{"id":17642,"date":"2020-07-28T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T11:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=17642"},"modified":"2026-03-16T20:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T15:19:03","slug":"download-missing-system-files-dll-exe-sys-from-microsoft-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/download-missing-system-files-dll-exe-sys-from-microsoft-site\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Download Missing System files from Microsoft"},"content":{"rendered":"

If a Windows system file is missing, the first thing that comes to our mind is the System File Checker<\/a> (Sfc.exe). The sfc.exe \/scannow<\/code> command-line restores missing or corrupted system files by fetching a good copy from the WinSxS<\/code> folder. If that fails, you usually run the DISM .. RestoreHealth command-line<\/a> to fix the WinSxS<\/a> repository.\u00a0In some cases, DISM requires a slipstreamed<\/a> Windows setup disk from which the install.wim<\/code> file is used.<\/p>\n

Here is another way to download any version<\/a> of a Windows system file (.exe, .dll, or .sys) directly from Microsoft’s server.<\/p>\n

Download Missing System files (dll, exe, sys) from Microsoft<\/h2>\n

The Windows Binaries Index<\/a> (Winbindex), a non-Microsoft site, allows to quickly view information about the files and download some of them from Microsoft servers directly. The files that can be downloaded are executable files (currently exe, dll and sys files).<\/p>\n

The Microsoft symbol server hosts every version of system files, but the direct download link isn’t publicly available. This is where the Winbindex comes in handy! The WinbIndex site retrieves\u00a0<\/em>direct download links<\/strong><\/em> that point<\/em><\/span>\u00a0to the Microsoft symbol server. The Winbindex database was built by searching\u00a0<\/em>each Windows 10\u00a0<\/em>Cumulative Update<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(.<\/em>msu package<\/em><\/a>) and extracting the list of files and their respective hashes<\/em><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The author says:<\/p>\n

All I had to do is to get the list of updates from the Windows 10 update history page (for now, I looked only at Windows 10 updates), download these updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog, fetch the file names and hashes, query VirusTotal for these hashes, and make some nice interface to search in this index and generate links.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[Example] Downloading a specific version of a Windows 10 DLL<\/h3>\n

For instance, in the article Error 0x8007007e Printing from Store Apps<\/a>, we had to extract the PrintConfig.dll<\/code> from the Windows 10 setup disk or ISO.<\/p>\n

Now that the WinbIndex site exists, you can simply search for the file PrintConfig.dll<\/code> in that site and download the required version (and bitness) of the binary from Microsoft’s symbol servers.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Visit the Winbindex site at https:\/\/m417z.com\/winbindex\/<\/code><\/li>\n
  2. Type in the file name (.exe, .dll, .sys) you want to search.
    \n\"download<\/li>\n
  3. Click on the Download button next to the version of the system file you want to obtain.\u00a0\u00a0As you can see in the above image, the Download button directly links to the printconfig.dll<\/code> file at the Microsoft symbol server.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That’s it! You no longer have to download Windows binaries from random third-party sites anymore. Also, you don’t have to take the trouble of finding an alternate Windows computer running the same Operating System build and version<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    As of now, the WinbIndex supports only Windows 10. Supported file types include .dll, .exe, and .sys files. You’d also like to read about the marvelous work that has gone into creating the Winbindex. Read Introducing Winbindex – the Windows Binaries Index \u2013 m417z<\/a> blog for more details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If a Windows system file is missing, the first thing that comes to our mind is the System File Checker (Sfc.exe). The sfc.exe \/scannow command-line restores missing or corrupted system files by fetching a good copy from the WinSxS folder. If that fails, you usually run the DISM .. RestoreHealth command-line to fix the WinSxS … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,869],"tags":[160,493],"class_list":["post-17642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-dism","tag-sfc"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5456,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/repair-windows-10-using-dism-sfc\/","url_meta":{"origin":17642,"position":0},"title":"How to Repair Windows 10\/11 System Files Using DISM and SFC","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If the system files in your Windows 10\/11 computer become corrupt and the System File Checker (SFC \/scannow) is unable to reinstate the critical system files, it's due to corruption of the Component Store located in the C:\\Windows\\WinSxS directory. This directory contains the files needed for the SFC utility to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"dism checkhealth scanhealth repair","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/dism-checkhealth-corrupt-registry.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/dism-checkhealth-corrupt-registry.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/dism-checkhealth-corrupt-registry.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/dism-checkhealth-corrupt-registry.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":871,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-resource-protection-could-not-start-repair-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":17642,"position":1},"title":"SFC: Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"When you run the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) using the \/scannow parameter to restore missing or corrupt system files, the following error may occur. Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service. Additionally, you may experience problems running Windows Installer Setup files and installing fixes from Windows Update. Cause\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SFC error - Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sfc-cant-start-repair-service.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sfc-cant-start-repair-service.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sfc-cant-start-repair-service.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sfc-cant-start-repair-service.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5156,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disk-cleanup-3-99-tb-bug-windows-update-cleanup\/","url_meta":{"origin":17642,"position":2},"title":"Disk Cleanup Bug : 3.99 TB Used by Windows Updates [Fixed]","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"After installing a Cumulative Update, when you run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) as administrator to cleanup system files, it may incorrectly show 3.99 TB as being occupied by older versions of Windows Updates. This incorrect reporting happens because Disk Cleanup miscalculates the size of WinSxs folder, not taking the hard links\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kb3194798 3.99 tb disk cleanup","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/wu-cleanup-399tb-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78009,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/0xc0000142-cmd-powershell-sfc-dism\/","url_meta":{"origin":17642,"position":3},"title":"Error 0xC0000142 Launching CMD, PowerShell, SFC, or DISM","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"When you start PowerShell or Command Prompt, the error code 0xc0000142 may appear. Any console tool, such as sfc.exe or dism.exe may throw the same error. The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application. SIMILAR: [Fix] Error 0xc0000017 when running DISM or SFC Cause\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"0xc0000142 error when launching cmd.exe or powershell.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0xc0000142-cmd-powershell.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1064,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/run-sfc-offline-windows-10-7-vista\/","url_meta":{"origin":17642,"position":4},"title":"How to Run System File Checker (SFC) Offline in Windows 10\/11 & Earlier","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a useful tool that lets you scan the integrity of Windows system files and repair corrupt or missing system files. 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The superseded components will be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"winsxs folder contents","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/winsxs-folder-contents.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/winsxs-folder-contents.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/winsxs-folder-contents.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/winsxs-folder-contents.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}