CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)Applications and SoftwareMedium
A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that is experiencing intermittent crashes and unexpected application behavior. Event Viewer logs show errors related to corrupted system files. The technician wants to use a command-line tool to scan for and attempt to repair these corrupted system files without reinstalling the operating system. Which command should the technician use?
- AFORMAT C:
- BSFC /scannow
- CDISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
- DCHKDSK /f
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. SFC /scannow
The System File Checker (SFC) command, specifically 'SFC /scannow', is designed to scan for and replace corrupted or missing Windows system files with cached copies. This directly addresses the issue of corrupted system files and unexpected application behavior. CHKDSK checks the file system, DISM repairs the Windows image, and FORMAT erases the drive.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. FORMAT C: will erase all data on the C: drive and reinstall the operating system, which is an extreme measure and not the goal here.
- C. DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth repairs the Windows image itself, which can be useful but SFC is more direct for active system file corruption.
- D. CHKDSK /f checks and repairs errors on the hard disk's file system, not specifically corrupted system files.
System File Checker (SFC)
A command-line utility in Windows that scans for and restores corrupted or missing system files with healthy versions.
- Scans protected system files.
- Replaces corrupted files with cached copies.
- Run with /scannow parameter for full scan and repair.
Memory trick: SFC checks System Files, CHKDSK checks the Disk, DISM checks the Image, FORMAT erases.