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I have a Windows 10 machine that does not boot into Windows, not even Safe Mode, after a reboot following a Windows Update and which none of the standard Windows repair options, or SFC /SCANNOW, are able to fix, hence I am falling back to DISM.

I have a USB stick containing a Windows 10 Pro ISO for 19043.985 amd64 (which is what DISM reports the image as being), created via uupdump.net:

enter image description here

...within which there is a WIM install file, but DISM is never able to find replacements for any of the corrupt entries when executed from the Win PE command console:

X:\Sources>dism /Image:c:\ /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /LimitAccess /Source:e:\sources /Scratchdir:c:\temp

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.1

Image Version: 10.0.19043.985

[==========================100.0%==========================]
Error: 0x800f081f

The source files could not be found.
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 https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.

I have read How to execute DISM from Windows 10 PE on Win 10 system with Windows Update / Microsoft as source only? and Windows 10 DISM cannot find files, even with ISO mounted but have been unable to find any clues.

The whole DISM log file can be found here; it seems that it is at least loading the source from USB:

2024-02-18 09:44:02, Info                  CBS    Exec: Addsource called, Session: 672_2522140, Client: DISM Package Manager Provider, from GPO: No, Path: e:\sources
2024-02-18 09:44:02, Info                  DISM   DISM Package Manager: PID=672 TID=948 CBS session options=0x20000! - CDISMPackageManager::Internal_Finalize
2024-02-18 09:44:02, Info                  CBS    Client specifies manual store corruption detect or repair.

What might I be doing wrong?

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    /Source: has to either be a ESD/WIM with index specified, an offline Windows image (e.g. a non-booted to Windows OS that's not the one being fixed - Windows is referred to as an "image" when servicing), or a Component Store [Windows\WinSxS], all of which must match the version of the offline image attempting to be repaired. Please see this answer for how to do so. Also, normally /Image: must be <partition>:\Windows, and C: is usually never the Windows partition in WinPE/WinRE - to ascertain: DiskPart → lis vol → exit
    – JW0914
    Commented Feb 18 at 15:19
  • (Cont'd...) The install.<esd|wim> on an Install USB is located at sources/install.<esd|wim>
    – JW0914
    Commented Feb 18 at 15:21
  • Unfortunately if I change to /Source:wim:e:\sources\install.wim:1 (having verified that Windows Pro is at index 1) the log says Cannot add wim: file source because it is not supported during offline servicing.
    – Rob
    Commented Feb 18 at 16:27
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    Have you tried mounting index 1 and using <mountpoint>\Windows\WinSxS as the source? Create a directory for the mount directory, then Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:e:\sources\install.wim /Index:1 /MountDir:<mountpoint>\mount /ReadOnly, using <mountpount\mount\Windows or <mountpount\mount\Windows\WinSxS as the source, and if that doesn't work, try copying out Windows\WinSxS, then using the new path to it as the source.
    – JW0914
    Commented Feb 18 at 17:04
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    You'd always specifiy the drive letter of the OS partition - to ascertain: DiskPart → lis vol → exit (C: is rarely the OS partition in WinPE since drive letters in WinPE are assigned in numerical order of the HDD0, partitions 1 - x, HDD1, partitions 1 - x, etc. and the OS partition will always be at least the second partition and therefor never assigned C:)
    – JW0914
    Commented Feb 18 at 17:19

1 Answer 1

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Since DISM offline did not fix the problem (DISM is not the best repair tool for your issue here - Windows OS highly damaged), you need to try the Windows 10 Startup Repair.

First get the manufacturer's Hardware Diagnostic App and test for hardware errors.

If there are no apparent hardware errors, try doing the Windows !0 Startup Repair.

Startup Repair

Start the system to the installation media for the installed version of Windows. For more information, see Create installation media for Windows.

On the Install Windows screen, select Next > Repair your computer.

On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot.

On the Advanced options screen, select Startup Repair.

After Startup Repair, select Shutdown, then turn on your PC to see if Windows can boot properly.

If Startup Repair fails, then back up your system (drive in carrier) and do a fresh install of Windows.

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  • Yes, startup repair fails I'm afraid, that's how I got here. Looking at the damaged packages, they are mostly 19041.985, so I created an ISO of that from uupdump.net but, when looking inside the install.wim it created, all of the package versions are 19041.1, no sign of a 19041.985, so it looks like I will not be able to obtain the missing packages that way anyway.
    – Rob
    Commented Feb 18 at 14:32
  • Ref. HW, there was a HD issue, I've replaced it and image-copied the old to the new, and was hoping I could repair the packages on the new HW.
    – Rob
    Commented Feb 18 at 14:33
  • You will need the Startup Repair as just getting the good packages (DISM) will not likely fix things
    – anon
    Commented Feb 18 at 14:39
  • Hokay, looks like I'll have to fresh install then (user data is already backed up several ways to Sunday).
    – Rob
    Commented Feb 18 at 14:40
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    "Since DISM offline did not fix the problem" - the command the OP used is incorrect. "...DISM is not a strong repair tool for your issue here" - Dism and Sfc will repair all Windows system files if something became corrupted during a Windows Update
    – JW0914
    Commented Feb 18 at 15:17

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