Laptop without a monitor.

[jimmmac1]

Hello,
I have a friends laptop running Windows, either Vista or 7 where the video subsystem isn't working. But it is running and I plugged it into my network/router. I would like to get to the hard drive to get files off. I have both Linux Mint and Windows 7 on my computer. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Jim Macdonald
jimmmac@comcast.net

 

[PhilFrisbie]

Have you tried an external monitor?

 

[jimmmac1]

Hi Phil. Thanks for your response. Yes, I did. I started to come up and then went blank. Did this on two different monitors, so I think the problem is with the video subsystem. But I can see the hard drive is running. I only need to get to it. Thanks again.

Jim

 

[john-b691]

You problem will be the machine only can do what it did before you lost access. If you did not have file sharing or some form of remote desktop before it will be almost impossible to setup now.

Try getting and booting a linux image. Backtrack has just about every disk recovery tool there is. It is designed to run 100% from the DVD. If the video does not work on this best bet is to take the hard drive out and connect it to another machine with a ata-USB adapter.

If the video is really gone the machine is not of much value.

 

[jimmmac1]

You problem will be the machine only can do what it did before you lost access. If you did not have file sharing or some form of remote desktop before it will be almost impossible to setup now.

Try getting and booting a linux image. Backtrack has just about every disk recovery tool there is. It is designed to run 100% from the DVD. If the video does not work on this best bet is to take the hard drive out and connect it to another machine with a ata-USB adapter.

If the video is really gone the machine is not of much value.

HI John

Thanks for your response. I will contact my friend to see what she wants to do. I will check out Backtrack. I figured that as a last resort I could take the drive out. I was just wondering if there was another way to do it. Thanks again.

Jim

 

[PhilFrisbie]

My FIRST resort would be to remove the drive and attach it to a USB adapter. It is very easy and fast!