How to fix File System error (-1073741792) in Windows?

File system error (-1073741792) stops Task Manager, installers and every tool that needs admin rights. It is the Windows code 0xC0000020: Windows could not read a program file it had to load into memory, which usually means damaged Windows files. Repair the disk and system files from the recovery screen first, because that route needs no admin prompt.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What File system error (-1073741792) means

You open Task Manager, start an installer or right-click a program and choose Run as administrator. Instead of the program, Windows shows a box with the program's path and the line File system error (-1073741792). Users on Microsoft Q&A and Ten Forums describe the same pattern: Task Manager, Services, elevated Command Prompt, installing and uninstalling apps, and even removing updates all fail at once.

The number is a Windows status code printed as a negative decimal. In hex, -1073741792 is 0xC0000020. Microsoft's list of NTSTATUS values names it STATUS_INVALID_FILE_FOR_SECTION, with the text "{Bad File} The attributes of the specified mapping file for a section of memory cannot be read."

That is why the usual advice, "open Command Prompt as administrator and run SFC", does not work here: the admin Command Prompt fails with the same box. Every fix below either runs from the Windows recovery screen, which does not use the admin prompt, or from Safe Mode, where users report admin tools still open.

Why the file system error -1073741792 appears

The code says a file could not be read. Rank the reasons like this and start at the top.

How to fix File system error (-1073741792) in Windows

Fix 1 repairs the disk and system files from the recovery screen and helps most readers. Fix 2 tells you whether a startup program is to blame. Fixes 3 and 4 undo recent changes from the recovery screen. Fix 5 moves you to a fresh account, and Fix 6 reinstalls Windows while keeping your files and apps.

Fix 1. Check the disk and repair system files from the recovery Command Prompt

20 to 40 minutesLow riskEveryone, first. It works even when no admin tool opens inside Windows.

The code means Windows could not read a file it had to load, and damaged system files are the usual reason. CHKDSK fixes file system errors that make files unreadable, then SFC replaces damaged Windows files. The recovery Command Prompt already has full rights, so it needs no admin prompt.

1. Select Start > Power, hold Shift and select Restart. This needs no admin rights.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt. Pick your account and type its password. If Windows asks for the BitLocker recovery key, enter it.
3. Type dir C:\Windows and press Enter. If it lists files, Windows is on C:. If not, try D: and use that letter below.
4. Run chkdsk C: /f and wait until it finishes.
5. Run the offline system file check (command below) and wait until it reaches 100 %.
6. Type exit, select Continue to start Windows, and open Task Manager to test.

Offline system file check (recovery Command Prompt)

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

What the SFC messages mean: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files More about CHKDSK and how to read its result: Check a disk for errors (chkdsk)

Fix 2. Test admin tools in Safe Mode, then find the startup program

15 to 30 minutesLow riskFix 1 did not help, or you installed security, tuning or system tools shortly before the error.

Safe Mode starts Windows with basic drivers and no third-party startup programs. In the Microsoft Q&A thread on this error, Task Manager opened in Safe Mode. If it works there for you too, something that starts with normal Windows is to blame.

1. Select Start > Power, hold Shift and select Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. Press 4 or F4 for Enable Safe Mode and sign in.
4. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, or right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
5. If it opens, uninstall the security, cleaning or system tools you added just before the error, then restart normally.
6. If you cannot tell which program it is, set up a clean boot while admin tools work in Safe Mode: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Full steps with screenshots: Start Windows or a Mac in Safe Mode

Fix 3. Remove the latest Windows update from the recovery screen

15 minutesLow riskThe error started right after Windows installed an update, or after a feature update failed.

An update that stopped halfway can leave Windows files in a state the loader cannot read. Removing an update in Settings needs admin rights, and the poster on Microsoft Q&A could not do it. The recovery screen removes the latest update without the prompt.

1. Select Start > Power, hold Shift and select Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall Updates.
3. Select Uninstall latest quality update first. Use Uninstall latest feature update only if a version upgrade came just before the error.
4. Sign in with your account when asked and confirm.
5. Let the PC restart and open Task Manager to test.

Fix 4. Roll Windows back with System Restore from the recovery screen

20 minutesRead the warningSystem Restore was on before the error began and Fixes 1 to 3 did not help.

A restore point puts Windows system files, settings and drivers back to a day before the files became unreadable. Opening System Restore inside Windows needs admin rights, so start it from the recovery screen. A Ten Forums user reports that a restore did not help, so treat it as one try, not a sure fix.

1. Select Start > Power, hold Shift and select Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore and sign in.
3. Choose a restore point from before the error started and select Next.
4. Select Finish and wait. Do not turn the PC off.
5. After the restart, open Task Manager to test.

More on restore points: Undo recent changes with System Restore

Fix 5. Create a new local administrator account in Safe Mode

15 minutesLow riskAdmin tools work in Safe Mode, or you suspect only your account is affected.

A Microsoft Community advisor suggested this step for the same error: a new account starts with clean user settings. Creating an account needs admin rights, so do it in Safe Mode, where they still work. In that thread the new account could not finish its first sign-in, so test it before moving files.

1. Start Safe Mode as in Fix 2.
2. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users and select Add account.
3. Choose I don't have this person's sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account, and set a name and password.
4. Select the new account, then Change account type, and pick Administrator.
5. Restart normally, sign in to the new account and open Task Manager to test.
6. If it works, move your files from C:\Users\<old name> to the new account's folders.

Step by step: Create a new user account to test a problem

Fix 6. Reinstall Windows while keeping your files and apps

1 to 2 hoursRead the warningFixes 1 to 5 did not help, or SFC could not repair every file.

This is the fix the Microsoft Community advisor gave for this error: a repair install replaces every Windows file and keeps your apps, settings and files. It reaches files SFC cannot replace.

1. On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Recovery and select Reinstall now next to Fix problems using Windows Update.
2. If that option is missing or fails, download the Windows ISO from Microsoft's official download page, double-click it to mount it and run setup.exe.
3. Choose Keep personal files and apps when setup asks what to keep, and start the install.
4. If setup shows the same File system error box, restart with Shift + Restart and use Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Keep my files. This keeps your files but removes installed apps.
5. After Windows starts, open Task Manager to test.

Full steps for both routes: Reinstall Windows without losing files

If the file system error -1073741792 is still there

Two logs tell you what the repairs found. Read them before you contact support.

1. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter.
2. Open Windows Logs > Application and filter by the sources Chkdsk and Wininit to read the CHKDSK result.
3. Open C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log and search for lines with [SR] to see which files SFC could not repair.
4. If CHKDSK reports bad sectors, or the same files stay damaged after Fix 6, suspect the drive.

• What to send to support: the full message with the path, the CHKDSK and SFC results, the Windows version from Settings > System > About, and what Fixes 1 to 6 showed.
• Where to ask: Microsoft Q&A or Microsoft Support, since the failing files are part of Windows.
• When it is not software: clicking noises, very slow copying, bad sectors or files that vanish point to a failing drive. Back up and replace the drive; no Windows repair fixes that.
• If the PC also freezes or shows blue screens: test the memory, since bad RAM can damage files as they are written: How to test your RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic

How to keep Windows files readable

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. The fixes above work the same on Windows 10 22H2, but it no longer gets most security and repair updates, so an upgrade to Windows 11 is the lasting route.

Frequently asked questions

What is File system error (-1073741792)?

It is the Windows status code 0xC0000020, written as a negative decimal number. Microsoft names it STATUS_INVALID_FILE_FOR_SECTION: the attributes of the file Windows had to map into memory could not be read. In practice it means a file needed to start the program is damaged or unreadable. When every admin tool fails, the damaged file is most likely part of Windows. Start with Fix 1: CHKDSK and SFC from the recovery screen.

Why can't I open Task Manager or install anything?

Because the failing part is shared by all of them. Task Manager, Services, installers and Registry Editor all start with admin rights, and in the reports we read they all fail with the same box at once. Programs that need no admin rights often keep working. That is why the fixes on this page run from the recovery screen or Safe Mode, where the broken route is not used.

How do I fix it when no admin tool opens?

Use the recovery screen. Select Start > Power, hold Shift and select Restart; that needs no admin rights. Under Troubleshoot > Advanced options you get a Command Prompt with full rights (Fix 1), Uninstall Updates (Fix 3) and System Restore (Fix 4). Startup Settings leads to Safe Mode (Fix 2), where users report Task Manager still opens and where you can create a new admin account (Fix 5).

Is my hard drive failing?

Usually not, but it is possible. The code says a file could not be read, and the most common reason is damaged Windows files after a crash or a broken update. A failing drive shows other signs too: clicking noises, very slow copying, files that vanish, or CHKDSK reporting bad sectors. If you see those, back up your files at once and check the drive before you spend time on Windows repairs.

Why does the box name Chrome or another normal program?

The box always shows the program you tried to start, not the file that failed. The code means Windows could not read a file it had to load for that program. When the same box appears for several unrelated programs, the shared file is part of Windows, which is why this guide repairs Windows rather than reinstalling the named program. If only one program shows it, reinstall that program first.

What is File system error (-1073741819)?

It is a different code. In hex, -1073741819 is 0xC0000005, which Microsoft's list names STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION: a program tried to use memory it was not allowed to. It is usually a crash inside one program, not unreadable Windows files. Update or reinstall that program, update your graphics driver and run SFC. The fixes on this page help only if every admin tool fails in the same way.

What are File system error (-1073741189) and (-805306367)?

They are other codes with their own causes. In hex, -1073741189 is 0xC000027B, a crash code that often hits Store apps: error code 0xc000027b. In hex, -805306367 is 0xD0000001; we could not confirm what it means for this box. Searches like "failed to open file system with id" are not about this error either; this page covers -1073741792 only.

Does this error happen on Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Yes. The Ten Forums thread about this message comes from Windows 10, and the Microsoft Q&A thread from Windows 11, where it also blocked the 22H2 update. The fixes are the same on both. Only some paths differ: Reinstall now in Settings > System > Recovery exists on Windows 11, while on Windows 10 you start the repair install from the Windows ISO.

Will a repair install delete my files?

No, when you choose Keep personal files and apps. Setup replaces Windows files and keeps your documents, settings and installed programs. Reset this PC with Keep my files also keeps your documents but removes installed apps, so you reinstall them afterwards. Back up your important files first in either case, because a power cut or a failing drive during setup can still cause loss.