Need to backup files from shot windows installation

Sipex

I'm the sort of 'tech guy' in my circle of friends, this being because I have computer knowledge and I'm not the type to stay holed up in my basement. Anywho, my one friend's Vista installation is shot, one of the startup files is shot and we can't seem to find a way to repair it (windows repair says it can't and his vista cd is one of those crappy restore packages instead of a solid vista install so it will only format the computer, no repair options).

Anywho, my question to you is, how can I go about backing up the files he wants to keep (mostly pictures, as he can't just get those again)? I'm unable to get access to safe mode but for some reason when the windows repair runs I can access the hard drive via command line.

- Can I plug in USB keys and access them via command line?
- Can I still copy files to CD via command line?
- What commands are my friends here? I'm not a command line savvy guy, all I really know is cd, dir and copy.

In addition one of the solutions that I can very easily pull off is just plugging in a different drive as the master (with a different windows install) and moving everything over. Only problem is we don't know if his power supply can handle it (one of those pre-made packages, so the power supply might JUST be okay for the system).

Is there anyway I can tell if the power supply is running at max capacity or if it has power for one more hard drive?

travathian

The PSU will easily accommodate a second hdd. I don't think I have ever seen a manufactured computer that couldn't handle the very low stress another drive would create.

Another option would be to boot from a Linux live cd like Knoppix or Ubuntu, and within linux you can copy the files over to a flash drive or external drive.

Sipex

Oh hey, that gives me another idea. There's a copy of linux which can be booted up from a usb key, isn't there?

If someone can supply the name of it I could use that too.


Thanks for all your help so far!

Dedian

Sipex wrote: »

Oh hey, that gives me another idea. There's a copy of linux which can be booted up from a usb key, isn't there?

If someone can supply the name of it I could use that too.


Thanks for all your help so far!

A linux live CD would be your best bet. I think a lot of linux distros would boot from USB (see http://www.linuxliveusb.com/ to create a bootable USB from a linux ISO... You may need to play around with the USB settings in the BIOS and a few different sticks to get one that works, at least in my experience). Since you'll have the ISO downloaded and the CD drive sounds like it's working, just burn the CD It's a little slower to start, but can be a bit easier. Latest Ubuntu, for example, should have everything you'll need to access his drive and most anything you attach to put his files onto. You can install extra packages while you're in the live environment if you need it.

Sipex

Alright, a question. I have the iso for ubuntu but as I understand it ISOs can't simply be placed on a cd and magically work...especially if I want to boot from them.

What should I be doing so this gets done right?

Just an fyi, no burning software to speak of.

Rotting Meat

http://cdburnerxp.se/

Free burner and works well. Grab it, select your ISO within the program and burn it to the disc, and finalize the disc (enabled by default I would imagine for ISOs)

Seeks

imgburn also works.

After you burn the disc, once you've booted it and are "in" the OS, there's a command that lets you make a bootable USB thumbdrive out of it. It's under system > admin > USB startup disk. Of course, the only reason to do that at that point is if you want a faster time of things (running an OS from a cd is a bit sluggish) - it'd probably be easier to just copy whatever you want to the thumbdrive.

Teth

Just get the version of Ubuntu that runs from the CD/DVD. It will recognize any USB block device you can throw at it, be it a flash drive or external hard drive enclosure.

I use Knoppix typically, but I think Ubuntu is more non-Linux user friendly.