Hello everybody;
On this video,
I will show you how to recover data from
laptop hard drive that won't boot or turn on.
There are many problems that may prevent the PC
from booting and entering the operating system,
but we are not going to enumerate those problems
or ways to solve them because that is not our topic for this video.
This video is dedicated to explaining how to access your files
on hard drive from bootable USB without booting windows in
order to get files off a computer that won't turn on normally.
However, if you need to fix start up issues with a blue screen or black screen boot loop,
there are many useful videos that will help you,
and you will find their links in video description or from the home page of our channel.
There are two different methods to rescue files:
1: How to retrieve files using command prompt by booting into advanced start up or Windows Recovery Environment from the same damaged computer if it can turn on but won't start-up or boot.
2: How to recover data from laptop hard drive that won't turn on into another computer.
I will show you how to do that step by step,
First method: How to copy files using command prompt in windows 10 or any windows:
If your PC has only a corruption in the operating system without hardware damage, then you have a chance to copy your files into another partition in the same computer or to an external disk or a USB drive.
To do that, you have to boot your PC into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRe) either from the same operating system or by using a windows installation media like DVD or USB drive.
1.1.a. To boot into Windows Recovery Environment without installation media, do the followings:
1.1.a. Turn off the computer completely
1.1.b. Turn it on again
1.1.c. When the Windows logo appears with a circle of dots, ...
press and hold the Power key for 8 seconds or until the device turns off completely.
1.1.d. Repeat previous two steps until appearance of "Preparing Automatic Repair".
The device is now in the Windows Recovery Environment.
1.2.To open advanced restore options from Windows installation media (WIM) ...
such as DVD or USB, do the followings:
1.2.a. Turn off the computer completely
1.2.b. Connect a Windows Installation Media
1.2.c. Turn on the computer again.
1.2.d. Once you see the manufacturer logo, Press the F12 or another key from keyboard to enter the boot options.
Common F keys used to open Boot menu for diffrent brands:
1.2.e. Move to the DVD or the USB and then press the Enter button.
1.2.f. Press any key to continue.
1.2.h. Click on the Next button,
1.2.i. Click on the Repair your Computer option.
If you are unable to boot from windows installation media,
you may need to disable the Secure Boot from security tab
and/or enable USB Boot from boot tab in BIOS settings.
. In some Asus BIOS or similar PCs such as Acer or Hp laptops,
you have to enable Compatibility Support Mode or CSM,
in order to disable secure Boot.
Now see how to copy your files from the internal hard drive to an external hard or USB drive using Command Prompt.
1.3.a. Connect a USB flash card with enough free space.
1.3.b. Open the command prompt.
1.3.c. Type "Notepad.exe" without quotation marks and press Enter.
1.3.d. From Notepad interface, click on "File" panel and select Open.
1.3.e. Navigate into your files in the computer and send them to the USB card.
1.3.f. If there is no enough space on the USB, you will receive an error message like this.
So connect another USB card or hard drive with enough free space and try again.
1.3.g. You will not be able to see the copy dialog.
Also, the computer will become unresponsive during the file copying process
and will return to respond after the copy process is finished.
Also this method will help you to move or copy your data
from the C or windows partition into another partition
if you are planning to perform a clean windows installation
after unrepairable failure in the previous operating system.
Second method: How to backup data from laptop hard drive that won't turn on into another working computer:
If your PC get unrepairable hardware damage,
you still have a chance to recover your data from
the internal hard disk of the dead computer into
another working computer using one of the following items:
- HDD or SSD drive enclosure
- Disk drive connector
- SATA disk Drive Caddy.
They are available for less than 5 dollars..
and you can purchase one of them from...
the nearest computer accessories store.
You will need to remove the internal HDD or SSD drive from the dead laptop as following:
2.1. Disconnect the laptop from the power source.
2.2. Remove the battery pack.
2.3. Remove the screws that secure the compartment or back cover.
In some laptops, the hard drive and RAM can be accessed by removing a small back cover without need to removing screws.
2.4. Remove the compartment (back) cover.
2.5. Locate the HDD or SSD drive and remove it gently.
2.6. Remove the frame-fixing screws.
2.7. Pull the hard disk drive back.
2.8. Take out the hard disk drive and remove the metal frame.
Attention 1: - The hard disk drive is sensitive to physical shock. - Improper handling can cause damages and permanent loss of data. - Never remove the drive while the system is operating or is in suspend mode.
If you have a DVD drive in the new laptop,
you can purchase a SATA Hard Drive Caddy or DVD Tray Adapter,
and install your old disk into the caddy,
, after that install the caddy in place of the DVD of the new laptop.
This caddy can be used temporarily to copy your data from the old Disk drive into the new laptop,
or can be used as internal storage if you are not need the DVD drive.
Make sure that the HDD connector is attached firmly to its socket.
You have to secure the HDD into the Caddy using the 4 screws that came with the caddy adapter.
Remove the battery back.
Remove the optical or DVD drive as indicated in the user manual of your laptop.
Attention 2: - If you are not sure how to remove the hard drive or DVD drive, refer to the Maintenance Manual of your PC, otherwise don’t try that.
There are two different sizes for the Caddy based on the size of installed DVD drive in your laptop.
Let’s see how to install the hard disk into its enclosure with the USB 3 cable.
This item is the best choice, because it can be used in any computer or any mobile that support a USB on the go.
In addition, this enclosure will protect your data from lose that can result from a hard physical pressure on the hard disk when using HDD connector without case.
Its worth noting that the Solid-state drive is more stable against physical pressure
in compare to hard disk drive,
as the HDD uses mechanical platters and a moving read/write head to access data,
and any hard pressure may cause a damage to the disk.
The hard disk is ready to use, as indicated by the led light on the drive case.
If you decided to purchase a disk drive connector which
came as a SATA to USB cable without case,
you will not need any instruction in how to install it,
however, your data are at risk,
because an improper handling can cause damage
and permanent loss of data if you are using a hard disk drive.
Let's see how the old disk will appear after connecting it into the working laptop.
As you can see, the disk has 3 partitions which take the I, J and K letters.
Now you can open any partition and copy your files into your new laptop.
You may need to use a third-party app to recover your data from corrupted disk...
if you have failed to copy the files using known method of copy and paste.
Thanks for watching. If you like this video, leave a comment and subscribe.