How to Recover Data from a Crashed Windows PC

When your Windows PC crashes and won’t boot, your files aren’t necessarily gone. This guide shows you how to recover data from a crashed Windows PC using built-in tools, a second computer, and a few free utilities. You’ll need a working computer, a USB flash drive (8 GB or larger), and possibly a SATA-to-USB adapter or an external hard drive enclosure.

What You’ll Need

• A working computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) to prepare recovery media and receive files.
• A USB flash drive (8 GB or larger) for creating a bootable recovery drive.
• A second storage device (external hard drive, another USB drive, or network location) to copy recovered files to.
• If the crashed PC’s drive is internal, a SATA-to-USB adapter or an external enclosure to connect it to the working computer.
• Optional: a Phillips screwdriver to remove the drive from the crashed PC.

Step-by-Step

1. Stop using the crashed PC immediately. If the PC is still on, shut it down. Do not retry booting it repeatedly, as this can overwrite data on a failing drive.
2. Create a Windows recovery drive on a working PC. Insert a USB flash drive. Open the Start menu, type “Create a recovery drive,” and launch the tool. Check “Back up system files to the recovery drive” if you want to repair Windows later, but for data recovery, unchecking it is fine. Follow the prompts; this will format the USB drive.
3. Boot the crashed PC from the USB drive. Insert the USB drive into the crashed PC, turn it on, and press the boot menu key (usually F12, Esc, F9, or F2) repeatedly during startup. Select the USB drive from the boot menu.
4. Open Command Prompt from the recovery environment. When the Windows Setup or Recovery screen appears, choose your language, then click “Repair your computer” (bottom-left). Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
5. Identify your drive letters. In the Command Prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. Then type list volume and press Enter. Note the drive letter (like D:, E:) that corresponds to your Windows installation (usually the largest volume with the label “Windows” or no label). Type exit to leave diskpart.
6. Copy your files to an external drive. Connect your external drive to the crashed PC. In the Command Prompt, use the robocopy command. For example, to copy the entire User folder to an external drive labeled F:, type: robocopy D:\Users F:\Recovered /E /R:1 /W:1 and press Enter. Replace D: with your Windows drive letter and F: with your external drive letter. This copies all user files (Documents, Pictures, Desktop, etc.). You can also copy specific folders like D:\Users\YourName\Documents.
7. If robocopy fails due to disk errors, try a different approach. Use xcopy with the /C flag to continue despite errors: xcopy D:\Users F:\Recovered /E /C /H /R /Y. This may take longer but can salvage more data.
8. Shut down and remove the drive. Once the copy finishes, type exit and shut down the PC. Remove the USB drive and external drive.
9. If the PC won’t boot from USB at all, remove the hard drive. Turn off the PC, unplug it, open the case, and disconnect the hard drive (usually a 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA drive). Connect it to your working PC using a SATA-to-USB adapter or enclosure.
10. Copy files from the drive as an external drive. On the working PC, the crashed drive should appear as a new drive letter. Open File Explorer, navigate to the drive, and copy your user folders to your working PC’s drive or an external drive.
11. If the drive is not recognized, try a Linux live USB. Use a tool like Rufus (on a working PC) to create a bootable USB with Ubuntu. Boot the crashed PC from that USB, choose “Try Ubuntu,” and then open the Files app. Your Windows drive should appear under Devices. Copy files to an external drive.

Common Mistakes

• Continuing to use the crashed PC. Every boot attempt can write to the drive, overwriting deleted or damaged files.
• Installing Windows over the crashed drive. This erases everything. Always recover data first.
• Copying to the same drive. Never copy files to the same drive you’re recovering from; use an external drive.
• Ignoring disk errors. If you see “file not found” or “cyclic redundancy check,” stop and use specialized recovery software instead of forcing the copy.
• Using the wrong drive letter. In diskpart, the drive letters may not match what you expect; double-check the size and label.

Tips

• Prioritize your data. Copy the most important files first (Documents, Photos, Desktop) before everything else.
• Use robocopy for large transfers. It’s more reliable than dragging and dropping and can resume if interrupted.
• If the drive makes clicking noises, stop. This indicates physical damage; power off and seek professional data recovery.
• Keep the external drive formatted as NTFS (Windows) or exFAT (compatible with both Windows and Mac) to avoid file size limits.
• After recovery, back up your files regularly to an external drive or cloud service.

Troubleshooting

• The PC won’t boot from the USB drive. Check the boot order in BIOS/UEFI (press Del or F2 during startup). Disable Secure Boot temporarily if it’s blocking the USB. Try a different USB port (preferably USB 2.0).
• The Command Prompt doesn’t show your external drive. The drive may not be initialized. In diskpart, type list disk to see if it’s there. If it shows as offline, type select disk 1 (replace 1 with the number) and then online disk. If it’s not listed at all, try a different USB port or a powered USB hub.
• Robocopy reports “Access Denied” errors. You’re already in the recovery environment, which runs as Administrator. But some system folders are protected. Copy only your user folders, not the entire C: drive.
• The hard drive is not recognized when connected to another PC. It might be a hardware failure. Try connecting it internally to the working PC (if it’s a desktop). If it still isn’t recognized, the drive’s controller may be dead; professional recovery may be needed.
• You see “Cannot compute” or similar errors in robocopy. This is not a standard error. If you encounter a message like “The system cannot find the file specified,” the drive letter is wrong or the folder doesn’t exist. Recheck with dir D:\.
• The recovery drive creation fails. Use a different USB drive (some cheap drives are unreliable). Ensure the USB drive is empty, as the tool will format it.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I recover data from a crashed PC without a working computer? No, you need a second computer to create bootable media or to connect the drive to. If you don’t have one, a local repair shop can help.
2. How long does data recovery take? It depends on the drive size and speed. Copying 100 GB over USB 3.0 can take 10-20 minutes; over USB 2.0, it may take an hour or more.
3. Will I lose data if I use the Windows recovery drive? No, using a recovery drive to boot doesn’t erase your data. However, choosing “Reset this PC” or “Reinstall Windows” will erase it.
4. Can I recover deleted files from a crashed PC? Yes, but it’s harder. If the files were deleted before the crash, you’ll need specialized recovery software like Recuva or PhotoRec. These can often recover files that haven’t been overwritten.
5. What if the drive is encrypted with BitLocker? You’ll need the BitLocker recovery key (usually saved to your Microsoft account or printed). The recovery environment will prompt for the key when accessing the drive.
6. Is it safe to use a USB drive that was used for recovery on other computers? Yes, after formatting it back to normal (right-click > Format), it’s safe to use for storage.

Related

• Install Edge Extensions on Android: Step-by-Step
• iPhone 14: How to Enable 4K Cinematic Resolution
• How to Find Last Password Change in Active Directory