PC Error 0x800f081f: Windows Cannot Find the Source Files
Error 0x800f081f means DISM, a repair tool built into Windows, looked for clean replacement Windows files and could not find them. The missing files are Windows system files, not your photos, documents, or other personal files. DISM stopped the repair because it had no good copy to use.
The fix on this page is to give DISM that copy yourself, using matching Windows install media as its source. That media can be a USB drive, a DVD, or an ISO file, which is a single file that opens as a drive in Windows.
You will not be reinstalling Windows, and you will not be wiping your PC. You will point DISM at the media, let it copy the files it needs, and keep using your PC as before. The steps below work for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Part of the Windows Error Codes in Plain English: Look Up Any Code series, the pillar guide for this cluster.
What Error 0x800f081f Means in Plain English
You ran DISM /RestoreHealth to repair Windows, and it stopped with error 0x800f081f. DISM is a repair tool built into Windows. In plain English, it found a damaged system file, but it could not find a clean copy to replace it with.
The 'source files' in the message are those clean copies. They are part of Windows itself. Windows keeps spare copies of its own system files in a protected area called the component store. If that store is damaged, or the copy it needs is missing, DISM has nowhere to get the file from.
That is why the same code can appear in other places. Turning on an optional Windows feature, or installing .NET Framework, also needs files from that store. If the needed file is not there, Windows reports 0x800f081f instead of finishing.
Your photos, documents, and other personal files are not the missing files. This message alone is not a virus warning, and it does not mean your files have been lost. In most cases the PC still starts and works, but the repair stays unfinished until DISM gets a good source. You do not need to stop using it while you work through the next checks.
Three Quick Checks to Try Before You Find Media
Before you look for a USB drive, a DVD, or a download, try three quick checks once. A dropped connection or a brief Windows Update problem can make the source files look missing when they are not. These checks are worth doing before the longer media fix.
- Restart the PC once.
- Reconnect to the internet and open a web page to confirm you are online.
- Run Windows Update again, or run the same DISM /RestoreHealth command once more.
While you wait, write down exactly where 0x800f081f appeared, and copy the full DISM command you used exactly as you typed it. If the error comes back later, those details will help you spot a typo or see which step failed. Keep the note on paper beside the PC, or in a notes app on your phone.
If Windows Update itself fails with a different code, stop here and follow that code's guide first, such as our guides to error 0x80070002 and error 0x80070422. Come back here only if 0x800f081f is still the error you see.
Match the Media to This PC: Version, Edition and Where Brands Hide It
Start with this PC, not the media. Open Settings, then System, then About, and write down whether it runs Windows 10 or Windows 11, whether the edition is Home or Pro, and the version shown there. Then press the Windows key and R together, type winver, press Enter, and note the build number, because the source media must match those details.
Next, check what came with the PC. Look in the box and your PC paperwork for a USB drive or DVD, and look for a recovery partition labeled Recovery in File Explorer. Many new PCs ship with no USB, DVD, or usable media at all, so finding nothing in the box is common and does not mean you did anything wrong.
Brands also hide their own recovery tools in different places. Dell PCs may offer SupportAssist OS Recovery, HP offers the HP Cloud Recovery tool, and Lenovo offers a recovery media download service on its support site. Check your brand's support page for your model, and compare anything you find with the version and edition you wrote down.
Use care with a brand factory recovery USB. That kind of drive is made to reset the PC to how it left the factory, so do not boot from it and do not start a recovery. For this repair, a standard Microsoft USB or ISO file is safer, because DISM will only read clean Windows files from it.
If you have no matching media, make it on another working PC. Go to Microsoft's official website, choose the Windows 10 or Windows 11 download that matches your notes, and create a standard USB or save the ISO file. Warning: creating the USB erases everything on that stick, so use an empty stick or move its files first.
Once the version, edition, and build on the media match the note from this PC, you are ready to use it as the DISM source in the next set of steps. Keep the media handy, but do not run Setup from it.
Use the USB, DVD or ISO as the DISM Source, Step by Step
Use the USB, DVD or ISO as the DISM source, step by step
Use the media you matched to this PC. Work through these steps in order, and type the commands exactly as shown. Spaces and slashes matter, so check each line before you press Enter.
- Insert the USB drive or DVD. If you have an ISO file instead, right-click the file and select Mount. Windows will show it as a new drive, just like a USB drive.
- Open File Explorer and note the new drive letter, such as E: or F:. The examples below use F:, so replace F: with your letter if yours is different.
- Do not click Setup or Setup.exe, and do not start an installation. You are not reinstalling Windows. You only need one file from this drive, in the next step.
- Double-click the drive, then open the folder named sources. Look for a file named install.wim or install.esd. Write down which name you see, because your command must use that name.
- Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if Windows asks for permission. Leave this window open for the rest of the steps.
- Type this command and press Enter, using your drive letter and file name: DISM /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:F:\sources\install.wim
Windows lists each edition on the media, with an Index number for each one. Find the name that matches this PC, such as Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro, and write down its number.
For example, if Home is listed as Index: 3, your index is 3. If your file is install.esd, use that name in the command above instead. WimFile stays the same.
- Now type the repair command below and press Enter. It uses drive F:, install.wim, and Index 3, so change all three to match your media and your PC.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:F:\sources\install.wim:3 /LimitAccess
If your file is install.esd, change wim: to esd: and install.wim to install.esd. /LimitAccess at the end tells DISM to use only this media, not the internet.
- Leave the USB, DVD, or mounted ISO in place until the repair finishes. Do not close the Command Prompt window, and do not remove the media early, even if the progress bar seems to pause.
The repair often takes 20 to 60 minutes, so a long pause is normal. Keep a laptop plugged into power during that time.
When it works, the last lines read: 'The restore operation completed successfully. The operation completed successfully.' That is the success message. Write it down before you close the window.
If It Still Says the Source Files Could Not Be Found
If you run the command from the last section and see 0x800f081f again, stop and check the media first. A mismatch is the commonest cause. Windows 10 media will not repair Windows 11, and media for a different build, edition, or language can look right and still be rejected.
Go back to the version, edition, and build you noted from Settings > System > About and winver, and compare them with the media. Pay close attention to language too. English (United States) and English (United Kingdom) are not the same for this repair, even if Windows works in English either way.
Next, check the two details in the command itself. Open the sources folder on the media and confirm the file name, then change only that part of the command if needed: wim for install.wim, esd for install.esd. Then check the index number matches this PC's edition, Home for Home or Pro for Pro.
If the match and the command look right, the media itself may be damaged or incomplete, often after an interrupted download. Try the USB in a different port. If it still fails, download the ISO once more and create fresh media, then try the command from the last section once with the new media. Repeating the same command with the same media will not change the result.
After DISM Succeeds: Confirm the Repair and Keep the Media Safe
After DISM Succeeds: Confirm the Repair and Keep the Media Safe
When DISM shows 'The restore operation completed successfully,' run one confirmation check. Open Command Prompt as administrator, type SFC /scannow, and press Enter. Let it finish without closing the window.
Restart the PC when SFC finishes. Then retry the Windows update, feature, or install that failed with 0x800f081f. If it completes this time, the repair has worked and you can stop here.
Label the USB, or the folder holding the ISO, with this PC's name and its Windows version and edition, such as 'Kitchen PC, Windows 11 Home.' Store it with the PC so you can reuse it if the error returns.
If DISM still cannot repair Windows even with matched media, the next step is a repair install. Follow our repair install guide, and use the Reset This PC guide only if a repair install is not possible.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pay for Windows install media or enter a product key?
No. Microsoft lets you download Windows 10 or Windows 11 install files free from its official site. Using them as a DISM source does not reinstall Windows, so there is no new purchase or activation step.
Can I use an ISO saved on this same PC, without a USB drive?
Yes, if the PC can still go online. Save the ISO, right-click it, and select Mount. It will appear as a drive, and you can point DISM to its sources folder in the same way as a USB drive.
Conclusion
That is the whole idea behind this fix. Error 0x800f081f was never a message about your photos or documents. It was DISM saying it lacked a clean set of Windows files, and a matched USB, DVD, or ISO gives it a place to get them.
If the repair finished, you do not need to keep searching for other fixes for this code. Try the task that failed before, use the PC as normal, and stop there. A clear stopping point matters, because repeated repair scans and random downloads rarely help once Windows is working again.