3 Proven Ways | How to Recover Files from a Dead Computer

How do I recover files from my computer that won’t turn on?

If you fail to boot your Windows after crashing, the data on your entire system is at risk. Several factors could cause system boot failure. This issue can be with Windows or the hardware of your PC.

For instance, the above user failed to boot PCs because he/she may accidentally deleted boot partition in Windows. Besides, OS malfunction, faulty BIOS settings, and malware attacks also have an effect.

Your top priority is to retrieve data from hard drive dead computers as soon as possible, whatever the reason is. This guide will give you 3 feasible ways on how to recover files from a dead computer.

How to recover files from a dead computer? (3 Ways)

How to retrieve data from hard drive of dead laptop or comupter? You only need to follow the following 3 effective methods to recover data from a dead computer. 

Way 1. Use the BIOS utility

Sometimes, your system is not entirely dead. It won’t boot because of corrupted or damaged file systems, program bugs, malware infections, or DLLs. At the moment, you can make good use of the BIOS utility to fix this issue. Let’s show how it works.

Step 1. Press “Win + I” to open Windows Settings and click the “Update & Security” button.

Step 2. Click “Recovery” on the left. Then under the Advanced startup tab, click the “Restart now” button.

Step 3. Your PC will enter the winRE. Then click Troubleshoot > Advanced options.

Step 4. Click the “Command Prompt” button.

Step 5. Type “notepad.exe” in the command prompt window and hit “Enter” to go on.

Step 6. In the Notepad, click File > Open. Then locate the files you want to recover via File Explorer.

Step 7. Set the type of files as “All Files” from txt to access them.

After that, right-click on your selected file and select Send to > another storage device like your USB drive. Then you can access your desired files.

Way 2. Remove the hard drive to another computer

If there’s something wrong with your PC or you accidentally deleted the boot partition, your PC definitely cannot boot. In this case, you can manually remove your dead hard drive and connect it to another working PC. 

Step 1. Turn off your computer and remove the battery. Then unplug your PC from the power outlet.  

Step 2. Locate your unbootable hard drive and disconnect its hard drive cables. After that, use a screwdriver to unscrew it and pull it out of the case.

Step 3. Connect this hard drive to a working PC via an external hard drive enclosure.

Step 4. Restart this working PC from its standard operating system. Then you can easily access the hard drive data if there's no data loss.

Step 5. Please copy files from the non-booting hard drive to another storage device.

Way 3. Make a bootable USB media to boot your Windows PC

Removing a hard disk from a computer can be quite challenging, especially when your computer won't turn on. So, how to retrieve files from a crashed computer? Fortunately, you can recover files from a dead  without disassembling the hard drive by creating a bootable USB.

The simplest method is using MyRecover. It provides the best solution to recover data from crashed computers, whether the computer is unbootable, stuck on the blue screen of death (BSOD), or experiencing the black screen of death. Additionally, MyRecover makes it easy to recover data without removing your HDD or SSD.

Notes:✎...   

If the budget allows, you’d better use a new USB flash drive because the data saved on your USB flash drive will be formatted/erased. Or, backup your data using free backup software for Windows like AOMEI Backupper Standard.

Prepare another working PC and download and install MyRecover.

Step 1. Launch MyRecover on another working PC > click Crashed PC recovery.

Step 2. Select a feasible way to create a recovery drive based on your needs > click Execute.

Step 3. After proceeding with the process, it shows a pop-up window reminding you to perform disk formatting. Please click Yes to continue.

Step 4. It will take a few minutes to make a WinPE bootable USB drive. Please wait patiently.

Step 5. Upon completion, a success message will appear. Subsequently, you’ll receive instructions to perform computer crash recovery.

Steps to Recover Data from a Dead PC with Data Recovery Software

It is easy to recover files from a dead computer when you have a USB recovery drive.

• Just connect it to the affected PC and enter the Boot Menu by turning on your system and pressing the Boot Key (usually F12).
• In BIOS, locate the Boot menu and look for the Boot Sequence. Change the bootable order from your connected bootable USB media.
• Press F10 to confirm that your PC will boot from the bootable USB media.

Then,  try to use MyRecover to get your needed data from your hard drive.

★Highlights of MyRecover:

Powerful features: Recover overwritten Excel files, deleted/lost Word, PPT, folders, compressed files, photos, songs, videos, audio, websites, and other 200+ file types from HDD, USB, SSD, etc.

Easy-to-find: Quick Scan and Deep Scan can find your deleted/missing files as many as possible. You can also quickly locate your desired files by Filename, Path, Date, Size, etc.

Convenient: Get deleted files’ original Paths, Filenames, and Format after recovery.

Excellent compatibility: Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems and be compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Windows Server.

Step 1. After running MyRecover on your Windows PC, hover the mouse over thehard drive that saves your desired files and click Scan.

Step 2. Filter your needed files according to Name, Date, Document Type, or Path.

• Name: Type the filenames of your desired files to narrow the search area.
• Date modified: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, and so on) according to your situation.
• Size: Filter the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~ 512MB, etc) based on your needs.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Recycle Bin/Other Missing Files folder and select the files you want. Then click “Recover x files” to begin the hard drive data recovery process.

Relevant Q&A about dead hard drive data recovery

Wondering how to retrieve data from hard drive of dead computers? Please get feasible ways from the above content. And there’re related dead hard drive data recovery tips.