrRickyw01]

Finally a geek that is easy to understand and gets right to the point.

[@madeinrs]

Here are the commands and their functions for each command line: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth [2:15]: This command checks the health of the Windows image and reports any corruption found. It verifies the integrity of the system files without attempting repairs. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth [3:30]: This command scans the Windows image for corruption and attempts to repair any issues found. It's a more thorough scan compared to CheckHealth. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth [4:20]: This command repairs any corruption found in the Windows image. It uses the Windows Update servers to download and replace any corrupted files. SFC /scannow [5:50]: This command scans the system for corrupted system files and repairs them if possible. It focuses on critical system files and doesn't necessarily scan everything like DISM.

[@jamesonit]

Thanks for posting this! I'll add it to the description.

[@Sunline7]

Thank you

[@y00t00b3r]

@@jamesonit Just pin the comment to the top!

[@bobsemple1526]

OK!! so I came across this video a couple of days ago and thought that I should make note of all the useful info. After all, we ARE talking about Windows... Today, I go to boot my Lenovo X1 Yoga (i7 & 32gigs RAM) and Windows pitches an error it can't load the user profile. Note that this computer is less than 6 months old. When I first set up the system, an added two additional accounts, one for my wide and on as Administrator just in case I needed to get in under enemy fire. I would strongly recommend that everyone consider the alter accounts as safety logins. I referred back to your video on another computer (his one) and ran through the commands as you posted. Voila! After the second sfc scan operation and a reboot using my own credentials, my profile magically returned intact and I booted in without any problem. Thank you for a really excellent and valuable video. I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise!

[@predragasipovic5114]

dont listen to him

[@HauntedBranch]

@@predragasipovic5114 If something is wrong in what he is saying then Let Us Know

[@gecsus]

It doesn't only work in Power Shell. You can run the same commands on at the Command prompt as administrator, also.

[@alleywatch22]

Good video these commands which I have known for years definitely fixes any issues.

[@jerryfacts9749]

Excellent advice and info. I have used these commands since a very long time...

[@Sunline7]

That last Command (4th) did find corrupt files on my system and fixed them , thanks heeps

[@horationelson57]

Your advice is short and sweet. In fact, I have viewed too, too many windows-tips-and-tricks tutorials and nothing was as quickly helpful as your tutorial. I had to subscribe to ALL your future content and thank you. Regards from Australia.

[@jamesonit]

Thank you. Thats my goal with these. I feel the same way, quit beating around the bush and just get to the stuff I need. So I'm trying to do just that with my videos, keep the explainations short and sweet. Thank you for your sub. My plan is to create a lot more content like this, and hopefully get a lot better at creating videos and editing them. :-D

[@merion297]

Goldmine! Thanks a lot! 🙏 🤘🏼

[@tonystormcloud8937]

Good stuff, thank you. BTW, on my rig SFC didn't require a reboot but it did find corrupt files and successfully repaired them.

[@walter_lesaulnier]

SFC and DISM have saved my butt twice when the power blinked briefly during an update (the power blink caused some damage to a few system files).

[@Non_Of_U_business]

Thanks just learned for win 10 on 4 yr old HP Envy worked 100% nothing found no integrity violations found. TY just subbed!

[@SidBonkers51]

Thank you so much, ive had problems with my laptop sice I upgraded to windows 11 and couldnt find any problems, ran the commands you recommended and after the scannow command I received the message corrupt files found and repaired.... So hopefully all will be good once Ive rebooted.

[@UltraZelda64]

My favorite command, assuming Windows is on the first internal disk, is "dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda" and then proceed to insall Linux. Zeroing your drive is unnecessary, but the thought of destroying a Windows install is satisfying, just like running an "rm -rf" on the root file system. I should warn: Do NOT run any of these commands unless you know and fully understand what they do and you are prepared to deal with the consequences. But if you know what they are and have the ability to run those commands to begin with, then you probably know how to "fix" your computer by installing Linux. In that case, have fun!

[@steveurbach3093]

Thanks. I knew about SFC, but not DISM 👍

[@qg3726]

Excellent video presentation for sure! I will definitely will be checking out other videos on your Channel.. :}

[@jamesonit]

Awesome, thank you!

[@peterbaillie8363]

Very useful indeed

[@y00t00b3r]

great video, but I just had to pause to tell you this: You are wrong about "dism /online" It does NOT check against some Microsoft hosted image over the internet. What they mean by "online" is the image which is actually in use by the windows kernel. Dism can also operate against images which aren't currently running and exist in, for instance, WIM files. (Windows image files)

[@ernestogrimes]

came here to say the same, also dism does not check for filesystem corruption it checks for file integrity you want chkdsk for filesystem integrity. and one last bit the /checkhealth deos not check any files it simply reports if corruption has already been flagged

[@Jpavv]

Good stuff, thanks!

[@jamesonit]

Thank you!

[@knowone6214]

THX for the Info

[@zapa1pnt]

I Hate THX. F THX......Oh.....uh....wait. You mean thanks. I thought you meant THX audio. Sorry. Whole different rant. 😁✌🖖

[@russbetts1467]

Thanks for this video. Very useful, as I've always wondered what PowerShell was and what it was for. Now I know. Russ. UK

[@jamesonit]

I have a powershell video and will be making more that you may be interested in. Powershell is a fantasic cool to learn.

[@jimparsons6803]

Thanks.

[@ed056]

Two commands will fix it for good: "Format C:" and "Install Linux" :o)

[@MooseBme]

🤣!

[@PerilousPaddy]

I was going to do a complete back to factory reset on my machine but I will give these a go first, my reason for needing this is because my machine is getting so slow now I have to start it up then go for a pee while I wait for the startup to finish.

[@MooseBme]

!(: Cool, THANKS ;)!

[@zapa1pnt]

I'm glad to hear you say, right at the beginning, "we are imperfect and we create imperfect things." Too many people are of the mind computers will someday be perfect. No, imperfection cannot breed perfection. No matter how many generation down the line, of computers creating computers we go, computers will Not be perfect. Why? Because their original creators (man) were imperfect. Computers will never, by Any means, be the savior of the human race. However, some of the reflections we currently see, of our imperfections, in AI, could, very well, be our undoing

[@ericschnittker6775]

NO. Finally a geek that claims it's easy but it is not. This is a frustration rant. It wasn't until the end of the video that you mumbled something about windows 11 and 10. It took me awhile to figure out that you were talking about 'command prompt'. That other thing does not exist on my windows 10 machine. THEN my version of DISM does NOT recognize anything about cleanup-image / etc. Finally I tried SFC. That worked. It told me it corrected something. Good enough. I'm not about to step into a pile of something like this again for some time. Good night.

[@lurkerrekrul]

I have an old computer with an old version of Windows. I bought this system refurbished from some online retailer that I've forgotten the name of, and who I'm pretty sure has since gone out of business. I never got a Windows disc with the system, nor does it have a recovery partition, just a straight installation of (old) Windows. When I run SFC, it tells me that files need to be copied to the DLL cache, and asks me to insert my Windows disc, which I don't have. I would download a copy from somewhere on the net, but every edition of Windows seems to have three dozen different versions. The OEM version, the retail version, the student version, the corporate version, the home version, the discount version, the senior version, the leap year version, the one-computer version, the online license version, the only works on Sunday version... And of course if the disc you have isn't a 100% exact match for what's installed, it won't accept it, even though I'm sure it has every file that SFC is looking for.

[@ernestogrimes]

every windows iso has every windows edition baked into it. home/pro/S/N etc. if windows is way out of date you would be better off downloading the lastest iso, burning that to a usbdrive and doing a clean install. this is also a good idea to eliminate any shady software your defunct online retailer may have installed.

[@penelopelgoss2520]

Thanks. Does this work in Win 10 with PowerShell?

[@tabs41]

Thanks, James, for explaining this so simply even for an 83 year old non geek like me

[@ilovethismightyfineplace]

Good info for the most part, but the /online option tells it to check the currently running Windows. It doesn’t tell it to go online to check Microsoft.

[@Eric_McBrearty]

Thanks for clarifying. When I heard that in the video, I was like....oh really. I didn't know it dialed out on the internet.

[@jamesonit]

You are correct, thanks for saying that. I didn't realize that was targeting the current running OS, it was my understanding that it was going out and pulling any corrected files from windows update because you can also run DISM from a windows 10/11 iso as your target, so again, thanks for correcting me. I'll see about updating this video to correct that info. For everyone curious, here is a good thread I found discussing the dism /online option: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/dism-and-online-check/c6dd3f76-8887-4090-897f-021db0bc0d06

[@pepeshopping]

Ah, a real expert that pays attention!

[@D.von.N]

@@jamesonit so what is your level of expertise to get this wrong?

[@peterfalkner4436]

In windows 11 settings recovery then select Fix problems using Windows update will reinstall windows letting you keep all your installed apps setting and files.

[@KH07734]

I always use DISM against the thumb drive with Win 10 I used to install with.

[@davedugdale1625]

Hi ibe got a question im using windows 10 the sfc scannow never does its job but i did do scanhealth and that one worked so my question is onedrive really worth having on laptop if not how can i take it of my laptop plz

[@illegaldestroyer]

Is it a good idea to go to that link above and download the latest Powershell?

[@JoshuaTrenge]

Thanks James, I have two questions 1) I run SFC SCANNOW every month as part of my maintenance routine.., but I always use command prompt. Is it better to use terminal? 2) What is the difference?

[@jamesonit]

Doesn't matter. Its the same command either way.

[@user-up3hf9yk3v]

Can you show the commands to find viruses in cmd & how to remove if you re infected

[@seanflanagan2441]

How effective will this be if MS just pushed another update - over my "no automatic updates"?

[@fredhaier5526]

How often do you have to do DISM?

[@jamesonit]

Not very often, I just run it when I see some issues as often this fixes weird bugs that can creep in after some time.

[@joshdv1977]

at the 2:32 mark when you said you actually did it on purpose. ..did you really do it to show us ..or did you just forget to do run as admin in the first place

[@jrs2590]

OK I have a question, if I have disabled windows telemetry and other windows options like removing One Drive, disabling WiFi Sense is it going to leave those settings alone?

[@jamesonit]

I, personally, have not seen these settings change after running these commands. I have, however, seen these settings change after some windows updates though.

[@jrs2590]

@@jamesonit Thank you

[@supachaloopa3611]

What's the instructions for Windows 7? I keep 7 on another computer because all the graphic art software won't work past 7. So can you give the instructions for 7?

[@D.von.N]

Is this specific for Win11 only or Win10 users can also do exactly this? That info is missing. I did exact things on my Win10 a couple months ago, just accessed it differently and maybe the code varied a bit, don't remember exactly. No integrity violations found but it kept failing to repair DISM. I was having some issues with the PC, having a full Norton installed, when trying to pause it I couldn't, the option was greyed out. Norton advised to reinstall it. It was a fresh installation from a month beforehand though, new licence, cleared all files associated with the previous one before installing a new licence. To cut a long story short, I uninstalled Norton and never installed it again. Before that I ran a full scan with it, no malware. After uninstalling it I thought I will give the MS defender a try. But it failed to update database, I couldn't run a simple virus scan, some processes kept switching themselves off despite me turning them on again and again. The system was messed up, but still no integrity violations found. I ended up backing up all my data and reinstalling the system afresh, via HP recovery tool. It is running well now. Since then I learned a lot, backed my data on three external drives, one is backing up regularly, ramped up UAC to the max, work from a standard user account, etc.

[@Non_Of_U_business]

windows 10 works 100% you must search for powershell... as no terminal in win10 its only on win 11

[@TOTALLYRELAXED]

As a computer operator since 1984 I’ve used the SFC /SCANNOW command more times than I even wanna remember. I’ve yet to have it fix ANYTHING …instead I always get a pop up message that’s says “we found errors but cannot fix them…please try again later or seek help somewhere else” or something very close to that (I was paraphrasing). So, I’m sure you know already that between 1984 and 2024 I’ve had ‘several’ PCs and ‘several’ laptops along the way in that 40 year span starting with Windows 3.1…so this problem I’ve explained can’t possibly be related to one device being 40 years old. Microsoft is a joke this day and time, and, now they’re threatening everyone with Windows 10 if you don’t update to Windows 11 (still buggy I might add) or you’ll have to pay until they decide to quit providing all updates to Windows 10. Seems like to me every ‘update’ either screws up your computer or adds a ton of unnecessary bloatware. Really Microsoft? SMH.

[@winstonsmith935]

Simple Fix, Pick it up, and throw it against the Wall. If it works again fine, if not get a Mac or Linux computer.

[@KH07734]

I always start with a mercurium copy of the main drive and I store it away for safe keeping. Easier to reimage my machine with the actual copy of my working drive.

[@chickywilly]

Do these commands only work on newer versions of Windows?

[@jamesonit]

Windows 7 and newer.

[@chickywilly]

Got it. Thank you. 😊👍

[@derekpolson1094]

when i run the Restorehealth it freezes at 62.3% every time, any fix for this. Windows 11

[@robertagallant3819]

On my All-in-One desktop computer, the UAC Yes button is missing in Windows 11 Home Edition. Specifically, what should I do about this problem?

[@jamesonit]

Reinstall most likely.

[@RegAU_4214]

Slightly off topic - what is the key you press to get the previous command to show, rather than typing it in each time?

[@zapa1pnt]

F3

[@jamesonit]

Just press up arrow. If in powershell you can also use the get-history cmdlet to see what you typed. I made a powershell video receintly that touched on this.

[@Laszlo34]

My favorite command for fixing problems with windows is FORMAT C: (yeah, don't do this until you're ready to remove windows)

[@zorbakaput8537]

Please tell me what commands you use to fix a corrupted Linux install? I would really like to know.

[@Laszlo34]

@@zorbakaput8537 I have no idea. I've never seen it happen.

[@martinjones6728]

Will these commands work the same on windows 10?

[@Mickiete]

Same question I was going to ask

[@markwiley7251]

Yes

[@len9518]

Yes. Run them from Command prompt.

[@jamesonit]

Yes, this works on Windows 10 and 11.

[@jamesonit]

Just make sure it is an elevated command prompt.

[@mt2smooth]

Does these commands for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

[@MrPathakhemant]

Sir: You need to update yout video as per date of Command prompt commands updates. The present Video does not work in 2024 for windows 10 command prompt. Hoping for Prompt update cycle.

[@justwanderin847]

what is the WatchDog error

[@newby2224]

it appears that sfc /SCANNOW needs to be capitial letters

[@jamesonit]

No, its not case sensitive.

[@Techminat0r]

4:42 Why would anyone want to restore health is the previous two checks did not flag up any issues?

[@jamesonit]

Its wierd but I've had it fix things the scan and check failed to find. So out of habit I always run it now.

[@marnav9205]

Will these work with Win 7 Pro?

[@jamesonit]

Yes

[@gecsus]

Yes, just use Command prompt as Administrator.

[@peatmoss4415]

You only need one... > format c:

[@donalddodson7365]

Unfortunately, Billy Gates must have fiddled with my Dell Craptop: cannot get past BING blank page!

[@user-fk8mp9eg5z]

Keeps asking me to set as administrator...How to do this please ?

[@jamesonit]

Right click and select "Run As Administrator" or select the "Terminal (Admin)" as I show in the video.

[@crampoos]

How to do it on Windows 10

[@duudsuufd]

I wonder why all these Linux fanatics are watching Windows videos.

[@anthonymalovrh2912]

Commands do not work as you entered them on Windows 10

[@schutendohkji548]

(2:03, 'online' parameter) - Oh Sheit! HellGates have my files w/o my permission. Why n What4?

[@schutendohkji548]

What about a corrupt files in none-C:\ drive, such as flash drive n SD card files? Would these cmd fix those?

[@rjb6327]

What if you don't have a legal copy of windows?

[@jonathanwaugh1433]

No sutch thing, maybe "unlicensed" not illegal, until a law is passed against running windows (in my dreams) JMW MSCE CCNA

[@grahambaglin7484]

Doesn't work. Says use elevated command prompt. This isn't covered in your video unfortunately

[@pepeshopping]

NO! /online. DOES NOT mean get data from Internet! It means to do it LIVE, while the OS is RUNNING! /Online Targets the running operating system.

[@jamesonit]

This was already corrected thanks to @ilovethismightyfineplace comment the other day.

[@horationelson57]

And I must add...why do computer techs waffle on and beat around the proverbial bush instead of getting to the point. Just a rhetorical question about which I am certain there is no answer. 😂

[@mkatakm]

Why do I have to fix it constantly while all I am doing is playing games? An OS allowing itself to be corrupted so easily and frequently is a huge disgrace. I would switch to Linux yesterday if my online games worked on it properly. Game companies must make their games compatible with Linux. I wish there was a way to make them do that.

[@rty1955]

I got one command to fix windows: "install Linux"

[@user-le4ns3ed3h]

LOL I clicked on video just to say that, you beat me to it.

[@mkatakm]

Smart guy

[@JFSmith-nb8hf]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@LazloNQ]

I was thinking along the lines of diskpart followed by select disk 0 followed by clean. Then boot of off a linux install usb stick. (removes windows, install linux)

[@jamesonit]

That doesn't fix windows though, just removes it. :-D

[@gragor11]

Not for windows 7 I would bet

[@zapa1pnt]

Win 7 was great but now it is dead.

[@gragor11]

@@zapa1pnt late adapter here. It's still running.

[@MrCuldees]

Install Linux Operating System

[@kenchilton]

This can be fixed in two commands. Command #1: “Get this Windows toy out of my office.” Command #2: “Order me a Mac.”

[@kevinharrison2169]

The background music(crap) is bloody irritating. 1. It is too loud & 2. It is irritatingly repetative

[@mot-trance]

And who use Windows 11 ??!! Nobody who knows about IT use it 😋

[@noriturner2551]

I guess that would probably be us baby boomers who don’t use their computer very often?

[@tonywood4992]

Best command - Install Linux....

[@benthere4380]

4:35? "IF you get any errors....Just Google them" !!!!! That statement alone makes this video worthless.

[@Noiconnotag]

Will dism run even if you do not have the latest Win update?

[@jamesonit]

Yes.

[@johnglielmi6428]

It's funny I've been having startup issues lately and I rans the dism /online /Cleanup-Image /Scanhealth and my system completely crashed to blue screen as it ran