How to Backup Data without Booting into Windows

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PAGE CONTENT:

• Backup Data Without Booting into OS with File Backup Software
• Access and Copy Files from Unbootable OS via USB Windows Installation Media

When a hard drive failure or Windows boot issue occurs, you can try to access your data without booting into Windows by using a bootable USB drive or CD/DVD with a data recovery tool, such as Qiling Backup or Hiren's BootCD, which can help you back up your data without affecting the original files. Alternatively, you can also use a Linux-based live USB drive to access your data. These methods allow you to access and back up your data without reinstalling the operating system.

If your computer won't boot in Windows 10/8/7 or other versions, don't worry! You can still access and backup your important data or files without the OS by trying one of two quick and easy solutions: use a live USB or CD to access your files, or boot from a different OS to transfer your data to a safe location. Either way, you'll be able to protect your valuable files before attempting to repair your system.

Backup Data Without Booting into Windows with File Backup Software

Applies to: To achieve this, you can use a Linux live USB or a bootable CD/DVD with a tool like Clonezilla or Partimage, which can copy files from a non-booting drive without needing to boot into the operating system. Alternatively, you can use a tool like Qiling Backup or Acronis True Image, which can create a backup of the entire hard drive, including the operating system and all files, without requiring the computer to be booted into the OS.

Preparations:

• An empty USB flash drive
• One external hard drive with enough empty space
• Another healthy Windows PC
• Reliable file backup software - Qiling Backup

• Free Download

Qiling Backup provides reliable solutions for selectively backing up files or backing up the entire disk, even when the Windows OS is unable to boot up.

You need to use the software to burn a Windows PE image onto an empty USB drive, creating a bootable disk. This allows you to boot your computer from the disk and then apply Qiling Backup to securely back up your computer's saved data.

Here are the detail steps:

Step 1: Download and Install Qiling Backup on the working computer. Click "Tools" - "Create bootable media".

To create a Windows bootable media, follow the tool's instructions and add disk, RAID, and network card drivers to ensure the hard disk and network drive are recognized in the WinPE environment, avoiding potential issues with Qiling backup.

Step 2: When it's done, insert this emergency disk to the computer that needs backing up.

To resolve the issue, restart the PC and press F2/DEL to enter the BIOS settings. From there, change the boot sequence to prioritize the bootable disk containing the Qiling backup software. Once this is done, start the computer and run the Qiling backup software from the bootable disk.

Step 3: On the main window, click "File backup" and choose the files or data you want to back up.

As data storage and creation continue to grow, it's a good idea to regularly back up important files like documents, pictures, music, and videos to ensure they're safe in case of loss or damage.

Step 4: Select a destination to save your backup file.

You should save the backup file in a separate storage media to avoid the risk of it getting corrupted or destroyed.

Step 5: Click "Proceed" to execute your operation.

Wait patiently for Qiling Backup to back up your valuable data from the Windows hard drive to the external hard drive. Once complete, unplug the external hard drive and verify the backed up data on another healthy PC.

Access and Copy Files from Unbootable OS via USB Windows Installation Media

The Windows installer can be used to manually access and copy files by using a USB drive on Windows 10/8/7.

Preparations:

• An empty USB flash drive
• An external hard drive with enough space
• Another healthy PC

Here are the details:

Step 1. Create Windows installation media to USB on another healthy PC

To create a Windows installation media, download the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft on a PC connected to the internet, and select the option to create the installation media on a USB drive with a minimum capacity of 8GB.

To back up Windows 7 and Windows 10 to USB without effort, you can use the built-in backup tools in Windows. For Windows 7, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore, select "Set up a backup" and choose the USB drive as the destination. For Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup, select "Add a drive" and choose the USB drive as the destination.

Step 2. Startup the unbootable Windows PC from the USB installation media

Plug-To fix an unbootable computer, insert a USB flash drive with Windows on it and an external drive into the computer. Reboot the computer and enter its BIOS settings. In the BIOS, navigate to the "Boot" section and set the computer to boot from the USB flash drive. Save the changes and exit the BIOS to boot from the USB.

Once your PC has finished booting into Windows, you can proceed with the rest of the instructions.

Step 3. Bring up Command Prompt from Troubleshoot advanced options

• On the Windows Setup window, click "Next" and select "Repair your computer" at the bottom right of the new window.

• To enter the Advanced options, select "Troubleshoot" and then click "Command Prompt" on the new window.

Step 4. Open up Notepad by typing below command lines and hit enter each time:

• To list all existing partitions on your Windows PC, type `wmic logicaldisk get name` and hit Enter.
• To change the directory to the Windows drive, you can simply type `cd Windows` and press Enter. This will navigate to the root directory of the Windows drive.
• Type notepad.exe and hit Enter to access notepad from Command Prompt.

Step 5. Access and copy existing data from your computer hard drive to the external hard drive as a backup.

1. To open all drives on your computer, click on "File" and then select "Open" from the drop-down menu on Notepad.

2. To view all files on your Windows hard drive, you can change the "Files of type" option from ".txt" to "All Files" in the file browser. This will allow you to see all files, regardless of their type, rather than just text files.

3. To copy files from your computer to an external hard drive, open the drives or folders containing your data, right-click on the files or folder you want to copy and select "Copy". Then, navigate to the external hard drive and right-click to select "Paste".

To back up your valuable data to an external hard drive, start by selecting the files and folders you want to copy, and then proceed to copy them one by one, starting with the smallest files and moving on to the larger ones, to speed up the process. Continue this process until all desired data is backed up, with the backup time depending on the amount and size of the copied data.

When the backup finishes, you can close the Notepad window and Command Prompt Window, then shut down the PC.

Final Words

Once you have backed up your data to a USB drive, you can shut down your computer and proceed with a clean Windows installation, knowing your files are safely stored elsewhere.

If you are also interested in how to get files from a dead hard drive or a dead computer, check the answers below as quick navigation:

1. How do I get files or data off a computer that won't boot?

You can transfer data from a dead PC by removing its hard drive and connecting it to another computer, allowing you to access and use the data on the old drive.

If you don't have a second PC, you can try to access your data from USB installation media or file backup software.

2. How do I recover files from an unbootable hard drive?

If a system hard drive won't boot, you can remove it from the old computer and connect it to a new one to access the data. Alternatively, you can use a professional data recovery software to directly restore data from the unbootable hard drive.

If a data drive fails to boot, it may have bad sectors or a corrupted file system, requiring a professional hard disk repair tool or a local repair center to fix it.

3. What can I do with a dying hard drive?

If your hard drive is experiencing extreme slowness, frequent crashes, strange noises, or sudden file loss, it's likely that the drive is dying. The first step is to check the drive's state - is it still operational or has it reached the end of its life?

If your hard drive is dying, prioritize restoring data from the failing drive to a new one before replacing it. This ensures your important files are safe and can be easily accessed on the new drive. Once the data is secure, you can then replace the dying drive with a new one.

If you have a dead drive, you can take it to a local drive repair center or contact the hard drive manufacturer for assistance. For more information, check out the article on what to do with a dying hard drive.

4. What can I do if a computer hard drive corrupted?

When a computer's hard drive is corrupted, especially if it's the system drive, the recommended course of action is to first attempt to access and back up any important data to an external hard drive. If the drive is unrecoverable, the next step is to reinstall the Windows operating system.

If the drive is a data drive, repair the corrupted hard drive first, then recover data from the corrupted disk. For a detailed tutorial, follow the link to repair corrupted hard drive without losing data.

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