Question

Difficulty: MediumResolving System File Corruption and Driver Issues

A technician is servicing a Windows workstation that exhibits system instability and missing file errors. Diagnostic logs indicate that both protected operating system files and the local Windows component store (WinSxS) are corrupted. How should the technician sequence the remediation steps to resolve the corruption completely?

  1. 1Open a Command Prompt window using administrative credentials.
  2. 2Run dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth to assess component store corruption.
  3. 3Run dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth to repair the component store.
  4. 4Run sfc /scannow to inspect and replace damaged protected system files.
  5. 5Restart the workstation to finalize the replacement of locked system files.

Answer

The correct repair sequence is: 1) Open an elevated Command Prompt, 2) Run DISM /scanhealth to verify component store corruption, 3) Run DISM /restorehealth to repair the component store image, 4) Execute SFC /scannow to repair protected operating system files, and 5) Restart the workstation.
Resolving system file corruption when the underlying component store (WinSxS) is damaged requires repairing the payload source prior to repairing the OS files. The process begins by opening an elevated Command Prompt. Next, DISM /scanhealth verifies component store damage, followed by DISM /restorehealth to rebuild the store. Once the store is healthy, SFC /scannow repairs damaged system files. Finally, restarting the system completes the replacement of files locked during operation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Open an elevated Command Prompt window.
Grants necessary administrative rights.
Administrative rights are required to interact with system repair tools and modify system files.
2
Execute DISM /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth.
Confirms corruption status of the local component store (WinSxS).
Verifying store health ensures appropriate diagnostic assessment prior to payload recovery.
3
Execute DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth.
Repairs and restores the local Windows image payload.
SFC relies on the component store payload; if the component store is corrupt, SFC cannot fix system files.
4
Execute sfc /scannow.
Scans protected system files and replaces corrupted files using the restored store.
System File Checker repairs OS files using the healthy image source prepared by DISM.
5
Reboot the workstation.
Applies file updates for locked system files.
Certain operating system files can only be replaced during system startup.

Key Concept

Sequential Repair of System File Corruption and Component Store
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