In this article I will show you how to easily fix file system errors on windows 10.
What is a file system error? A File system error is commonly caused by corrupt files and mismatched system files. Viruses can also cause this error as well as applications that have issues from running correctly.
Below is what a file system error looks like
When the file system error shows it will be followed by a number such as (-1073741566) (-2143322101) (-1073741819) (-805306367) (-2147163890) (-2015294512) (-2147xxx). This number gives us more information as to what exactly caused the error.
The error will show when you are trying to open a file such as a .png .jpeg .jpg .mp3 .mp4 and so on
How To Fix File System Errors
If you are experiencing a file system error do not worry as we will show you how to resolve the issue.
To fix file system errors follow the solutions below
Try Another Application
The first thing we should try is to open the troublesome file with a different application. In the example below I am getting I am getting the error with opening an image file.
- Click start menu and open photos application
- Try to open the file with the photos application (Click on file > open > select file)
- Next try to open the image with microsoft paint
- Click start and type in mspaint then hit enter
- Try to open the file with the photos application
- If you still get the same error message continue to the next step
NOTE : If you are unsure of another application to try to open the file with post in a comment below what file type you are trying to open and I can advise what applications you can try
Run a CHKDSK
If opening the file in a different application did not work then it is most likely the image file has become corrupted. We will run a system error check which should resolve this error.
To run a system error check follow these steps
- Click on the start menu type file explorer and hit enter
- left click on this PC, then click on the drive where the files are stored that you are having issues opening. In the example below I am using the “Local Disk (C:)” drive
- Select properties
- Click on the Tools tab and then under error checking click on Check
- If you get prompted by UAC click YES
- Click on scan drive
- This application will now scan your machine (as shown below) and will fix any corrupted files that are on your system.
- Once the scan has finished reboot your machine
- Try to open up the image file again that you were having issues with.
Run Windows Update
I have seen on a few forums that installing the latest updates from microsoft also resolves this error.
I suspect there is a bug in the operating system and it appears that microsoft have fixed this in an update. To update your windows 10 follow these steps
- Click start > Settings
- Next click on Update & Security
- Now click Windows Updates and then click Check for updates
- The latest windows updates will now automatically download and installed
- Reboot your machine
Again try to open the image file again and if you still get an error continue to the next step
Upgrade Windows 10 Version
I mentioned earlier I believe there is a bug in Windows 10 Home Version 1803 OS Build 17134.1 which causes this error.
I recommend to upgrade your windows 10 version to the latest version (Feature Update) To upgrade follow these steps
- Click start and click settings (Cog Icon)
- Click on update & Security
- Half way down the screen it should say “Feature update to Windows 10, version 1909” click on Download and install now
- Your machine will now download the feature update, expect this to take around 10-20 minutes.
- Once the download has completed it will start to install on your system.
- The whole process should take around 1 hour
- When the install has finished the status should change to Pending Restart, at this time click restart now
Run SFC Scan
We can run a SFC scan which will check your windows 10 operating system for issues and fix any issues it might find.
To run this scan do the following
- Left click on the start menu
- Type in cmd and click on the command prompt application
- In the black windows that opens enter the command sfc /scannow then hit enter
- The scan will now run, expect the scan to take between 5 minutes and 30 minutes depending on how fast your machine is.
- If you see the message Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them this means the scan found issues and fixed them.
- Restart your machine.
Specific File System Error Codes
In this section I will go through the different error codes, what they mean and how to fix them.
(-1073741566)
What Causes File System Error (-1073741566)? The most likely causes of file system error (-1073741566) is either corrupt files or mismatched operating system files. This issue usually appears directly after you have loaded your desktop.
How To Fix File System Error (-1073741566)? To fix the file system error (-1073741566) I recommend that you first run a chkdsk on your system as this will fix any corupted files on your machine, then run a SFC Scan which will correct any mismatched operating system files.
For more information about this error take a look at this article
(-2143322101)
What Causes File System Error (-2143322101)? You will see file system error (-2143322101) when you have just updated your version of windows 10 (Windows update or feature release) as there is a bug in the update which causes this error message
How To Fix File System Error (-2143322101)? To fix the file system error (-2143322101) run windows 10 windows update and install all the latest updates. If you still get the error then you will need to install the latest windows 10 feature update.
For more information about this error take a look at this article
(-1073741819)
What Causes File System Error (-1073741819)? You will see file system error (-1073741819) when you are trying to install or update an application on your machine. Or anything that uses the msiexec.exe process because it has become corrupted.
How To Fix File System Error (-1073741819)? To fix the file system error (-1073741819) I recommend that you first run a chkdsk on your system as this will fix any corupted files on your machine, then run a SFC Scan which will correct any mismatched operating system files.
(-805306367)
What Causes File System Error (-805306367)? You will see file system error (-805306367) because of either corrupt files or mismatched operating system files. This issue usually appears directly after you have loaded your desktop.
How To Fix File System Error (-805306367)? To fix the file system error (-805306367) I recommend that you first run a chkdsk on your system as this will fix any corupted files on your machine, then run a SFC Scan which will correct any mismatched operating system files.
(-2147163890)
What Causes File System Error (-2147163890)? You will see file system error (-2147163890) because of either corrupt files or mismatched operating system files. This issue usually appears directly after you have loaded your desktop.
How To Fix File System Error (-2147163890)? To fix the file system error (-2147163890) I recommend that you first run a chkdsk on your system as this will fix any corupted files on your machine, then run a SFC Scan which will correct any mismatched operating system files.
(-2015294512)
What Causes File System Error (-2015294512)? You will see file system error (-2015294512) when you have just updated your version of windows 10 (Windows update or feature release) as there is a bug in the update which causes this error message
How To Fix File System Error (-2015294512)? To fix the file system error (-2015294512) run windows 10 windows update and install all the latest updates. If you still get the error then you will need to install the latest windows 10 feature update.
Other Error Codes
2018375670 : Related to disk / file corruption. Run a chkdsk which should fix the issue. If the issue still occurs it is possible that your hard-drive has a hardware fault
2147219200 : Related to disk / file corruption. Run a chkdsk which should fix the issue. If the issue still occurs it is possible that your hard-drive has a hardware fault
2147219196 : This is usually due to an issue with the source application, Try uninstalling the application, reboot your machine and then re-install the application.
Hello, I am the owner of this site. I have 25+ years experience of IT. Check us out on the below social platforms.
how do i fix File System Error -2147163901, please?