Windows 7 / Getting Started

How to Manually Replace Files

If startup files are missing or become corrupted, Windows may not be able to boot successfully. Often, Windows will display an error message that shows the name of the missing file.

Startup Repair can automatically replace missing system files, but it may not detect corrupted files. However, you can manually replace files using the System Recovery command-line tool.

To replace files, follow these steps:

  1. From another computer, copy the new files to removable media such as a CD-ROM or a USB flash drive. You cannot access Windows system files from the Windows DVD because they are stored within a Windows Imaging (WIM) file that is not accessible from within System Recovery.
  2. Start System Recovery tools, as described in the section titled "How to Start the System Recovery Tools" earlier in this tutorial.
  3. After the System Recovery tools start, click Command Prompt.
  4. Your removable media will have a drive letter, just like a hard disk. System Recovery tools assign hard disk letters starting with C and then assign letters to removable media. To identify the drive letter of your removable media, run the following commands.
    C:\>diskpart
    DISKPART> list volume
    Volume ###LtrLabelFsTypeSizeStatusInfo
    Volume 0CWin 7NTFSPartition63 GBHealthy
    Volume 1EWindows XPNTFSPartition91 GBHealthy
    Volume 2DNTFSPartition69 GBHealthy
    Volume 3IRemovable0 BNo Media
    Volume 4HRemovable0 B No Media
    Volume 5FLR1CFRE_EN_UDFPartition2584 MBHealthy
    Volume 6GUSBDRIVEFATPartition991 MBHealthy
  5. Use the Copy command to transfer files from your removable media to the computer's hard disk.
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In this tutorial:

  1. Configuring Startup and Troubleshooting Startup Issues
  2. What is New with Windows Startup
  3. Boot Configuration Data
  4. BCD Stores
  5. System Recovery
  6. Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics
  7. Understanding the Startup Process
  8. Power-on Self Test Phase
  9. Initial Startup Phase
  10. Initial Startup Phase for BIOS Computers
  11. Initial Startup Phase for EFI Computers
  12. Windows Boot Manager Phase
  13. Windows Boot Loader Phase
  14. Kernel Loading Phase
  15. Control Sets
  16. Values for the Start Registry Entry
  17. Value Descriptions for Type Entries
  18. Other Registry Entries in the Servicename Subkeys
  19. Session Manager
  20. Logon Phase
  21. Important Startup Files
  22. How to Configure Startup Settings
  23. How to Use the Startup And Recovery Dialog Box
  24. How to Use the System Configuration Tool
  25. How to Use BCDEdit
  26. How to Interpret BCDEdit Output
  27. How to Back Up and Restore Settings
  28. How to Change the Default Operating System Entry
  29. How to Change the Boot Menu Time-Out
  30. How to Change the Order of Boot Manager Menu Items
  31. How to Create an Entry for Another Operating System
  32. How to Remove a Boot Entry
  33. How to View and Update Global Debugger Settings
  34. How to Remove the Windows 7 Boot Loader
  35. How to Configure a User Account to Automatically Log On
  36. How to Disable the Windows Startup Sound
  37. How to Speed Up the Startup Process
  38. The Process of Troubleshooting Startup
  39. Startup Troubleshooting Before the Starting Windows Logo Appears
  40. How to Start the System Recovery Tools
  41. How to Run Startup Repair
  42. How to Use BootRec.exe
  43. How to Diagnose Hardware Problems
  44. How to Use System Restore
  45. How to Manually Repair the Boot Sector
  46. How to Manually Update the BCD Registry File
  47. How to Manually Replace Files
  48. How to Reinstall Windows
  49. Startup Troubleshooting After the Starting Windows Logo Appears
  50. How to Restore the Last Known Good Configuration
  51. How to Enable Boot Logging
  52. How to Start in Safe Mode
  53. How to Identify Failing Drivers and Services
  54. How to Analyze Startup Problems in Safe Mode
  55. Event Viewer (Eventvwr.msc)
  56. System Information
  57. Error Reporting Service
  58. How to Use Device Manager to View or Change Resources
  59. How to Analyze Boot Logs
  60. How to Roll Back Drivers
  61. How to Temporarily Disable a Service
  62. Troubleshooting Startup Problems After Logon
  63. How to Temporarily Disable Startup Applications and Processes
  64. How to Disable Startup Applications Using the Shift Key
  65. How to Disable Startup Programs Using the System Configuration Utility
  66. How to Disable Startup Applications Configured Using Group Policy or Logon Scripts
  67. How to Permanently Disable Startup Applications and Processes
  68. Manually Remove the Entry