[Sarvesh Govenkar]

hey i have an old pc on which i used to run Xp it crashed a couple of day ago after being infested with Male ware now when i turn it on it doesn't boot up it gives me the safe mode option and no matter what  it chose it doesn't turn one  i now want to install Windows 7 on it but also want to recover few files that are on the desk top how do i go about it?????

 

PS if thies isn't a relevant place to post this topic than sorry 

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There are several way to save existing data before doing a clean install of Windows 7.
 
The easiest is this: How to Copy & Paste in Recovery Console on Windows 7 or Vista

Since you are going to install Windows 7 anyway, this would be the easiest way I think.

 

An alternative would be to remove the drive from the computer it's in and install as a slave in another computer then copy the data so a flash drive or hard drive.

 

You could also pick up a Universal USB adapter which allows you to connect a hard drive (3.5 or 2.5 inch) to another computer externally to copy data.

 

Another method is to create a Linux Live CD/DVD that you can then boot and copy the data so a flash drive. Puppy, Slacko, Ubuntu and othersd are all able to do this.

[Ztruker]

There are several way to save existing data before doing a clean install of Windows 7.
 
The easiest is this: How to Copy & Paste in Recovery Console on Windows 7 or Vista

Since you are going to install Windows 7 anyway, this would be the easiest way I think.

 

An alternative would be to remove the drive from the computer it's in and install as a slave in another computer then copy the data so a flash drive or hard drive.

 

You could also pick up a Universal USB adapter which allows you to connect a hard drive (3.5 or 2.5 inch) to another computer externally to copy data.

 

Another method is to create a Linux Live CD/DVD that you can then boot and copy the data so a flash drive. Puppy, Slacko, Ubuntu and othersd are all able to do this.

[Sarvesh Govenkar]

the slave thing sounds nice how do i go about it????

[Ztruker]

Exactly as I said:

 

An alternative would be to remove the drive from the computer it's in and install as a slave in another computer then copy the data to a flash drive or hard drive.

 

Power down both computers then open their cases.

Disconnect the hard drive from the problem computer and connect it to the other computer, both SATA and power cables. Make sure the original drive in the computer it's being connected to is on the lowest SATA port number, 0 or 1, depending on how they are numbered.

Connect the drive from the problem computer to a higher port number.

 

Boot up the computer.

Open My Computer, navigate to the just installed drive and copy off any data you want. You may have Access Denied problems in which case you will have to Take Ownership of the folders you want to get data from.

 

Honestly, I think doing this from the Windows 7 boot DVD is a better option with less risk of accidentally screwing things up.

[Sarvesh Govenkar]

ok i will try it and get back to you