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A system file in computers is a critical computer file without which a computer system may not operate correctly [1] [2] . These files may come as part of the operating system, a third-party device driver or other sources. Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS mark their more valuable system files with a "system" attribute to protect them against accidental deletion. (Although the system attribute can be manually put on any arbitrary file; these files do not become system files.)
Specific example of system files include the files with .sys filename extension in MS-DOS. In Windows NT family, the system files are mainly under the folder C:\Windows\System32. In the classic Mac OS they are in the System suitcase . And in Linux system the system files are located under folders /boot (the kernel itself), /usr/sbin (system utilities) and /usr/lib/modules (kernel device drivers).
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- ↑ "System Files". www.ibm.com. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
[...] system files. These files are created and maintained by the operating system and are necessary for the system to perform its many functions. System files are used by many commands and subroutines to perform operations. These files can only be changed by a user with root authority. [...]
- ↑ "Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
(emphasis mine) When critical Windows system files are missing or corrupted, some Windows features may stop working correctly or Windows may stop responding altogether.