When critical Windows system files are missing or corrupted, your operating system may begin to malfunction. Common symptoms include Windows features not working properly, system errors, or Windows becoming unresponsive or freezing.

Troubleshoot errors from the “Something went wrong” startup screen on Xbox.

Use this tool to find and remove specific prevalent threats and reverse the changes that they made (see Covered malware families). For comprehensive malware detection and removal, consider using Windows Defender Offline or Microsoft Safety Scanner.

Windows 11 might shut down or restart unexpectedly when a serious problem occurs, causing you to briefly see an error message, such as “Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart.” Windows 11 will then restart automatically.

After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11. Learn more. Note: Use these steps for Windows programs.

Get Help has troubleshooters, or diagnostic tests, that can check your system configuration for anything that might be causing issues using your devices. View troubleshooter results. After you run any troubleshooter, Get Help provides details on any findings and suggestions for possible remedies.

Learn how to run System File Checker in Windows to check if your computer has problems with files.

You can use the Wilogutl.exe tool to analyze log files from a Windows Installer installation. This tool may suggest solutions to errors that are found in a log file.

Find out the steps you can take if you receive a message telling you a driver can't load on your device.

Get Help has troubleshooters you can run for many common scenarios. These often help resolve issues without the need to contact support. If a troubleshooter is available for your issue, select Start to run that troubleshooter. After you run any troubleshooter, Get Help provides details on any findings and suggestions for possible remedies.