System fails to start and the directory "c:\Windows" appears as a non-existent file.
System fails to start and the directory "c:\Windows" appears as a non-existent file.
Yesterday my PC crashed during shutdown. After restarting Windows 10, the screen went dark but the monitor reported a signal. I found the "Windows" folder is now empty. Can I recover the system by copying it from a working installation or should I reinstall entirely?
I notice two possible scenarios: - some malware erasing your Win folder, requiring a clean reinstall - the crash damaging the file system, meaning most files probably remain intact Not a specialist in Windows, but there could be a "repair" feature when using an install media; otherwise, you may need a third-party tool.
I have some additional details I think won’t be very useful. Before taking any action, I ran a CHKDSK check externally. It seems this might explain why the C:\Windows folder isn’t there. The date stamp on the recovered folder looks correct. I’m hoping copying those files into a new C:\Windows directory will fix things, though I’m not very optimistic. The biggest issue is that my backup from July 21, 2022 is corrupted and can’t be restored. I’ll update you once I know the outcome.
Executed CHKDSK on the external PC. Noticed folder c:\Windows missing; searched for hidden file.000 (hidden). Identified a matching folder with a timestamp. Took ownership of the found.000 folder using takeown.exe and icacls.exe. Renamed the file "Windows" to "Windows.old". Created a new folder named "Windows". Copied all files from the found.000 folder into the new Windows folder. Ran sfc /scannow /offwindir=x:\Windows /offbootdir=x: (replace x with your drive letter). Restarted the PC. If necessary, repeat the process until no corrupted files are detected.