Data recovery with OS crash

I am trying to help somebody out after their OS (XP Pro) will not load. They have some files that we need to try and get before we do a reinstall. I have already tried a repair install.

I have made a DOS boot disk and can get it to a prompt but wasn't able to try anything else. Should I know be able to reach the same files as if I were in Windows and just copy them to a floppy? Or are they saved sort of under a Windows "umbrella" where Windows is required in order to access them?

Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

The easiest way to recover these files is to physically remove the harddrive from your friends computer and plug it in as a slave drive to a working computer. Then you can backup all you're friend's data to another harddrive, CD, DVD, whatever with the convenience of a GUI. That's my prefered way of doing things, anyhow.

 

Yep that is the best way IMHO as well. Copy to floppies ??? Shirley you can't be serious ... 1.44 mb floppies ???? Lots of options on USB cases where you can plug in a Desktop or Laptop Hardrive and have it acessible from another machine.

Can google windows XP boot disks (BartPE has one) - can try those - DOS does not reconize NTFS ...if you have a bootable cd and a cd or dvd burner a good XP Boot cd that loads the drivers and has some buring software ....LIke life insurance a waste of time and money .....unitl ya need it then it becomes priceless...

Good Luck !

 

I appreciate your (x2) help.

Yes, Floppy was the intention. It is primarily some text files that are very important to her so it should not be too much but I also have an external hard drive if that is what it takes.

If I use the external should I just maybe be able to copy the entice C: drive? Will Windows actually be able to read that later?

I will look for the XP boot disk. That will allow me to use Windows temporarily in order to recover files?

One last one. If it comes down to it.. How do you hook up a laptop hard drive to another computer? Get one of those external cases?

Thanks.

 

You need a 2.5" to 3" ide converter. They cost like $4.

 

Just wanted to let anybody know that we finally got the files by using a Linux based boot disk. I had never used Linux but luckily somebody I knew had one. Thanks you for pointing me in the right directionl. It certainly helped.