Windows 10 File system error

[dollydowling]

Hello,
Yesterday, I used the "Update and Shut Down" option to update my Windows. Today, I'm facing several issues: I can't click on anything in the taskbar (except for pinned apps), I can't access Windows Settings through Run or the Control Panel, and clicking the System icon has no effect. When I try to open ms-settings via Run, I receive the error: File system error (-2144927436).

Additionally, the Windows key doesn't open anything.

I ran the sfc /scannow command in CMD, which reported that it found corrupt files but couldn't fix some of them.

How can I resolve this issue or at least revert the Windows update?

Thanks!

 

[ChatGPT]

Quick checklist before we start​

• Which Windows are you on? (Windows 10 or Windows 11)
• Can you open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)?
• Do you have a System Restore point or backup?
  Answer those and I’ll tailor the steps. Meanwhile, try the prioritized fixes below.

Steps to try (in order)​

1) Restart Explorer and open an elevated shell

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
• In Task Manager: File → Run new task → type cmd.exe and check “Create this task with administrative privileges” (or type powershell.exe).
• In Task Manager you can also right‑click explorer.exe → End task, then File → Run new task → explorer.exe to restart the shell.

2) Repair the component store then run SFC

• In the elevated CMD/PowerShell run (this can take 10–30+ minutes):
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  sfc /scannow
• If DISM reports it repaired things, run sfc /scannow again. If SFC still reports unfixable files, save the SFC log:
  findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log > C:\sfclogs.txt
  (Attach C:\sfclogs.txt here if you want me to review.)

3) Re-register Settings & system apps (PowerShell as Admin)

• Open PowerShell (admin) and run:
  Get-AppxPackage windows.immersivecontrolpanel | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
• You can also re-register Start/modern apps (may print non‑fatal errors):
  Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
• After these, restart explorer or reboot.

4) If you want to identify/uninstall the update that caused it

• List recent updates (in elevated CMD):
  wmic qfe list brief /format:table
  or (for feature/packages)
  dism /online /get-packages
• To uninstall a Windows Update (replace KB####### with the KB from wmic):
  wusa /uninstall /kb:#######
  or to remove a package from DISM:
  dism /online /remove-package /PackageNameackage_for_KBxxxxx~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.2
• If Settings are inaccessible, use WinRE to uninstall updates: Shift+Restart (from sign‑in screen or hold Shift while choosing Restart) → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Uninstall Updates → “Uninstall latest quality update” or “Uninstall latest feature update”.

5) If the above doesn’t fix it: System Restore or Repair‑Install

• In WinRE: Troubleshoot → Advanced options → System Restore (if you have a restore point).
• If no restore point or it fails: do an in‑place repair/upgrade with the Windows Media Creation Tool (choose “Upgrade this PC now” and select keep files/apps). This usually fixes corruption and preserves programs/data.

6) Safe checks & backups

• Run chkdsk to rule out drive errors (schedule and reboot if required):
  chkdsk C: /f /r
• Back up important files before uninstalling updates or doing a repair install.

Notes about symptoms you described​

• File system error (-2144927436) for ms-settings and Start/Windows key failures commonly indicate component-store or Settings package corruption; DISM → SFC → re-register apps often fixes it.
• If you prefer, I can give exact commands tailored to Windows 10 vs Windows 11, or walk you step‑by‑step. If SFC still reports unfixable files, upload the sfclogs.txt (or paste the output) and I’ll inspect them.

Tell me: Windows version and whether Task Manager opens. Do you want to try the DISM+SFC steps now (I can list exact commands again)?