HOW TO
Recover data if your PC fails; set up your own CCTV system; customize the Windows 10 Start menu.
YOU’LL NEED THIS
MACRIUM REFLECT
Get the free recovery software from http://bit.ly/1gGwIiJ.
EXTERNAL DRIVE
Ideally, an external USB 3.0 hard drive with enough space to hold the contents of your entire PC.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CAN’T BOOT INTO WINDOWS? If, as in most cases, the hard drive itself hasn’t physically died, then your data is tantalizingly close, but just out of reach. Attempting repairs could make things worse, but if you follow this tutorial, you’ll be able to back up all of the data on your drive using a free program called Macrium Reflect Free, before you try to fix the problem.
This tutorial assumes you’re unable to boot into Windows, in which case you’ll need access to another Windows PC. You’ll also need an external USB hard drive to recover your nonfunctioning drive’s files to, plus rescue media in the form of a blank CD/DVD or spare USB flash drive (512MB in capacity or greater). Even if your PC is working perfectly for now, why not protect yourself and create the all-important rescue media now? It’s easy to do in six steps (see “Create Rescue Media Now!” on page 64). It could save your files one day.
1 TOOLING UP
From a working PC, first download Macrium Reflect Free from www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx. Click the “Download now” link to get the software via Cnet. Save the file “reflectdl” to the hard drive, then double-click it to launch the installer. Make sure the selected download is the free version with PE 3 components. Click “Download” and follow the prompts.
>> You’ll need an external USB hard drive to store the recovered data [ Image A]. It needs enough free space to hold the contents of the entire PC—Macrium will compress the backup, but it may not be enough. A new 1TB hard drive costs around $50, and is a worthwhile investment. Plug your USB hard drive into the working PC, which will detect it and install the necessary drivers.
2 LAUNCH RESCUE DISC CREATOR
With the USB hard drive still plugged in, click “Start” and select “Reflect” to launch the program. Open the “Other tasks” menu and select “Create rescue media.” The Windows PE option should be selected, so click “Advanced” and choose the “4.0” option if your non-booting PC came with Windows 8 installed. Otherwise, select “3.1” and click “OK,” followed by “Next” to continue [ Image B].
>> The PE Architecture is one of the most important choices you have to make. Usually, the default setting (typically “64-bit” on newer PCs) is the right one to pick, but if your non-booting PC is running Windows XP, select “32-bit” instead. Ignore the Architecture Conflict warning that pops up by clicking “Continue.” Then leave “Default base WIM (recommended)” selected and click “Next” [ Image C].
3 BUILD RESCUE FILES
Wait for the files to be collated, then click “Continue.” You may receive two warning messages—one that says “Check your rescue media can access your drives,” and one telling you about an update that requires upgrading. Click “Continue” to ignore them. If you’re returned to the PE Architecture screen from here, just click “Next” to repeat the step.
>> You should now be prompted to burn your rescue media—either CD/DVD (insert your disc) or USB. If you’re using a USB flash drive, make sure you tick “Enable multiboot MBR/UEFI USB support” if you’re trying to recover data from a newer PC with Windows 8 preinstalled. Click “Finish” to create the rescue media, then eject the disc or safely remove the flash drive.
4
START THE NON-BOOTING PC
Next, plug the external hard drive into your non-functioning PC and power it up with the newly made rescue disc or USB flash drive inserted. If prompted, press any key to boot from CD or DVD. If no media is detected, restart your computer and look for an option to select the boot media in your BIOS. Choose your CD/DVD drive or USB flash drive from the list [ Image D].
>> After a short pause, the Macrium Rescue Environment should start. If you’re prompted to load drivers—typically network ones—you can click “No” [ Image E]. You don’t need them to detect your external hard drive. When the main screen appears, switch to the “Disk Image” tab. You should see both your internal, non-booting hard drive and the external drive you plan to recover data to.
5
CREATE YOUR DRIVE IMAGE
The annotated screenshot on page 64 (“Create Rescue Media Now!”) shows an option for backing up your hard drive, known as drive imaging [ Image F]. This includes creating a forensic image in case you need to recover previously deleted data from your inaccessible drive, and choosing a more easily identifiable name for the drive image itself. Work your way through the wizard, then click “Finish.”
>> When the process is complete, click “OK” followed by “Close.” Switch back to the “Restore” tab, where the drive image should now be displayed. Make sure the image isn’t corrupt by clicking “Verify image.” Click “Verify” and wait a moment for Macrium to check the image and confirm that it’s intact. When this has been successfully verified, click “OK,” followed by “Close.”
>> Now switch back to the “Restore” tab. Under “Restore tasks,” click “Open an image or backup file in Windows Explorer.” If the image isn’t displayed, select “Browse for folder” from the drop-down menu and click your USB hard drive. Once it’s detected, tick the drive, assign it a letter from the drop-down menu, and tick “Enable access to restricted folders,” before clicking “OK.”
6
LOCATE AND COPY YOUR FILES
A new Explorer window will open, which should reveal all the files and folders on your non-bootable PC’s hard drive [ Image G]. You’re now free to browse through the drive’s contents for your lost folders and files, as if you were using the computer itself. Look under Users or Documents and Settings for your user folder—most of your personal files will be located here.
>> You’ve found the files you want to restore, but you can’t open them directly from the rescue media, so close Macrium and shut down your PC. Boot the working PC again and plug the USB hard drive back into it. Locate and double-click your drive image to access it in the same way as you did in Step 5. This time you can also view and copy files from the image.
7
RECOVER, REPAIR, AND RESTORE
If you took a forensic image of the drive, it will contain all previously deleted data, as well as your existing files and folders. Armed with the right free tool—such as Glary Undelete (from www.glarysoft.com)— you can search for and attempt to recover deleted files [ Image H]. Once the tool is installed, just select your mounted drive image and click “Scan” to see what it can find.
>> With your data now accessible from your drive image, you can go back to trying to fix your non-booting PC, secure in the knowledge that whatever happens, you won’t lose all your data. Try booting from your Windows installation disc or recovery media and look for repair options to see if the problem can be fixed for you [ Image I]. If it can, you won’t need to perform any further data recovery.
>> Congratulations! Even if you’re forced to reinstall or recover Windows from scratch, you can now do so without losing any of your files. Once the reinstall and post-reinstall processes are complete, install Macrium Reflect Free on your PC, then plug in your USB hard drive, and mount your drive image to copy your files back to the internal hard drive.