If your computer is running Windows 7, you may have noticed that the command line trick for verifying system files that’s been around for a decade–sfc /scannow typed in a run dialog–needs something more to work, now.
Open a command prompt with administrator priviledges:
Start>Search: cmd
Right click on the command found and select, “Run as administrator”
(Vista’s a tad different and I’m just not going to mess with it. If you have Vista, upgrade. No, seriously. I have no help for you. Figure it out on your own.)
In the command line window, type
sfc /scannow
(Note the space between “sfc” and “/scannow”) And press Enter.
It’ll run as it always has, verifying that your system files are uncorrupted. If it needs to replace one, and you’ve not placed the installation files on your hard drive and edited the registry to make Windows aware of where, you may be asked to place your installation DVD in your optical drive if a file needs to be replaced. This isn’t all that common, though, since Windows caches copies of most essential system files.
Oh, if you’ve been a Windows user for more than a decade and haven’t discovered the “sfc /scannow” command before now, just pass this on to the 13-year-old who maintains your computer for you. *heh*
I really need to put a tip jar on my sidebar… 😉