Suggestions on how to back up my files before repair

Hi
The computer that I am having repaired is a dv2500t. The motherboard seems to gone on it, and there is no a display on boot up only a blank screen.

The computer is going back to hp for repair, but I would really like to have my files backed up because they have warned me that their first step in the repair process would be a reformat.

How could I go about backing up my data without being able to see what I am doing? I do have a usb external hard drive with enough room.

Could I try placing my hard drive in another computer? Although this would cause issue with drivers, am I correct?

 

I was in the same situation last week! Get a USB to IDE/SATA adapter. This is the one I used: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0285941

All you have to do is remove the hard drive from your laptop, hook it up to the adapter, and hook the adapter to a USB port on another computer.

I have the dv9000, so I don't know if its the exact same as yours, but my hard drive was SATA. I had to to take the drive out of its enclosure and remove the HP's own adapter from it before connecting it to to the USB adapter.

It was a very quick and simple process!

 

Does the computer you connect it to boot from the usb connected drive?
or does it boot its own operating system and can access the drive with the adapter?

 

Well I connected the drive after turning the computer on, so it basically acts like an external hard drive.

 

You boot up your computer normally and it would just be read as an external drive.