Question

Difficulty: MediumResolving System File Corruption and Driver Issues

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows workstation experiencing system errors caused by corrupted system files. The technician determines that the local Windows Component Store (WinSxS) may also be corrupted. Arrange the following steps in the correct sequential order to properly restore the component store and repair the protected system files.

  1. 1Launch an elevated Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
  2. 2Execute `dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth` to repair the Windows Component Store.
  3. 3Execute `sfc /scannow` to verify and repair protected system files.
  4. 4Restart the workstation to complete the replacement of locked system files.

Answer

The proper sequence starts by launching an elevated Command Prompt, executing DISM restorehealth to fix the component store image, running SFC scannow to replace damaged system files, and restarting the workstation to finalize file replacements.
The sequence correctly prioritizes elevating privileges first, repairing the underlying source repository via DISM next, executing SFC scannow to repair protected OS binaries from the fixed store, and rebooting to replace locked files.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Grants necessary elevated security tokens for system file modifications
Both DISM and SFC require elevated permissions; otherwise, access denied errors will occur.
2
Run DISM with `/restorehealth` flag
Repairs corrupted files within the local Windows Component Store (WinSxS)
SFC relies on the WinSxS store as its source repository. Running SFC when WinSxS is corrupt causes SFC repairs to fail.
3
Run SFC with `/scannow` flag
Scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted instances with healthy copies from WinSxS
SFC directly inspects system integrity against the validated store restored by DISM.
4
Restart the computer
Applies pending replacements for files locked by active processes
Operating system files currently loaded into memory cannot be swapped until the next system initialization.

Key Concept

DISM and SFC Repair Sequencing
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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