Recover Critical Documents from a Computer that Won't Boot

Our digital lives are ever so fragile, which is why we frequently recommend that you have a regular, reliable backup. But sometimes disaster strikes when you're not ready.

If your computer won't start and there are mission-critical files you absolutely have to get your hands on, I've got a solution that might save your skin.

MakeUseOf recently explained how you can use a Live CD -- essentially, an operating system-on-a-disc -- to boot your PC and recover files trapped on your hard drive. Of course, in order for this to work, certain stars need to line up just right:

• You need to have a Live CD handy, since you can't make it on the dead PC. You can follow the instructions in the MakeUse Of article to create a Live CD ahead of time, or use another PC when disaster strikes. My advice: take an hour and do it ahead of time. That way you're prepared if you should ever need it.
• The hard drive can't be the thing that failed. Sometimes, your computer won't boot because Windows is corrupted. Or the boot sector is toast. In those situations, a Live CD will help. But if the hard drive has failed catastrophically, then you're out of luck.
• The CD drive needs to work as well -- or you need to be able to connect an external one.