Dead OS, What Do I Need To Retrieve?

thismafiaguy

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Jan 9, 2011
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My Windows 7 installation has been screwed up beyond repair, and I am unable to boot the system past the "loading operating system" screen. I've tried connecting the boot drive into different SATA ports on the mobo, tried system restore, tried startup repair with recovery disc, and got no results.

I've decided to ditch this OS and have a fresh start. But before I format the boot drive, what do I need to retrieve from it? It is still perfectly accessible, and the mobo detects it just fine. I've backed up my personal documents and pictures onto another computer. I mainly want to retrieve my game saves so I don't lose a century's worth of gaming progress. And also, are there any authorization files I need to save?

I had Steam, uPlay, Origin, and iTunes, is there anything I should do to prevent an authorization error on my new OS? I don't want anything tied to a computer that no longer exists(I'm rebuilding the entire system). I also had a storage drive for most of my games, what should I do with that?
 
Solution
I was in very similar situation to yours, i didnt have a dead drive but i did a clean install when i upgraded to windows 8. Windows 8 detected all my storage drives (music, games, video, etc) without any difficulty.

asukafan2001

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Apr 21, 2010
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I know steam and itunes should be fine. I've reinstalled both on multiple computers without any difficulty. I dont use uplay or orgin so i can't help you there.

If the storage drive is still working, id just put it into the new system. That way you wont have to go through the hassle of re-downloading all your steam games.
 

asukafan2001

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Apr 21, 2010
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I was in very similar situation to yours, i didnt have a dead drive but i did a clean install when i upgraded to windows 8. Windows 8 detected all my storage drives (music, games, video, etc) without any difficulty.
 
Solution