Needed: Windows Vista Recovery Disk

[edwardmills]

Hi There

My desktop won't boot and I need to get in there to grab some data and then wipe the hard drive so I can donate it. (It's still a decent computer).

If you've got a Vista boot disk I could borrow that would be awesome!

Let me know - 707-861-0608.

Much appreciation!
Ed

[morlogs]

Do you just need to boot the machine or do you need to recover your operating system? Most recovery discs will boot most PCs but usually a recovery disk will only recover a machine of the same manufacturer and model of the machine it was included with. (there are ways around this but it's a hassle and requires a bit of specific knowledge about editing .ini files and mfcchg files) Also, if you do a restore, you won't be able to recover the files that you want to save because a recovery puts your computer back to it's original configuration. Possibly the best approach is to "acquire" a full version of Vista with Service Pack x (x being a more recent Service Pack than what is installed now) and do an upgrade. Have you tried booting your machine into "Safe Mode"? You could then recover your files and possibly do a System Restore back to a date before your computer stopped booting properly. Just some thoughts based on my knowledge and experiences.
Morlogs

Hi There

My desktop won't boot and I need to get in there to grab some data and then wipe the hard drive so I can donate it. (It's still a decent computer).

If you've got a Vista boot disk I could borrow that would be awesome!

Let me know - 707-861-0608.

Much appreciation!
Ed

[edwardmills]

Thanks Morlogs.
I'll try the safemode boot and see if I can get into the hard drive to grab the files I need.
If not, I'll try to get my hands onto a full disk version of Vista.
Thanks!

[Karl Frederick]

In addition to Morlog's good advice, if you run into a wall, you may be able to pull the hard drive out of the machine, install it into an external USB adapter, then plug it into another computer and transfer whichever files you want. I did that a couple of years ago when my desktop computer's motherboard failed, and was able to save everything I wanted to the new computer. Bought the hard drive adapter from HSC in Rohnert Park for about $20 - 25.

Good luck!

Thanks Morlogs.
I'll try the safemode boot and see if I can get into the hard drive to grab the files I need.
If not, I'll try to get my hands onto a full disk version of Vista.
Thanks!

[edwardmills]

Another great idea. I'll be trying to boot up tomorrow. Thanks!

In addition to Morlog's good advice, if you run into a wall, you may be able to pull the hard drive out of the machine, install it into an external USB adapter, then plug it into another computer and transfer whichever files you want. I did that a couple of years ago when my desktop computer's motherboard failed, and was able to save everything I wanted to the new computer. Bought the hard drive adapter from HSC in Rohnert Park for about $20 - 25.

Good luck!