In this guide I explain how to recover files from a laptop (or desktop PC) with crashed, failed, damaged operating system.
WHEN CAN YOU USE THIS RECOVERY GUIDE?
1. The guide will work if your operating system damaged but the laptop (or desktop PC) hardware still works fine.
2. The guide might work if the hard drive has some minor damage, like a few bad sectors.
PREPARING FOR RECOVERY
For this recovery I’ll be using a Ubuntu CD (Linux OS). Also, you can create a bootable Ubuntu USB stick and use that instead of the CD. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a Linux guru for that. The interface will be very similar to Windows OS.
You’ll need another working computer to download and create a bootable Ubundu CD or USB stick.
1. Download the latest version of Ubuntu OS here. When you click on the download button you’ll start downloading an ISO image.
2. Burn this ISO image on a CD or create a bootable USB stick. It’s explained on the same Ubuntu download page, just scroll a little bit down.
3. Find the target drive where you going to save recovered files. You can use an external USB hard drive or USB memory stick. The target drive can be formatted with any common Windows file system: FAT, FAT32, NTFS.
DATA RECOVERY PROCESS
STEP 1.
Boot your laptop from the Ubuntu CD or USB stick. Simply insert the CD or USB stick and restart the computer.
If the laptop (of desktop PC) keeps trying to boot from the internal hard drive, you’ll have to enter the BIOS setup menu and change the boot order. Set your CD/DVD drive or USB stick as first device in the boot order. Safe changes and restart the computer.
From my experience, Ubuntu OS works fine with most laptop and desktop PC hardware and you shouldn’t have any problem booting it to the desktop. It may not work if your computer hardware is too new.
STEP 2.
The computer will start booting from the CD or USB stick.
Now read carefully!
After some time a welcome screen will pop up. On this screen you can choose your language and choose between two options: Try Ubuntu and Install Ubuntu.
Select Try Ubuntu. In this case Linux OS will run directly from the CD or USB stick without changing any files on the hard drive.
STEP 3.
Ubuntu OS will continue loading and after a while you’ll boot to the desktop, as it shown on the following picture.
STEP 4.
In order to access the internal hard drive, you click on Places in the top toolbar. You should see your internal hard drive in the drop down menu under the Computer.
STEP 5.
When you click on the internal hard drive a new window will open up. In this window you’ll see all files located on the hard drive.
STEP 6.
Now plug in your target drive: external USB hard drive or USB flash drive.
Another window will pop up. In this window you’ll see files located on the external drive. In my case I have no files on the external drive, that’s why the window is empty.
You can move windows same way you do it in Windows OS. Arrange both windows as you like.
STEP 7.
Finally, drag and drop needed files from the internal hard drive to the external drive.
After the transfer is done, you can unplug the external drive and use it on any other computer.
IF YOU HAVE FAILED HARDWARE
In case if your laptop (or desktop PC) has faulty hardware, you should try recovery with external USB enclosure.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
November 18th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Hi.
I completed the process as you told, but when i connected my external HDD to my other laptop, the folder is shown where i copied my files from a infected laptop on my external drive, but i am unable to open and view the contents.
Kindly provide me a alternate at the earliest, as it is very urgent.
regards,
Mohammed Tayyab
September 5th, 2012 at 11:49 am
This works great! The whole process was painless. Thank you. I was so close to despair.
June 19th, 2012 at 7:21 am
My Windows Vista system crashed. I reinstalled Ubuntu as per the steps you mentioned. But now when it comes to retrieving data I’m completely stuck. When I select File System, I can see folders that say – bin, boot,dev, etc…. but I cant see my files?
Please help i have some very important college documents that I need to retrieve by the end of this week.
June 10th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Hi, I’ve been trying to retrieve data from my laptop’s hard drive after my Win 7 seemed to stop working for a few weeks now, and decided to try Ubuntu. While I have to thank you for writing this article that explains what to do better than any other site I’ve found so far, I have run into a bit of a problem. When I go to “Computer”, my hard drive isn’t listed at all. Instead, the only thing listed is the 0 byte file system. While at first I was worried that my hard drive had actually crashed, I checked BIOS to find that my computer still registers the hard drive. If you, or anyone, can help at all, I would really appreciate it.
March 28th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Hello, i went to the Ubuntu and downloaded the ISO image ,used the universal usb installer to burn to a formatted usb disk.
i changed the bios to boot first from usb-FDD THEN I TRIED USB-ZIP.
nothing happens.
i also tried cd rom drive and harddrive as first boot.
the computer just keeps goin throught the act of trying to startup.
i can not enter safe mode or restore.
i have a xp home setup disk, but want to backup my system drivers before i formatt the system.
i would be happy to make a donation if u can help me save my system setup before i formatt it on the cheap.
i don’t have the money to take it to a computer shop.
the computer is a hp pavilion 753n about 10 years old.
i think i pushed the off button one to many times and maybe have a virus
but could never detect any.
thanks for any suggestions, Charles
March 25th, 2012 at 12:33 am
THANK YOU!!!! My wife dropped her laptop before she backed up 6 monthes worth of pictures of our kids. Following your steps, I was able to recover everything. Thank you.
February 4th, 2012 at 5:52 am
I want to thankyou for the information requested to save info from labtop, when all others companys called want you to give them money, not acknowledgeing you have bought their product duh? again thankyou
December 30th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@ Iris Goodeyes,
When you get “OS not found” error, most likely it’s one of the following:
1. The motherboard cannot see the hard drive because of poor connection between the hard drive and motherboard. Try reconnecting the hard drive and test the laptop again.
2. The hard drive is dead. Listen for the hard drive sounds. Can you hear it spinning?
3. The hard drive got erased.
December 29th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
I have a sony vaio something went wrong all of a sudden screen is black and says operating system not found. What do I do?
October 20th, 2011 at 7:51 am
@ Martin,
I don’t know why but I wouldn’t worry about this file too much.