Run sfc / scannow command on external drives

Many of you already know this command. The SFC / Scannow command is an extremely useful command. It is responsible for examining all the files on the system, to ensure that the essential files are not damaged. Also if they were not present. In this way, if necessary it will replace those damaged files that have been detected.

How can I repair corrupted data: SFC / Scannow command

As you can see, it is really useful to be able to use it. It can help us in many situations. For example, if Windows does not work or after a virus attack. We know that we can use it in our system without problems. Can we use it on external drives?

Fortunately, it is possible to run this SFC command on external drives. We show you how to do it below.

How to run the SFC command?

The process is identical to the normal way of executing this command, so if you have already done it before it will not pose any problem. For those who have never done it before, here are the steps to follow.

First we have to press the Windows key on the keyboard. So type cmd.exe, and hold Ctrl + Shift and then hit Enter. This will open a command prompt. If you are looking for all the switches that have SFC compatibility then you should type SFC /?

The following command should be used to run the scan of the system file in a directory other than the active system directory:

Sfc / scannow / offwindir = d: \ windows / offbootdir = d: \

It is important to note that d: \ windows must be replaced with the correct directory. If in your case the Windows installation is in t: \ win, you have to change it. T is just an example, it can be the letter you want or have. In that case you must replace d: \ windows of the command that we have presented before, by the one where the installation is located.

Once this is done, the scan will start running. This scan searches for the file system verification in the Windows directory that we have selected. In case of encountering any problem, it will try to repair it. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you can repair it in all cases.

If you wish, you can execute other commands in the Windows directories. What commands? There are two that can complement the activity that you are carrying out.

• / verifyonly - Partly does the same thing for the SFC command. But in this case it won't do anything with the files. It is just going to verify them. Therefore, if the only thing you are looking for is to do a verification, it is the best option. This way you will not be in contact with the files and there is no risk of modification. / Scanfile = file - With this command what you do is scan a selected file. It does not scan the entire directory. Also useful in some cases.

Is the SFC command useful?

The SFC / Scannow command is very useful, but as a tool to carry out a verification. That is the function with which you can use it more efficiently. It is not a tool that we can consider 100% reliable to correct errors in Windows. It can help us detect the flaws that are present, quite generally correct, but to correct the problems it is not the best option.

There are no guarantees that you will be able to correct the problems that have arisen, in fact there are cases in which you cannot detect certain problems. Therefore, we recommend that you see it more as a tool that fulfills part of the process. For the next phase you need another one. If you are looking for a tool that will help you to solve sfcfix v3.0 problems, it may be a good option to consider. What do you think about using the SFC command?