Need some info about data recovery on crashed Windows 7

[Flying_Knee]

So one of my friend brought me her laptop for me to check since she said it couldn't boot anymore giving a BSOD on startup. She said she was infected with a malware and that it started to do that right after. So i checked it out and :

- Windows refuse to boot in safe mode
- System restore doesn't work and give an error on any restore point.
- Tried to repair with Windows and system recovery with no success.

The hard drive seems fine but windows look completely FUBAR. I can access the recovery options but none of them seems to work.

Now , i could simply just format and this is exactly what i'm going to do but the problem is that she has some important files and other stuff that she doesn't want to lose (photos , music ect). I'm not a complete noob when it come to computers but i never messed up with recovery software/techniques.

Can anyone recommend me the best method or software to recover data on a crashed Windows ?

I tried Knoppix but i can't get it to boot.

I pass the first screen but then get a line 737 input/output error and the computer just freeze. A search on google doesn't say much about how to fix it so i guess that i'm screwed with that option.

Tried to boot with the Windows 7 DVD and i can get to the format installation screen but that's not really what i need right now. I just need a way to get on the HD to backup the files i need and then format.

Any suggestion ?

 

[Gunbuster]

Hirens boot cd or a BartPE cd. Boot up with a USB stick or HDD attached, copy data off.

 

[Harvey]

Buy a universal SATA/PATA to USB adapter like this one (click the pic for link):

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Remove the drive, use the adapter to connect it to another machine, and copy the required files. You can copy them to a CD or flash drive to return them to the laptop after you re-install Windows.

Be very sure the other machine is well protected before connecting a possibly infected drive to it, and scan the infected drive for malware before copying any files.

 

[Flying Knee]

Thanks for your replies guys but i just fixed the problem using Unbutu on a USB flash drive. Files have been transfered on a external HD and the format process is now in motion.

I really wonder what kind of malware caused all that mess though.....Must have been pretty nasty

Anyway , thanks again.

 

[RebateMonger]

Now that you've got the data back, consider that she probably won't be so lucky next time and how much of a PITA the whole thing is.

You do her a long-term favor and teach her how to back up her data to another disk. Win7 has a built-in backup program to do this and there are numerous paid and freeware programs available, too. Also, something as simple as a stored image backup (using something like Acronis TrueImage or Clonezilla) will let you quickly bring back her computer to exact state it's in after you re-install Windows and her basic programs.