How to Recover Files From a Dead Computer
 

Uh-oh, your computer isn’t booting anymore. Maybe it’s a problem with Windows or maybe the computer’s hardware is fried. If you have important files trapped inside your malfunctioning computer, this guide will help you recover them.

There’s no guarantee your data is recoverable. If your computer isn’t working because its hard drive died, there may be no recovering the files — not without some sort of expensive professional data recovery service, at least.
Boot From a Linux Live CD (or Windows Installation Disc)

If your computer’s hardware has actually died on you and that’s the reason it’s not booting, this method won’t work. However, the computer may not actually be dead — its Windows installation may just be damaged. If this is the case, you can recover your files by booting from a Linux live CD or even a Windows installer disc.

Just insert the Linux live CD or Windows installer disc into the computer and start it up. If it boots from the disc and takes you to a Linux desktop or a Windows installation environment, you know that the computer’s hardware isn’t completely broken. If you’re just interested in recovering the files, you can connect a USB stick or external hard drive and copy the files to the removable media device. Your files will then be saved from your dying computer.

This is simple to do with a Linux live CD, as you’ll be given a full Linux desktop that you can use for copying files. If you have a Windows installation disc, you can use a trick to pull up a file management window and copy files off the computer’s hard drive.

This method may even work if your computer’s hard drive is dying. If you’re lucky, the computer may not be able to boot Windows but you may be able to recover some important files off of the drive from the Linux live CD or Windows installation environment.

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