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How can I run DISM agaisnt a USB Windows installer to repair my local Windows files?
This is what I tried in Windows 8.1:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
It returns error 0x800f081f:
Note that my WinSxS folder has several folders and sizes 6.88 GB, however DISM won't detect it.
I understand that a healthy source can be a Windows USB Installer.
How can I do this?
You can point to the WIM file of the Windows 8.1 RTM DVD:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:wim:D:\sources\install.wim:1 /limitaccess
(where D: is your Windows DVD drive or mounted Win8.1 ISO)
/restorehealthis not about detecting%WinDir%\WinSxS, but about verifying the system file backups within it against known good sources, preferably via Windows Update (which is why this requires an internet connection), or as a last resort, aninstall.wim/install.esd. The Component Store [WinSxS] should never be entered into or modified by a user. OnceDISMhas verified there's no corruption in WinSxS,SFCcan then be utilized to compare the system files within%WinDir%against the known good copies contained within the Component Store [WinSxS] and replace them as necessary.