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- How do I recover my files from my laptop?

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10-31-2020 03:20 AM
My system is displaying a white screen with a blue line at the top and bottom. It also displays "Drivers", Devices List, Exit, Move Highlight, <Enter>=Select Entry, and Esc=Exit.
I first noticed that the right button was no longer able to give me the option to copy or paste; instead, it would make all links unclickable.
Occasionally, there would be display of letters in yellow colours while working.
At times, only external mouse was able to work with the right and left buttons.
Now I can't access the system since 2 days now because of the display on the screen.
How do I bypass this in order to backup my important files before attempting to repair the system?
Solved! Go to Solution.
Accepted Solutions
11-02-2020 12:03 PM
All you will be able to recover at best from the drive is personal data. You will not be able to recover settings, website information (including user accounts and passwords) or applications.
Your best bet for recovering data now is to do the following:
1) Remove the disk drive from the old PC. If this is a SATA hard drive or a SATA SSD, this is a simple thing to do. If this is an m.2 SSD, that could be either screwed to the motherboard or soldered to the motherboard. If the second, you would need to have a techician remove it for you, or you risk seriously damaging the PC doing it yourself.
2) If you have a desktop PC with a spare hard drive connector, then connect the old drive to that. If the old drive is a SATA drive, connect both the power cable and the data cable. (This adapter is illustrated below) If the old drive is an m.2 SSD, you will need a USB-to-mSATA cable.
3) Try to retrieve the files and folders you want to save from the old drive and copy them to the new PC.
If this does not work, then you need to do the following:
1) Download and install this utility on a working PC http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/recover_data_in_3_steps_with_minitool_power_data_recovery_free_...
2) Run the data recovery utility to see what can be retrieved from the old drive.
If that tool does not find what you need, an alternative is Recuva http://www.piriform.com/recuva
And, if that does not work well, the best tool out there is this one, but only the demo version is free https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
10-31-2020 03:48 PM
The files are on the drive, not on the laptop, so I'm not sure what it is you really want to do.
If you really want to retrieve files, then you have to consider removing the drive from the laptop and using another PC to do this. If you are interested in that, I will provide directions.
If you are trying to use the laptop to do this, that will not work because the drive appears to be corrupted and the laptop will not work properly in that situation.
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
11-02-2020 12:03 PM
All you will be able to recover at best from the drive is personal data. You will not be able to recover settings, website information (including user accounts and passwords) or applications.
Your best bet for recovering data now is to do the following:
1) Remove the disk drive from the old PC. If this is a SATA hard drive or a SATA SSD, this is a simple thing to do. If this is an m.2 SSD, that could be either screwed to the motherboard or soldered to the motherboard. If the second, you would need to have a techician remove it for you, or you risk seriously damaging the PC doing it yourself.
2) If you have a desktop PC with a spare hard drive connector, then connect the old drive to that. If the old drive is a SATA drive, connect both the power cable and the data cable. (This adapter is illustrated below) If the old drive is an m.2 SSD, you will need a USB-to-mSATA cable.
3) Try to retrieve the files and folders you want to save from the old drive and copy them to the new PC.
If this does not work, then you need to do the following:
1) Download and install this utility on a working PC http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/recover_data_in_3_steps_with_minitool_power_data_recovery_free_...
2) Run the data recovery utility to see what can be retrieved from the old drive.
If that tool does not find what you need, an alternative is Recuva http://www.piriform.com/recuva
And, if that does not work well, the best tool out there is this one, but only the demo version is free https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP