Question Retrieving Files From a BSOD Desktop PC ?

[hellopeops]

Hello All

My dad has asked me to help him retrieve his files off of his 14 year old computer that has recently decided to no longer POST and it now throws Blue Screen Of Death messages when attempting to turn it on.

I've installed Rufus onto an external hard dive, which enabled me to boot the system, however, I see no C drive. Is there a way to force the system to show the desktop's native C drive so I can retrieve files off of it?

 

[Colif]

if you booted off the external drive, it is C drive. Are there any other drives showing in system?

windows calls every drive it boots off C unless you mess around and change it to another letter. The default is C. You can have two ssd in a PC and if both have windows on them, if you boot from either it will think its C.

If you see more than 2 drives, the other drive would be the normal C drive.

what OS are you running?

can you right click start
choose disk management
open next window to show top and bottom sections
take a screenshot and upload to an image sharing website

show link here.

What BSOD was it showing?

 

[USAFRet]

Hello All

My dad has asked me to help him retrieve his files off of his 14 year old computer that has recently decided to no longer POST. As it now throws Blue Screen Of Death messages when attempting to turn on.

I've installed Rufus onto an external hard dive, which enabled me to boot the system, however, I see no C drive. Is there a way to force the system to show the desktop's native C drive so I can retrieve files off of it?

Rufus or not, you shouldn't be booting off this old drive.

Connect it via USB, only after the regular system is up and running.

 

[Colif]

how would you boot just using rufus? I assumed he had windows on the external drive.

 

[USAFRet]

how would you boot just using rufus? I assumed he had windows on the external drive.

Right...the main drive out of the 14 year old PC?

 

[Colif]

until they answer, we won't know.

could be but if they have another system, why not put drive from old PC in new one and copy files over?

 

[USAFRet]

until they answer, we won't know.

could be but if they have another system, why not put drive from old PC in new one and copy files over?

Trying to boot a 14 year old drive with Win 7, in a new(?) system, is unlikely to work properly.

Just connect it as a secondary drive, with a different drive letter, and navigate as needed.

 

[Colif]

That was what I was suggesting. Not boot from it, just add as another drive.

 

[hellopeops]

until they answer, we won't know.

could be but if they have another system, why not put drive from old PC in new one and copy files over?

I purchased a new 1TB Seagate external HDD to boot the computer. My apologies for the lack of clarity in my initial post.

 

[USAFRet]

I purchased a new 1TB Seagate external HDD to boot the computer. My apologies for the lack of clarity in my initial post.

So, the drive from the old PC will NOT be the "C drive".

Whatever drive you boot from is the C.

 

[hellopeops]

Below is what I see 👇

 

[USAFRet]

Below is what I see 👇

For whatever reason, the drive is not being detected.

Can you connect it internally in a PC?

 

[hellopeops]

For whatever reason, the drive is not being detected.

Can you connect it internally in a PC?

Connect it internally to a different PC?

 

[USAFRet]

Connect it internally to a different PC?

Yes.

 

[hellopeops]

Yes.

It worked.

I took the hard drive out. Placed it into an external enclosure, connected it to a different computer, navigated to the User file, switched permission and retrieved the files.

Thank you.