How to Fix File System Errors on Windows 10 Using SFC, DISM, and chkdsk

2025-02-12

Troubleshooting technical issues is part of our everyday life in IT support. Recently, I tackled a File System Error on a Windows 10 machine, which was preventing apps and files from opening. Here’s what worked:

Updated Windows to Patch Bugs: Ensure your system is up-to-date with the latest Windows updates. This can resolve many underlying issues caused by bugs.
```
wuauclt /updatenow
```
Used SFC and DISM Tools to Fix System Files: The System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) are powerful utilities to repair corrupted system files.
[cmd]
sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
[/cmd]
Checked and Repaired the Disk with chkdsk: The Check Disk utility (chkdsk) can identify and fix disk errors that might be causing file system issues.
[cmd]
chkdsk /f /r
[/cmd]
Reset the Problematic App and Performed a Clean Boot: Resetting the app and performing a clean boot can help isolate and resolve software conflicts.
[cmd]
msconfig
[/cmd]

These steps not only resolved the issue but also boosted system performance!

What Undercode Say

File system errors on Windows 10 can be a significant hurdle for IT professionals and users alike. The combination of SFC, DISM, and chkdsk commands provides a robust solution to address these issues. Here are some additional Linux-based commands and tools that can be useful for similar tasks in a Linux environment:

fsck: The Linux equivalent of chkdsk, used to check and repair Linux file systems.
```
sudo fsck /dev/sdX
```
ddrescue: A tool for data recovery from failing drives.
```
sudo ddrescue /dev/sdX /dev/sdY rescue.log
```
smartctl: Part of the SMART monitoring tools, used to check the health of hard drives.
```
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdX
```
gparted: A graphical tool for managing disk partitions, useful for repairing and resizing partitions.
```
sudo gparted
```
badblocks: A utility to search for bad blocks on a disk.
```
sudo badblocks -v /dev/sdX
```
rsync: A powerful tool for syncing files and directories, often used for backups.
```
rsync -av /source/directory /destination/directory
```
tar: A command to archive files, useful for creating backups.
```
tar -cvzf backup.tar.gz /path/to/directory
```
cron: A time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems, useful for automating tasks.
```
crontab -e
```
iptables: A user-space utility program to configure the IP packet filter rules of the Linux kernel firewall.
```
sudo iptables -L -v -n
```
netstat: A command-line network utility that displays network connections, routing tables, and a number of network interface statistics.
```
netstat -tuln
```

11. tcpdump: A powerful command-line packet analyzer.

sudo tcpdump -i eth0

nmap: A network scanning tool used to discover hosts and services on a computer network.
```
nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24
```
ssh: A secure shell protocol for remote login and other secure network services.
```
ssh user@hostname
```
scp: A secure copy command for transferring files between hosts.
```
scp file.txt user@hostname:/path/to/destination
```

15. rsyslog: A rocket-fast system for log processing.

sudo service rsyslog restart

logrotate: A utility to manage log files, including rotation, compression, and deletion.
```
sudo logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf
```
htop: An interactive process viewer for Unix systems.
```
htop
```
vmstat: A command to report virtual memory statistics.
```
vmstat 1
```
iostat: A tool for monitoring system input/output device loading.
```
iostat -x 1
```
lsof: A command to list open files and the processes that opened them.
```
lsof /path/to/file
```
strace: A diagnostic, debugging, and instructional userspace utility for Linux.
```
strace -p PID
```
gdb: The GNU Debugger, useful for debugging programs.
```
gdb ./program
```
valgrind: A programming tool for memory debugging, memory leak detection, and profiling.
```
valgrind --leak-check=yes ./program
```

24. perf: A performance analysis tool for Linux.

perf stat ./program

systemctl: A command to control the systemd system and service manager.
```
sudo systemctl start service_name
```
journalctl: A utility to query and display messages from the systemd journal.
```
journalctl -xe
```

27. ufw: An uncomplicated firewall for managing iptables.

sudo ufw enable

fail2ban: An intrusion prevention software framework that protects computer servers from brute-force attacks.
```
sudo fail2ban-client status
```
clamav: An open-source antivirus engine for detecting trojans, viruses, malware, and other malicious threats.
```
sudo clamscan -r /home
```
rkhunter: A tool to scan for rootkits, backdoors, and possible local exploits.
```
sudo rkhunter --check
```
chkrootkit: A tool to locally check for signs of a rootkit.
```
sudo chkrootkit
```
lynis: A security auditing tool for Unix-based systems.
```
sudo lynis audit system
```
auditd: The Linux audit daemon for monitoring file and directory access.
```
sudo auditctl -w /path/to/file -p rwxa
```
selinux: A Linux kernel security module that provides a mechanism for supporting access control security policies.
```
sestatus
```
apparmor: A Linux kernel security module that allows the system administrator to restrict programs’ capabilities.
```
sudo aa-status
```
cryptsetup: A utility used to set up disk encryption based on the DMCrypt kernel module.
```
sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdX my_encrypted_volume
```
gpg: GNU Privacy Guard, a tool for secure communication and data storage.
```
gpg --encrypt file.txt
```
openssl: A robust, full-featured open-source toolkit implementing the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.
```
openssl req -new -x509 -keyout server.pem -out server.pem -days 365 -nodes
```
ssh-keygen: A tool to create, manage, and convert authentication keys for ssh.
```
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
```
curl: A command-line tool to transfer data to or from a server.
```
curl -O https://example.com/file.zip
```
wget: A command-line utility for downloading files from the web.
```
wget https://example.com/file.zip
```
git: A distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code.
```
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
```
docker: A platform for developing, shipping, and running applications in containers.
```
docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx
```
kubectl: A command-line tool for controlling Kubernetes clusters.
```
kubectl get pods
```
ansible: An open-source software provisioning, configuration management, and application-deployment tool.
```
ansible-playbook playbook.yml
```
terraform: A tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.
```
terraform apply
```
packer: A tool for creating identical machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration.
```
packer build template.json
```
vagrant: A tool for building and managing virtual machine environments.
```
vagrant up
```
puppet: A configuration management tool to automate the management of infrastructure.
```
puppet apply manifest.pp
```
chef: A powerful automation platform that transforms infrastructure into code.
```
chef-client --local-mode recipe.rb
```

These commands and tools are essential for managing and troubleshooting IT systems, whether on Windows or Linux. By mastering these, you can ensure robust system performance and security. For more detailed guides and tutorials, visit Microsoft’s official documentation and Linux man pages.