How to use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool (DISM) to repair the Windows System Store

The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool can be used to scan and repair potential issues with the .wim store in Windows that may impact system files. This article provides information on the DISM tool and how to use it to scan and repair the .wim store.

Information on the Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool (DISM)

The Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool (DISM) is an administrator-level, command-line executable available in Windows which can be used to repair your Windows image or to modify Windows installation media. It is able to mount Windows images in .wim, .vhd, or .vhdx format, and can be used to address issues in the currently installed Windows operating system.

Using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool (DISM) to repair the Windows System Store

The System File Checker tool can be used to repair corrupted system files. For more information on how to use the tool, refer to the following Microsoft article: Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files . The System File Checker tool compares those files against the .wim store that is saved on the system (not to be confused with the Windows Software Store app where you can purchase software for Windows). If this store is corrupted, the repairs may not resolve the problems that the system is having. The DISM tool has some modifiers that can scan and repair the .wim store based on parent copies stored on Microsoft’s update servers, making it useful to run in conjunction with a system file check. Reference the table below for a list and description of DISM tool modifiers (Table 1):

As an example, the following command would trigger a scan of an online image to check the Windows store for corruption and repair any that it finds:

• dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

The command does not always check the files with the parent copies stored on the Windows Update servers by default, and adding the /online modifier does not allow the computer to pull from the Windows Update server with it disabled. If the online functionality is disabled, you may run the command and get an error stating that it was unable to find the source file. Note that with this option enabled, the repair will likely take significantly longer depending on your internet connection speed. To enable the option:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc into the start menu search bar and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair then double click on it to open up the settings window.
3. Set the process to enabled, and in the Option section look for the option labeled Contact Windows Update directly to download repair content instead of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and check the box.

Under good conditions, the command will take about 10-20 minutes to run, but depending on circumstances it can potentially take over an hour.

Additional Reference:

• What is DISM?
• DISM Reference (Deployment Image Servicing and Management)
• DISM Supported Platforms