I tried CCleaner's duplicate-file removal feature and it moved roughly 10 GB of files to the Recycle Bin. Since then, Windows 11 has become unstable: Settings, the Start menu, Search, and several apps will not open. Restarting Windows Explorer did not help.
I also cannot restore the files from the Recycle Bin because Windows reports that the "Locales" folder or file needed for the restore no longer exists. I'm unable to reset the system through Settings either. What recovery or repair steps should I try, and how can I check whether Windows is fully fixed afterward?
4 Answers
If Windows still behaves strangely after SFC and DISM, create Windows installation or recovery media on another device and choose “Repair your computer” instead of installing immediately. As a last resort, back up personal files and perform a clean Windows installation.
If you can open an elevated Command Prompt, run System File Checker first: `sfc /scannow`. In this case, that restored access after a reboot. If SFC reports that it cannot repair everything, run `DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth` and then run `sfc /scannow` again.
I would not continue using a duplicate finder on system folders. Restoring files from the Recycle Bin may not work if the tool changed paths or removed related files, so avoid deleting the remaining items until the system is stable and you have checked whether any personal files are among them. For routine maintenance, Windows’ built-in cleanup tools are safer.
Use Windows Recovery Environment if you cannot launch Command Prompt normally. Hold Shift while selecting Restart, or boot from Windows installation media, then choose Troubleshoot and use System Restore to return to a restore point from before the cleanup. The same recovery tools also provide Startup Repair and an offline Command Prompt.
SFC helped, and after restarting I can use Settings and the other Windows features again. I’m still unsure whether the files left in the Recycle Bin indicate that something is damaged.