System file check found faults it could not repair
What does 'Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them' mean?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
The system file checker compares your Windows files against a set of known good copies kept on the machine. That message means it found files that do not match, but the spare copies it keeps for repairs are damaged too, so it had nothing clean to put back. The cure is to repair the store of spare copies first, then run the check again. The quickest thing to try first: repair the store of spare copies — Open Terminal as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. It can sit at twenty percent or sixty two percent for a long time. Leave it alone until it finishes, and keep the internet connected because it fetches clean files from Windows Update. Most people are done in about 45 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows, rated medium.
Sounds like this
- •sfc /scannow ends with that exact sentence
- •It points you at a CBS.log file
- •Odd faults such as apps closing or settings pages not opening
Why it happens
The system file checker compares your Windows files against a set of known good copies kept on the machine. That message means it found files that do not match, but the spare copies it keeps for repairs are damaged too, so it had nothing clean to put back. The cure is to repair the store of spare copies first, then run the check again.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Repair the store of spare copies
Open Terminal as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. It can sit at twenty percent or sixty two percent for a long time. Leave it alone until it finishes, and keep the internet connected because it fetches clean files from Windows Update.
- 2
Run the file check again
Once DISM reports the operation completed successfully, run sfc /scannow once more. In most cases it now says it found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Restart afterwards.
- 3
Give DISM a local source if it cannot reach Windows Update
Download the Windows ISO from Microsoft, double click it so it appears as a drive, then run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:esd:E:\Sources\install.esd:1 /LimitAccess, changing E to the letter of the mounted drive. Use install.wim in place of install.esd if that is the file you see.
- 4
Read the log to see what is actually broken
Run findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log > "%userprofile%\Desktop\sfclog.txt" and open the file on your Desktop. Lines saying cannot repair member file name the exact files. Very often they belong to one optional component and nothing you use, in which case you can safely stop worrying.
- 5
Run a disk check if the same files keep failing
Run chkdsk C: /scan. A drive with bad sectors damages the same files again as fast as you repair them. If it reports problems, run chkdsk C: /f /r and let it work during the next restart, and start thinking seriously about a new drive.
- 6
Repair install as the reliable last move
Download the Installation Assistant or Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, run it from inside Windows and choose to keep personal files and apps. This lays down a fresh set of system files around your existing setup. It takes about an hour and it fixes this message when nothing else does.
If none of that worked
Try the whole sequence in Safe Mode if it fails normally, because antivirus software sometimes holds files open. If the machine is otherwise running perfectly and the log only names fonts or an optional feature, it is fair to leave it. This message on its own is not a reason to reinstall Windows from scratch.
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This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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