How To Save A Failing Drive With DISM And SFC

Having some issues with your Windows install? Your drive may be failing, but you can try to fix it using the SFC and DISM tools built into Windows.

Hard drives and even the best SSDs don’t always work as intended, there are some telltale signs. Your Windows install may start acting off or some things may just not work. These are warning signs you should pay attention to, and if you see them, you should try to fix these issues as soon as possible.

Windows 11 (and other versions of Windows) include tools to help you fix your drive before things get too problematic. These are called System File Check (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM), and you should use them if you notice something isn’t right with your Windows system.

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Repair the Windows system image with DISM

Screenshot of Windows Terminal running a DISM command

DISM by itself won’t fix your Windows install, but it can fix the Windows image that’s used to repair your PC. If this image is corrupted, SFC may not work as intended, so it’s a good first step to make sure you can run SFC afterward. Here’s how to use it:

1. Right-click the Windows icon on your taskbar (or press Windows + X) and choose Terminal (Admin).

On some versions of Windows, you may see Windows Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) .

2. Enter the following command to check the health of the system image:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

You can also run a more advanced scan by replacing CheckHealth with ScanHealth

3. If any errors are found, run the following command to fix the system image:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Because this command relies on Windows Update, it may fail if your Windows Update client is also broken. In this case, you may need to use WIndows installation media (like a USB drive) as the repair source. To do this, use the command as follows, replacing {RepairSource} with the path to the source where the repair files are:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:{RepairSource} /LimitAccess

The Windows system image should now be ready for use with SFC, but don’t close Windows Terminal yet.

Fix your Windows install with SFC

Screenshot of Windows Terminal running an SFC command

Now that you have a fully functioning repair image, using SFC is very easy. Simply entering the following command in Windows Terminal:

sfc /scannow

This process will take some time, so don’t close the terminal window until it finishes. You’ll see the result at the end, and it should say whether any errors were found and fixed.

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Use Chkdsk to make sure your drive is working properly

Screenshot of Windows Terminal running a CHKDSK command

Once Windows itself is fixed, it’s a good idea to use yet another tool called Chkdsk. This tool can find errors on your disk, both logical and physical, and fix them. To use Chkdsk to fix errors, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Windows icon on your taskbar (or press Windows + X) and choose Terminal (Admin).

2. Enter the following command to scan for errors:

chkdisk C:

You can replace C: with the drive letter you want to scan.

3. If any errors are found, you can fix them, but this will require you to restart your computer to check for errors if the drive is in use. Enter the following command:

chkdisk C: /r

4. When prompted, press Y to confirm you want the drive to be scheduled at the next restart.

5. If possible, restart your PC immediately to run the scan.

This will fix any logical errors in the drive, and if physical errors are found, they will be marked as unusable to prevent data from being corrupted by them.

Get ready to swap your drive

If physical errors are found on your drive, it might mean it’s time to bid it farewell. Even if errors are fixed by the scan, more are bound to appear as time goes on, so you may just need to buy a new SSD. While it’s a complicated process, you can move Windows to another drive, or you may want to set it up as a fresh install and only move the files you care about the most.