Viruses and other types of malware can corrupt system files as part of their attack strategy. This may also occur when installing or reinstalling Windows on your computer. There’s a chance that one or more of your system files may become corrupted by a bug when you’re updating Windows. Use a surge protector to safeguard your computer. If your computer’s power supply doesn’t regulate against power surges, a sudden rush of power can corrupt your system files. If your computer’s power supply is unexpectedly cut off - if you unplug your desktop, or if your laptop’s battery dies - you may later discover that some of your files have been corrupted. Crashes can cause corrupt system files, and corrupt system files can cause crashes. Here are a few other reasons:Ĭomputer crashes. Otherwise, you may not find out until you try to open the file next time.įaulty software isn’t the only reason why shortcuts break in Windows and files get corrupted. If the program realizes that there’s been an error, it will alert you and allow you to try and re-save or recreate that file. When a video game accidentally corrupts your save file, this is usually what’s happened. How and why do files become corrupted?įiles can become corrupted when you save or copy them, sometimes due to a bug or glitch in the software controlling the file. Losing access to a particularly important system file can cause frequent Windows crashes - the blue screen of death - and Windows may even become completely unusable. Things get worse when system files become corrupted.

When you try to open a corrupted file, you’ll usually get an error message instead. For example, you won’t be able to listen to a corrupted MP3 file or load a saved game from a corrupted save file. When normal files get corrupted, you won’t be able to open them. This can happen suddenly and for a variety of reasons - more on that below. What does it mean if a Windows system file is corrupted?Ī corrupted file is one that has become unusable. If you want to scan for and fix corrupted system files immediately with a Windows repair tool, skip down to our sections on repairing Windows system files using the System File Checker (SFC) tool or the DISM command. In this article, we’ll show you how to perform two different Windows 10 repair procedures as well as how to fix Windows 8 and Windows 7 system files. That’s why it’s so important to restore your Windows system files as soon as they get corrupted - because they inevitably will. When that happens, Windows won’t be able to use them, and your PC performance can suffer. Over time, Windows system files may become corrupted.

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