PowerEdge: How to run sfc /scannow from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
Summary: Info on running the System File Checker in the Windows Recovery Environment in Windows Server
This article applies to
This article does not apply to
This article is not tied to any specific product.
Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Instructions
This article provides information about running the System File Checker (sfc.exe) in the Windows Recovery Environment in Windows Server.
When attempting to run the System File Checker (sfc.exe) within the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), you may receive the following error:Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service.
The error is shown in the screenshot below (Figure 1 (English-only)):
Figure 1: Windows Resource Protection Error
When running sfc /scannow in WinRE, two switches must be added to the command in order to run it in offline mode:
/offbootdir=<disk>indicates the boot drive letter./offwindir=<folder>indicates the folder where Windows is installed.
The following is an example of the command with these switches added:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\Windows
Important: The drive letter required in both switches is the drive letter as it appears in WinRE. This is typically a different letter from the one assigned to the same partition when Windows is running, because WinRE enumerates partitions differently.
Affected Products
Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows Server 2022Products
PowerEdge FC640, PowerEdge M640, PowerEdge M640 (for PE VRTX), PowerEdge MX5016s, PowerEdge MX740C, PowerEdge MX750c, PowerEdge MX760c, PowerEdge MX840C, PowerEdge R240, PowerEdge R250, PowerEdge R260, PowerEdge R340, PowerEdge R350, PowerEdge R360
, PowerEdge R440, PowerEdge R450, PowerEdge R540, PowerEdge R550, PowerEdge R640, PowerEdge R6415, PowerEdge R650, PowerEdge R650xs, PowerEdge R6515, PowerEdge R6525, PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge R660xs, PowerEdge R6615, PowerEdge R6625, PowerEdge R740, PowerEdge R740XD, PowerEdge R740XD2, PowerEdge R7415, PowerEdge R7425, PowerEdge R750, PowerEdge R750XA, PowerEdge R750xs, PowerEdge R7515, PowerEdge R7525, PowerEdge R760, PowerEdge R760XA, PowerEdge R760xd2, PowerEdge R760xs, PowerEdge R7615, PowerEdge R7625, PowerEdge R840, PowerEdge R860, PowerEdge R940, PowerEdge R940xa, PowerEdge R960, PowerEdge T140, PowerEdge T160, PowerEdge T340, PowerEdge T350, PowerEdge T360, PowerEdge T440, PowerEdge T550, PowerEdge T560, PowerEdge T640, PowerEdge XE2420, PowerEdge XE7420, PowerEdge XE7440, PowerEdge XE8545
...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000137221
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 10 Mar 2025
Version: 5
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.