How to backup files from a Win8.1 laptop that want boot!

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viiartz

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Hi, my Dell XPS 15 laptop will not boot. Unfortunately, I have no recovery DVD as I never got around to making one. I'm currently downloading the win8.1 iso from MS. I've decided to reinstall win 8.1 but before I do how do I back up my files using a live cd/dvd or usb that will read the new win8.1 file system. Is there a live cd like Hiren's or similar that I can use? I have latest version of Hiren boot cd but of course I can't access the win8.1 volume which has the files I want to backup!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15
    CPU
    i7
Another option is to take the drive out and slave it into your desktop PC. Then you can just drag a drop the files from one drive to another in explorer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
I've had a USB drive caddy for years, has served me well. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I have one of these in my kit, Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2 - Newegg.ca It pretty well covers any drive I might need to pull files off of. I'm the go to guy for friends and family with computer issues. This lets me get all their personal files off of the drive before I do anything. These PC's are usually so bad by the time I get them that I have to do a factory reset or reinstall Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
alphanumeric said:
I have one of these in my kit, Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2 - Newegg.ca It pretty well covers any drive I might need to pull files off of. I'm the go to guy for friends and family with computer issues. This lets me get all their personal files off of the drive before I do anything. These PC's are usually so bad by the time I get them that I have to do a factory reset or reinstall Windows.
Click to expand...

That's pretty sweet. Mine is just for 2.5" SATA but that's all I have anymore. And yea, the average user can really trash a system given enough time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I still get the odd laptop with an IDE drive in it. Laptop IDE drives won't slave in a desktop PC without an adapter so I just figured I cover all the bases with the one device. It's portable too, I keep it in my emergency kit with some other odds and ends.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
viiartz said:
Hi, my Dell XPS 15 laptop will not boot. Unfortunately, I have no recovery DVD as I never got around to making one. I'm currently downloading the win8.1 iso from MS. I've decided to reinstall win 8.1 but before I do how do I back up my files using a live cd/dvd or usb that will read the new win8.1 file system. Is there a live cd like Hiren's or similar that I can use? I have latest version of Hiren boot cd but of course I can't access the win8.1 volume which has the files I want to backup!
Click to expand...

Option 1) the Win8.1 .iso, acting as recovery disk, may offer opportunity to repair the installed OS without deleting personal files.

Option 2) a live Linux distro (running off a cd/dvd drive) may allow access to the c:\ drive and the files within. Although, if Hiren's can't, it's likely Linux won't.

Option 3) take the bitter medicine and remove the hd, attach it to a usb caddy. That's assuming there's another working PC.

Option 4) accept reality and get a new hd for a complete reinstall.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
run the setup media and instead of selecting install now - choose bottom left "repair this computer"
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
Hi, we don't know what you see or how far it gets when you say it won't boot... that could help. Your PC probably has UEFI not BIOS so Hiren's disk won't work- I guess you realised that.

You could try disabling UEFI, but you need to start from within Windows
How To Disable UEFI Secure Boot In Windows 8 & 8.1
- or from a bootable Win 8.1 disk (I assume).

Once you have your Win 8.1 disk, you can also try the recovery options and safe mode of course, which would give you other options of recovering your data.

With UEFI/Safe boot disabled, you could then run some diagnostics if you suspect your hardware.

Elementary question - do you use disk imaging as a routine backup procedure? If you can't repair/recover/use system restore etc, disk images could save the day. (Albeit you'd be back to needing to be able to use a boot disk).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G60 214EM
    CPU
    Athlon QL62
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    8200M
    Browser
    Pale Moon
    Antivirus
    Avast
Sorry to tell you this, but in all likelihood, any Linux distro is going to refuse to mount the partition.

Why?

Because the new default in Windows 8/8.1 is to go into hibernation when you shut it down -- and it keeps the partitions mounted even when it's not running.

So, when you boot from a Live Linux CD/DVD/USB, it's going to refuse to mount the filesystem because basically, it's already "mounted" in Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

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