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Q: I’ve tried several times to install the update for Windows 10, but continually get the error code 80070570. The report prior to installation states my computer checks out in terms of the compatibility report. I’ve checked a Microsoft Community for this error code, but still I’m not sure of the fix needed as I cannot find a thread specific for Windows 10. Any suggestions?

– Liz R.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

A: Oh, boy – this one will be a little complicated. The error code 0x80070570 translates as a file corruption error. Although that’s the symptom that Windows detected, it may not be the actual problem. It’s sort of like detecting that you have the sniffles. If could be a cold, but it could also be one of a variety of ailments. Effectively treating the problem requires knowing the actual cause. Without that knowledge, the best I can do is tell you some things that might be wrong.

The first likely culprit is the Win 10 download itself. Although Microsoft does take steps to ensure the integrity of the update files as they download to your PC, the process is not perfect, and the download might be corrupt. If possible, try re-downloading the update, and see if that helps. Another possibility is a problem with one of your system’s disks. To start, unplug any external devices to remove the extra layer of complexity. Then check the remaining disks for errors one at a time by right-clicking on the drive letter in Explorer, and selecting “Properties” from the context menu. Go to the “Tools” tab, and under “Error-checking” click “Check now…”. Make sure “Automatically fix file system errors” is checked, and click “Start”.

To go one step deeper in checking the integrity of Windows’ system files, there are a couple of tools built right into the Operating System. The System File Checker, or SFC, actually scans your Windows files for any kind of corruption, and will automatically replace any file found to be bad.

One final thing that I can think of. It’s possible that the problem doesn’t lie in the files on your hard disk at all. It’s not that unusual for Windows to load a bunch of stuff into memory, then either have trouble accessing the memory, or be unable to find what it expects to be there. It can interpret this as a corrupted file, when the actual cause of the problem is a bad memory chip. Windows has a built-in tool to scan for that too (imagine that) but this one is a little more complex, because scanning RAM for errors means the system has to access it in a completely different way than it does when the system is simply running software. To run the memory diagnostic tool, press WinKey+R, and in the Run box, type “mdsched” and click “OK”. You’ll get a new window asking you to restart the system. Upon restart, the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool will load, and automatically start performing a standard scan. Unless you’re a true Geek (and really, who among us is?) I recommend you just allow it to run. If you’re feeling extra Geeky, you can press F1 to pull up the Options menu to customize the scan. Once you launch the scan, you probably want to go get some coffee, watch some TV, or curl up with a good e-book, because the scan will take a while. When it completes, your PC will automatically restart, and load Windows normally. Look in the notification area (bottom-right of the taskbar) for your scan results. If any errors were found, the tool will do its best to help you track them down and make repairs. Worst case, you might have to buy some new RAM.

I hope one of these ideas brings you some relief from your problem, Liz! If anybody else has any ideas, feel free to post them as a reply to this article over on ItsGeekToMe.co