How to Remove a Corrupt File in Windows

1. Find a replacement for the corrupted file. Websites that offer free downloads of Windows system files include DLL Download System, DLL Nerd and DLL Files. Unzip the downloaded DLL file by going to the folder you saved the file into, right-clicking the file and clicking the 'Extract All' option.
2. Connect an external hard drive or flash drive to your computer. When the 'AutoPlay' window opens, click the option to 'Open Folder To View Contents' to open the external drive window.
3. Transfer the file extracted from the DLL download onto the external drive. To transfer the file to the external drive, click the file, hold down the mouse button, and drag the file into the external hard drive window. Once the file is transferred, click the 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon in the system tray, select the external drive in the window that comes up, and click 'Stop.' When the message appears telling you it is safe to remove the device, unplug the external drive from the computer.
4. Reboot the computer in Windows safe mode. To boot into safe mode, go to 'Start' and 'Restart,' and, as the computer boot up, keep tapping the 'F8' key until you see the 'Advanced Boot Options' screen. Use the down arrow on your keyboard to select 'Safe Mode' and press the 'Enter' key.
5. Search the 'C:' drive for the Windows file that needs to be replaced. Go to 'Start,' 'Computer' and double-click the 'Local Disk (C:)' drive to get onto the 'C:' drive. Type the name of the file that needs to be removed into the search box that appears at the top of the window and press 'Enter' to find the file. Right-click the file in the list and choose 'Open File Location' to open the folder that contains the system file you want to replace.
6. Plug the external drive back into the computer. Again, choose 'Open Folder To View Files' from the 'AutoPlay' window. When the folder opens, find the DLL file and drag it into the folder that contains the corrupted file.
7. Click 'Yes' when asked if you want to replace the original file with the new file. If you are not logged in under the computer's administrator account, you may be asked to enter the administrator password. Leave the password blank if you never created an administrator password and press 'Enter.' The corrupted file is replaced with the working file.