How to Rescue a Crashed PC


Data Recovery Software
You've tried every solution to get Windows back, but sometimes it's just not going to happen. Luckily, you've made great backups, right? So you can just nuke the drive from orbit and reinstall the operating system. Right?

Okay, so there's still some data to get off the drive. You have a couple more options. The safest and cheapest is to invest in some data recovery software. There are plenty of options: GetDataBack (free demo, $69 or $79, depending on file system), Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery (free demo, $79), EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard (free version or $69.95 on up), and many more. Many of these programs are great for getting deleted files back from the dead.

Freeze the Drive
Sometimes you just know your hard drive is hosed. You can usually tell by the noise it makes. Instead of spinning up smoothly, it either does nothing (check the power cable), or it makes more clicks than angry squirrels snapping twigs. If that's the case, here's a unique solution that might work. Anecdotally, many people swear by it. Stick your hard drive in the freezer. Disconnect it first, of course. Wrap the drive in a towel, and then put it in a re-usable zippered freezer bag. Place it in another freezer bag. Stick it in the freezer for about an hour, and then take it out. Make sure there's no condensation, reconnect it, and see if it works. It might. If not, try the freezer again for several hours—maybe even a full day.

If this gets the drive back up and running at least once, take advantage of that time: Get your data off of the drive ASAP. Once it thaws, chances are it will go back to sounding like an ancient, scratched LP. This may only work on older drives. And, it will probably only work once or twice. But it's worth a try.

Recovery Service
This is the point of last resort. Why? Well, the cost can be astronomical. But we've all heard the tales of amazing resurrections of data by companies like Drive Savers. If you need that kind of miracle for your lost masterpiece, one-of-a-kind digital memories, or your company's most important secrets (that haven't been backed up), you might have to go with one of these costly experts. DriveSavers can even recover data from damaged iPods, iPhones, and iPads.

Typically, you provide an external drive to the service and it comes back in a week (faster if you pay more) with what data they could recover. It may not be pretty: Imagine 30,000 picture files without their names or folder structure. Yes, this translates into extra work for you, but you kinda deserve it for not backing up that data in the first place. (Sorry, someone had to say it.)

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