Retrieving data files on hard drive onto a disc?

Question

my laptop crashed today n wudnt switch on so I took out the hard drive n want to get all my photos n files onto a disc , will the tech guys be able to do that in pc world?

Answer 1

Don't waste money paying them to do it.

Use the money to buy a Laptop Drive Caddy for USB s***w the drive in [usually common sense is enough expertise] then plug the drive into your other computer's USB port.

Then see if you can access all those files.

Until you know you can get them all - don't save ANYTHING to that drive.  Then if you are missing anything important you can use a Utility program to find the damaged files and possibly recover them.

If you save to the drive you may overwrite bits  files that have been damaged but can still be recovered. [Imagine a book where you lose part of the index, the pages are still there but you have to look at them individually to know if they are in order and what is on them]

Once you have got everything off - Run CHKDSK on that drive to see if there is any mention of Cross Linked Files or other warnings.  If none then carry on using the drive as a backup.

Otherwise format the drive using the manufacturers utility [if you can get one from them]

Even if the drive was not part of the crash, it is likely that it has been hit in some way by that crash.  A full format is the only sure recovery procedure.

Answer 2

Take it there and if they cannot do it they have no right to call themselves Tech Guys