Full Guide to DISM Online Cleanup Image in Windows 7

What is the DISM command?

Deployment Image Servicing and Management(DISM.exe) is a command line utility for Windows that can be used to service and prepare Windows images, including Windows PE, Windows Recovery Environment, and Windows Setup. One of the most common uses of DISM is to check the integrity of operating system files and repair system files that are corrupted, damaged or modified.

Need to run DISM online cleanup image in Windows 7

Everything goes fine until you find that Windows updates and service packs fail to install or the system is having instability issues and other strange problems. Attention, corruptions may occur in system files! You should take immediate measures to repair these corrupted files.

However, there are some users report that the DISM command isn't available on Windows 7 and earlier version. This statement is half right. From Microsoft forum, I get that DISM does not work well on 64GB drive. If you want to use this command line, you need 128 GB or bigger drive on your Windows 7. 

Besides, there is a data loss if you make a mistake in the process. To avoid this problem, you need to backup your system in advance.

Backup Windows 7 in case DISM fails

One or more system backup keeps things simple. It enables you to restore the system to the previous working state when your computer goes wrong due to corrupted system files or other factors. With a system backup in hand, you don’t have to worry about DISM errors and data loss any more.

AOMEI Backupper Standard is the most reliable utility to create system images. Anyone can download and use it without charge. It is able to backup Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP system to internal/external hard drives, cloud drives, NAS devices and network in a few easy steps. If you’re often busy, you can configure an automatic system backup to run backup tasks automatically. When you are dangerously low on disk space, backup compression or splitting can be your best choice. 

Learn the instructions below to backup Windows 7:

1. Download AOMEI Backupper and open it after you've successfully installed this freeware.

2. Click Backup and System Backup subsequently.

3. Change the Task Name as you like. The required system partitions are selected by default. Select a destination path (here is F:\) to store the image backup.

4. Click Start Backup to begin backup.

Tips:

• Options: you can enable email notification, backup compression and backup splitting here.

• Schedule: check this box to set up an auto backup based on Daily, Weekly or Monthly. To enjoy Event triggers and USB plug in modes, you should do an edition upgrade.

• Scheme: click it to delete old backup images automatically. This feature is available in Pro version and higher versions.

• Remember the steps to restore system: Home > the system backup task > Restore.

How to use DISM online cleanup image in Windows 7?

Use "DISM online cleanup image" to fix your corrupted files:

1. Type cmd in the search box (in the bottom left of the taskbar) and then right click Command Prompt to choose Run as administrator. Enter the administrator username and password if prompted.

2. Type the following command to check if there are any corrupted files and then press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

3. Type the command below to see if any corruption has been detected and then press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

*After running these commands, it will report if the system files are healthy, repairable or irreparable.

 4. If the system files are repairable, you can run the following command and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

*This may take about twenty minutes to complete. Do not make any changes during the repair process.

Although your system performance and stability will be improved after running these commands, the repair process takes a long time. You must always be careful with those operations, as data loss might occur if you make a mistake in the process. Besides, you may meet DISM online cleanup image error 87 when using the above commands. Error 87 often indicates a syntax error in the command, even if you have written the commands correctly.

Verdict

When your system files get corrupted, you can repair them by running DISM /online/ cleanup image/ in Windows 7. This command line may fail sometimes. However, system backups created by AOMEI Backupper Standard eliminate your worries. More pleasing, this freeware can be used to create bootable backup for Windows 10/8/7.