Skip to main content

Copy files from a PC that does not start

Before you repair a Windows installation, save the important files. O&O DiskCommander gives you access to all drives of the computer, including protected system and user folders.

Prerequisites:

Copy the files​

  1. Connect the external drive.
  2. Press the Windows key+E, or click Start > Programs > O&O DiskCommander.
  3. In one pane, open the drive of the computer, for example C:\Users\<user name>.
  4. In the other pane, open the external drive or the network share.
  5. Select the files and folders and copy them to the other pane.

Connect a network share​

To copy the files to a server, a NAS or another computer, connect its shared folder as a drive.

  1. Set up the network connection in the start wizard if it is not yet available (Set up network and screen).
  2. In O&O DiskCommander, click Connect in the toolbar, then Map network drive….
  3. In the Windows dialog, choose a free drive letter and enter the path of the share, for example \\server\share.
  4. If the share asks for it, sign in with an account of the computer that provides the share.
  5. Open the new drive in the other pane and copy the files to it.

The connection ends when you restart the computer.

Result​

The files are on the external drive or the network share. Check a few of them by opening them before you continue with the repair.

Do not save on the same disk

Copy rescued files to another drive, never to a different folder on the same disk. If the disk is failing, both copies would be lost.

When files are missing​

Files that were deleted cannot be copied with O&O DiskCommander. Use O&O DiskRecovery, see Recover deleted files.

Next steps​