Looking for advice on how to solve multiple corrupt system files/progs

DarkhelmetDad · 06 Apr 2023

Forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask, or if it's been asked before. I could not find any posts similar to what I'm experiencing.

About two weeks ago, one of the computers in our office was getting errors in windows update, sfc /scannow kept failing, DSIM failed, file explorer would not open from taskbar and when it tried to, explorer.exe would shutdown to a black screen and restart. I found a method mentioned elsewhere to force an update to build 22H2 (I don't recall if the original build was 20Hx or 21Hx) and it seemed to fix it until this week.

Restarted getting the explorer crash and reset and file explorer not launching most of the time. Sometimes restarting the computer worked, but the crashes kept coming back. Now /scannow fails at 22% with the "windows resource protection could not perform the requested operation" error. Last night I tried running chkdsk and that failed. Tried using event viewer to see the log results and it stops working with a "Snap In stopped responding" error so I can't even see what the results were.

I'm out of ideas and experience in what to look at next? Can anyone please point me in a direction to look at next?

Thank you in advance.

dalchina · 06 Apr 2023

Hi, welcome to tenforums.

You say this is an office PC- does your company have any IT staff? That should be your first port of call.
Are group policies applied by your company? (This will limit what might be done by a member of staff).

May I ask what preparations you've made for recovering your O/S when things go wrong (as they can and will)?

I shall assume you've not yet started using 3rd party disk imaging regularly and routinely, at least for all your O/S partitions and for others as you wish, otherwise you would have simply recovered by restoring a previously created disk image, assuming you had one created before your problems started. (E.g. Macrium Reflect, Aomei Backupper etc + large enough external storage for image files), otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question.

(The routine and regular use of disk imaging is endlessly recommended here).

Initial Suggestions
a. Check your disk(s)
Hard Disk Sentinel (excellent)- full functional trial, result right on its GUI. Click through tabs on left to review each disk. Portable version available.
Much more basic SMART check: Crystal Diskinfo (free).

Note- I've no idea what sort of thing we're dealing with - no specs. Laptop? Tablet? Desktop with 10 disks installed?
And please give the full windows build as the forum prompted you to do (so we don't have to keep asking). (hint again: winver)

b. If the disk check passes, then run
chkdsk c: /scan
from an admin command prompt.

The results will be displayed - post a screenshot.

DarkhelmetDad · 06 Apr 2023

We have one IT manager who is stationed in a different city. I have a lot of experience in older versions of windows but am only now having to use and learn Win10. There is no formal IT department at my location. Just me. There are group policies on the domain, but I have enough access to do most things at my location. This location connects to our head office location using a Watchguard system and some sort of VPN I don't fully understand. End result, we appear to be on same LAN but in different cities. I am in contact with him regarding this, but it is something he claims he's not come across either and is also looking into solutions.

No back up methods are in place as of right now. Looking at how to set them up. As of this past January, all computers in this location were Windows 7, and had no issues with any of them over the last 10 years (other than normal hardware failures). This particular computer in question is a hand-me-down desktop Lenovo unit. I am in the process of getting the factory images from Lenovo for each machine we get going forward.

Is 22H2 not the build version? Going by the example in your system specs, that’s what I thought was being asked for and I did mention.

I will try the 3rd party tools you mentioned when I can and will report back. Probably won't be until next week though.
Thank you.

Samuria · 06 Apr 2023

Best bet would be to goto https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/soft...load/windows10
hit update it will rewrite all files and assuming no hardware faults should do it

Try3 · 06 Apr 2023

I suggest you follow dalchina's advice.

And you can try a Repair install. Despite its name, it's a repair procedure rather than an installation but it does replace the system files so might fix your problem.
Repair Install - TenForumsTutorials

If this comprehensive repair procedure does not fix your problem then I'd suggest that the problem is caused by one of these factors:
1 A defective user profile - trying a different user account should reveal whether or not that is the case
2 A file system error - ChkDsk should fix that
3 Faulty hardware or hardware drivers - check for warning triangles or an Other devices section in Device manager [the Other devices section only exists if there are devices for which no driver can be found].
4 The actions of third-party software interfering with Windows - try Safe mode to test that idea - Boot into Safe Mode - TenForumsTutorials

Best of luck,
Denis

dalchina · 06 Apr 2023

Given your symptoms, first check the hardware... don't try repairs until we know the disk(s) are ok.

Build number: this is what the forum said:

Looking for advice on how to solve multiple corrupt system files/progs-win-10-version.png

Mine is 19045.2728

22H2, like all such numbers, represents the major build, but each update changes the build number.

22- 2022 - H2 2nd half of '22 - normally October.

I am in the process of getting the factory images from Lenovo for each machine we get going forward.

- really no point- e.g. if they came with Win 8 and trialware - that's what they will provide.

And those would wipe your user accounts, settings, programs....

Try3 · 06 Apr 2023

DarkhelmetDad said:

No back up methods are in place as of right now. Looking at how to set them up. As of this past January, all computers in this location were Windows 7, and had no issues with any of them over the last 10 years (other than normal hardware failures). This particular computer in question is a hand-me-down desktop Lenovo unit. I am in the process of getting the factory images from Lenovo for each machine we get going forward.

I agree with dalchina. Making frequent system images is much better backup protection.
- I make a new one every month.
- If I get a problem that cannot be solved within half an hour, I restore the last system image. One pot of tea sees the whole thing through.

And, if this has not been done before, tell the business owner what a valuable step forward you are taking to enhance the business's future resilience.

All the best,
Denis

DarkhelmetDad · 06 Apr 2023

Samuria said:

Best bet would be to goto https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/soft...load/windows10
hit update it will rewrite all files and assuming no hardware faults should do it

Thank you, but this is the same step I took a couple weeks ago. Not sure it's worth trying again before determining it's not hardware or something else.

- - - Updated - - -

dalchina said:

Given your symptoms, first check the hardware... don't try repairs until we know the disk(s) are ok.

Build number: this is what the forum said:

Mine is 19045.2728

22H2, like all such numbers, represents the major build, but each update changes the build number.

22- 2022 - H2 2nd half of '22 - normally October.

- really no point- e.g. if they came with Win 8 and trialware - that's what they will provide.

And those would wipe your user accounts, settings, programs....

Thanks. Will report that number when next I reply. All machines going forward will be Win10 until we can't get it anymore. I'm getting the images anyway as I've already had to use them twice so far to repair machines that had TPM module issues and Office installation issues. I know it's a full reset, but it fixed things the fastest.

dalchina · 06 Apr 2023

And check your disk first.

You can clean install Win 10 any time you want.
Creating a current Win 10 install disk is free. You just need a suitable flash drive, for example.
That gives you the latest major build, no trialware.

Try3 · 06 Apr 2023

DarkhelmetDad said:

... I've already had to use them twice so far to repair machines that had TPM module issues and Office installation issues. I know it's a full reset, but it fixed things the fastest.

Understood but the point I was trying to make was that restoring system images would be much quicker and would require fewer post-restore actions.
In general, all you'd need to do afterwards is let WU run afterwards [to install the latest Cumulative update, .Net framework update & Defender malware definitions update if any have been released since the system image had been made].
System images can be quite small [my biggest ones are about 20GB] & quick to make / restore if data files are always made on a separate disk or partition.
I make a new system image each month, before Patch Tuesday.

I always make driver backups at the same time as system images or separately when any driver gets updated.
Backup and Restore Device Drivers - TenForumsTutorials

Best of luck,
And thanks for the rep,
Denis