How To Recover Data If Windows OS Is Corrupted?

One or other day, a lot of you would bump into a situation where your Windows system would fail to load or boot. It may even display the following error message on your screen stating: Missing OS or Operating System Not Found. One of the major reasons behind these error messages is Windows registry corruption. Are you one among those users who have come across the above stated situation? If yes, do you know how to resolve the issue and get back lost data? If your answer to this is a NO, then, you don’t need to worry about it! Recovering data from a corrupt Windows OS is easy. For this, all you need to have this is the Windows 10 bootable drive or another working PC that you can use to troubleshoot issues of the affected PC. Before you jump to the troubleshooting solutions, it’s essential to get aware of the reasons due to which the Windows 10 operating system gets corrupted. 

What Are The Reasons Behind the Corrupted Windows 10 Operating System?

As said, there are several reasons due to which the Windows 10 OS gets corrupted. To help you get aware, we have mentioned the major of these below:

• Outdated drivers
• Corrupt DLL files
• Corrupt Registry
• Incompatible software Hardware issue
• Bad sector in hard disk
• Modified system files
• Conflict in two Anti-Virus

Quick Fixes To Recover Data From A Corrupt Windows OS

Before you proceed to the detailed troubleshooting solutions that are covered ahead in this blog. We would recommend you trying out some of the quick fixes that we listed below:

• Always ensure to keep a backup of your important data to the external drive.
• Try to reinstall the operating system using the Windows 10 installation medium.
• You may also try to format the corrupted drive.
• If you still are unable to recover your data, try to copy the data from the backup drive to the refurbished storage drive.

Well, it won’t be much of a task to recover the corrupted data if you have figured out the causes. There are certain troubleshooting solutions that you need to implement for recovering the corrupt data. If wondering about the methods, proceed to the next section.

Troubleshooting Solutions To Recover Data From Corrupted Windows OS

Here, we have listed all the effective troubleshooting methods by following which you will be able to recover data due to corrupted Windows OS:

Solution 1: Run System File Checker Scan (SFC) to Fix Corrupted System Files

System File Checker is a utility in Windows that enables you to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore the corrupted files. To scan system files and repair missing or corrupted system files using the System File Checker tool, you must proceed with the below-given steps:

• Click on the Windows icon and type CMD in the text field.
• Right-click Command Prompt and select the Run as administrator option.
• Make sure to type sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt window, and then, press the Enter key to run a full system scan.

If due to any reason the System File Checker is unable to fix one or more files, then you have to take system restore or a Windows clean install into account. But before you begin doing it, make sure to create a backup of your data without booting into Windows. It assures that your data is safe.

Solution 2: Use Deployment Image & Servicing Management (DISM)

If the system file checker fails to recover the corrupted data, then, you may try Deployment Image & Servicing Management (DISM) in safe mode. To do so, follow the below-stated steps:

• Click on the Windows icon in the first place. 
• Then, select the Command Prompt (Admin) option.
• There, you need to type the command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press the Enter key.

Solution 3: Check and Repair Hard Disk Corruption Errors

You may come across system corruption due to damaged or corrupted hard disk drive. You can check and fix the damage by using the CHKDSK command. Proceed with the steps mentioned below to get it done: 

• At first, click on the Windows icon and type CMD in the search space.
• Then, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator option.
• After that, enter the following command: chkdsk e: /f /r /x. 

Note: Here, e denotes the drive letter of the partition you want to repair.

1. chkdsk /f: It runs to fix any found errors.
2. chkdsk /r: It runs to locate the bad sectors and recover any readable information.
3. chkdsk /x: is running to force the volume that you might check to be dismounted before the utility begins a scan.

Solution 4: Updating all Device Drivers to the Newest

At times, system corruption can take place right after you update the Windows 10. The reason behind this can be an incompatibility of hardware and drivers. To fix this, all you have to do is update all the device drivers. The below-listed steps can help you in doing so:

• Firstly, click on Windows icon.
• From there, go to This PC followed by Manage and Device Manager.
• Further, you have to expand Disk drives.
• At last, right-click the disk and select the Update driver option.

System File Checker (SFC) & Deployment Image Servicing Management (DISM) are really great tools that help recover your data due to corrupt Windows OS without the need of clean installation of the operating system. Another important step to avoid data loss prior to formatting and installation of Windows is to create a backup of your files and folder. In case your PC does not boot, then, you won’t be able to recover your data by following the above-mentioned troubleshooting. In that case, you need to try your hands on reliable data recovery software.

Solution 5: Use Windows Data Recovery Software

Stuck with corrupted Windows OS and aren’t able to access your data? Don’t worry! All you need is an efficient data recovery software that can help you get back on track. Stellar Windows Data Recovery software is one of these. It is a do-it-yourself data recovery software that helps you recover deleted files & folders, missing or corrupt partitions and even accidentally formatted hard drives without any hassle. To use this software, proceed as explained below:

• Firstly, you have to remove the internal storage drive from the affected PC. Then, connect the drive to a working PC as an external drive.

• If drive is detected but inaccessible, then you have download, install and run the Stellar Data Recovery Software.
• Once opened, select what to recover (All data), and then, click Next.
• Further, select the location of the inaccessible drive, then click Scan.
• Once scanned, make sure to preview the scanned items.
• Select the required items and click on Recover.
• At last, enter the required location, then click on Start Saving.

And you are done, you have successfully saved your data from the corrupted operating system. If due to any reason, the drive is not detected, it signifies, that there is a physical damage to your drive. To get it fixed, you have to seek help from your local data recovery expert.

Winding Up!

This blog points out various data recovery methods which, if implemented correctly will surely help you recover data from the corrupt Windows OS and inaccessible hard drive. The manual methods for recovering Windows 10 include the system file checker to scan and repair system files. If it fails to repair damage, then deployment image and servicing management tool can also come in handy. However, if neither of the repair methods work, then you must use Stellar’s Data Recovery Software to recover your data.