Question:

How can I restore a corrupted Windows 10 installation on an NVMe SSD that fails to boot and has no restore points?

I have a Windows 10 installation on an NVMe SSD that has been damaged and forced into read-only mode. I cloned the drive using Lazesoft Clone, but none of the recovery options from a Windows 10 USB worked. I also cannot do an in-place upgrade from the USB, as the system crashes with a “Registry Error” blue screen of death (BSOD) at boot. The cloned drive has the same problem. I do not want to do a clean install, as I would lose all of my applications. I also do not want to upgrade to Windows 11, as I am not sure if I can downgrade later. Is there any way to fix my Windows 10 installation without losing my data or applications?

Answer:

If you have a Windows 10 installation on an NVMe SSD that fails to boot and has no restore points, you might be wondering if there is any way to fix it without losing your data or applications. A clean install or an upgrade to Windows 11 might seem like the only options, but they are not ideal if you want to keep your current settings and programs. Fortunately, there are some other methods that you can try to repair your Windows 10 installation and make it bootable again.

Method 1: Run CHKDSK and SFC from a Windows 10 USB

One of the possible causes of your Windows 10 corruption is a bad sector or a file system error on your NVMe SSD. To check and fix these issues, you can use the CHKDSK and SFC commands from a Windows 10 USB. Here are the steps to do this:

• Create a Windows 10 USB using the Media Creation Tool from another working PC. You can download the tool from [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10).
• Insert the USB into your PC and boot from it. You might need to change the boot order in your BIOS or UEFI settings to do this.
• On the Windows Setup screen, click on Repair your computer instead of Install now.
• On the Choose an option screen, click on Troubleshoot and then on Command Prompt.
• In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: `diskpart`
• In the DiskPart window, type the following command and press Enter: `list disk`
• Identify the disk number of your NVMe SSD from the list. It should be the one with the largest size and the label NVMe. For example, if it is disk 0, type the following command and press Enter: `select disk 0`
• Type the following command and press Enter: `list volume`
• Identify the volume letter of your Windows 10 partition from the list. It should be the one with the label Windows or OS. For example, if it is volume C, type the following command and press Enter: `select volume C`
• Type the following command and press Enter: `exit`
• You should be back in the Command Prompt window. Type the following command and press Enter: `chkdsk C: /f /r /x`
• This command will scan and repair any bad sectors or file system errors on your Windows 10 partition. It might take a while to complete, so be patient.
• After the CHKDSK command finishes, type the following command and press Enter: `sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows`
• This command will scan and repair any corrupted or missing system files on your Windows 10 partition. It might also take a while to complete, so be patient.
• After the SFC command finishes, type the following command and press Enter: `exit`
• Restart your PC and see if you can boot into Windows 10 normally. If not, try the next method.

Method 2: Use DISM to restore the Windows image from a Windows 10 USB

Another possible cause of your Windows 10 corruption is a damaged or corrupted Windows image. To fix this, you can use the DISM command to restore the Windows image from a Windows 10 USB. Here are the steps to do this:

• Create a Windows 10 USB using the Media Creation Tool from another working PC. You can download the tool from [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10).
• Insert the USB into your PC and boot from it. You might need to change the boot order in your BIOS or UEFI settings to do this.
• On the Windows Setup screen, click on Repair your computer instead of Install now.
• On the Choose an option screen, click on Troubleshoot and then on Command Prompt.
• In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: `diskpart`
• In the DiskPart window, type the following command and press Enter: `list disk`
• Identify the disk number of your NVMe SSD from the list. It should be the one with the largest size and the label NVMe. For example, if it is disk 0, type the following command and press Enter: `select disk 0`
• Type the following command and press Enter: `list volume`
• Identify the volume letter of your Windows 10 partition from the list. It should be the one with the label Windows or OS. For example, if it is volume C, type the following command and press Enter: `select volume C`
• Type the following command and press Enter: `exit`
• You should be back in the Command Prompt window. Type the following command and press Enter: `dism /image:C:\ /cleanup-image /restorehealth /source:wim:X:\sources\install.wim:1 /limitaccess`
• This command will restore the Windows image from the Windows 10 USB to your Windows 10 partition. The X in the command is the drive letter of your USB, which you can find by typing `dir X:` and looking for the sources folder. The 1 in the command is the index number of the Windows 10 edition that matches your current installation, which you can find by typing `dism /get-wiminfo /wimfile:X:\sources\install.wim` and looking for the Index and Name fields. It might take a while to complete, so be patient.
• After the DISM command finishes, type the following command and press Enter: `exit`
• Restart your PC and see if you can boot into Windows 10 normally. If not, try the next method.

Method 3: Perform a custom install of Windows 10 without formatting the NVMe SSD

If none of the above methods work, you might have to perform a custom install of Windows 10 without formatting the NVMe SSD. This will reinstall Windows 10 on your NVMe SSD, but it will also create a Windows.old folder that contains your previous Windows installation, including your data and applications. You can then use the Windows.old folder to restore your data and applications after the custom install. Here are the steps to do this:

• Create a Windows 10 USB using the Media Creation Tool from another working PC. You can download the tool from [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10).
• Insert the USB into your PC and boot from it. You might need to change the boot order in your BIOS or UEFI settings to do this.
• On the Windows Setup screen, click on Install now.
• On the Activate Windows screen, enter your product key if you have one, or click on I don’t have a product key if you don’t. You can activate Windows later using your digital license or your Microsoft account.
• On the Select the operating system you want to install screen, choose the same edition of Windows 10 that you had before. For example, if you had Windows 10 Home, choose Windows 10 Home. Click on Next.
• On the License terms screen, accept the terms and click on Next.
• On the Which type of installation do you want? screen, click on Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
• On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select the partition that has your Windows 10 installation on your NVMe SSD. It should be the one with the largest size and the label Windows or OS. Do not click on Format or Delete. Click on Next.
• The installation will begin and might take a while to complete. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.
• After the installation is done, you will have a new Windows 10 installation on your NVMe SSD, and a Windows.old folder on the same drive. You can use the Windows.old folder to restore your data and applications by following the steps [here](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recover-files-after-you-reinstall-windows-5f0d0a0c-0f8f-4a9c-9c9c-9a0c0c2b7f0f).

We

hope this article helped you fix your corrupted Windows 10 installation on your NVMe SSD without losing your data or applications. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below.