How can I get my files off my broken laptop?

If your laptop has broken and the warranty has already expired, you can try to extract the drive from the laptop and connect it to the PC to access the data.

Generally, drives are extracted from the laptops in a similar way: you just need to unscrew a couple of bolts. You should better look for a video on how to extract the drive from your particular laptop model. If you deal with Dell Inspiron laptop refer to this page for the video.

Once you extract the drive (most probably 2.5” drive), you need to take a SATA cable if you are going to connect the drive directly to the PC motherboard or an USB-to-SATA cable if you want to use USB connection. If you do not have such cables, go to the local electronics store or visit an online computer shop like Newegg.

If the drive itself is OK, you should see it in My Computer and get access to the data.

If the drive isn't displayed or you get some error messages, try using data recovery software like ReclaiMe. You can find the detailed tutorial with video instructions at this page - Laptop drive recovery.

If you can't see the drive in ReclaiMe, try to replace the cable or use other USB port. If the drive is still not displayed, most likely you deal with a physically damaged drive and the only option to get data back is to send the laptop disk to a data recovery lab.

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