How To Recover Data From An Unbootable PC

Read time 4 minutes

Every time you power up your PC or laptop, the startup process initiates a search for the boot program sequence within the local drives. If the system successfully finds the boot sequence, it will commence without any issues or errors. However, in the event it cannot locate the boot sequence, the startup will be unsuccessful.

If you encounter a situation like this during your startup process – where your system cannot find the boot sequence and displays an error message such as “Your PC encountered a problem and requires a restart” – it’s likely due to either corrupted startup files or potential damage to your hard drives. The key question at this point is: What actions will you take to address and resolve this problem?

Well, before getting into the cause and methods to undo the clutches of this fatal error. Let us first understand a bit more about the unbootable state of systems.

Unbootable Systems

Usually, when you power up your PC or laptop, the computer system readies itself to initiate the startup process. This procedure entails identifying the boot-up sequence within the BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The BIOS serves as the initial program that launches when you turn on your computing devices, while the boot-up sequence consists of a series of instructions designed to initiate the operating system stored within the BIOS.

If the PC is unable to locate the boot-up sequence within the BIOS, the startup instruction is denied, and you’ll receive error messages on your screen.

Repairing a system that cannot boot is a challenging task, often resulting in the loss of inaccessible data. Nevertheless, there are methods to address this issue by physically removing the local hard drive installed within the computer’s CPU. Therefore, to recover data from Windows first, we need to migrate the affected hard drive to some other system.

Let us throw some light on the reasons that lead to the unbootable state of your computing devices. Some common causes are listed below:

• System files required to invoke the boot-up sequence have gone corrupt.
• Bad sectors on hard drives resisting the startup process.
• Virus Intrusions sometimes corrupt the system files.
• Operating system corruption can also be a root cause of an unbootable system state.
• Sometimes BIOS corruption also leads to the unbootable state of the PCs and laptops.

As we have discussed earlier, the foremost method to fix unbootable hard drives involves the removal of the affected hard drive and then using it as an external storage device on some other computer. However, one needs to be very precise while pulling out your hard drive.

Follow the steps given below in order to retrieve the data from unbootable hard drive, manually:

1. Unplug your PC or laptop from the power source. In simple terms, switch off the power supply. Remove the battery, in case you are using a laptop.
2. Disassemble your PC or laptop, locate the hard drive by and unplug all the hard drive cables.
3. Unscrew the hard drive and put it out of the case.
4. If required, insert the hard drive into an external hard drive case.
5. Connect the hard drive to a new PC or laptop.
6. Reboot the new system from its standard Operating System on the main drive.
7. Now, you can access the data residing in that unbootable hard drive, copy the data, and unplug the hard drive.

If you find yourself unable to access your data even after installing the hard drive on another PC or laptop, it could be due to either a corrupted hard drive or accidental data deletion. In such situations, it is advisable to consider using a third-party Windows data recovery tool.

The Kernel for Windows Data Recovery is a leading software solution designed for the retrieval of lost or permanently deleted data from hard drives. This powerful tool enables effortless recovery of inaccessible data, allowing you to preview the rescued files before storing them on your local hard drive. Furthermore, it exhibits exceptional compatibility, functioning seamlessly across a wide range of Windows versions.