How to Restore Files from Crashed Computers?

How to Restore Files from Crashed Computers

Are you one who likes saving everything related to personal or professional on your computers? Have you ever wondered what if your computer suddenly crashed? Sudden computer crashes can lead to significant stress, as all its stored content seems inaccessible. Luckily, recovering files from a crashed computer is often possible. This guide explains how to restore files from crashed computers, the tools you can use, and best practices to avoid such data loss in the future.

Common Reasons Why Your System May Crash

There are several reasons like hardware failure, software corruption, malware attacks, or system errors, why your system may crash. Depending on the nature of the crash, the extent of damage and recovery methods vary. Here are some common scenarios:

• Hardware Issues: Hardware failures are one of the main reasons that severely impact the stability of a computer. These problems may arise from wear and tear, manufacturing defects, or external damage.
• Software and OS Errors: Software-related crashes are common and often stem from bugs, misconfigurations, or incompatibilities. Interrupted OS or software updates, often during power outages, can also lead to system crashes.
• Uninformed Configuration Changes: Misconfiguring settings, especially in the BIOS or system registry, can render a system unstable.
• Physical Damage: Physical issues to internal components caused by spills can disrupt normal operations and lead to system crashes.
• External Peripheral Conflicts: Devices connected to your system, such as printers, USB drives, or external displays, can sometimes cause crashes.

Preliminary Steps before Recovery

Before you proceed with any recovery method, follow these steps to assess and stabilize the situation:

• Diagnose the Crash: Try to identify the exact cause of the crash. For example, a blue screen error might indicate a software issue, while clicking noises from a hard drive suggest hardware damage.
• Avoid Data Overwriting: Do not install software, save files, or attempt repairs directly on the affected drive. Overwriting the drive could permanently erase recoverable data.
• Backup if Possible: If the computer boots into safe mode or via a bootable USB, copy essential files to an external drive or cloud storage before applying any data recovery workaround.

How do I Recover Files after System Crashes?

Now it’s time to go through adequate Windows data recovery methods to recover your lost data in windows computer. Let’s begin:

Method 01: Recover Files Using Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode that loads minimal drivers and services, allowing you to bypass some system errors. All you need to do is:

• Restart the computer and press the appropriate key, i.e., F8 or Shift + F8 to enter Safe Mode.
• Once your system boots successfully:
  • Locate your files and copy them to an external drive.
  • Use built-in tools like Windows File Explorer or Finder on macOS to back up data.

Method 02: Connect the Hard Drive to Another Computer

If your devices fail to boot (which generally occurs due to the failed motherboard or dead RAM), you can try accessing its data from another computer. For this:

• Remove the hard drive from your crashed computer.
• Place it in an external hard drive case or docking station.
• Connect it to a working computer via USB.
• Access the drive’s contents and copy the required files to a secure location.

Method 03: Recover Files from Backup

Having a backup of your important files can also help you to restore files after the system crashes. You can check any of these methods to recover files from backups:

• Windows File History: If you’ve created backups using the Windows built-in File History backup utility, use it to restore lost files.
• Time Machine (macOS): Use Time Machine on your Mac to retrieve files from a previous backup point.
• Cloud Services: You can also use cloud backup services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. to download stored files.

Method 04: Use Third-Party Windows Data Recovery Software

Instances may occur when all the above methods to restore files from crashed computer get failed. In such cases, you can use a third-party Windows data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Standard to get your deleted files back.

This all-in-one data recovery software supports recovery of files deleted due to various scenarios such as system crashes, formatting, virus attacks, emptied recycle bin, etc. If you are looking for tools to easily recover lost files, then this software is definitely the best choice because of its simple user interface and easy recovery process.

Features of Stellar Data Recovery Standard:

• It allows you to restore deleted files of multiple types, including photos, videos, documents, and many more.
• Supports recovery of data from various devices, like SD cards, USB drives, SSDs, etc.
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac devices.
• Allows you to preview the recoverable files after performing storage device scanning.
• The software is available in multiple versions, varying in price and features.

Here’s how to restore data using Stellar Data Recovery Standard software:

Step 1: Firstly, download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Standard software on a second PC. Also, connect the hard drive from your crashed PC to that device. Launch the software and select the type of data you need to restore and click Next.

Step 2: From the Recover From window, choose your crashed drive and click Scan to initiate the scanning process. Wait till the scan is completed.

Step 3: After successful completion of the scan process, preview the recoverable files and choose the ones you want to restore. Click the Recover button to save recovered data. Make sure to save them to a different drive to avoid overwriting.

Method 05: Seek Professional Data Recovery Services

In case of severe hardware failures or critical data loss, the above methods may fail to restore files from crashed computers. In such scenarios, you can try professional recovery services. These services often involve using specialized equipment to recover data from damaged drives.

• Choose a reputable provider with cleanroom facilities.
• Be prepared for potential costs, which usually vary on the extent of damage and recovery complexity.

Tips to Prevent Data Loss Issues

Once your files are restored, it’s time to consider some additional tips to prevent similar incidents in the future:

• Maintain Regular Backups: Create backup of your important files using tools like Windows Backup, Time Machine, or cloud backup services such as Google Cloud, Drive, etc.
• Monitor System Health: Use diagnostic tools to check the health of your hardware on a regular basis. Make sure your device operating system and installed applications are up to date.
• Install Antivirus Software: Protect against malware and ransomware attacks with reputable antivirus and anti-malware programs.
• Use Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS): Avoid sudden system shutdowns due to power surges by using a UPS.

Conclusion

Hope, the above-mentioned manual workarounds and third-party Windows data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Standard help you to restore data from a crashed computer. Understanding the cause of the crash, acting swiftly to avoid overwriting data, and using appropriate recovery methods are key steps in the process. Once recovery is complete, implementing preventive measures ensures that future incidents have minimal impact.