I run this command weekly, and my PC never slows down

Windows machines run great until they suddenly start slowing down out of nowhere. If you're not maintaining your machine regularly, these slowdowns can become much more severe.

I have an annual ritual that keeps my Windows laptops running like new. But taking your entire machine apart for weekly maintenance is a hassle. Thankfully, running these commands weekly will keep your Windows PC in top shape, at least on the software end.

What are SFC and DISM?

Two tools that keep Windows running smoothly

SFC, or the System File Checker, is a built-in computer health inspector that you can run via the Windows terminal. It scans through all your Windows system files and checks for anything that's corrupted, missing, or out of place. If it finds a problem, it automatically replaces the damaged files with fresh copies.

DISM, or the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool, is a more powerful alternative to SFC. While SFC can fix individual system files, DISM repairs your entire Windows image. These might seem like two separate tools, but they're best run together. DISM provides the foundation that SFC relies on to do its job perfectly. If your Windows image is broken, SFC has no reliable backup to pull fresh files to replace any damaged ones it finds.

The order in which you run these tools is also important. Generally speaking, you should run DISM first, then SFC. DISM ensures that the Windows component store, where SFC gets its replacement files, is healthy and updated. If you run SFC without DISM or run DISM later, SFC ends up relying upon an older or corrupted component store to fix any issues it encounters.

Running DISM and SFC properly

There's an order to Windows maintenance

Running these commands isn't rocket science. All you need to do is fire up the Windows terminal with administrator permissions and run DISM first using this command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This command tells DISM to check Windows' component store and repair any corruptions it finds. Keep in mind that it can take some time to complete. Sometimes, the command might appear to be stuck at certain percentages. Just be patient and let it finish, as canceling it midway can cause problems.

Next, it's time to run SFC.

sfc /scannow

The SFC command will scan all your system files and replace any corruption using the healthy component store DISM just repaired. This command can also take some time to run, so be patient and let SFC do its thing.

And that's it. Running both commands shouldn't take you longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a stretch. More often than not, both commands will come back clean. But every few weeks, especially after a Windows update or software installation, one or both tools will find and fix issues. Several other commands make your PC much easier to manage, and you should invest some time familiarizing yourself with them.

You don't have to run these commands religiously every week. In fact, some people might argue that you should only run these tools when you face performance issues or other problems. However, running them weekly or even monthly keeps you ahead of most issues.

In my experience, small file corruptions or missing files that aren't a problem at first can snowball into bigger issues when using Windows. The files keep piling on, and before you know it, you're sorting through hundreds, if not thousands, of DLL and configuration files to find and replace that one file that's causing system instability.

Just because your PC isn't broken, that doesn't mean you should skip maintenance. Just like every machine, your PC requires regular maintenance—both hardware and software. You're always better off doing preventive care rather than waiting for a small issue to snowball into a bigger problem and then spend an entire weekend getting your computer back up and running.

Additionally, keeping your system optimized ensures consistent boot times and performance. Random crashes or error messages will also become a rare occurrence. Running DISM and SFC won't magically make your PC more powerful, but they will let you run it at maximum performance longer. When combined with other 10-minute Windows cleanups anyone can do, your PC will feel as good as new.

Keep your Windows PC running like new

Catch problems before they catch you

Running DISM and SFC as maintenance is just part of good computer hygiene. Sure, you should keep your system updated, run the occasional malware scan, and clean up junk files. However, maintaining the integrity of your core system files prevents mysterious problems that can turn a productive workday into a trip to the repair shop.

Your Windows installation wants to stay healthy, and these built-in tools give it the means to do so. All you have to do is remember to use them regularly, before small issues turn into a bigger problem that renders your computer slow or unusable.