Hard drive data recovery when the computer won't turn on or boot
This guide is for anyone whose computer died, or turns on but never reaches Windows, and who is now worried about the photos and documents. You will understand where the files really live, how to get them out yourself when that is possible, and when it is no longer in your hands.
The computer won’t turn on. Are my files lost?
Not necessarily. The files are not “in the computer” in general, but on one component: the drive (a hard disk or an SSD). Many faults that disable a computer, such as a burnt-out power supply, a faulty motherboard, a broken screen or Windows damaged by an update, do not touch the drive at all.
In those cases the files are intact, and the only question is how to reach them. But not always. A power surge, a fall or liquid can damage the drive too, and there are cases where the drive cannot be removed or read without the original computer. More on those below.
What should you try before removing the drive?
First make sure the computer is really dead. Sometimes it is an outlet, a power strip or a charger, and that takes a few minutes to check using the guide for a computer that won’t turn on. If the computer turns on but gets stuck before the desktop, there are ways to bring it up in Safe Mode and copy files to an external drive, and they are explained in the guide for Windows that won’t boot.
And one more check that saves a lot: if you used OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud, sign in to the account from your phone. A large part of the files may already be there.
How do you get files off a drive you removed from the computer?
You connect it to another working computer, through an adapter or a USB enclosure that fits the type of drive, and copy. This works for a desktop and for laptops where the drive is removable. If you are not used to opening computers, or the computer is still under warranty, it is better not to open it.
- Unplug from the power. On a laptop, unplug the charger too. If the battery comes out without tools, remove it.
- Identify the type of drive. Older laptops and many desktops have a 2.5-inch drive with a SATA connector, a flat rectangle the size of a small palm. Desktops also have larger drives, 3.5 inches. Newer computers have an M.2 drive, a narrow thin stick. M.2 drives come in two kinds, NVMe and SATA, and an enclosure that fits one does not always fit the other. Check the label on the drive before buying.
- Connect the drive to the second computer. A 2.5-inch drive works with a simple SATA to USB adapter. A 3.5-inch drive needs an adapter with its own power supply. In a desktop you can also connect the drive inside, to a free SATA port.
- Open File Explorer. The drive should appear with its own drive letter. The personal files are in the Users folder, and inside it a folder with your username, holding the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders.
- Copy to a third drive. To the second computer or to an external disk, not back to the same drive. Start with the files that matter most to you, in case the drive stops working partway through.
What must you not do when connecting the drive?
Any action that writes to the drive can lower the chance of saving anything from it. The four common mistakes:
- Approving a format. If Windows says the drive needs to be formatted before you can use it, click Cancel. The message means Windows cannot read the file system, not that the files are gone.
- Approving a scan and repair. An offer to scan and repair the drive, or running chkdsk, writes to the drive. On a drive whose data matters and has no backup, you do not run it before the files have been copied.
- Installing recovery software on the drive you are recovering from. The installation itself can overwrite exactly what you are looking for. The same goes for saving recovered files: always to a different drive.
- Keeping a clicking drive running. Steady clicking from a mechanical drive is usually a mechanical fault, and every minute of operation can make it worse. Disconnect immediately, and the guide on a hard drive that clicks explains why.
Why can’t the drive be removed from every computer?
Because some computers have no separate drive. The storage is soldered directly to the motherboard, and that is the case in every MacBook with an Apple chip (M1 and later) and in some thin Windows laptops.
With MacBooks there is another layer. According to Apple’s security guide, on Macs with an Apple chip and Macs with a T2 chip the internal storage is encrypted, and it stays encrypted even if it is removed and connected to another computer. Apple’s list of computers with a T2 chip includes, for example, the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air from 2018 to 2020, excluding the M1 models. In other words, even a lab cannot remove the memory chips and read them in another computer.
On computers like these, the files usually come out only when the board itself manages to boot. Apple has two official ways to do this, and both require a second Mac and a cable:
- Mac with an Apple chip: boot the computer into macOS Recovery and choose Utilities and then Share Disk. On the second Mac it appears in a Finder window, under Network. The steps are in Apple’s guide to transferring files from a Mac with an Apple chip.
- Mac with an Intel processor: Target Disk Mode, which you start by holding the T key at power-on, connected with a Thunderbolt cable. The details are in Apple’s guide to Target Disk Mode.
If the Mac does not turn on at all, neither way will work, and the next step is repairing the board itself, for example through MacBook repair. There is no promise that this will succeed.
The drive is encrypted with BitLocker. What does that mean?
That without the recovery key, the drive will not open in another computer, even if it is perfectly healthy. In normal use the drive unlocks by itself with the help of the original computer’s security chip (TPM). When you remove the drive, that chip does not come with it, so the second computer asks for the recovery key.
Many people do not know their drive is encrypted. According to Microsoft’s page on device encryption, on computers that support it, when you set up a computer for the first time with a Microsoft account, device encryption is turned on and the recovery key is saved to the account. With a local account it is not turned on automatically. And according to Microsoft’s technical documentation, from version 24H2 of Windows 11 some of the hardware requirements were lowered, so more computers are encrypted automatically.
Where is the key? According to Microsoft’s page on finding your BitLocker key:
- In your personal Microsoft account, at aka.ms/myrecoverykey, from a phone or another computer.
- On a work or school computer, at aka.ms/aadrecoverykey, or with the IT department.
- On a printed page or in a file on a USB flash drive, if you saved it that way when encryption was turned on.
Microsoft support cannot recover a lost key. If the key is nowhere to be found, a lab will not be able to read the drive either.
And this is the time to check the computers that are working at home: Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption. If encryption is on, go to aka.ms/myrecoverykey and make sure the key for that computer appears there.
Which situation are you in, and what are the odds?
| Situation | The odds, in plain words | What to do | When to stop and go to the lab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop that won’t turn on | Usually good, because the drive is separate from the fault | Power checks, then remove the drive and connect it to another computer | If the drive is not detected in another computer either |
| Laptop with a removable drive | Usually good | Remove the drive and connect it through a matching USB enclosure | If you are not used to opening laptops, or it is under warranty |
| Laptop or MacBook with soldered storage | Depends on the board booting | Share Disk or Target Disk Mode on a Mac, if it boots | If the computer does not turn on at all |
| Drive encrypted with BitLocker | Good with the key, zero without it | Find the key at aka.ms/myrecoverykey | If you have the key but the drive will not unlock |
| Clicking drive | Unknown, and dropping with every power-on | Disconnect immediately and do not try again | Immediately, if the data matters |
| Drive not detected in another computer | Unknown | Try a different cable or adapter, once | After you swapped the adapter and it still does not appear |
What happens at our lab?
It starts with an examination of the drive, and we tell you honestly what the odds are. The price is set before any work begins, and only after you approve.
When the drive can be removed, we remove it, connect it to a computer in the lab, scan it and copy everything that can be saved to another drive. During the work we keep a temporary backup of the files, and we delete it after the files are back with you. If they also need to be moved to a new computer, that is part of data transfer.
And honestly: there is no promise that everything, or even part of it, will be recovered. We will do our best.
When to bring the computer to the lab
The line is clear: if the drive clicks or is not detected in another computer either, if the storage is soldered and the computer does not boot, or if Windows asks to format the drive, stop trying. And if you simply do not feel comfortable opening a computer, that is reason enough.
It is worth bringing the BitLocker recovery key with you if there is one, or at least checking that you can sign in to your Microsoft account. That saves an examination that would lead nowhere.
Did it not work out?
Our goal is for you to get the files out yourself, and in many cases a USB adapter and careful work are enough. If that did not work, ChipLab in Haifa will examine the drive and tell you honestly what is possible, on the data recovery page. And once the files are safe, a backup before something happens will spare you this worry next time.