Troubleshoot And Repair Your Operating System Using Windows & macOS Bult-In Tools
It could be very frustrating when we start spending time troubleshooting, searching for quick solutions online, uninstalling apps, and nothing works. The slowness of the computer can be caused for insufficient RAM, malware, viruses, corrupted files, unnecessary software, outdated drivers and controllers, low-speed internet connection, junk files, full storage, hardware maintenance, etc.
Whether your computer is running on Windows or macOS, it is very likely that, at some point, you may have experienced this scenario.
Mac users may not be too familiar with it, since macOS is a lot more stable than Windows, it is also less vulnerable to threats, and the chances that macOS gets corrupted or damaged are much less.
Not only that, macOS has a very friendly built-in tool called ‘First Aid’ which can be found under ‘Disk Utility’. First Aid can be very helpful and it actually does work almost every time.
What can I Fix with first aid?
First Aid is a built-in tool for macOS. It scans and repairs minor file system errors in your disk
- Corrupted system files
- App crashes
- Boot up issues (If your Mac is not booting up, try First Aid in Safe Mode)
- Unreadable cryptic error messages
- External storage devices issues
Learn How to start your Mac in safe mode here
What are the SFC commands to fix WIndows?
Windows SFC or System File Checker scans all protected files to verify their versions.
However, If Windows is too damaged, it may not work.
System File Checker Scanner
Windows SFC or System File Checker is a built-in command that can be run through the Command prompt or PowerShell.
It is used to scan and repair all protected files to verify their versions and retrieve or replace Windows installation source files.
It needs to be run with administrator privileges.
- sfc /scannow: Scans all protected system files immediately and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
System File Checker Scanner For Advanced Users
- /Scanonce: Scans all protected system files one time when you restart your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files when you restart the computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 2 in the following registry key when you run this command: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
- /Scanboot: Scans all protected system files every time you start your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files every time you start your computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 1 in the following registry key when you run this command: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
- /Revert: Returns scan to the default setting (do not scan protected files when you start the computer). The default cache size is not reset when you run this command. This command is equivalent to the /Enable switch in Windows 2000.
- /Purgecache: Purges the file cache and scans all protected system files immediately. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
- /Cachesize=x: Sets the file cache size to x megabytes (MB). The default size of the cache is 50 MB. This command requires you to restart the computer, and then run the /purgecache command to adjust the size of the on-disk cache. This command sets the SfcQuota DWORD value to x in the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
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