Windows 7 restore system files. Reasons for the disappearance of system files. Using a Windows distribution
The Windows operating system is in many ways similar to a living organism, which means that sometimes even the smallest damage or deletion of one or more of its files can lead to certain problems. Damage may be caused by viruses, software failures, sudden shutdown power supply, editing errors system libraries and so on.
As a result, the user may experience various errors when starting programs or the inability to install them, problems with system settings and even blue screens of death. Therefore, when diagnosing problems, the first step is usually to perform an integrity check system files Windows 7/10. On this moment There are two main methods for checking and restoring system files - using standard utilities SFC And DISM, launched via the command line or PowerShell console.
The second tool is more powerful and is usually used when SFC is unable to cope with the task or its launch fails with an error. There are also third-party programs designed for these purposes, but they mostly duplicate the functionality of SFC and DISM, providing more convenient access to them by using GUI. In critical cases, when neither SFC nor DISM help, restore the system or its individual components using a previously created backup copy.
Using SFC
SFC utility or otherwise System Files Checker present in all versions of Windows since 2000, and is intended to check the status and restore system files. SFC can take multiple arguments, but in in this case we are only interested in one. Using it, checking and restoring Windows 7/10 system files is done as follows. Launch a command prompt or PowerShell console as an administrator and run the following command:
sfc /scannow
The verification procedure will take some time. If errors are found upon completion, the utility will offer to restore damaged files while rebooting the computer. If SFC says it can't recover files, make sure you have the features disabled EFS encryption and Bitlocker, boot into safe mode, then repeat the scanning procedure.
To provide maximum access To file system The procedure for restoring damaged Windows system files can be performed in the boot environment. There are several ways to get into the recovery environment, but we offer the most universal one. Boot your computer with installation disk Windows, and when the installation wizard window appears on the screen, click Shift + F10. Since drive letters are different in the boot environment, you need to determine the system partition letter. We execute the following commands:
diskpart
list volume
On MBR disks, the system partition will most likely have the letter D, and the “System Reserved” partition will have the letter C. Knowing the letter labels of the volumes, use the exit command to close Diskpart and check:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:/ /offwindir=D:/
Upon completion Windows scan will reboot in normal mode.
DISM utility
How to check the integrity of Windows 7/10 system files if the method described above does not help or if commands are issued various errors? In this case, you can try to resort to a more powerful tool - the utility DISM. Launch a command prompt with administrator rights and run the following command:
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
If the utility reports that the component store needs to be restored, restore it with the following command:
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
If you receive errors while running commands, try restoring the component store using elevated PowerShell by running the command Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth while your computer is connected to the Internet.
After the completed procedures, you can perform SFC check/scannow and see if the errors continue. If yes, check whether you have the Windows Module Installer service enabled, and in general, it is advisable to do this in advance.
Recovering damaged files manually
This method is used if it is impossible to restore damaged SFC files, but to use it, in any case, you will need exactly the same operating system installed on another computer or virtual machine, or a backup copy. To determine which files need to be restored, run the command at the command line:
findstr /c: "" %windir%/logs/cbs/cbs.log >"D:/sfc.log"
Information about damaged files will be saved to a log file, in our case it is sfc.log to drive D. The contents of the file can be quite large, look for blocks with key phrase“Cannot repair” with the corresponding scan date and time.
The attached screenshot shows that SFC was unable to restore the Asseccbility.dll file. The same log should indicate the path to the unrecoverable file. Copy the original file from another computer and manually replace the damaged one with it. On at this stage Often you have to deal with problems, since the file may be either in use system processes, or the user will not have rights to it.
To obtain rights and replace such files, you can use standard console utilities Takeown with parameter /f And icacls with parameter /grant administrators:f, but there is a simpler and universal method– use any “live disk” with built-in file manager, for example, Dr.Web LiveDisk. If the computer boots, everything is even simpler; just copy the original files to any folder convenient for you on its hard drive.
Edit boot ISO image the same Dr.Web LiveDisk can be found in UltraISO program by creating a folder in it and copying windows files into it.
Now let's look at how to restore Windows 7/10 system files using such a disk. After booting from the media, find your folder with files (in Dr.Web LiveDisk the mount point is /cdrom), copy the original files to the clipboard, go to the target directory of the folder win and replace the damaged ones with them.
If the original files are on the Windows disk, look for them in the win location, in the partition in which you placed them. This method is convenient because it removes all restrictions on the Windows file system, allowing you to gain exclusive access to it.
Using Third Party Applications
Development special programs, which would allow you to restore damaged and deleted system files, does not make sense, since all the functionality necessary for this is available in the system itself. However, there are tools that make it easier to access regular means using a convenient graphical interface. This, for example, is Microsoft DaRT– a boot disk, which is a set of administration tools, which also includes a module for scanning and restoring Windows system files. The procedure for such a check is presented in the screenshots below.
For more convenient launch SFC programs also serve Windows Repair and, only unlike Microsoft DaRT, they start from the working system.
In Windows Repair, to start the check, you need to go to the Pre-Repair Steps section, click on the “Step 4 (Optional)” tab and click the “Check” button.
IN Glary Utilities go to the “Modules” tab, select “Service” in the menu on the left and click “System file recovery”. In both cases, the standard SFC console utility will be launched.
Other methods
As for the question of how to recover completely deleted system files, everything should be clear. If the disk size allows, regularly create backup copies of the system partition, or at least do not disable system protection, so that if something happens, you can roll back to the previous one.
And the last thing I would like to draw your attention to. If you downloaded and installed a custom build, be prepared for the fact that SFC will more than likely find corrupted files in it. The reason is very simple - collectors very often modify their images, replacing, for example, original icons in libraries and so on. Therefore, before restoring original files, think about whether you really need it if there are no problems with the system.
If there are problems with your computer, it’s a good idea to check the OS to determine the integrity of the system files. Damage or deletion of these objects is often the cause incorrect operation PC. Let's see how you can perform this operation in Windows 7.
If you notice any errors in the operation of your computer or its incorrect behavior, for example, the periodic appearance of a blue screen of death, then, first of all, it is necessary. If this check did not find any faults, then in this case you should resort to scanning the system for the integrity of system files, which we will discuss in detail below. This operation can be done either by using the capabilities of third-party software or by launching an embedded Windows utilities 7 "SFC" through "Command line". It should be noted that even third-party programs are used only to activate "SFC".
Method 1: Windows Repair
One of the most popular third-party programs for scanning your computer for damaged system files and restoring them if problems are detected is.
We will talk in more detail about the operation of this utility when reviewing Method 3, since it can also be launched by using Microsoft-introduced operating system tools.
Method 2: Glary Utilities
Next comprehensive program to optimize computer performance, with which you can check the integrity of system files, is . Usage this application has one important advantage before the previous method. It lies in the fact that Glory Utilities, unlike Windows Repair, has Russian-language interface, which greatly facilitates the task for domestic users.
More detailed information About work "SFC" presented when considering the following method.
Method 3: "Command Line"
Activate "SFC" to scan for file corruption Windows systems, you can use exclusively OS tools, specifically "Command line".
Attention! In order for SFC to not only check the integrity of system files, but also restore them if errors are detected, it is recommended to insert the operating system installation disk before starting the tool. This must be the exact disk from which Windows was installed on this computer.
There are several variations of using the product "SFC" to check the integrity of system files. If you need to scan without restoring missing or damaged OS objects by default, then "Command line" you need to enter the command:
If you need to check specific file to check for damage, you should enter a command that matches the following pattern:
sfc /scanfile=file_address
Also special team exists to check an operating system located on a different hard drive, that is, not the OS in which you are currently working. Its template looks like this:
sfc /scannow /offwindir=Windows_directory_address
Problem launching "SFC"
When trying to activate "SFC" a problem may occur that "Command line" A message will be displayed indicating that the recovery service failed to activate.
Most common cause This problem is disabling a system service "Windows Module Installer". To be able to scan your computer with the tool "SFC", it must be turned on.
- Click "Start", go to "Control Panel".
- Come to "System and safety".
- Now press "Administration".
- A window will appear with a list of different system tools. Click "Services" to make the transition to "Service Manager".
- A window with a list opens system services. Here you need to find the name "Windows Module Installer". To make your search easier, click on the column name "Name". The elements will be built according to the alphabet. Having discovered desired object, check what value is in his field "Startup type". If there is an inscription "Disabled", then you should enable the service.
- Click RMB by the name of the specified service and select from the list "Properties".
- The service properties shell opens. In chapter "Are common" click on the area "Startup type", where the value is currently set "Disabled".
- A list opens. Here you should select a value "Manually".
- Once the required value is set, click "Apply" And "OK".
- IN "Service Manager" in a collumn "Startup type" in the line of the element we need, the value is set to "Manually". This means that you can now run "SFC" via the command line.
As you can see, you can run a computer scan for the integrity of system files either using third-party programs or using "Command line" Windows. However, no matter how you run the check, the system tool still performs it "SFC". That is, third party applications can only make it easier and more intuitive to launch the built-in scanning tool. Therefore, specifically in order to carry out this type of check, there is no point in downloading and installing software third party manufacturers. True, if it is already installed on your computer for general system optimization purposes, then, of course, you can use it to activate "SFC" data software products, since this is still more convenient than acting traditionally through "Command line".
Windows 7 File Recovery from the backup we created, the article is written as a continuation of the interesting topic Archiving computer data, in which we went through the process of creating a backup archive of personal data and a Windows 7 system image from the very beginning.
Windows 7 File Recovery
Next, we will restore personal data from our archives using the Archiving Computer Data tool built into Windows 7 and not just restore, but present various tricky situations. We will learn recover Windows 7 files all at once or separately. For example, we will not restore all the data entirely, but only the file that we need. We can also find out our data from a backup archive on someone else’s computer if something completely catastrophic happened to ours.
As we agreed in the previous article, you created backups on a portable hard drive USB interface, and I'm on a simple hard drive SATA interface, with a capacity of 465.76 GB, which I use exclusively for storing data archives. For a better understanding of exactly how this happens Windows 7 file recovery, let's imagine that on the hard drive of the computer that we have at work, an inexperienced system administrator (this happens with experienced ones too) accidentally destroyed all the partitions Acronis program Disk Director, accordingly, all our data along with the Windows 7 operating system were lost. TestDisk program, as well as Acronis Recovery Expert do not always help. There are two options left for R-Studio and... here we remember about the backup copy of our data created the day before on a portable USB hard drive. We are reinstalling Windows 7, connecting a USB drive with our archive and restoring all our data.
- Note: If you do not want to install Windows 7 again and want the backup archive to already include operating system with all your programs and settings, you need to use the Create a system image tool for archiving, read our article.
Start -> Control Panel->Archiving computer data ra
If you created several backup archives of your data, select the one you need in the Select another backup to restore files window.
So Recover my files, now attention, if we want to restore a specific file from a backup archive, we need to click the Browse files button and find it ourselves, but if we know the name of the file, we can use the Search function,
let's find it in my backup copy for example music file CDImage, type CDImage in the search, you’ve found it, click OK and restore it.
If you don’t know the exact name, then in this window you need to select Browse files, then double-click on our archive with the left mouse and find our file,
Let's, for example, find the My Music folder in my backup archive, and in it the CDImage music file.
If you need to restore another file, you need to click Browse files again and repeat the search. We will now restore our file, to do this we will press the button Add files. 
click Browse, highlight for example Local disk C and create a folder, call it Recovered files and OK.
The problem of unstable operation of Windows 7 is often associated with corruption or deletion of system files, for example, after reinstalling or installing an infected program. This is not the most complex problem- there are many ways to restore data using standard OS tools or manually. The simplest and effective options Let's look at it further.
Rollback to last stable state
By default, in all Windows, protection is active for system partitions. It is responsible for creating special checkpoints containing configuration information and system files of the environment before modifying it - installing applications, drivers and updates. Moreover, recovery points are created without such a reason by the system with at certain intervals or by the user himself.
If problems began to appear relatively recently, and you remember the approximate date of their appearance, then The best decision- roll back the OS to the moment when no failures were observed during the operation of the OS.
In a production environment this is very easy to do:
All that remains is to reboot, after which the damaged system files will be replaced with previous working versions.
If Windows won't boot
Even if the damage to system data is so serious that the OS cannot boot on its own, you can use restore points:
The corresponding selection utility will launch control point, which needs to be worked with in the manner described earlier.
If pressing F8 does not open the boot options window, you will only be able to get into the recovery environment if you use the boot/installation disk.
Using the standard SFC utility
This application checks and repairs basic OS system files. It can also be run on the command line with boot disk, from the window for selecting boot options after pressing F8 and from a running system. The last option is the simplest:
Once the operation is complete, SFC will notify you of the results - the corrupted data should be detected and corrected.
Recovering data manually
Sometimes the methods described above cannot fix the problem. For example, when DirectX update from distributions supplied with various applications, often get lost DLLs. Therefore, always try to update DirectX from the office. Microsoft website, and if trouble has already happened, then if there is new version all DLLs will be updated automatically after installing a fresh component package from the website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/confirmation.aspx?id=35.
If the new version is on specified page no, then any DLL from another source can be transferred to your system yourself. Libraries are stored in the following directories:
- for Windows 7×32 - in the folder C:\Windows\System32;
- for Windows 7x64 - in the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 directory.
If, when you launch an application, a window appears informing you that a DLL is missing, and the installer from the Microsoft website reports that you have the latest version of the libraries on your system and does not update the components, then you can simply use search engine. Find DLLs on the Internet and move them to the specified folders.
Not only DLLs, but also any damaged system files can be extracted from the installation Windows distribution 7. To do this, you just need to know which files are damaged. Often the OS itself informs the user about the absence of a DLL or about an application error, for example, Explorer.exe. You can get the information yourself.
Let's find out what system information is faulty
To do this, you will again need the command line; we have already described how to open it. Write the following command here:
indstr /N:"" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt", where N is the drive letter.
Press Enter, after which sfcdetails.txt will be created on the desktop, which you need to open and carefully review. Its content will be similar to the image below.
Here we see that the Accessibility.dll library is damaged. It is this that you will need to find on the Internet or extract it yourself from the existing Windows 7 distribution to carry out the recovery.
Extracting OS components from the distribution
In addition to the installation disk, you will need a small free application 7-zip. With its help, we will work with the install.wim image located in the sources directory. The order is as follows:
All that remains is to copy them to the desired folder or to a flash drive. You can replace damaged data with them using installation/bootable media or LiveCD.
The problem of unstable operation of Windows 7 is often associated with corruption or deletion of system files, for example, after reinstalling or installing an infected program. This is not the most difficult problem - there are many ways to restore data using standard OS tools or manually. We will consider the simplest and most effective options below.
Rollback to last stable state
By default, in all Windows, protection is active for system partitions. It is responsible for creating special checkpoints containing configuration information and system files of the environment before modifying it - installing applications, drivers and updates. Moreover, restore points are created without such a reason by the system at a certain frequency or by the user himself.
If problems began to appear relatively recently, and you remember the approximate date of their appearance, then the best solution is to roll back the OS to the moment when no failures were observed during the operation of the OS.
In a production environment this is very easy to do:
All that remains is to reboot, after which the damaged system files will be replaced with previous working versions.
If windows won't boot
Even if the damage to system data is so serious that the OS cannot boot on its own, you can use restore points:
The corresponding control point selection utility will launch, which you need to work with in the manner described earlier.
If pressing F8 does not open the boot options window, you will only be able to get into the recovery environment if you use the boot/installation disk.
Using the standard SFC utility
This application checks and repairs basic OS system files. It can also be run on the command line from a boot disk, from the boot options window after pressing F8, and from a running system. The last option is the simplest:
Once the operation is complete, SFC will notify you of the results - the corrupted data should be detected and corrected.
Recovering data manually
Sometimes the methods described above cannot fix the problem. For example, when updating DirectX from distributions that come with various applications, DLLs are often lost. Therefore, always try to update DirectX from the office. Microsoft website, and if trouble has already happened, then if a new version is available, all DLLs will be updated automatically after installing a fresh component package from the website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/confirmation.aspx?id=35.
If there is no new version on the specified page, then any DLL from another source can be transferred to your system yourself. Libraries are stored in the following directories:
- for windows 7×32 - in the folder C:\windows\System32;
- for windows 7x64 - in the C:\windows\SysWOW64 directory.
If, when you launch an application, a window appears informing you that a DLL is missing, and the installer from the Microsoft website reports that you have the latest version of the libraries on your system and does not update the components, then you can simply use the search engine. Find DLLs on the Internet and move them to the specified folders.
Not only DLLs, but also any damaged system files can be extracted from the Windows 7 installation distribution. To do this, you just need to know which files are damaged. Often the OS itself informs the user about the absence of a DLL or about an application error, for example, Explorer.exe. You can get the information yourself.
Let's find out what system information is faulty
To do this, you will again need the command line; we have already described how to open it. Write the following command here:
indstr /N:"" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt", where N is the drive letter.
Press Enter, after which sfcdetails.txt will be created on the desktop, which you need to open and carefully review. Its content will be similar to the image below.
Here we see that the Accessibility.dll library is damaged. It is this that you will need to find on the Internet or extract it yourself from the existing Windows 7 distribution to carry out the recovery.
Extracting OS components from the distribution
In addition to the installation disk, you will need a small free 7-zip application. With its help, we will work with the install.wim image located in the sources directory. The order is as follows:
All that remains is to copy them to the desired folder or flash drive. You can replace damaged data with them using installation/bootable media or LiveCD.
Replacing damaged files with new ones
To load the environment, we will use the same installation drive from which we took the data we needed:
These steps allow you to get into a fully functional explorer. Here you first need to specify that the program displays all file types. This is done below in the drop-down list. Next, all that remains is to transfer the copied files from the flash drive or from another folder to the place of the damaged ones and reboot. In this way, without reinstallation, you can fix problems caused by damaged system data.
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How to restore windows 7 without reinstalling
To all owners desktop computers or laptops, sooner or later you have to reinstall the OS, be it Windows 7 or any other modification. There are many reasons for damage to the operating system (malware infection, incorrect installation of drivers, accidental deletion of system data, etc.). However, if in system partition The PC (for example, on the desktop) contains information that is important to you; after removing the operating system, it will also be deleted. To prevent this, instead of reinstalling, you can perform a Windows restore.
Ways to restore Windows 7 without reinstalling
The developers of this operating system took care of its reliability, equipping the product with many protective functions, among which the most useful is the recovery procedure. This software tool allows you to restore the functionality of the OS without completely reinstalling it.
There are several ways to initialize the Windows reanimation process:
- using last known known configuration;
- by using Chkdsk programs;
- via a restore point;
- via BISO.
To complete the task you do not have to look for any software or use additional devices.
The only thing you need to prepare is a DVD with Windows 7 OS of the exact build that was installed on your computer. The ideal option is to use the same disk.
Restoring the last good configuration
Every time you exit the system, all the important data necessary for the launch and operation of the operating system is entered into the registry. It is this information that the recovery procedure uses.
To activate it you need:
- Remove all additional storage devices from the computer (CDs, DVDs, flash drives, memory cards, floppy disks), and then restart it.
- During windows loading hold down the F8 key. This will allow you to get to the window additional ways downloads.
- Select "Last good configuration».
If the system boots after completing the above steps, it is recommended that you important information, saved in the system partition (“My Documents”, drive C, desktop), copy it to another drive. After that, check your PC for malware and, if possible, perform full diagnostics systems.
Using this recovery procedure, you will not be able to recover lost personal data (music, videos, etc.), since it only works with system files. To restore such information, you need to use additional programs.
Restoring Windows using the Chkdsk application
Chkdsk (from the English “check disk”) is a program built into the operating system that searches for damaged system files on the hard drive and restores them.
One more useful property of this instrument is diagnostics of storage media on mechanical damage sectors and blocking access to them, thereby speeding up the operation of the system.
There are two ways to initialize Chkdsk:
- via graphical interface;
- from the command line.
In the first case it is necessary:
To run Chkdsk from the command line:
After this, a restart and diagnostics will be performed. windows systems for damage.
Applying a restore point
A restore point is an OS element that stores a copy of system files, drivers and installed programs recorded in certain time. In windows, such points are created automatically via equal intervals time, as well as after installation and updating of programs.
To use a restore point, you need to:
Restoring a Windows system via BIOS
If it is impossible to start the OS, recovery using the methods described above won't do. In this case, you can use the BIOS to resuscitate Windows without reinstalling it.
The procedure will be as follows:
All available methods for restoring a Windows system do not provide a complete guarantee of a successful outcome. Therefore, if one method does not work, you need to use another.
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Recovering deleted or corrupted Windows XP and Windows 7 system files
There are times when you need to restore damaged or deleted Windows XP system files. System files have every chance of being deleted, corrupted, or replaced with infected files as a result, for example, of viruses. There are often cases of defective system files when the computer is turned off incorrectly (as an option, when the lights are turned off) due to errors in the file system.
Below you will get the answer to the question: How to restore damaged system files without reinstalling the Operating System.
The method is suitable for cases where it is known which system files will need to be returned.
If the PC stops booting after an incorrect shutdown (power outage, turning off with a button, unplugging the power cord from the outlet), you first need to check HDD for the presence of logical errors.
The recovery process involves copying from the installation windows disk XP required system files. The windows distribution contains all the system files. They are located in the I386 folder. All necessary files on the installation disk are written in compressed form and have an extension of the form .dl_ .ex_, etc.. I.e. the last character is replaced with an underscore.
We will need to unpack the files removed from the system from the windows installation disk into the folder where they should be present. If you do not have a windows distribution, you can download the archive with the I386 folder for 32-bit windows versions XP.
To return system files you need to boot from a bootable CD, for example ERD Commander. You can download the disk image here. You can burn a disk image using the free ISO programs Burner (you can download it from this link)
Let's look at how to unpack system files from a Windows installation disk using the example of restoring the file C:\windows\System32\userinit.exe, which is often replaced with banners blocking Windows. The process of restoring damaged system files from the installation disk is not fundamentally different for other files. The main thing is to know in which folder this or that file is located.
Boot from the ERD Commander disk. Choose loading ERD Commander 5.0 for windows XP. In the window that appears at the end of the download, select the path to the installed Windows OS and click OK.
Open My Computer. Insert the windows installation CD. From the I386 folder, copy the required system files with the extension dl_ or ex_ to the folder where they should be present in the installed system. For us, this is the USERINIT.EX_ file. Copy USERINIT.EX_ from the I386 folder to the C:\windows\System32\ folder. To achieve the desired result, click right key in the USERINIT.EX_ file and select Copy to in the context menu.
In the window that appears, select the path C:\windows\System32 and click OK.
After the file is copied to the system folder, you will need to unpack it. Unpacking system files with the dl_ or ex_ extension from the windows installation disk is done using the expand command. The command syntax is: expand [source file] [target file] To execute the command, you will need to launch the Command Prompt. From the Start menu, select Run. In the window that appears, enter cmd command and press Enter.
In the command line window, enter the command to unpack our file: expand c:\windows\system32\userinit.ex_ c:\windows\system32\userinit.exe and press Enter.
Unpacking will be completed, as indicated by the text: “c:\windows\system32\userinit.ex_: 11863 bytes expanded to 26624 bytes”. System file recovery was successful. Now you can restart your PC.
Any other windows system file can be restored in the same way.
How to restore corrupted Windows 7 system files without reinstalling the system.
Now let's look at how to restore system files in Windows 7.
We boot from the "ERD-Commander" disk (in the menu on the disk when loading, you need to select the version for Windows 7) Download the disk image here.
In the network settings window, select “Skip” and confirm the reassignment of disks. Next, choose the path to system folder windows.
Launch the MSDaRT recovery tools.
Select "System File Checker" from the menu
Select the item “Scan and request before fixing” - click “Next”
As a result, the process of searching for damaged or deleted Windows 7 system files will begin. It can last about 5 minutes. When the process is completed, a list of damaged or deleted files windows. We tick the files that we want to restore and click “Next”.
The process of restoring Windows 7 system files will begin, after which the recovery results window will appear. Click "Next" and in the next window - "Done".
Keep in mind!
You need to be careful when selecting files to recover, especially when using pirated version, or windows builds.
Perhaps certain system files will be changed in it so that Windows does not ask for activation. The recovery tool may consider these files corrupted and replace them with the original ones, which is why Windows may display a message during its boot process about an unlicensed version of your Operating System. In case of restoring system files after removing the banner, select files to restore from the table below.
Windows system files and the folders in which they should be located:
Here are certain Windows system files, as well as the folders in which they should be located. By the way, if you found specific file, but in a different folder, most likely it’s a virus! (except for the c:\windows\system32\dllcache folder).
| File | Folder |
| explorer.exe | c:\windows |
| iexplorer.exe | c:\windows |
| regedit.exe | c:\windows |
| notepad.exe | c:\windows |
| userinit.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
| taskmgr.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
| taskman.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
| cmd.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
| logonui.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
| winlogon.exe | c:\windows\system32 |
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How to restore Windows 7/8/8.1 system files
Hello, friends! Recovering Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 system files most interesting topic. Especially if the operating system starts to fail, but we don’t have a recovery image and we forgot to turn on system protection so that recovery points can be created. In this case, we will not be able to restore the system from the image, we will not be able to roll back windows to the created restore point, and we are also too lazy to reinstall the system, since this will take the whole day. And right here we have another chance to return Windows to normal - try to restore system files. In this article I will try to fully cover the topic so that we can revive our computer in any situation.
Recovering system files on a busy system
If our computer somehow turns on, then we do the following (if it doesn’t turn on, see section 2 of this article).
Open the Start menu. In the search field we write “Com”. On the “Command Prompt” element, right-click and select “Run as administrator”.
In the command line that opens, write:
We are waiting a little...
If your system is in order, you will see next image.
If your windows was broken, you will see the following.
System files were successfully restored. We reboot and immediately turn on system protection to create restore points so that next time we can simply roll back the state of the computer to a couple of days ago and that’s it.
It happens that when scanning the system, the sfc.exe utility found damaged files, but could not fix them. In this case, I would restore system files in Safe Mode. If the same thing happens in safe mode, read the last paragraph 4 of this article.
If your computer does not boot at all, as discussed at the very beginning of the article, then read the next paragraph.
Recovering system files in the recovery environment
If our computer does not want to boot at all, then we use the recovery environment. You can load into it:
- Pressing F8 several times when turning on the computer
- Booting from a boot (installation) disk or flash drive
The first option will work if we have a boot partition that the system created when partitioning the disk when we installed the system. Boot partition size:
- windows 7 - 100 MB.
- windows 8 - 350 MB.
In any case, try pressing F8 several times during boot. A window should appear with additional download options. Select Troubleshoot computer problems.
In the next window, select the keyboard input method. Select the language in which you have set the administrator password (if there is no password, you can immediately click Next >).
Select a user with administrative rights and enter the password if you have one. If there is no password, just click OK.
Select the command line.
If you are unable to enter the recovery environment using the F8 key, you will need to boot from the installation (bootable) flash drive or disk. How to boot from a flash drive - here. You can boot from disk in the same way. Only in this case you need a DVD-RW (drive for reading optical disks) set the download priority to first.
I like to boot from removable media using boot menu. IN motherboards ASUS it is usually also called by the F8 key.
After booting from a flash drive or disk, I saw the following picture. I choose windows Setup - Installing windows.
Select System Restore.
We wait until all installed windows are found.
We choose the one that does not turn on for us. And here CAREFULLY! We remember the letter that the recovery environment assigned to your system (in the Folder column). Mine is D.
Select Command Line.
Enter the command:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\windows
Instead of D, you substitute your letter. Press Enter and wait for the scan to complete
On the virtual machine where the above screenshot was taken, there was blue screen, so I was not surprised that system files were found and restored.
How to find out the drive letter with windows installed
If you were able to use the F8 key to bring up the “ Additional options download" and select "Troubleshoot computer problems", then we need to find out the drive letter where Windows is installed, which was assigned by the recovery environment. This can be done in two ways
1. Call the notepad with the command
In Notepad, open the File menu and select Open...
On the left, click Computer and in front of you will be disks with letters.
You can go to the disk and make sure what and where.
2. Use the DISKPART utility
On the command line enter:
diskpart - call the utility for working with disks.
list disk - view the list of disks.
select disk - select the hard drive I need.
detail disk - call up information about this disk.
For windows 8/8.1
If the sfc utility was unable to restore damaged system files, then you need to try to restore the storage of these system files. The place where copies of working system files should be located. As I understand it, it is located at C:\windows\WinSxS. That is, we must first fix the file storage, and then use the “SFC / Scannow” command to restore the windows system files.
Restoring storage using windows update
1. Launch windows PowerShell with administrator rights. To do this, open the Start menu or home screen and click on the “Search” icon. In the search box we write “PowerShell”. Right-click on “Windows PowerShell” and select “Run as administrator” or “Run as administrator”.
2. In the window that opens, write
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
and wait. If the storage is intact or it was restored using Windows Update, you will see the following picture.
If Image Health State: Healthy - everything is fine. Reboot the computer and try SFC /SCANNOW again.
Restoring storage using an image
If we have problems with Windows Update, then this method will do.
1. Download the original windows image 8/8.1 is the same bit size as your system. How to find out the bit depth installed system- here.
2. Connect or mount the downloaded image. Right-click on the image and select “Connect” or “Mount”.
3. In the command line with administrator rights, we look at what editions there are in the image with the command
Dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:F:\sources\install.wim
I have 2 editions in my image. It’s hard to understand which one I need based on these distinctive signs. Let's use the first one. If it doesn’t work, the second one.
4. Launch Windows PowerShell with administrator rights and set the command
Repair-windowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth -Source F:\sources\install.wim:1
where F is the drive letter to which we connected the image, 1 is the number windows edition in the image.
Recovering system files manually
If using the sfc utility it was not possible to restore broken files, you need to try to do it manually. In this case, you need to additionally run the command
findstr /c:"" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"
Findstr/c: ""%Windir%\Logs\CBS\cbs.log>sfcdetails.txt
and carefully examine the sfcdetails.txt file on your desktop or in %windir%\Logs\CBS\.
It should be something similar to the picture below.
After the name damaged file known (Accessibility.dll), look for it on another computer with the same system as yours. If this is not an option, then I would download the original windows image and install it on the virtual machine. I found the file I needed and copied it to a bootable or installation flash drive. Then, with this installation flash drive booted into the recovery environment, launched the command line. From the command line I would open notepad. I opened the menu File > Open - and now I have an almost full-fledged explorer. We copy and replace the working file from the flash drive, reboot and everything should work.
If the option of installing a virtual machine does not suit you, then you can include the install.wim file in the folder. Then go to this folder and copy the necessary files.
1. Create a folder. For example, “Win8.1Pro” in the root of drive D.
2. Copy the install.wim file to the root of drive D.
3. Mount the install.wim file into the created folder.
Dism /Mount-Wim /Index:1 /WimFile:D:\install.wim /MountDir:D:\Win8.1Pro
Go to the created folder and copy the necessary files.
Disable the image
Dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:D:\Win8.1Pro /Discard
Conclusion
This is how I will try to restore system files in Windows 7/8/8.1. Write questions and suggestions in the comments. Thank you for sharing the article on in social networks. All the best!
Best regards, Anton Dyachenko
YouPK.ru
How to restore system files in Windows 7
What to do when for some reason system files have sunk into oblivion and the computer cannot work normally? There is no need to worry, as the situation can be corrected.
Reasons for disappearing system files
It often happens that Windows system files disappear. Their absence hinders normal operation system or even worse - it does not allow Windows to start. The reasons for this may be different:
- the system file was deleted by a virus or blocked by an antivirus;
- accidentally, due to the fault of the computer user;
- due to Windows updates (if updates occur continuously over a long period of time, they begin to block each other).
Of course, you can go to extreme measures and reinstall the system. But this is not a solution if there are working documents saved on the desktop or folders on the system drive that cannot be lost, because after reinstallation they will definitely disappear. Before doing this, you should still try to restore system files for Windows 7.
How viruses work
It often happens that a virus got on the computer, after which the system file became damaged and was deleted. In this case, you need to look at the antivirus logs. It will indicate how the file was deleted, when and what virus it was infected with.
Sometimes it happens that the antivirus itself blocks important data after updating the OS. In this case, you need to go to the "Quarantine" section of the antivirus and find the missing files, then restore them and add them to White list or change your antivirus program.
Recuva
On Windows 7, system file recovery can be performed third party program, for example, Recuva. It is completely free and easy to use even for those who will be doing it for the first time. Download it and install it. Having launched it, the first thing you need to do is go to advanced mode (the button on the top right), and then select the directory to scan ( windows folder) and start scanning.
After the system file check is completed, files with multi-colored circles next to them will appear (green - excellent condition, yellow - damaged, red - cannot be recovered). If the check shows that the desired object is in excellent condition, you can easily restore it by selecting the checkbox and clicking on “Restore”.
Let's rollback
A rollback restores the operating system using a checkpoint that was created before the error occurred. The operating algorithm is as follows: Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore. Select an OS restore point that was created before the loss of important data. We launch a rollback, after which the Windows system files and folders will be restored. However installed programs will be deleted afterwards. You can view the estimated losses by clicking on the “Search for affected programs” button.
Troubleshooting
If on Windows 7 restoring system files using third party program is impossible and a rollback cannot be done, you need to scan your computer for damaged and missing data. The command line will help in this matter.
Open it as an administrator. You can do this in several ways:
- Start/All Programs/Accessories, right button mouse on cmd (command line) - "Run as administrator".
- Go to the system drive, windows folder, System32, right mouse button on cmd - “Run as administrator”.
- In the Start search, enter cmd and press Shift+Ctrl+Enter.
In the window that appears, write sfc /scannow, after which the Windows 7 system files will be checked for integrity and restored if some of them malfunction.
After recovery, you need to make a point to restore the OS so that next time you can rollback it, rather than restore individual data. The algorithm is as follows: open the "Properties" section in "My Computer", with right side Select the “System Protection” section. In the “Security Settings” section on system disk protection must be enabled. If this is not the case, select it, click “Configure” and put a dot next to “Restore system settings and previous versions of files”. Choosing a place for disk space(1.5-2 GB is enough). Click OK. Next, click “Create” and give it a name.
Now you can restore system files on Windows 7.
Windows 7 won't boot, system file recovery
While loading the OS, you need to constantly press F8 until the list and the words “Last Known Good Configuration” appear. Click on it, after which the system should start from the moment when Windows successfully booted up the last time. If that doesn’t work, select “Troubleshoot computer problems.” In the list, click on “Startup Repair”. Windows 7 system files will begin checking for errors and faulty data, after which we restore them by clicking “Fix and restart”.
Also, if a restore point was previously created, you can return the OS to its previous state using a rollback.
Boot disk
If the operating system does not boot due to data loss, you can return it to normal using a boot disk or flash drive. We insert the disk or flash drive into the computer and reboot it. Next, the bootable media needs to be set to first place as a priority. You can do it like this:
- IN BIOS settings. Go to the BIOS (F2, F11 or del key) and look for Boot Manager. There we set the flash drive or disk drive to first place as a priority. If the flash drive is not displayed, you need to activate it in the settings USB support. For each BIOS version these settings look different.
- Before starting the OS, press the boot menu key (F8, F11 or F12), after which Boot Manager will appear with a list of drives, from which we select the one we need. If bootable Windows is on a flash drive and it is not displayed, you need to activate USB support in the BIOS settings.
If the desired drive is selected, it will start windows installation 7. After selecting the language, click “Next”, and then select “System Restore” at the bottom left side. In the window that appears, select “Startup Repair” or “System Restore”. Next steps already familiar.
