'dism' error question

M

MikeMyers

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Joined
May 8, 2015
Posts
9
I have two Windows PC's both running Windows 8.1 - they both have an issue that apparently needs to be corrected with 'dism'.


After doing the "SFC /scannow" repeatedly, they always find an error.


I did:
dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth then
dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth and finally
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth


After all this, on both machines, I get an error message "The source files could not be downloaded.", and then "Use the "source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see "http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077".


Then it tells me where the log file can be found.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are my questions. I have read that dism's first choice is to download new versions of the corrupted files, using "Windows Update". Is this correct?


Next, if the above is true, why can't dism do this from Windows Update when I can manually download other updates?




Finally, I have found a lot of information that I don't understand regarding using the "source" option, but noplace can I find a clear set of instructions for how to do this.


Are the needed files still someplace on my PC? If so, where, and once I know where, what would I type in the following, which I think is what I need to do:
dism /online /cleanup-image /source???????? /restorehealth




And last, can I simply insert the Windows CD in my computer, and find the needed files there?



I have read threads here with the same question, but they were resolved by the user posting the log files, and someone here sorting out what the errors are. I plan to do that later tonight, but from everything I've read, 'dism' is supposed to find out what the files are, then download un-corrupted versions of them, then replace the bad files with correct files. It is supposed to get them from "Windows Update". I would prefer to learn how to do it this way, so I'll be able to help with other people's computers with a similar issue.

(It's a year old version of Windows 8.1 on one PC, and a reasonably up to date version on the other. One is at work, the other at home.)
 
Hi MikeMeyers.
What firewall are you using?
You could try to disable it and re-try the DISM command; LATER, re-enable your firewall, after the procedure finished.
 
It's the standard Windows firewall on the laptop I have here, and I assume a standard firewall with standard settings at work. What you suggest makes perfect sense - am trying that now, at my "home" (guest house in India).
 
No go..... Same error message. The error message is telling me to use the 'source' option to specify a location, but according to all the things I've read, the default location is "Windows Update"....
 
I found out from David Bailey on another forum that some of the Microsoft settings that come with Windows are incorrect. We need to run 'gpedit.msc', then select "Administrative Templates", and under it click on "System". That brings up a list in the right window, and we need to right click on "Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair". Then select "Edit".

In the next windows at the top left, click on "Enabled" (instead of "Not Configured"), and then lower down, select "Contact Windows Update directly to download repair content instead of Windows Server Update Service (WSUS).


This hasn't yet solved my problem, but at least now Windows is more likely to be doing what I want, retrieving good copies of the damaged files from "Windows Update".


P.S. - I'm not really in need of "fixing this", as much as I am in need of understanding it, and being able to fix it. Otherwise, I'd just re-install Windows and be done with it all....
 
Hello Mike,

I can walk you through the process of repairing these. I think the best way would be for you provide the DISM/CBS logs in your next post, from here I can explain the next step.
 
Thanks, but what would be most helpful to me right now, is finding out how to get the 'dism' command to actually look at "Windows Update" to download the corrupted file.

I know which file is corrupted on the laptop. If the 'dsm' tool actually is supposed to get this file from Windows Update, why is it saying it can't find the source? Or, if I'm supposed to get it from AMD or elsewhere, that's a whole new set of questions.

This is on my laptop, not the hospital computer. The 'scanhealth' completed, and if I understand what I'm doing, this is the only reference to 'corruption':

==========================================================
TID=2476 <----- Starting corruption detect/repair info -----> -
Checking System Update Readiness.

(p) CSI Payload Corruptamd64_prncacla.inf_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17415_none_95dd5540d57f8c01\Amd64\CNBJ2530.DPB

Summary:
Total Detected Corruption: 1
CSI Payload Corruption: 1
Ending corruption detect/repair info -----> -
==========================================================

If I am following the above advice correctly, on my laptop, apparently the file listed above in red is corrupt.

I'm not nearly as interested in fixing the file, as I am in understanding how to get the 'dism' command to fix the file.
 
I didn't modify any settings in Windows regedit to use the DISM tool with the usual command (dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth).
Gpedit.msc will work only with pro/enterprise versions of Windows 8/8.1, and I've got the standard version (home?).
That file will re-corrupt itself after few days it was replaced, but I think you already know this. :thud:
 
No, I was telling you that this file is from the above update.

I have never tried this but MS says you can repair the files by pointing DISM to a certain folder:
Important When you run this command, DISM uses Windows Update to provide the files that are required to fix corruptions. However, if your Windows Update client is already broken, use a running Windows installation as the repair source, or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share or from a removable media, such as the Windows DVD, as the source of the files. To do this, run the following command instead:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess
Note Replace the C:\RepairSource\Windows placeholder with the location of your repair source. For more information about using the DISM tool to repair Windows, reference Repair a Windows Image.
Click to expand...

If you extract the contents of this update into a certain folder and point DISM to the folder, this might repair them. Let me know how it goes I am interested to find out if it works.
 
Go The Power said:
.......Let me know how it goes I am interested to find out if it works.
Click to expand...

Short version.

  • Removed most of my files to a USB device.
  • Deleted almost all of my programs using Control Panel.
  • Rebooted.
  • Ran 'dism' again - it repaired all problems.
  • Ran 'Windows Update' again - no problems.
  • Ran 'SFC /scannow' again - it found corrupted files, and repaired all of them.

The only logical answer that I can think of, is that one of my programs was doing "something" to the system files, such that 'dism' said they were corrupted. This prevented both 'dism' and 'sfc' from doing their work. Seems rather strange to me that Microsoft didn't include a way of at least explaining this during the process, or better yet, saying what program(s) to delete.

As to using a different source for the correct files (as you are suggesting), or a 'dvd' (which I already tried), I now believe that NOTHING would have worked, as the problem didn't come from Microsoft Windows.

By this time tomorrow, the laptop will probably be running a copy of Windows 10 Trial. I didn't want to do that until I solved the corruption problem.
 
Seems rather strange to me that Microsoft didn't include a way of at least explaining this during the process, or better yet, saying what program(s) to delete.
Click to expand...

You cant blame Microsoft for everything, there is no way they can download every program across the internet install them in different orders then apply there updates, this is just unrealistic.

As to using a different source for the correct files (as you are suggesting), or a 'dvd' (which I already tried), I now believe that NOTHING would have worked, as the problem didn't come from Microsoft Windows.
Click to expand...

The DVD would not of worked, the DVD is only useful when the corrupt/missing files are from the original install of the OS,
 
I agree with you. I wish they had at least said "the specified folder was searched, but it did not contain the necessary Windows files". I'm new to all this, but in my way of thinking, I'd like to have had a way to be sure that the 'dism' utility actually found the place it was downloading from, and somehow also noted that it ONLY searches for Microsoft Windows Files.

Why would, or should, 'dism' even bother with programs and other add-ons, unless they change one of the files from Microsoft? I haven't found a single page on the internet telling me that 'dism' is also looking at files from other sources.


Back to earth, I have two corrupted files on my computer at the hospital, 'skydrive.exe' and something related to Flash. First thing tomorrow is to remove Flash. I don't think I can remove SkyDrive - not sure if I can remove Internet Explorer, which would remove Skydrive I think.
 
The laptop had probably 40 or so programs listed under Control Panel, and they're all gone but for Vipre, Malwarebytes, and Chrome. It would take forever to fill in the list, since this was a "practice" laptop, and I had lots of programs there that i wanted to try out before installing them on my other laptop. Word processing, photography, video, editing, utilities, all sorts of stuff.

In retrospect, I should have deleted all the stuff I never need any more first, and then checked - but now I'm free to try out Windows 10 on it, so it wasn't a waste of time.

My other PC at work has problems with a "flash" file, and "skydrive.exe"; everything else is fixed. I'm out of ideas of other things to try, but at least SFC /scannow reports no errors, so it's better than before.
 
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