[SOLVED] DISM and sfc not working

[Lv 88 Mog]

So, I've had some sporadic issues with my PC, one of which has been that it just suddenly started taking MUCH longer to boot about a month ago, with no clear reason. One possibility - I had a PSU that started to die and caused my PC to crash several times, or the GPU to fail because of the power and so the monitor wouldn't turn on, forcing me to shut down the PC forcefully - perhaps all the crashes and forced shutdowns corrupted something??? It started having problems daily, so I replaced the PSU and then almost immediately the issue of slow boot time (stuck on the Dell logo with the spinning dots...used to take mere seconds, now up to 5 minutes or more) appeared.

I tried running dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth. It gets to about 10% and then says that a WOF driver is corrupted and can't complete the operation. (I've tried this operation MULTIPLE times over the past month or so, with the same results).

I tried running sfc /scannow and it gets to 39% (usually) and then suddenly says that the process can't be completed (again, tried dozens of times over the past month).

I ran chkdsk on boot and it ran overnight and my PC was at the sign-in screen in the morning, so I'm guessing it finished all right.

I have run Malwarebytes, full virus scans, CCleaner, checked health from Windows Defender security center, made sure my PC was up to date, obviously replaced the dying PSU, and ran CrystalDiskInfo (shows that my HDD is fine - it's a hybrid 2TB with a 32 GB SSD, that came preinstalled in the Dell XPS8500, Japan retail model). Still, DISM and sfc do the same thing, and my PC is still slow to boot, and my PC very rarely crashes when coming out of sleep (could be unrelated - I've been told many times about sleep issues with Windows).

So what should I do? Typically, I am still able to use my PC with no problems whatsoever, it isn't any slower than usual once it finally boots, everything seems just fine. Just slower boot times, and a crash - maybe once or twice a month. But I'm still bothered by knowing that something is wrong and is causing DISM and sfc to fail, and I want to fix it. In past years, I've done resets, refreshes, and clean installs of Windows on other machines, and this PC too, but I really hesitate with doing that this time because (1), I have a few programs that have one-time only licenses and if I delete them (in a reset or clean install) and then install them again, I'll have to buy licenses again, and (2), I have spent literally HUNDREDS of hours modding some games like Skyrim and tweaking them to perfection and a clean install or reset would almost completely destroy all of that work. There's a limit to what I can backup and it would take DOZENS of hours for me to recreate things (and probably not even 100% the same)....so I'd like to keep things intact if possible....

I've heard of doing a repair install of Windows 10 with an in-place upgrade, but I've never tried it before. Does it actually keep all of my programs and such intact? Would it even fix the problem? Any advice or suggestions appreciated!


Dell XPS 8500 motherboard with default 2TB+32GB HDD/SSD
Core i7-3770
16GB RAM
MSi GTX970
Corsair RM850x
Thermaltake Commander case

OS: Windows 10 Home 1803 (build 17134.1069)

edit: I was just checking my Windows Update and I noticed that Windows 1903 failed to install on 8/29/2019. I haven't gotten any notifications about trying to install it again, and when I check for updates in Windows Update, it says I'm up to date. Is this a problem, and is it at all relevant to these other issues?

 

[BFG-9000]

1803 is supported for another 30 days.

You could try inserting the Win10 iso that matches your build and entering Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:X:\sources\install.wim:1 /limitaccess (Assuming DVD drive is x:, a USB image will use install.esd instead)

However upgrading to another build should also fix the issue as all system files will be replaced from the newer image, that's why the feature updates are so large. If you do decide to update to 1809 or 1903 from the desktop, I suggest first making a backup image of the drive. That 1903 update may have failed for a reason, so manually forcing the update may bork it.

Repair install does work, provided the system can still boot to the desktop. It's essentially installing the same feature update you are already running.

 

[Colif]

To do a repair install you would need a copy of the ISO of 1803.

Fixing DISM also would require an ISO of 1803.

Can you get one?

 

[SgtScream]

Press F12 on startup to get to the boot menu and select hardware diagnostics. Does the hard drive pass?

 

[britechguy]

If the hard drive passes, then since you're on 1803 you need to do a Feature Update anyway, as 1803 is just about to go out of support anyway.

Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file

 

[Lv 88 Mog]

Thank you all for the excellent advice and comments. I couldn't get Windows to try installing it again through the Update settings, but I tried the Windows 10 Update Assistant and it succeeded in installing 1903. After installing, I ran both DISM and sfc and both were able to operate and finish properly. I will have to see if the boot time has changed at all, but for now, I'm very relieved!

 

[Colif]

installing a version update replaces the install, so DISM & SFC should work on a brand new install.