different repair approaches

Hello @justtesting,
Welcome to TenForums.

justtesting said:

I was wondering if someone could explain if there is a difference between repairing a Windows 10 installation using

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:E:\sources\install.wim:1 /limitaccess

or an in-place upgrade using the same ISO file.

This gives a pretty good overview > Use DISM to Check and Repair Windows 10 Image

The LimitAccess Parameter tells the command NOT to use the Windows Update Online Services.

I hope this helps.

justtesting said:

...I was wondering if someone could explain if there is a difference between repairing a Windows 10 installation using Dism... or an in-place upgrade using the same ISO file. Thank you for your attention.

Welcome to Ten Forums.

Dism attempts to repair corrupted files in the component store of the exiting install of Windows by replacing them with new copies, when you use the /Source switch it gets those from the ISO, without the /limitaccess switch it can download new copies from Microsoft.

An in-place repair upgrade performs a complete reinstall of Windows. All system files will be replaced and some registry settings will be set back to their defaults. The build of Windows will be reset back to the build on the ISO and you'll need to check for updates in Windows Update to get back to the latest build. You old system will be preserved in a Windows.old folder should you wish to undo the changes.

Both have their place in repairing a system with problems. Dism and SFC /ScanNow (repeated up to three times) should be tried first. A repair install should be tried if Dism/SFC cannot repair all the problems.

Bree said:

Welcome to Ten Forums.

Dism attempts to repair corrupted files in the component store of the exiting install of Windows by replacing them with new copies, when you use the /Source switch it gets those from the ISO, without the /limitaccess switch it can download new copies from Microsoft.

An in-place repair upgrade performs a complete reinstall of Windows. All system files will be replaced and some registry settings will be set back to their defaults. The build of Windows will be reset back to the build on the ISO and you'll need to check for updates in Windows Update to get back to the latest build. You old system will be preserved in a Windows.old folder should you wish to undo the changes.

Both have their place in repairing a system with problems. Dism and SFC /ScanNow (repeated up to three times) should be tried first. A repair install should be tried if Dism/SFC cannot repair all the problems.

Excellent information and summary.

The downloadable .iso file and Bootable USB drive may be a few Builds behind the most current version, one I did last week was Build .618 but didn't take much time to update.

1. Probably not.

2. Always have the install/reinstall software available or easily downloaded, never know if it will be needed later. I've seen both ways happen.

One thing I keep in mind is the Registry getting rewritten, usually okay but never know for sure until all is said and done.