The strangest Windows 8.1 problem I've ever faced... what even is this?
The strangest Windows 8.1 problem I've ever faced... what even is this?
If SFC and DISM fail to repair, it may indicate bad sectors on your hard drive. You can fix this using CHKDSK within a CMD window, but first consider running HDD Diagnostics. Recommended tools are Seagate Seatools or WD Data Lifeguard. If diagnostics confirm the drives are healthy, proceed with CHKDSK options. However, if diagnostics report a bad drive, using CHKDSK risks data loss. Please try the recommended software and share your findings.
I actually own an SSD. After following a recommendation from @RH00D about using Avast and performing a boot-up scan, it detected no threats but identified some corrupted files. I managed to fix them temporarily. Then I ran sfc /scannow, which found corrupted files and reported it couldn't fix some of them. Following up with dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth completed the process, and the component store corruption was resolved. Thank you for your assistance—I really value it.