Repair corrupt system files using SFC in Windows 7

There is a possibility of system files getting corrupted after an ordeal of malware or virus infection. Luckily you can restore the files back to original form using the system file checker tool – SFC. Here is how :

  1. Open an elevated command prompt in Windows 7. Read this article to know how to open an elevated command prompt.
  2. In the command prompt type the following command and press Enter :
    SFC /SCANNOW
  3. The SFC tool will scan your system files and show the status report. If it finds any corrupt files, it will repair them automatically.

  4. You can also choose to scan just a particular file if in doubt. For example, if you suspect that notepad.exe is corrupt then give the following command :
    SFC /SCANFILE=c:windowsnotepad.exe
  5. The commmand line arguments /SCANNOW and /SCANFILE not only find the corrupt files but also attempt to repair them. If you want just to verify the integrity of your system files and not want to repair them, then you can use the following commands :
    SFC /VERIFYONLY
    SFC /VERIFYFILE=c:windowsnotepad.exe