5 Fixes For CBS.LOG Causing High Disk Usage in Windows

The Windows operating system has evolved to a great extent, but it still consists of many glitches and bugs. Suppose there is a windows update available, and you choose to update it.

Many windows components are included during the update process, and some are excluded. This component’s data is stored as a log in the file called as CBS.log file. Now, let’s see in brief what the CBS log file is and some points related to it. Here we go!

What is the CBS.log file in Windows 10?

CBS stands for Component-Based Servicing. As stated earlier, the CBS.log file is nothing but a simple log file consisting of information on installed and uninstalled components while a windows update is going on.

All the detailed information regarding your windows update, including log errors, is stored in the CBS log file. The purpose of keeping the logs of windows update is- we can use the log information for troubleshooting purposes.

In windows OS, there is a built-in tool called system file checker(SFC) which can write and update the information in the CBS.log file. When the SFC.exe is used, it writes the information regarding verification operation and repair operation to the CBS.log file.

So, you might be thinking, how can you open and view this CBS log file. Using commands, it becomes easier to find and open the CBS log file.

CBS.log file location

Every Windows computer does stores a CBS.log file. The CBS log file is part of Windows operating system software, so the most common location of the file is c:\windows. There are two ways you can find the location of the CBS log file; either manually from file explorer or using a command. Below are the methods to open the CBS log file location.

1. Scan Your Computer for Malware
2. Run DISM Command
3. Reset Your Computer to Factory Settings

Method 1- Open CBS log Using file Explorer

Click on the windows icon at the bottom left corner or press the Windows key from the keyboard and type “file explorer,” and hit enter. This will open file explorer. You can open the file explorer by pressing Windows+E keys simultaneously as well.

Then open the C system drive and find the folder named “Windows”. This is where all the files related to Windows OS are located. If You have installed Windows manually on a different hard drive, like D or E, open that disk drive instead of C.Then Find a and navigate to the folder “Logs” > “CBS”. This is where the CBS log file is generally situated.

If your computer has pre-installed Windows OS, copy and paste the given path in the file explorer search bar and hit enter. You will land on the exact location of the CBS log file.

C:\Windows\Logs\CBS

Method 2- Open CBS log Using Run Prompt

This is a quick way to open the CBS log file location. The command will automatically navigate to the location where the Windows OS is installed.

Open Run prompt by pressing Windows+R keys simultaneously. Now, copy and paste the following command-

%windir%\Logs\CBS 

This command will open the file location in file explorer where the CBS log file is situated. Here, the %windir% stands for the windows directory where it is installed and then navigates to the given path.

Why and How to Read CBS.log

The CBS.log file is a text-based document. All the logs are stored as plain text without any encryption. Therefore it is very easy to open and read the CBS log file using the Notepad or TextPad application which is present in every Windows OS.

If you want to open the CBS log file without navigating to the file explorer, copy and paste the command- %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log in the Run prompt and hit enter. This command will automatically open the CBS log file using Notepad.

Is It Safe to Delete CBS.log File?

The CBS log file is generated by the Windows OS, so it is, without a doubt, harmless for your computer. However, sometimes you may notice that the CBS log file consumes so much disk space after a Windows OS update. In this case, it is a good decision to delete it.

How to delete the CBSLog file

Because the CBS log file only stores the log data, you should not worry about deleting it. Deleting it will not harm your computer anyhow.

However, in some cases, if you try to delete the CBS log file, you might face an error popup saying that the file is in use. This is because the Windows update service process is running in the background and might be using that file for the following Windows OS update-related information.

So, first, try to delete the CBS log file. If it shows the given error, then disable the Windows Update service and try to delete it again. After deleting is completed, you may restart the Windows Update service.

Below is the process to disable the Windows update service and delete the CBS log file. Take a look at referred images as well to understand the process quickly.

• Open Run prompt by pressing Windows+R keys from the keyboard.
• Now enter the command – services.msc and hit enter. This will open the services tab from the task manager.

• Alternatively, you can open the services tab by pressing CTRL+Shift+Esc keys simultaneously, which will open the Task Manager, and then click on the last menu tab, “Services.

• Now, scroll till the bottom, and there you will see service with the name “wuauserv” with the description in the next column as “Windows Update”.

• Right-click on that service and click “Stop” to stop the service. Please don’t close this Windows because we will need to restart this service after deleting the log files.

• Now, open the CBS file location using the above-given method. Delete all the files available in that folder by pressing the SHIFT+Delete keys simultaneously, which will delete the files permanently without moving into the recycle bin.
• Open the service windows again, right-click on the “Windows Update” service, and click on the Start option. This will restart the Windows update service back.

• The CBS log file will be recreated in your system, but it will only consist of the needed information without taking any excess amount of space.

How to Fix CBS.log Corrupt Issue in Windows 10

In some cases, the CBS log file may get corrupted, and the system won’t be able to fix it. Fixing the corrupted file is easy for computer freak people, but it might not be the same for everyone.

To fix the CBS log corruption issue, we have found multiple solutions and explained them below. You can try each of them until the issue gets resolved. Here we go!

Fix 1: Scan Your Computer for Malware

The common reason for corrupting the CBS log file is malware. Your computer might be infected with malware, which could corrupt the CBS log file. The easy solution to check if your computer is infected with malware is to scan the computer with available antivirus software or Windows Defender, which comes by default with Windows OS.

• First, open the settings by pressing the Windows+I key simultaneously.
• Click on the Update & Security option > windows security (on the left hand vertical tab) > Virus & Threat Protection (First option in middle area). This will open a new window.

• In the new window, click on the scan options option. There you will see four options for scanning your computer. Select Microsoft Defender offline scan option and click on the scan now button.

• The windows defender will start scanning your computer in profound, and this process will take up to 15 minutes.
• After the scan is completed and the system restarts, check if the error persists by running an SFC scan. If the error is unresolved, try the next solution.

Fix 2: Run DISM Command

If your computer is not infected with any malware or a virus, you may try the DISM command. DISM stands for deployment image servicing and management, which is a command-line tool to service and prepare windows images.

• Open the command prompt as an administrator by right-clicking and choosing the option “run as administrator”.
• Then enter the following commands and hit enter.

dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

• It will take some time, so be patient and let the computer do its work. After completing the process, restart the computer and run an SFC scan to check if you still face an error.

Fix 3: Reset Your Computer to Factory Settings

If none of the above solutions worked, you might try to factory reset your computer without deleting the existing essential files. Factory resetting the computer will reinstall your Windows, but you can keep your files and applications. Follow the given steps to factory reset your computer.

• Open settings by pressing Windows+I keys simultaneously > Update & Security.
• Click on the Recovery option from the left vertical menu bar.
• Now, you will see the option in the big heading “Reset this PC” and a button below it.

• Click on that button named Get started. This will show a popup if you want to keep the files or delete everything. If you don’t want to lose your existing data, choose the first option.

• You will see the Ready to reset this PC heading in the next window. Click on the reset button at the bottom right corner.
• This process will take more time than the previous processes. After the system restarts, run an SFC scan to check if the error persists. This method is effective most of the time because it will remove all the bugs, glitches, and errors from your system.

Conclusion

In this article, we have gone through the essential topics such as what the CBS log file is, how to find and read it, how to delete it, and how to overcome the corrupted CBS log file issue. We have explained all the possible solutions to resolve the issue that would work for you. Let us know which solution was effective for you, and if you have found another way, we would like to know it as well.

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