Author Topic: Using Linux to Recover Files from a Dead Windows Computer  (Read 202 times)

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rsutter

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Using Linux to Recover Files from a Dead Windows Computer
« on: March 31, 2024, 10:47:01 AM »
Hello All,
Recently, a friend contacted me with the sad story of her Windows 11 computer refusing to boot. 
I tried to get in but was no more successful than she was.
I decided to remove the M.2 hard drive from that computer, place it in an external M.2 carrier and plug this USB device into a laptop running Linux Ubuntu 22.04.
The Ubuntu file system recognized the external USB drive.  I navigated to the documents folder on the external drive and successfully copied the contents to a flash drive.
I then plugged the flash drive into my Windows 11 computer and was able to read, write and execute the recovered files.

Here is a link to the M.2 USB carrier

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Type-C-Tool-Free-Enclosure-EC-SNVE/dp/B08RVC6F9Y/ref=sr_1_1_sspa  $26.99

Please note that the recovery should work with many other USB m.2 enclosures and diverse Linux operating systems.

Ralph Sutter
« Last Edit: March 31, 2024, 11:39:16 AM by rsutter »