About DISM
DISM, short for Deployment Image Servicing and Management, is a command-line tool. It can be used to perform servicing tasks on Windows installation images to prepare, modify and repair the images, including the images for Windows PE (Windows Preinstallation Environment), Windows RE (Windows Recovery Environment) and Windows Setup.
DISM is commonly used to fix errors like system crashes. However, some users received “error 50 DISM does not support servicing Windows PE with the /Online option” message while running any of the DISM commands below:
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
- Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Why does this error happen? Apparently, the DISM utility thinks that you’re running the commands in Windows PE or Windows RE. But actually you’re running the tool on a running operating system. This is the result of a misplaced registry key.
To solve the problem, you can try the following solutions.
Fix 1: Refresh DISM
When you see DISM error 50 on Windows 10, the first thing you can try is to refresh the DISM tool. It’s quite easy.
Step 1: Press Win + R to invoke Run window. Input cmd in the box and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 2: Copy and paste the following command line to Command Prompt. Press Enter to execute it: dism.exe /image:C: /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions
Step 3: Open Run dialog again and type to launch System Configuration. Then select Boot tab, check Safe Boot option and select Network. Click OK and you will be required to restart the computer. Just click Restart and then you will enter Safe Mode.
Step 4: In Safe Mode, launch Command Prompt with administrator rights. Then input sfc /scannow and press Enter. This might take some time, and you need to wait patiently.
Once it’s finished, you can get your PC out of Safe Mode and check if the DISM error 50 has been fixed. If it still exists, you should try the next fix.
Another workaround to fix DISM error 50 on Windows 10 is to delete the associated registry key. Here are the detailed steps.
Step 1: Open Run window. Then input regedit and click OK to launch Registry Editor.
Step 2: Navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
Step 3: In the left pane, right-click MiniNT folder and select Pemissions.
Step 4: In the pop-up dialog window, select your username under the list of Group or user names. Then check Allow for the Full Control permission.
Step 5: Click OK to save the changes you have made. Then right-click MiniNT key again and select Delete. Click Yes in the confirmation window.
Now you can reboot your computer and run Command Prompt to check if DISM error 50 has been solved.
Fix 3: Reset BIOS
If you have tried all the fixes but still get “error 50 DISM does not support servicing Windows PE with the /Online option” message, you might need to reset BIOS to its default settings. As the detailed steps varies from model to model of computer, you should follow the manufacturer’s manual and instructions to reset BIOS.
And be careful when you perform the operation, as any mistakes might lead to data loss. If you’re not familiar with the BIOS, you can ask someone professional for help.
Originally published at https://www.partitionwizard.com on June 2, 2020.