Best way to get my files when Windows won't start?

Silver_ · July 23, 2014

Windows won't boot after restarting my computer. I was trying to install Autodesk 3DS Max 2015 on my laptop, halfway through the process the installation would not continue due to somehow the connection to autodesk being lost, I tried again 2 more times and it kept failing at different points. At some point in all of this my computer locked up for too long and did a thing where the audio just completely stops working (this has happened before but has always been fixed by a restart) So I eventually gave up on 3DS Max and decided to just restart my computer and then play some games. Upon restarting my computer I found that Windows cannot boot up, it gives me the two options, launch normally or start in recovery mode or whatever its called. Starting normally just crashes and brings me back to these options, and the recovey mode won't help because I never made backups considering I never did anything too dangerous to my laptop (I'm stupid I know). So, to make a long story short, I can't boot up windows, what is the best way to retrieve my files before I reinstall Windows?

xToFxREAPER · July 23, 2014

Windows won't boot after restarting my computer. I was trying to install Autodesk 3DS Max 2015 on my laptop, halfway through the process the installation would not continue due to somehow the connection to autodesk being lost, I tried again 2 more times and it kept failing at different points. At some point in all of this my computer locked up for too long and did a thing where the audio just completely stops working (this has happened before but has always been fixed by a restart) So I eventually gave up on 3DS Max and decided to just restart my computer and then play some games. Upon restarting my computer I found that Windows cannot boot up, it gives me the two options, launch normally or start in recovery mode or whatever its called. Starting normally just crashes and brings me back to these options, and the recovey mode won't help because I never made backups considering I never did anything too dangerous to my laptop (I'm stupid I know). So, to make a long story short, I can't boot up windows, what is the best way to retrieve my files before I reinstall Windows?

Personally i like to guinea pig my drive off another pc as a second mass storage drive and copy my files to that pc or an external usb drive. If you dont have another pc maybe ask a friend for help otherwise someone else will have to give you ideas cause thats all i got lol

legopc · July 23, 2014

reinstalling windows without formatting

Solkia · July 23, 2014

It's kind of unconventional, but you can use another computer and a SATA to USB cable and move the files to that PC.

toughtrasher · July 24, 2014

It's kind of unconventional, but you can use another computer and a SATA to USB cable and move the files to that PC.

Tried this before and it's doable.

Question is, why didn't you back up?

Misanthrope · July 24, 2014

An external hard drive or big ass thumb drive, install Linux on it. The system will boot up and you will be able to recover your files (Linux can read your windows hard drive without booting it up to recover the files) and most likely whatever that infected or fucked up your windows install won't affect the Linux install on the thumb drive.

I always keep a Linux mint flash drive as a recovery tool.