BleepingComputer.com: How To Use Sfc.exe To Repair System Files

I ran sfc /scannow with my reinstallation cd and let it run while I was out. I came home and computer had rebooted.

I don't see any fixes and now if I run sfc /scannow it won't run. Just opens a window and closes fast.
I also can't find dllcache directory in windows/system32. crazy.gif Did I mess something up?

I'm trying to fix a neighbors system that had a viruses and several awful malware problems. Got most problems resolved but this scan fails.

The problem seems to be that he has Windows XP Media Center Edition and no CDROMs. I used my slipstreamed XP SP3 but get file errors I can't identify. I copied the Slipstreamed Files from the I386 directory over his C:\windows\i386 files but that didn't help.

Is there any way to determine which files are bad?

Not built into the operating system, no. Honestly, if you're in a scenario where system files got overwritten like this it's probably a better idea to just do an inplace or repair install in any case.

If you need media, unfortunately Media Center Edition cannot be legally distributed with machines, nor can it be purchased at this point. You're going to be better off wiping this machine if at all possible. The manufacturer of the machine should have provided you with either reset DVDs, or would have provided a recovery partition you can access before Windows boots.

Hope that helps,
Billy3

Hi All,
I did the following and this bleeping computer still tells me that I have inserted the wrong CD.
Any more Ideas? Gary@DWS

Billy O, on Aug 30 2008, 01:35 AM, said:

You need to slipstream your CD. You can use NLite to do that.

Billy3

Hello,
I am trying to use SFC.EXE but do not have the OS CDs for this computer. I am trying to follow the instructions in Post #2 but have discovered I have 16 i386 Folders. How can I figure out which one to Copy to the Root? Thank you for any help with this.

Uncle Paul, on 06 September 2011 - 07:12 AM, said:

You need the i386 folder from the actual installation disk. The i386 folders on your actual machine are different. The one on the installation media contains compressed original copies of everything on your machine, while the ones on your machine contain uncompressed copies that may or may not be in use.

You need the original compressed versions for SFC because that's what the tool expects. Given that SFC does it's work by replacing the copies on your machine with the original copies, if you tried to give it a folder containing files that were already on your machine it wouldn't be able to fix the problem anyway; it doesn't magically know how to repair everything.

Billy3

Thank you for your reply.

So if I don't have the Installation CDs for this computer, can I find & use the i386 folder on the Installation CD's I have for other computers? The only problem I see with that is I only have Restore CDs, which was what the instructions in Post#2 were trying to help with, as they probably won't work either?

If I can't use those, then I guess I am left at this process at the end of usasma's Post #2: " If so, there's a couple of more things to try (please post your question in the forums) or you can look to see if your system has a repair or a non-destructive recovery option. This option will leave your programs and data intact while replacing all of the Windows files. This is also the next step if SFC.EXE /SCANNOW doesn't fix the problem."
Can someone help me with what the couple of more things to try are, or how to figure out the repair option mentioned (also - let me know which forum I should post this question in if I shouldn't ask it here)?
Thank you.

Quote

These won't work; generally "restore CDs" have some kind of ghost image of the whole system; not the files from the actual installation media. You need to get a copy of the actual installation media to perform these steps. You might try posting in the relevant forum for your specific issue you're experiencing.

Good luck!

Billy3

dirtfarmer, on 16 December 2007 - 01:07 PM, said:

This is the same problem I have. I navigate through the registry and find there is NO "source path" from the Windows, nor from Windows NT, as prescribed from some microsoft article I read yeasterday.

I tried doing the sfc /scannow and it was asking for my installation cd, but started thinking (which USUALLY is a dangerous thing.lol), that the cd is only XPsp1 (or earlier) and I have sp3 installed now, and it kept asking me to insert cd, like it wasn't reading my E drive (D drive is shot but still installed) so I cancelled it, thinking it would place me in a worser place then I am at present.

Have a dell deminsions 4600 2.4 ghz genuine pentium 4, and 2.50 gigs of RAM. Also a 250 gig external HD, and upgraded the power pack.

Any suggestions as how to save my dinosaur?

Thanks

Edit: it IS reading my E drive but, wants the original cd. Not the stand-alone SP3 cd.

This post has been edited by bearman1: 19 January 2012 - 09:39 AM

hi all, hope someone can help here. I ahve a system that boots past BIOS then Hangs Black Screen.
When I boot from Win XP CD I get to std screen with the R option to put me in DOS. If I enter continue I don't go to the next screen asking me about my current installations of Windows (ie 1: C:\Windows) At that point I get a BSOD. I have a ghost image of this disk, so I can reinstall it anytime. (the image that generates a BSOD) I can boot a BARTPE disk and see the files on the hard drive, so I gather I have somehow corrupted some system files. Any help would be greatly appriciated
Wayne

This post has been edited by zaka: 31 January 2012 - 11:03 AM