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How to fix File System Error in Windows 10?

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For the most part, Windows 10 is a rather well-made operating system with relatively fewer bugs and glitches; however, it’s not immune to problems. There are still numerous errors, crashes and whatnot that users have faced in the past years.

In this article, we’ve discussed nine ways to fix File System Error in Windows 10. These errors are often caused by faulty hardware, out of date or incompatible driver software and a few other odd reasons.


Check your drivers

The first thing you should do is check if all your important drivers, including GPU and any other hardware you’ve got, are installed properly and up to date. 

Almost all drivers work with Windows on a system level, which means anyone can easily cause a file system error. If you’ve added any new hardware to your PC recently, that could also be the most likely point of failure. 

Also read: How to get the official Windows 11 preview build?


Check for hardware failure

Faulty hardware often causes system errors in Windows as they conflict with the driver result in misbehaving peripherals and a crashed system. This can also cause a file system error.

If checking for drivers didn’t bring anything up, check all your peripherals to make sure they’re properly connected, especially internals such as RAM and GPU. 


Check for corrupt files

Corrupt files are the number one reason why your PC might be behaving weirdly. Here’s how you can get rid of them and potentially resolve your issue. 

Step 1: Press Windows Key + S to bring up the Cortana/Search box and search for Powershell. Open Windows Powershell from the search results.

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Step 2: Type sfc /scannow to scan your system for issues. 

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Step 3: If the SFC scan finds any problem, use the following command to resolve them. 

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
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Restart your PC, and the file system error should’ve been resolved. 


Run DISM

The DISM tool is a rather important utility for fixing system-level Windows issues. 

You can check out our detailed guide on using the DISM tool here. 


Uninstall your antivirus

Yes, you read that right. At times, antivirus software can cause conflicts with WIndows files or outright delete them, causing Windows to crash. If you’re getting seemingly random crashes all the time but with no hardware or driver flaws, try uninstalling your antivirus to rule out the problem. 

Also read: Windows 10 start menu won’t open: 6 fixes


Run a check disk scan

Check disk is another popular Windows utility that can scan your system for any corrupted files causing this issue.

Step 1: Press Windows key + X to open the quick access menu and click on Command Prompt (Admin).

How to fix File System Error in Windows 10? | Candid.Technology

Step 2: Type the following command and hit enter.

chkdsk /f /r C:
How to fix File System Error in Windows 10? | Candid.Technology

Repeat this command for all the partitions you have, replacing C: with the partition’s assigned drive letter. Restart your PC, and the file system error should’ve been resolved. 


Run system restore

Restoring your system to an earlier point in time can also fix the problem if you made a system restore point. 

Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Reset this PC. Launch the Recovery setting from the search results. 

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Step 2: Click on Open System Restore. 

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Step 3: Select the recommended restore point and click the Next button to proceed. 

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Reset the Windows Store cache

The Windows store runs fine for the most part but can cause some problems when it doesn’t. All you need to do is press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt, type WSReset.exe and hit enter.

How to fix File System Error in Windows 10? | Candid.Technology

After the Store reset process is complete, restart your PC to check if the file system error has been resolved. 


Reset your PC

Resetting your PC is a bit of drastic action but will fix most if not all issues. 

Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Reset this PC. Click on the corresponding search result.

How to fix File System Error in Windows 10? | Candid.Technology

Step 2: Under Reset this PC, click on Get started. 

How to fix File System Error in Windows 10? | Candid.Technology

Follow through with the rest of the reset process, and your computer should recover from the issue. 

Also read: How to change the priority of a process in Windows 10?

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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