a free program that can check all files for any that are corrupted? | Advice Corner | Forums

black raven said:

What about a free program that can check all files for any that are corrupted?thanks in advance.Anyone know where if it exists I can get it?I am looking for a program that checks for corruption in files ( particularly windows files).Anyone  able to help me?

Windows has its own filechecker (system files) which works quite well: SystemFileChecker.  It has several options, I normally use two:

1)  'Scannow' which "scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files with problems when possible".

2) 'Veryfileonly' which "scans integrity of all protected system files.  No repair operation is performed".
To use in Win 7, open a 'cmd' (run) window with admin. privaleges.
type "SFC /scannow" and hit [Enter].

Watch and wait, Windows will check and repair all the system files.
It  will tell you when it is finished what it found and  whether it repaired any.  If you are really unlucky, it will tell you it found damaged/currupted files and could not repair any/all.
This only happened to me on one occasion.  If this happens, a re-install may be necessary.

If this happens to you, put another post on this threa and I will try and help you do a "repair install" which should NOT lose your other programs and data. 

p.s Win XP has a similar program, I forget how to use it but if you search Win help for 'sfc' and system file checker', I'm sure you will find it.